Posted by Pete Handy on October 6, 2009 at 12:56pm
Hi,
I'm a newbie to CBG playing and also very basic level with a 6 string. (my first instrument is harmonica, so far-)
I'm learning a song that is in Am. Is it possible to play this on a 3 string?
The action is high on my 3 string and I play it lap style, so is not easy to fret with fingers. What tuning would you guys reccomend.
It's a simple thumb and strum, and the chords are Am Dm E and F for the main part.
It is so pared down that I could just play one or two strings for the major chords, or (whatever 2 notes are called)
Bridge or chorus or whatever it's called is Dm G C E.
The E in the song is low, so maybe a Em tuning open, and the Am at the 3rd fret?
Any hints or allegations welcome. Oh I nearly forgot, the song is Green Grass by Tom waits.
Pigeon Pete.
You need to be a member of Cigar Box Nation to add comments!
Thanks for the advice. I will try your suggestions.
I took my 3 string to an open mic night and it caused some intrigue and went best when I used my old valve amp for a bit of dirt, but I only learned the simplest of riffs and would like to go back again and do 2 or 3 numbers. I've been singing the Tom waits number for a while on 6 string and its a nice slow tune that is fairly easy to play.
I'm also working on the rock number Born to be wild (give em something they know) and being forgetful of lyrics etc I always use a song sheet.
I found scoring the tune great as I just use 0, 3, 5 etc for the fret numbers instead of chords. First time I ever used tabs and found it easy,lol
How about used standard tuning (strings 6.5.4) and play power chords. These are neither a major nor a minor. You would be able to use slide but only really on 1 string at a time.
There seems to me to be a couple of ways around this problem/opportunity.
Traditionally (?) a 3 string guitar is probably tuned to D, A and D notes. This I'm sure you are aware is the first and 5th notes of the scale of D. All 'normal' chords contain these notes. The easy answer would be to totally ignore the fact that the chord should be a minor and play all the chords as major.
The making of a minor chord involves inserting a minor 3rd into these notes. A Dminor would be D, Bflat and D. By playing the A string at the first fret would suggest a Dminor chord. With a bullet, bar or bottleneck this would be difficult (especially higher up the neck, so perhaps a double stop might be the answer. A double stop is a stringed instrument term for playing 2 notes together. In this instance the D and the Bb' (b = flat, # = sharp) on the first and second strings.
For the Am chord you will need an A note and a C note. To be honest I cannot see how this could be played by using a bar, slide or whatever with this tuning.
Perhaps we could consider tuning the instrument to an A monor chord. This would be A, C and E. The reason I have included the E as a top string is because it is a part of the chord of A and for another reason.
The Dm chord would be played at the 5th fret by laying the bar over the stings over the 5th fret. The notes produced will be a D, F, and an A. These are the notes for a Dm.
The 'regular chords would be E, F, G and C. These could be played as chordal notes by using only the top and bottom strings, giving the root and the 5th notes of a chord. The E played at the 7th fret, the F at the 8th fret, the G at the 10 th fret and the C at the 3rd fret.
You could of course just tune to Em as you suggest (E,G,B) to give the low E.
Replies
I took my 3 string to an open mic night and it caused some intrigue and went best when I used my old valve amp for a bit of dirt, but I only learned the simplest of riffs and would like to go back again and do 2 or 3 numbers. I've been singing the Tom waits number for a while on 6 string and its a nice slow tune that is fairly easy to play.
I'm also working on the rock number Born to be wild (give em something they know) and being forgetful of lyrics etc I always use a song sheet.
I found scoring the tune great as I just use 0, 3, 5 etc for the fret numbers instead of chords. First time I ever used tabs and found it easy,lol
Alan
Traditionally (?) a 3 string guitar is probably tuned to D, A and D notes. This I'm sure you are aware is the first and 5th notes of the scale of D. All 'normal' chords contain these notes. The easy answer would be to totally ignore the fact that the chord should be a minor and play all the chords as major.
The making of a minor chord involves inserting a minor 3rd into these notes. A Dminor would be D, Bflat and D. By playing the A string at the first fret would suggest a Dminor chord. With a bullet, bar or bottleneck this would be difficult (especially higher up the neck, so perhaps a double stop might be the answer. A double stop is a stringed instrument term for playing 2 notes together. In this instance the D and the Bb' (b = flat, # = sharp) on the first and second strings.
For the Am chord you will need an A note and a C note. To be honest I cannot see how this could be played by using a bar, slide or whatever with this tuning.
Perhaps we could consider tuning the instrument to an A monor chord. This would be A, C and E. The reason I have included the E as a top string is because it is a part of the chord of A and for another reason.
The Dm chord would be played at the 5th fret by laying the bar over the stings over the 5th fret. The notes produced will be a D, F, and an A. These are the notes for a Dm.
The 'regular chords would be E, F, G and C. These could be played as chordal notes by using only the top and bottom strings, giving the root and the 5th notes of a chord. The E played at the 7th fret, the F at the 8th fret, the G at the 10 th fret and the C at the 3rd fret.
You could of course just tune to Em as you suggest (E,G,B) to give the low E.
N.b. I don't know the song.