...not totally versed on reading music but this is an impossible chord. The notes are E-E-A-C stacked from bottom to top. No one has a reach that big. The lead sheet has Am chord above this chord as well so there is no way to play this set of notes two-handed. Anybody have some insight for me?
Answers (1)
It looks to me to be a plain old Am guitar cowboy chord with a slash E bass.
Am/E. Easily played, although the use of the 1st E's is a bit weird. I would
more expect to see the 2nd E played on the 1st open E string. That's just
a regular Am chord. You'd normally strum the high E with the chord, making
it E-A-C-E. That's OK because you'd also usually strum the open A string,
so the root would be on the bottom. A-E-A-C-E. Or with the slash,
A-E-A-C-E-/E
Played as you show it . . .
Open low E string, (the 1st E). 2nd finger plays 2nd fret on D string, (the 2nd E).
3rd finger plays 2nd fret on G string, A. 1st finger plays 1st fret on B string, C.
Go a step further and strum the 1st open E string, and you have E-E-A-C-E.
And most likely you'd strum the A string because it's the root. E-A-E-A-C-E
There you have two full octaves of E within easy reach on guitar. On piano,
not so easy.
On a piano, Am is ACE. 3 notes. Am/E is EACE. 4 notes. On guitar, you
have extra strings. So a full open Am would be A-E-A-C-E. 5 notes. Or with
the E bottom, E-A-E-A-C-E, 6 NOTES.
Note: On a piano, the chord as you list it would probably be played the 1st E
with the left hand, and the E-A-C with the right. But it's not gonna sound
so much as an Am as it will some sort of altered E chord containing a
root (E), a 4th (A, sus4 maybe, or #3rd?), no 5th (B?), and I donno,
flat 6th (C). But it's still an Am.