Need a little help on this one. I'm having trouble with the Dmaj7 chord. I can play it fine, but it sounds bad to me. I'm not talking about my ability to play it cleanly, it just seems to have way to much dissonance.
Also, how exactly should I play the (first) song? Fingerpicking or just flat pickin' it?
Just some discussion would be helpful.
thx
D.J.
Looking up,
D.J.
I use a pick on this one. Pluck the bass note then strum the other notes of the chord. Are you playing on an acoustic? Try strumming lightly.
Well we all shine on--like the moon and the stars and the sun.
-- John Lennon
Yes sir, an acoustic. It sounds better when I strum it lightly.
My biggest problem was the sound of the C# (on the fifth string) and the D (on the fourth string) when played together. Being only a half-step apart, they create a vibrato/warbling effect (like the one you listen for while tuning). I was actually beginning to wonder if there was a mistake on the Open Tunings page.
Looking up,
D.J.
The C# is fine. You need that for the Dmaj7 -- it's the seventh. I'm not sure why David has you fretting the third fret on the third string. That gives you an "A" which is the fifth note of the scale and considered optional in the Dmaj7, I think. The way he's written the chord you don't have the third. I'd think you want the third. Here's my suggestion:
play the Dmaj7 this way in open D:
0 (D)
4 (C#)
0 (F#)
0 (D)
4 (C#)
0 (D)
See if that sounds better. I'll try to get David to have a look.
Well we all shine on--like the moon and the stars and the sun.
-- John Lennon
When I play this song I often switch between playing it the way I've written and this way:
D - open
A - open
F# - open
D - 4th fret
A - 4th fret
D - open
This keeps you from having any C#s and Ds right on top of each other. The thing I've found is that if I'm fingerpicking, I like the notes right on top of each other and will play it the way I wrote in this column. If I'm strumming, then I usually go with this voicing.
Also, even though this chord is technically a Dmaj7, it helps to think of it more as D/C#, which may be nitpicking, but we tend to be more forgiving of passing tones when we write them out that way for some reason! :wink:
Hope this helps.
Peace
I've found yet another way to play a Dmaj7 (well, to be honest, it was shown to me):
A Dmaj7 needs a D (I), an F# (III), an A (V), and a C# (VII)
D open (D)
A 4th fret (C#)
D 4th fret (F#)
F# 3rd fret (A)
A open (A)
D open (D)
This voicing includes all the necessary notes to make just a Dmaj7, and I play the low D, making the root the lowest note in the chord (my ear likes it that way the best). Of course, if I try to play it this way in Shelter From the Storm (a song that I've never heard), if may not sound quite right, I don't know.
I appreciate ya'll's suggestions. They led to some exploration and discovery. I'm learning a lot. THX.
Looking up,
D.J.
