Entertainment For Lively Minds
G, D, EM, C: What song are you currently playing on your old guitar?
I am no guitar player, no fretwankery from me, more fretfumbly to be honest. Having said that I love nothing more than finding a song with a simple chord progression and simple strumming pattern so that I can make a noise that sounds something like it was intended. My current favourite is Mumford and Sons "Winter Winds", a visit to Ultimate Guitar http://www.ultimate-guitar.com/tabs/m/mumford_and_sons/winter_winds_crd.... and within minutes I'm driving the kids insane and even trying to sing a long with my voice like a goose farting in the fog (thanks Billy Connolly). So, what are you lot strumming along to, or actually playing properly at the moment?
Here's the real version which is actually bloody lovely, especially on a cold Saturday night.
- More from Dave Amitri.
- Login or register to post comments
-
Same key, most of the same chords
and from there the similarities grow. Also gives me an excuse to post one of my favourite Shakey clips, appearing on Nashville Now performing Field of Opportunity with Rufus Thibodeaux and "Big" Ben Keith.
The interview at the end is priceless. Stick around for the winner of the La Pasta machine. She's from Fuitport, MI.
my work social
Is coming up in a few weeks - and as I'm always called upon to 'do a turn' I I took out me old Yamaha Compass today to think of summat to play on the night. Funnily enough, perhaps the almost cheery gloominess of the day - and the lovely night I had with the massive last night- my fingers started picking out December Song by George Michael.
Please don't get me wrong: I'm no fan of Hampstead's least careful motorist, but that song is absolutely gorgeous - I know it didn't bother the charts much, but I think it's one of the best Christmas songs in the last ten years. Hoping to do it justice on the night...
Problem is, while I can usually work a song's chords out the moment I hear it, I'm having trouble with the chorus on this one.
Little help, Massive?
ok, I'm probably wrong but
It may (or may not) be something like this..and sorry for ramshackle descriptive technique.
Capo on the first fret. (fret numbers relative to your capo)
Chord 1: open C, sticking a finger on and off string 2 fret 3, then pull off your first finger
Chord 2: just leave your second finger where it was for the C but take all the others off
Chord 3: Em, with a finger stuck on the 1st string, 2nd fret, and pull it off
Chord 4:Dm, pulling off your first finger
then a G to finish up. Or maybe a G7. Who knows. Not me.
Actually I just played that again and it sounded nothing like it. I'd be interested to know now...you've got me thinking!
my good lady wife sorted it for me!
The trick is the same one McCartney uses in Yesterday: ie using the minor form of the note one semitone under the tonic. So as I play it in C, that tricky chord is in fact B Minor - a chord you'd rarely think to use in C. And the coda ' so I dreamed of Christmas' etc is e flat, d minor C.... It's good fun to play, even tho one or two of the lyrics wouldn't be outta place in a fondue..
Phew! Now to try to work out all the songs on Trout Mask Replica!
cool
thank you!
G Em Am F
That's Entertainment
Dead simple chords & strumming - sounds good, so a feeling of achievement before I attempt something a little more tricky and inevitably give up (again)
Oh yes
another of my favourites, la, la, la, la, la
First song
I learnt on the guitar and my whole life changed when I played it in such a way that resembled the actual song.
God bless the guitar.
As usual, the answer is George Harrison
P2 Vatican Blues
A,D,A7,F#7,B7,E7,D7...that's all I think.
It's a work in progres.
Digsys Dinner
By Oasis.
On the Ukulele. C E7 F G F G F7 C
It's not a great song, but a nice shuffle beat on the uke and it's fun for a pub singalong!
Dave, I love you. And I love threads like this.
Well Fred Neil's Dolphins is my top 3 chord wonder. I play D, A and Em. That seems to do it.
God bless you Mr. Amitri, and all who sail in you.
Why thank you
You are too kind sir.
A little more involved
but still straightforward chords - Starman. It sounds so boss when you nail it.
I haven't picked up my guitar for years...
but I might do tomorrow. Der-der-derrr, der-der-der-derrr, der-der-derrr-der-derr.
*Wails*
Smoke on the water, fire in the sky...
Look out for that E flat, man.
E flat, man...
in the bathtub.
Stacey's Mom
By the Mighty Fountains of Wayne, easy peasy.
G D A in the verse
F#7 G in the bridge
G D A Bm in the chorus
Chord change for the end is trickier, but you could do without.
oh get in there!
thanks for that Paddy...when i'm faffing about, searching for chords on t'internet, I always forget songs to look up. Like this! Here we go!
Sorry, meant
Key change, think it goes down to C (I think) with Bb C F Dm and ends with Bb and C
Ziggy Stardust
G
D (alternating between 2nd and 3rd frets on top E string to produce a suspended fourth)
C
It just popped up, as it often does, when noodling about. It's a great riff to noodle with. When I'd done with that, I went to No Surprises today. I don't get on with tab, preferring notation for other instruments and ear on guitar, but basically it's:
E 17-----13-----17-----13-----17-----13--------------------13-----15
B ----13----13-----13-----13-----13------13-----------14------------
G------------------------------------------------ -----15-----------------
D
A
E
The chords underneath that are just F and Bb m. The chords under the verse lyrics are F-Dm-Gm-C, each chord lasting a bar. The chorus chords are Gm -C repeated. I'd do the bridge too but I'm doing this from memory, because the guitar's downstairs and I can't remember it. Also, I don't think in fret numbers, so if this is wrong, you'll know why!
I think with this tab
You over estimate our abilities.
Never been able to work it out.
I've been working on...
