~*~*~*~Back to the blog index~*~*~*~ 2005: Year of the Walrus
DADGAD for the Experienced Guitarist
DADGAD refers to a guitar that has its strings tuned, perhaps obviously, to D-
A-D-G-A-D, lowest-pitched to highest-pitched. The advantage of DADGAD is that
it's just prettier. The chords turn out to be prettier, it's easier to play
these pretty chords, and it's easier to integrate these pretty chords into a
fluid melody line. DADGAD feels, to me, as a guitar is supposed to feel. The
only advantage of standard tuning is that 99% of the body of music literature
and guitar pedagogy is written with standard tuning in mind. But, if you know
the notes and intervals and know how to construct chords, this is ultimately not
a problem.
In these diagrams, the fattest string is at the bottom of the picture, as if
you were looking down over your own guitar neck.
Below: the fingerboard notes in DADGAD tuning (using their most commonly-used
names, ie, C# rather than Dflat), from open-string to 12th fret:
D|Eflat|--E--|--F--|--F#-|--G--|Aflat|--A--|Bflat|--B--|--C--|--C#-|--D--|
A|Bflat|--B--|--C--|--C#-|--D--|Eflat|--E--|--F--|--F#-|--G--|Aflat|--A--|
G|Aflat|--A--|Bflat|--B--|--C--|--C#-|--D--|Eflat|--E--|--F--|--F#-|--G--|
D|Eflat|--E--|--F--|--F#-|--G--|Aflat|--A--|Bflat|--B--|--C--|--C#-|--D--|
A|Bflat|--B--|--C--|--C#-|--D--|Eflat|--E--|--F--|--F#-|--G--|Aflat|--A--|
D|Eflat|--E--|--F--|--F#-|--G--|Aflat|--A--|Bflat|--B--|--C--|--C#-|--D--|
Below: an interval chart -- it's useful for those of us (like myself) who
think in intervals rather than notes. Also, the two charts can be superimposed
on each other, and notes matched to intervals (or the other way around). The
interval chart is good for constructing chords, since those are usually thought
of in intervals.
|--R--|--m2-|--M2-|--m3-|--M3-|--4--|--T--|--5--|--m6-|--M6-|--m7-|--M7-|--R--|--m2-|--M2-|--m3-|--M3-|--4--|--T--|--5--|--m6-|--M6-|--m7-|--M7-|--R--|
|--5--|--m6-|--M6-|--m7-|--M7-|--R--|--m2-|--M2-|--m3-|--M3-|--4--|--T--|--5--|--m6-|--M6-|--m7-|--M7-|--R--|--m2-|--M2-|--m3-|--M3-|--4--|--T--|--5--|
|--4--|--T--|--5--|--m6-|--M6-|--m7-|--M7-|--R--|--m2-|--M2-|--m3-|--M3-|--4--|--T--|--5--|--m6-|--M6-|--m7-|--M7-|--R--|--m2-|--M2-|--m3-|--M3-|--4--|
|--R--|--m2-|--M2-|--m3-|--M3-|--4--|--T--|--5--|--m6-|--M6-|--m7-|--M7-|--R--|--m2-|--M2-|--m3-|--M3-|--4--|--T--|--5--|--m6-|--M6-|--m7-|--M7-|--R--|
|--5--|--m6-|--M6-|--m7-|--M7-|--R--|--m2-|--M2-|--m3-|--M3-|--4--|--T--|--5--|--m6-|--M6-|--m7-|--M7-|--R--|--m2-|--M2-|--m3-|--M3-|--4--|--T--|--5--|
|--R--|--m2-|--M2-|--m3-|--M3-|--4--|--T--|--5--|--m6-|--M6-|--m7-|--M7-|--R--|--m2-|--M2-|--m3-|--M3-|--4--|--T--|--5--|--m6-|--M6-|--m7-|--M7-|--R--|
Melody
You only have to bear in mind two odd things when playing in position in
DADGAD: the jump of a perfect 5th from the 6th (fattest) string to the 5th
string, and the jump of a major 2nd from the 3rd string to the 2nd string. The
big chunk of strings that stays in standard tuning (the 5th string - 3rd
string) is nice; DADGAD really isn't all that different than standard tuning,
but it sounds a great deal better. Also, the 1st and 2nd string are a perfect
4th apart, which makes the transition easier still.
When playing on the 3rd string, you have the option to 1) jump directly up one
fret vertically when you encounter an upcoming major second, or 2) you can play
that major 2nd the usual way (two frets over horizontally). This situation is
illustrated by putting your finger on the 3rd string, second fret, and noting
how it's the same note as the open 2nd string. These two are just really close
together, interval-wise. Allowing for this takes some practice, but it comes
very naturally after a while. It's probably best not to think about it too
much, and just use your ear.
Once you're on the 2nd string, things are back to normal; the weirdness comes
from moving from the 3rd to 2nd string, which are so close together, pitch-wise.
