So... I'm still working on improving my repetoire of pub songs from the easy song database... cats in the cradle, maggie may, hotel california, the weight, etc. And what I've found is, after I've nailed the strumming pattern (i.e. with emphasis), gotten the flow of the song going, there are 2 things that continue to bug me... one of which is the point of this post:
D always sounds like crap! :) I mean, seriously, compared to all the other "grown up" 5 and 6 string chords, D - that 4 string weakling - is just so thin, squeaky and weedy. I know thats what a D is but, dammit, it just spoils the whole song having it in there. It throws the whole song off. I haven't started trying to transpose these songs to avoid all D's cuz - well thats just silly - you transpose songs to avoid F and Bm, not D :) But I'm starting to think about it.
I've tried using D/F# instead of D to add more meat to the chord... and sometimes that works. But sometimes you really do want a D.
I guess I love the fuller sound of the lower strings and D just doesn't have it. BTW, I'm playing an acoustic. (Yeah, maybe thats what I need to do, buy a more expensive guitar cuz it can make a D sound good... hmmm...)
Anyone else have this problem? Do you guys get where I'm coming from? Anyone know the right therapy for me to get over it? Drink heavily perhaps?
Don
donzo
Yes. Little things like this have always bugged me as well. I have experimented with many different chords forms because of this very problem.
I have used this for D many times.
e--X----
b--3i----
g--X----
d--4m--
a--5p---
e--5r----
Or this:
e--X------
b--7i------
g--7i------
d--7i------
a--9r-----
e--10p---
I am even worse than you. Sometimes the A string sounds too tinny for me. :D
If you know something better than Rock and Roll, I'd like to hear it - Jerry Lee Lewis
on the contrary, i find that the more subdued tone of the D provides a nice contrast to the bigger, swelling chords. as a person who adores the nice sound of open chords on a nice, deep acoustic, i have learned to appreciate the D chord with all it's tinniness. it's actually one of my favorites.
and if i want my open d's to be beefier, i tend to play the open A string as well
what the hell kinda post is this hahaha u dont like the d chord?
Head Arcitech at Vandelay Instudries
I got a chuckle out of this one. Yea, the D is higher-sounding because, well, you're hitting the 4 highest strings. I actually like the sound (but I play electric). Often I add the open A string to the D to give it more bass. I've never liked the D with the 6th string F# in the bass. See, we all have opinions about what we like/don't from our guitars. Wes, an A being thin? Oh my! :shock:
"Nothing...can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts."
I kind of like the different sound. What about playing it as a barre at the fifth fret? The change in tone might be what you want.
you could change to open d tuning on your guitar. that way you're playing all six strings. from low to high the strirngs would be: D, A, F#, D, A. D. what you do is tune down the high e string by two semitones, tune donw the b string by two semitones, tune down the g string by one semitone, and tune down low low e string by two semitones. leave the other two strings.
of course the other chrds change also but some are much easier to play. most any chord can be played by a bar.
Or even just downtune to Drop D - that way you can use all six strings without changing the basic shape. It throws the other chords out though, so you have to either rework the shapes or don't play the 6th string.
Best,
A :-)
"Be good at what you can do" - Fingerbanger"
I have always felt that it is better to do what is beautiful than what is 'right'" - Eliot Fisk
Wedding music and guitar lessons in Essex. Listen at: http://www.rollmopmusic.co.uk
Thanks for the options, guys!
Don
Dennis (Corbind)
Heh, I agree with donzo. Sometimes the tone of a string is very important to me. It has always been this way. I have always experimented with chords. I do not usually like to play ordinary major and minor chords. They sound a little plain to me. I have many different alternative ways to play chords. For instance, I like to play an A7 chord like this:
A Major
e----------
b----------
g---6p---- C# 3rd
d---5r---- G b7
a---4i----- C# 3rd
e---5m--- A Root
No 5th.
Try it, you'll like it. :D
I play many chords like this.
If you know something better than Rock and Roll, I'd like to hear it - Jerry Lee Lewis
