DADGAD

Just discovered this tuning from a Taylor magazine called 'Wood & Steel' I blagged from the guitar shop when I bought a Stagg Dreadnought acoustic. It sounds beautiful! Easy progressions, two note chords with all others ringing open. Great for finger picking, and if like me, you tend to get into trouble occasionally, you can fall back on that lovely 'all open' chord. Anyone tried it or use it? Jimmy Page with the Yardbirds in White Summer used it if you fancy hearing a snatch.

Try here to find out how... http://www.personal.psu.edu/users/f/p/fpm108/glw/ lessons/lesson47.htm

Les.. (found a new sound.. can't put the bloody thing down and my fingers are 'angin!)

Better chord page.....
http://www.modhran.com/chords.html

Didn't Davy Graham feature that tuning in the 70s?

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Some nice tunes there, JJ. I'm listening right now to Mad Mick, it's very pretty and for some reason made the hairs in my arms stand up... I hope you upload more, I'll be visiting the site again.

Jose

PS: ... alright, I won't ask about Little Stealer this time

Mad Mick was inspired by 'Crazy Man Michael', written by one Sandy Denny I believe... makes me go all wierd to play it! If anyone wants to try my interpretion it's dadgad capo-ed up to E minor.

Little Stealer (since you ask is currently in the process of being recorded in full, with lyrics and stuff, by moi plus some legendary local North Devon musos. Expect the final version soon!

Dr JJ

Pierre Bensusan uses DADGAD pretty well exclusively and is well worth a listen! Most Scots & Irish players have experimented at one time or another, many use it instead of standard & many books on Celtic music use it exclusively which can be frustrating when you're trying to improve your playing in standard & all materials are in DADGAD. Tony McManus showed me how to play a D scale so that all notes are still ringing when the next one is played.....pretty wonderful stuff. Jonathan

There's also the Hawaian 'slack key' tunings, reputedly because although they aquired guitars (from the Spanish?) they didn't aquire the standard tuning, so tuned them 'to suit', so DADGAD could have been one of them (although some of the musicians kept their tunings confidential).

Wasn't 'love spreads' by the Stone Roses in DADGAD? I got a copy of the 'best of the Stone Roses' guitar tab book about a month ago, will check later.