This is not about "identifiying a chord". The chord is already identified. This is about how a chord can be replaced with another, changing the flavor of a song. If I cannot ask here, I don't know where could I find useful advise.

I have played the rythm guitar on an amateur band and we performed "Sweet child o'mine" from time to time.

One point of debate inside the band, was the fourth chord in the main solo (Emin/Cmaj/Bmaj7/Amin). I'll not ask "what is the chord??" But take the following as background:

The most musically studied guy in our band, was the bassist. According to his theory, it has to be a minor. More or less on the same line of the following analysis: https://www.guitarmusictheory.com/sweet-child-o-mine-guitar-solos/

Lot of basic tutorials also consider this chord to be a minor (Justin Guitar to mention one)

I have seen a lot of partitures for this song. Some captures of the discussed part:

So, according to "some" theory, it is a minor. Period.

But despite all the previous theory, my ear is liying me and telling it is a major. Well, it is a power chord for most of the time. Why my ear is filling it with the major third?

I have also analyse some of the solo fragments of that beat in partitures. It mostly avoids the 3rd interval, but it plays the minor in very quick parts.

Seems like D chord transposed to the 7th freet.

The following tutorial also uses A major:

My question is not to ask for the "real" chord here. It is more or less clear that it will work with major or minor.

I want to understand, instead, what is the theory, if any, that could explain that the rythm plays major third but the solo uses the minor?

For me, when we use Amaj, the solo has a bluesly flavor. When we use Amin, the solo has an arabesque flavor. Can be that an acceptable explanation?

And sorry for the lengthy introduction. I just tried to put all the possible data.

This is not about "identifiying a chord". The chord is already identified. This is about how a chord can be replaced with another, changing the flavor of a song.

I have played the rythm guitar on an amateur band and we performed "Sweet child o'mine" from time to time.

One point of debate inside the band, was the fourth chord in the main solo (Emin/Cmaj/Bmaj7/Amin). I'll not ask "what is the chord??" But take the following as background:

The most musically studied guy in our band, was the bassist. According to his theory, it has to be a minor. More or less on the same line of the following analysis: https://www.guitarmusictheory.com/sweet-child-o-mine-guitar-solos/

Lot of basic tutorials also consider this chord to be a minor (Justin Guitar to mention one)

I have seen a lot of partitures for this song. Some captures of the discussed part:

So, according to "some" theory, it is a minor. Period.

But despite all the previous theory, my ear is liying me and telling it is a major. Well, it is a power chord for most of the time. Why my ear is filling it with the major third?

I have also analyse some of the solo fragments of that beat in partitures. It mostly avoids the 3rd interval, but it plays the minor in very quick parts.

Seems like D chord transposed to the 7th freet.

The following tutorial also uses A major:

My question is not to ask for the "real" chord here. It is more or less clear that it will work with major or minor.

I want to understand, instead, what is the theory, if any, that could explain that the rythm plays major third but the solo uses the minor?

For me, when we use Amaj, the solo has a bluesly flavor. When we use Amin, the solo has an arabesque flavor. Can be that an acceptable explanation?

And sorry for the lengthy introduction. I just tried to put all the possible data.

At some moment on my life, I played the rythm guitar on an amateur band and we performed "Sweet child o'mine" from time to time.

One point of debate inside the band, was the fourth chord in the main solo. I'll not ask "what is the chord??", because there are answers for everybody. Just take the following as background:

The most musically studied guy in our band, was the bassist. According to his theory, it has to be a minor. More or less on the same line of the following analysis: https://www.guitarmusictheory.com/sweet-child-o-mine-guitar-solos/

Lot of basic tutorials also consider this chord to be a minor (Justin Guitar to mention one)

I have seen a lot of partitures for this song. Some captures of the discussed part also show that I was wrong:

So, according to "some" theory, it is a minor, even if my ear says otherwise. Period.

But I am trying to understand what is happening here. How my ear can lie that bad. After all, it is a power chord for most of the time. Why my ear is filling it with the major third?

I have also analyse some of the solo fragments of that beat in partitures. It mostly avoids the 3rd interval, but it plays the minor in very quick parts.

Seems like D chord transposed to the 7th freet.

The following tutorial also uses A major:

My question is not to ask for the "real" chord here. It is more or less clear that it will work with major or minor.

I want to understand instead what is the theory, if any, that could explain that the rythm plays major third but the solo uses the minor?

For me, when we use Amaj, the solo has a bluesly flavor. When we use Amin, the solo has an arabesque flavor. Can be that an acceptable explanation?

And sorry for the lengthy introduction. I just tried to put all the possible data.

This is not about "identifiying a chord". The chord is already identified. This is about how a chord can be replaced with another, changing the flavor of a song. If I cannot ask here, I don't know where could I find useful advise.