The low D string presents some problems too, because it's very hard to stretch
your fingers far enough to get an unbroken sequence of notes that descends all
the way down to that fattest 6th string. One solution is A) to get used to
stretching, another is B) to get used to skipping intervals, and another is C)
to skip the lowest string altogether when playing in position.
Here are some examples, using a phrygian pattern. This is one way to do it --
the strange jumps of a major 2nd from the 3rd string to the 2nd string and of
a 5th from the 6th string to the 5th string allow for some variations in
fingerings.
|-----|--o--|-----|--o--|-----|--o--|
|-----|-----|-----|-----|--o--|-----|
|--o--|-----|--o--|-----|--o--|-----|
|-----|--o--|-----|--o--|-----|-----|
|--o--|-----|--o--|-----|--o--|-----|
|-----|--o--|-----|--o--|-----|-----|
whole tone pattern -- option 2, option B
|--o--|-----|--o--|-o---|-----|--o--|
|-----|--o--|--o--|-----|--o--|-----|
|-----|--o--|-----|-----|-----|-----|
|--o--|-----|--o--|--o--|-----|--o--|
|-----|--o--|--o--|-----|--o--|-----|
|x----|-----|-----|-----|-----|-----|
diminished pattern -- option 1, option C
|--R--|-----|-----|-----|-----|-----|
|-----|-----|--6--|-----|--7--|-----|
|--4--|-----|--5--|-----|-----|-----|
|--R--|-----|--2--|-----|--3--|-----|
|--5--|-----|--6--|-----|--7--|-----|
|--R--|-----|--2--|-----|--3--|--4--|
ionian pattern -- option 2, option A
Etc. Figuring out scale shapes is trivial if you are familiar with the sounds
of the scales; there are lots of options here. The most important thing is that
the sequence of sounds is correct. The fingering is important only in that it
makes this goal easier.
Harmony
Here's a small chord dictionary. In DADGAD, part of the fun is discovering
your own chords. But here are a few that I've found that I like a lot. Bear in
mind that they're often really strangely voiced, and rooted in strange places.
They're rooted on the bottom string played, unless otherwise specified.
Fixed pattern shapes -- movable anywhere horizontally along the fingerboard.
|x----|-----|-----|
|-----|-----|--4--|
|-----|-----|--3--|
|--1--|-----|-----|
|-----|-----|--2--|
|x----|-----|-----|
minor 7
|x----|-----|-----|
|-----|-----|--4--|
|-----|--3--|-----|
|-----|--3--|-----|
|x----|-----|-----|
|-----|-----|--2--|
major 7
|x----|-----|-----|
|-----|-----|--4--|
|-----|--2--|-----|
|-----|-----|--3--|
|--1--|-----|-----|
|x----|-----|-----|
major 9
|x----|-----|-----|-----|
|--1--|-----|-----|--4--|
|--1--|-----|-----|-----|
|--1--|-----|--3--|-----|
|--1--|-----|-----|-----|
|x----|-----|-----|-----|
minor 7
|-----|-----|--4--|
|-----|-----|--3--|
|-----|--1--|-----|
|-----|-----|--2--|
|x----|-----|-----|
|x----|-----|-----|
straight major
|-----|-----|--4--|
|-----|-----|--3--|
|--1--|-----|-----|
|-----|-----|--2--|
|x----|-----|-----|
|x----|-----|-----|
straight minor
|-(1)-|-----|
|--1--|-----|
|--1--|-----|
|--1--|-----|
|--1--|--2--|
|x----|-----|
major 7 add 6
|--1--|-----|-----|-----|
|-----|--2--|-----|-----|
|-----|-----|--3--|-----|
|-----|-----|-----|--4--|
|x----|-----|-----|-----|
|x----|-----|-----|-----|
major 7 (rooted on second string - 5, 7, R, 3)
|-----|-----|-----|--4--|
|-----|--2--|-----|-----|
|-----|-----|--3--|-----|
|--1--|-----|-----|-----|
|x----|-----|-----|-----|
|x----|-----|-----|-----|
major 7 (rooted on second string - 3, 7, R, 5)
|x----|-----|-----|
|-----|-----|--4--|
|-----|-----|--3--|
|-----|--1--|-----|
|-----|-----|--2--|
|x----|-----|-----|
dominant 7
|--1--|-----|-----|
|--1--|-----|-----|
|--1--|-----|-----|
|-----|--2--|-----|
|-----|-----|--3--|
|x----|-----|-----|
dominant 7, #5 #9
|--1--|-----|-----|
|--1--|-----|-----|
|-----|--2--|-----|
|-----|-----|--3--|
|x----|-----|-----|
|x----|-----|-----|
dominant 11 (weird voicing)
|-----|-----|-----|--4--|
|-----|-----|--3--|-----|
|-----|--2--|-----|-----|
|--1--|-----|-----|-----|
|x----|-----|-----|-----|
|x----|-----|-----|-----|
fully diminished
Etc. Figure some others out -- put your fingers down in random places, and see
what sounds good. Analyze if you're in a mathematical mood.
