DADGAD tuning
Tutorial: Part 1
Rob Schumann: As a continuation of our alter tuning series this is the DADGAD tuning tutorial. DADGAD tuning has become more and more popular over the years. It was first developed several decades ago by a guitarist named Pierre Bensusan. He is also an artist that we feature in our iVideosongs Library. So if you are into finger style guitar, some jazz type chords, and challenging right and left hand techniques, be sure to check him out.
With DADGAD tuning we have what's called a immortal sound, where just the open strings by themselves produce the sound of a chord or a key. In this case, the chord produced is a D sus4 chord. The neat thing about the open strings producing a chord is that we can do a lot with just adding a few fingers, since we get tones that are already sounding good together just on the open strings.
Let's take a look at the exact tuning and then we will look at the fingerings of the chords that we need. The tuning of the strings is just the same as the name indicates, we have got D, A, D, G, A, D. So the sixth string is tuned down a whole step to a D. The fifth string stays the same on an A. The fourth string stays the same on a D. The third string stays the same on a G. Then the second string is tuned down a whole step to an A, and the first string is tuned down a whole step to a D.
Well, we end up having to change the fingering of our major and minor chords. So in this case, let's take a look at chords out of the key of D and how we would play those. I will go through them rather quickly, and then in the next segment we will start breaking them down.
For a D major, I would play something like this. Now notice I have still got some other notes like I am still letting this G ring on this string. So I still sort of get a D major with an add 11, but that's okay, it still works as a D major with this open DADGAD sound.
For an E minor, that would be my two chord. For an F# minor it's the three chord. For the G major, four chord, A major as the five chord. B minor is the sixth chord, and then C# diminished as the seventh chord.
So tune into the next segment to see those chord fingers in a little bit more detail.
Pierre Bensusan: Hello, my name is Pierre Bensusan, I would like to play for you a tune that I wrote some years ago, its called L'Alchimiste. You are going to see also that in order to get there you want to bend your ring finger toward the fourth fret. On the third base string, but I decide to not play that base string with my thumb, but with my index.
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