I have played the rythm guitar on an amateur band and we performed "Sweet child o'mine" from time to time.

One point of debate inside the band, was the fourth chord in the main solo (Emin/Cmaj/Bmaj7/Amin). I'll not ask "what is the chord??" But take the following as background:

The most musically studied guy in our band, was the bassist. According to his theory, it has to be a minor. More or less on the same line of the following analysis: https://www.guitarmusictheory.com/sweet-child-o-mine-guitar-solos/

Lot of basic tutorials also consider this chord to be a minor (Justin Guitar to mention one)

I have seen a lot of partitures for this song. Some captures of the discussed part:

So, according to "some" theory, it is a minor. Period.

But despite all the previous theory, my ear is liying me and telling it is a major. Well, it is a power chord for most of the time. Why my ear is filling it with the major third?

I have also analyse some of the solo fragments of that beat in partitures. It mostly avoids the 3rd interval, but it plays the minor in very quick parts.

Seems like D chord transposed to the 7th freet.

The following tutorial also uses A major:

My question is not to ask for the "real" chord here. It is more or less clear that it will work with major or minor.

I want to understand, instead, what is the theory, if any, that could explain that the rythm plays major third but the solo uses the minor?

For me, when we use Amaj, the solo has a bluesly flavor. When we use Amin, the solo has an arabesque flavor. Can be that an acceptable explanation?

And sorry for the lengthy introduction. I just tried to put all the possible data.

Sweet child o'mine is a song that impressed me the first time I heard it. Initially, it was due to Axel and Slash interpretation, later, it was the whole thing as well as the Appetite for Destruction album.

At some moment on my life, I played the rythm guitar on an amateur band and we performed that song from time to time. Not so good, but well, me and friends were having fun.

One point of debate inside the band, was the fourth chord in the main solo. For me, it was an A major because "with minor it sounds like an arabesque song!". For the 1st guitarrist, it was a minor: "it sounds just bad with major!".

The most musically studied guy in our band, was the bassist. According to his theory, it has to be a minor. His theory was more or less on the same line of the following analysis: https://www.guitarmusictheory.com/sweet-child-o-mine-guitar-solos/

Lot of basic tutorials also consider this chord to be a minor (Justin Guitar to mention one)

I have seen a lot of partitures for this song. Some captures of the discussed part also show that I was wrong:

So, according to "some" theory, it should be a minor, even if my ear says otherwise.

Some days ago, some of us reunited and decided to play that song... and the debate emerged again!

Well, I was trying to understand what is happening here. How my ear can lie that bad. After all, it is a power chord for most of the time. Why my ear is filling it with the major third? I have also analyse some of the solo fragments of that beat in partitures. It mostly avoids the 3rd interval, but it plays the minor in very quick parts (may be a transcript error?). It is also nociceable that the chorus is A major without any doubt, same for the second half of the main solo.

Then, I was looking for videos that capture the exact chord inversion with image and sound with not much luck. But I captured this frame of Guns and Roses in the exact moment:

It is not very clear to me. But I'd say it is the open D chord transposed to the 7th freet. So, an A major.

Then I found this very basic tutorial. This guy is not using advanced chords, but he is agreeing with me:

Have anyone had same doubts as me for this song? What is the theory, if any, that could explain that the rythm plays major third but the solo uses the minor? Does anybody has a strong argument for the A major or minor chord?

Help the band to stay reunited!! :D

At some moment on my life, I played the rythm guitar on an amateur band and we performed "Sweet child o'mine" from time to time.

One point of debate inside the band, was the fourth chord in the main solo. I'll not ask "what is the chord??", because there are answers for everybody. Just take the following as background:

The most musically studied guy in our band, was the bassist. According to his theory, it has to be a minor. More or less on the same line of the following analysis: https://www.guitarmusictheory.com/sweet-child-o-mine-guitar-solos/

Lot of basic tutorials also consider this chord to be a minor (Justin Guitar to mention one)

I have seen a lot of partitures for this song. Some captures of the discussed part also show that I was wrong:

So, according to "some" theory, it is a minor, even if my ear says otherwise. Period.

But I am trying to understand what is happening here. How my ear can lie that bad. After all, it is a power chord for most of the time. Why my ear is filling it with the major third?

I have also analyse some of the solo fragments of that beat in partitures. It mostly avoids the 3rd interval, but it plays the minor in very quick parts.

Seems like D chord transposed to the 7th freet.

The following tutorial also uses A major:

My question is not to ask for the "real" chord here. It is more or less clear that it will work with major or minor.

I want to understand instead what is the theory, if any, that could explain that the rythm plays major third but the solo uses the minor?

For me, when we use Amaj, the solo has a bluesly flavor. When we use Amin, the solo has an arabesque flavor. Can be that an acceptable explanation?

And sorry for the lengthy introduction. I just tried to put all the possible data.