if the guitar is tuned to Dropped C.

D---------------------------

A--------------------------

F-------------------------

C-----0--------------------

G-----0--------------------

C-----1--------------------

Well, you have the root, the 5th and the minor 2nd. This is essentially a jazz chord and you have to name it by what it's not; these are chord substitutions, where what's not in the chord when you go up the scale to the 7th, 9th, etc. counts even when they're not actually being played. I don't think C, C# and G has a proper name though. It doesn't correspond with C, C# or G in any key. It's a C dyad with the minor second and it is sorta just what it is. I don't even think it's a proper substitution 'cause it's not really anything, it's just the minor second with the 5th of the C.

If you have to call it something, call it Bob or Dave.

I never learned how to play any chords since I started playing guitar.



LOL.

I would give it a proper name as Eric has suggested, Bob seems to fit well. Short and to the point. Is it rather dissonant sounding?

Bust out your keyboard and hold down a C#, G and the C an octave above. I'd say it's pretty dissonant, yeah.

oh lawd.

Indeed. Hail Satan.

The intarwebs tells me it could be:

A(7)+9
D#13

Which tells me it's not a damn thing.

I actually couldn't figure a thing on my own and went to a chord namer site and punched in C, C#, G. See my above comment re: jazz theory and substitutions and look at what the electronic apparatus would say that chord might be. That shit gets complex. Those notes are nowhere to be found in that chord!

It's as simple a chord as can be, but naming it, well, that's another issue entirely. I vote for Dave, myself.

This is where harmony gets to be fun; at least, if you're insane and that's your idea of fun. But the concept of implied harmony, at a basic level, is still easy to wrap your head around. In a very simple rock sort of way, the tonic and the third is still a chord that implies the fifth. The third and the fifth still implies the tonic. Now, a power chord- the tonic and the fifth- is a simple dyad that is neither major nor minor. Now, let's dump the tonic and the fifth entirely and just roll with the third and the seventh. That's substitution, or a version thereof. You can imply a chord without having the tonic or dominant. Isn't music theory fun, kids? That's still a seventh chord. And if you have a clever bass player with a five-string or who's tuned low, you can make your metalstuff sound like it's tuned way lower than it is by inverting powerchords and playing fourths instead of fifths.

But I digress. I'm pretty adamant about people knowing their theory. I do not at all buy into the notion that being educated limits you- I think that's a foolish idea. I can play a ton of damn styles on multiple instruments and I'd like to think I'm creative or at least competent. I play with a bunch of chopsy d00ds who intentionally limit themselves because it's just not what's appropriate for the song. But I'm digressing on the subject here.