I'm learning how to flat-pick tunes in DADGAD (such fun!) on my guitar these days. Any other flatpickers out there (I noticed you're one, Alastair) want to suggest some tunes that work well?
I've heard some really great DADGAD picking, but it never worked very well for me. I think if you were determined to make it work, the best advice I could give you would be to avoid using the G string, and play straight across from the D to the A. That's where I get tripped up, anyway.
In my opinion. DADGAD is more designed for fingerstyle guitar and I find a dropped D tuning better for flatpicking. You still have the bottom D to resonate.
DADGAD allows you to pluck a sequence of notes never using the same string on succeeding notes and this is not what you are after in flatpicking.
Cheers
Donough
hmm... the choice of DADGAD is more laziness (efficiency?) than anything else. I do a bit of accompaniment as well and I like the open sound. I don't want to re-tune every time I switch from accompaniment to flat-picking. The three tunes I've figured out sound OK so far. I didn't think it was uncommon. Anyway, any suggestions for good guitar tunes for other tunings then?
I'd agree with Donough, dropped D seems to be much more versatile than DADGAD and theres no messing around with a capo, as for tunes, try learning any one you like and see how it falls on the fingers, tunes in G can be handy, with the open D,G and B, even with your left hand at the bottom of the neck you've still usually got a couple of choices of fingering, useful for those triplets that straddle 2 strings, slan,
Anto
I have found that playing in DADGAD is like learning a guitar all over again, but I love the way it sounds. Maybe I'll get serious and tune one of my guitars that way. In the mean time I to love playing in drop D. Great video: John Doyle's "Irish Rhythm Guitar, Accompanying Celtic Tunes" on Homespun videos, Hal Leonard. Here is a great tune for standard tuning with a drop D,
The Hummors of Whiskey (slip jig). The first part is played off a Bm and the second part is played off a D. It sounds great when you let all the strings ring while you play the melody while holding down the D chord.
Johh Devens
I find that while DADGAD is great for fingerstyle tunes, but I think that by far the best for flatpicking is DADEAE, which still maintains some of the nice sympathetic vibration from the low strings. I got hooked on it several years ago after reading a book by Paul De Grae called 'Traditional Irish Guitar' (1989), and as a Banjo & Mandolin player, I like the obvious similarity in the top strings (D_AE). The extra E on the third string avoids the need to go to the seventh fret on any but the top string, which requires the same little finger manoevre for the banjo anyway.The tuning is great for D major & minor, A major & minor, E minor, and G major(capo'd 5th).
Paul's book is very comprehensive and covers both accompanyment, (with some lovely modal chord shapes), and flatpicking, with loads of great tunes as examples, and has been revised and reprinted in 1996 by Ossian, so it is still available
I rarely use any other tuning for flatpicking guitar Irish tunes now, so I thought someone else might be interested in experimenting with it
songs for flat-pickers
songs for flat-pickers
I'm learning how to flat-pick tunes in DADGAD (such fun!) on my guitar these days. Any other flatpickers out there (I noticed you're one, Alastair) want to suggest some tunes that work well?
# Posted on May 19th 2002 by Kerri Brown
Re: songs for flat-pickers
I've heard some really great DADGAD picking, but it never worked very well for me. I think if you were determined to make it work, the best advice I could give you would be to avoid using the G string, and play straight across from the D to the A. That's where I get tripped up, anyway.
# Posted on May 19th 2002 by Jon Kiparsky
Re: songs for flat-pickers
In my opinion. DADGAD is more designed for fingerstyle guitar and I find a dropped D tuning better for flatpicking. You still have the bottom D to resonate.
DADGAD allows you to pluck a sequence of notes never using the same string on succeeding notes and this is not what you are after in flatpicking.
Cheers
Donough
# Posted on May 19th 2002 by Donough
Re: songs for flat-pickers
hmm... the choice of DADGAD is more laziness (efficiency?) than anything else. I do a bit of accompaniment as well and I like the open sound. I don't want to re-tune every time I switch from accompaniment to flat-picking. The three tunes I've figured out sound OK so far. I didn't think it was uncommon. Anyway, any suggestions for good guitar tunes for other tunings then?
# Posted on May 20th 2002 by Kerri Brown
Re: songs for flat-pickers
I'd agree with Donough, dropped D seems to be much more versatile than DADGAD and theres no messing around with a capo, as for tunes, try learning any one you like and see how it falls on the fingers, tunes in G can be handy, with the open D,G and B, even with your left hand at the bottom of the neck you've still usually got a couple of choices of fingering, useful for those triplets that straddle 2 strings, slan,
Anto
# Posted on May 20th 2002 by Anthonymcg
Re: songs for flat-pickers
I have found that playing in DADGAD is like learning a guitar all over again, but I love the way it sounds. Maybe I'll get serious and tune one of my guitars that way. In the mean time I to love playing in drop D. Great video: John Doyle's "Irish Rhythm Guitar, Accompanying Celtic Tunes" on Homespun videos, Hal Leonard. Here is a great tune for standard tuning with a drop D,
The Hummors of Whiskey (slip jig). The first part is played off a Bm and the second part is played off a D. It sounds great when you let all the strings ring while you play the melody while holding down the D chord.
Johh Devens
# Posted on May 22nd 2002 by John Devens
Re: songs for flat-pickers
I guess that is spelled "Humours". I a stretch for me to remember all the names let along the spellings.
John Devens
# Posted on May 22nd 2002 by John Devens
Re: songs for flat-pickers
I find that while DADGAD is great for fingerstyle tunes, but I think that by far the best for flatpicking is DADEAE, which still maintains some of the nice sympathetic vibration from the low strings. I got hooked on it several years ago after reading a book by Paul De Grae called 'Traditional Irish Guitar' (1989), and as a Banjo & Mandolin player, I like the obvious similarity in the top strings (D_AE). The extra E on the third string avoids the need to go to the seventh fret on any but the top string, which requires the same little finger manoevre for the banjo anyway.The tuning is great for D major & minor, A major & minor, E minor, and G major(capo'd 5th).
Paul's book is very comprehensive and covers both accompanyment, (with some lovely modal chord shapes), and flatpicking, with loads of great tunes as examples, and has been revised and reprinted in 1996 by Ossian, so it is still available
I rarely use any other tuning for flatpicking guitar Irish tunes now, so I thought someone else might be interested in experimenting with it
# Posted on May 29th 2002 by Enob