Barre shapes -- with a barre across the natural, single-fret sus4 chord, you
can pretty much put one, two and even three fingers down in random places and
get a nice sound. This is the beauty of DADGAD. Below are a few good examples.
These were tedious to analyze; I hope you appreciate it.
|--1--|-----|-----|
|--1--|-----|-----|
|--1--|-----|-----|
|--1--|-----|-----|
|--1--|-----|--3--|
|--1--|-----|-----|
major add 9 (rooted on the 3rd string)
|--1--|-----|
|--1--|--2--|
|--1--|-----|
|--1--|-----|
|--1--|-----|
|--1--|-----|
minor add 9 (rooted on the 3rd string)
|--1--|-----|-----|-----|
|--1--|-----|-----|-----|
|--1--|-----|-----|-----|
|--1--|-----|-----|-----|
|--1--|-----|-----|--4--|
|-(1)-|-----|--3--|-----|
minor 11
|--1--|-----|-----|-----|
|--1--|-----|-----|--4--|
|--1--|-----|-----|-----|
|--1--|-----|--3--|-----|
|--1--|-----|-----|-----|
|--1--|-----|-----|-----|
dominant 11
|--1--|-----|-----|-----|
|--1--|-----|-----|-----|
|--1--|-----|-----|--4--|
|--1--|-----|-----|-----|
|--1--|-----|-----|-----|
|--1--|--2--|-----|-----|
major 11 (rooted on 3rd string)
|--1--|-----|-----|-----|
|--1--|-----|-----|-----|
|--1--|-----|-----|-----|
|--1--|-----|-----|--4--|
|--1--|-----|--3--|-----|
|--1--|-----|-----|-----|
dominant 9 (rooted on 3rd string)
|--1--|-----|-----|-----|
|--1--|-----|-----|-----|
|--1--|-----|-----|-----|
|--1--|-----|--3--|-----|
|--1--|-----|-----|--4--|
|--1--|-----|-----|-----|
minor 11 (rooted on 2nd string)
|--1--|-----|--3--|-----|
|--1--|-----|-----|-----|
|--1--|-----|-----|--4--|
|--1--|-----|-----|-----|
|--1--|-----|-----|-----|
|--1--|-----|-----|-----|
major 7 flat 5 (rooted on 3rd string)
|--1--|-----|-----|-----|-----|
|--1--|-----|-----|-----|-----|
|--1--|-----|-----|-----|-----|
|--1--|-----|-----|-----|-----|
|--1--|-----|-----|-----|--4--|
|--1--|-----|-----|-----|-----|
major add 11
|--1--|-----|-----|-----|-----|
|--1--|-----|-----|-----|-----|
|--1--|-----|--3--|-----|-----|
|--1--|-----|-----|-----|-----|
|--1--|-----|-----|-----|--4--|
|--1--|-----|-----|-----|-----|
major
|--1--|-----|-----|-----|
|--1--|-----|-----|-----|
|--1--|-----|--3--|-----|
|--1--|-----|-----|-----|
|--1--|-----|-----|--4--|
|--1--|-----|-----|-----|
minor
|--1--|-----|-----|-----|
|--1--|-----|-----|-----|
|--1--|-----|-----|-----|
|--1--|-----|-----|-----|
|--1--|-----|-----|--4--|
|--1--|-----|-----|-----|
minor add 11
etc.
Floating shapes -- these also take advantage of an open-string strum just
sounding nice on its own. You can pretty much take a simple shape of 1, 2 or 3
strings, put it down somewhere on the fingerboard, and let any number of
surrounding open strings resound along with it. Of course, the more strings you
fret, the less chance the chord has of sounding good. Use your ear. Here are a
few good shapes (they're tiny because they can be put anywhere on the
fingerboard). These produce a variety of chords.
|-----|-----|--3--|
|--1--|-----|-----|
|-----|-----|-----|--4--|
|--1--|-----|-----|-----|
|-----|-----|-----|-----|--4--|
|-----|-----|--3--|-----|-----|
|--1--|-----|-----|-----|-----|
|--1--|-----|-----|
|-----|-----|--3--|
|-----|--2--|
|--1--|-----|
|--1--|-----|
|-----|--2--|
|-----|-----|--3--|
|-----|-----|-----|
|--1--|-----|-----|
|--1--|-----|-----|
|-----|-----|-----|
|-----|-----|--3--|
|--3--|
|-----|
|--2--|
etc.
Putting melody and harmony together
This is easier in DADGAD than it is in standard or other tunings. When playing
a melody, just put another finger down somewhere else and let a few notes ring
together. Or, you might try barring across and playing a melody with the other
fingers, also letting notes ring. The open strings provide a nice drone for
any melody line. A good departure point for combining melody and harmony is to
use the movable shapes consisting of two fretted notes along with some drone
strings. From one shape, you can move using a melody to another shape, all the
while accompanied by drone strings.
And don't forget about your pretty harmonics -- again, these are particularly
nice due to the open-string sus4 chord.
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