...a video session of No Surprises, just for fun: me playing everything (although I have to do bass using a MIDI keyboard, as I'm currently bassless, and the drums are programmed). The idea is I film myself in real time playing all the overdubs. No reason at all other than it's fun. I might post it on here when I'm done, if I can bear to.
The chords under the bridge, by the way, are:
C --> Bb m
C --> Bb m
Gm
Bb m
John Barleycorn..
A Em there were 3 men came
G D Em out of the west their
A G D Em fortunes for to try
(twice)
G D Em they've ploughed they've sown they've hemmed him
in through
G A B clods upon his head
etc.
What a wonderful song and 500 years old to boot.
PS..
after each B an Am
and at the very end, last chord, is E not Em
Capo
With a capo at the 7th fret a la Steve Winwood I hope!
Just checked..
I don't use a capo)
so your starting chord shape would be Dm/D
but either way you can strum along with the record.
Winwood
Plays it with capo at 7th, essentially in Am, so your starting chord is D, C, G, AM (which of course is Em). But you're right, it's lovely everywhere.
Capo on 5th
Then C AM F C G in various order (Which gives you F Dm Bb F) and you have "Nothing Ever Happens" by Del Amitri
At the moment, it's the riff/chords to Norwegian Wood
Hold a D shape, then play this riff, strumming the D whenever you can with a sort of BOOM-Chinga-Chinga 6/8 feel
E----------------------------------------------------
B----------------------------------------------------
G--2--4--2--0------------0----------------0----------
D----------------4----2-------4--0-------------------
A--------------------------------------3-------2--0--
E----------------------------------------------------
For the Middle 8, Dm G Dm A then back to D with riff. Lovely
Thanks
I've tried NEH, though I still can't manage an F properly. I just keep playing C, I'm the only one listening so it doesn't matter!
Cheat with these easier F shapes...
E---1
B---1
G---2
D---3
A---x
E---x
E---5
B---6
G---5
D---x
A---x
E---x
E---x (Slide the C shape up to 6)
B---6
G---x
D---7
A---8
E---x
DADGAD
I'm watching "The Deal" on Yesterday noodling about in DADGAD trying to finish a song I'm writing. Watch this space.
Gotta Love DADGAD
Every strum brings another Led Zep outtake.
Jansch
That'll be Bert Jansch then. Good old Jimmy just went with the tonality DADGAD produces out of the box. He didn't try very had beyond ripping off a few Bert Jansch licks. Try a bit of Pierre Bensusan to see what else it can do.
London Calling
Essentially two two chord sections with a D
Verse:Em F Em G
Chorus: Em G with a D for the 'I live by the rivahhh' bit
Today, twatting about on various guitars, I have played..
A bit of Bon Jovi's Dead Or Alive on acoustic 12 string.
Dialed the Cube to AC30 and plugged in the Matthews Custom for a little AC/DC stuff.
With the VG Strat set in Telecaster/Open G and the Cube still on AC30, it was Quo time for a while.
More 3 chord trickery
The Last Time by The Stones is, quite literally A, G & D. End of.
Satellite of....
Rubbish guitar players who play for the dumb joy of it? Now this is a club I would like to join!
My favourite ham-fisted, chord basher is Laughing Lou's classic nonsense tear-jerker.
Verse
G / A7 / C / D
G / A7 / C / D
Em / D / C
Am / C
Chorus
G / D / F / C
G / D
Em / D / C/ D
Aoooo! Bit
G / A7 C / G
Lovin' Spoonful / John Sebastian
The chords aren't too difficult but the strumming pattern is a bit strange.
G C Am F & D.
I find it hard enough playing to one person, never mind half a million.
Evidently the guy sitting on the lighting rig who appears at 00':58" is Mrs P's ex.
Strawberry Fields
G let me take you down 'cause I'm going
Dm7 to Strawberry Fields
E7-5 nothing is real and
(this obscure chord is e0 a1 d0 g1 b3 e0)
C nothing to
D get
E hung about
C Strawberry
C Fields for-
G ever
D Living is
Dmaj7 easy with
D7 eyes
B7 closed
(top 3 strings g2 b3 e2/ g2 b2 e2/ g2 b1 e2)
Em misunder-
D standing all you
C see it's getting
D7 hard to be some-
G one but it
D all works
Em out
D
C it doesn't
D7 matter much to
C me-
G ee
Brilliant song!!
Now you're talking Declan
that's my evening sorted!!
Takes it down a semitone..
so starts on F#, not too eady for most of us to play along with.
As always
It's Cat Stevens "How Can I tell You". I've been playing this for about 36 years and have only just discovered that if you start off with the Em at the 7th fret and work down the fretboard it sounds a lot more like the record than if you just play in the root positions (Doh!).
Em A D G D
Em A D G etc
Try this
http://www.chordie.com
Its a great little site for all levels of tab. I find checking out the public songbooks a great way to browse.
Believe it or not...
I'm learning to pick Jennifer Juniper by Donovan. I've been working on my alternate picking and decided to try this after seeing him do it on one of the BBC4 Singer Songwriter progs. It's not as easy as it sounds.
Donovan is a master picker, I believe...
Wasn't it he who turned Lennon and Macca on to this style when they were all on holiday in Rishikesh? Gave rise to a few decent tunes, I understand.
I've got a long way to go
30 years in and I'm still learning which is brilliant.
Picking is my downfall.
My left hand is pretty handy and can handle most stuff with a bit of practice. My biggest issue is properly synchronising my fretting with my picking. It's a bugger, and I don't get as much time as I'd like to practice, so often end up bypassing technical exercises and doing songs instead. I could stand to do some more scales and arpeggios...