Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Muddy Creek Guitars on March 27, 2014 at 5:15pm

Well......
Most three stringers are tuned to what is called an 'open' or 'power' chord. GDG is quite common. These chords aren't major or minor. It isn't important that you know what major and minor are. So........
Open strings = G chord. 1st fret = Ab, 2=A, 3=Bb, 4=B, 5=C, 6=C#, 7=D, 8=Eb, 9=E, 10=F, 11=F#, 12=G ( higher version).
So, if your lead sheet shows a D chord, go to the 7th fret. If it shows Am (A minor) go to 2nd fret. It won't matter if the chord listed is major (capital letter) or minor ( lower case letter or letter with m or min after it). Since open chords aren't major or minor, they'll sound good when either chord is called for.

Rock songs almost never have chords besides major or minor chords, so all you have to do is aim for the fret for that chord and ignore the quality or any extensions, such as G7, or Asus, C2 etc...

Now, if your guitar is tuned to a major chord, then it gets a little trickier.....
You can harmonize every note from a scale with just three chords. If the guitar is tuned to G, for example, you'll be using the open chord =G, 5=C, 7=D. If your lead sheet lists Em, play G instead, sometimes C. If it lists Am, play C. If it lists Bm, play D or sometimes G. These are called substitute chords.

Also, if a song has rapid chord changes, like almost every syllable, just play the ones that fall on the main beats.

Hope this helps!

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Permalink Reply by Dan Mullen on March 27, 2014 at 9:34pm

Thanks for this explanation, it has helped me a bunch.

Dan

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Permalink Reply by Scruggy on March 29, 2014 at 12:54am

Thanks the more I read that the more sense its making! Thanks will defo give a go! Is that the same in tab sheets, im more familier with that then chords sheet music!

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Permalink Reply by Richey Kay on March 27, 2014 at 8:32pm

Hi Scruggy. If you have a look a my vids you'll see some classic rock arranged for 3/4 strings. I also have a lesson on moveable chord shapes for 3 string. Here's how I do it:

1. Find a tab/chords for the song I want to learn. I generally use http://www.ultimate-guitar.com as you can transpose the chords if you wish. It makes no sense to play a song in F# when your guitar is tuned open G :). Tabs are a little more tricky to transpose as the website won't do it for you. The only way to figure these out is to be familiar with your fretboard layout; there are plenty of free fretboard diagrams out there, or why not make your own on Excel or something?

2. Obviously power chords are simple to work out, but if there are any I can't get, I use a free mobile phone app called 'Smartchord' (for Android, although I'm sure there's an Apple/Windows or even a free web alternative). With this program you can set it up to your instruments, so I have profiles for a 6 string in standard tuning, a 3 string tuned GDG, and a 4 string tuned GDGB. I just select the one I want and choose the chord I need, and it will give you every way of playing that chord on your instrument.

3. Learn the song by playing along (obviously this will only work if you are in the original key), then work on the arrangements, any little flourishes etc. which I want to add.

4. Sometimes I use backing tracks so I can play/sing along, like CBG karaoke :) http://www.guitarbackingtrack.com/

Enjoy!

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Permalink Reply by Ron "Oily" Sprague on March 27, 2014 at 11:04pm

Scruggy,

Take both Richey's suggestion ( www.ultimate-guitar.com) for tabs, and if on a mobile device, download the ChordGenie Pro app (http://www.chordgenie.com/cg/Download.aspx - for Windows or Apple devices - there is a free trial, but spend the $5-8 for the Pro version). ChordGenie allows you to set up for both number of strings AND tunings. You can then show any chords from tab or chord sheets in that tuning for that number of strings. I find it highly useful to transpose songs, as I'm a bass-baritone who can't sing most songs in their original key, and it also helps you visualize fretboard patterns for 3 and 4 strings.

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Permalink Reply by Richey Kay on March 27, 2014 at 11:07pm

Cheers Ron. Smartchord allows you to completely customize too... number of strings and tuning.

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Permalink Reply by Scruggy on March 28, 2014 at 12:55pm

thanks guys for all the tips, some great advice!

hey guys i came accross this vid i want your feedback on, it really simplifys the process!

my question is can it really be as simple as the video suggest?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QVWhSbt8uBM&list=FLxnAnszC8CzOQ...

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Permalink Reply by Patrick Curley on March 28, 2014 at 3:08pm

The theory is solid, try it and see what it sounds like.

I'd guess that it may be OK for simple folk songs, especially if you can sing well. Generally though classic rock songs rely on a strong beat and a big bottom end. You may find that your missing some of that, worth a shot though, no-one's going to die.

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Permalink Reply by Richey Kay on March 28, 2014 at 6:58pm

Ha ha no I don't think anyone will die. I will throw a spanner in the works and say that an open tuning like GDG works very well for rock music, which is generally power chord heavy...

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Permalink Reply by TN Twang on March 31, 2014 at 5:39am

Hello, Scruggy,

If your 3-string or 4-string has (chromatic) frets, then Ben's Youtube explanation is dead on. Believe and enjoy. It's that simple!

Some folks on CBNation are building 3 strings with only the "diatonic" frets like on an Appalachian dulcimer. They will end up referencing the dulcimer books to get  chord fingerings that are somewhat different from guitar chords. However, it's still that simple once they learn the dulcimer chords.

The real issues don't show up until you start to use a slide--particularly if you have no frets or usable fretboard and have to rely on your slide to stop each string at the correct place to produce your pitches. Typically, slide players--even on 6-string guitars--want to alter standard guitar tuning so all of the strings will sound together as a single chord. This way you can strum the open strings and get a chord; lay your slide across at any fret position and get a different chord.

Retuning the strings is a centuries-old practice, but it still makes guitar players a little nutty because it means that some of the notes are not where they were using standard tuning. Strumming the chords may be easier than on a "standard" guitar, because you just stretch your slide across the strings and strum, but playing lead or advanced accompanying licks is tricky because all your knowledge of the note names on the fretboard gets messed up depending on which string(s) you retuned.

Add to this the problem that you only have 3 or 4 of the usual 6 strings, and you see why controversies arise. Everybody has a favorite tuning. It's really not hard if you'll just pick one tuning and learn to live with it.

Common 3-string SLIDE tunings include the following (from low string to high):

• Dad (open "power chord" with no third; can be used for both major and minor chords; good for electric rock or funky blues)
• DGb (corresponds to the 4th, 3rd, and 2nd strings of standard tuning; experienced lead guitarists don't have to learn anything new since these are actually 3 strings that they already know and frequently use for playing lead.)
• G#be (top three strings of "Open E" tuning; 6-string slide players use open E tuning a lot--this is the top half)

I've found that with practice I can use all 3 of these and not get too confused. Biggest problem is keeping enough CBG's on hand to keep 'em tuned all the different ways.

Sorry it got so long-winded, but there you are!

TN

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Permalink Reply by Scruggy on March 31, 2014 at 8:04am

Thanks really helpfull!

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Permalink Reply by Scruggy on March 29, 2014 at 12:47am

Gdg does work but makes things complicated as most rock songs seem standard tuning so would the tabs have to be completely changed for open tuning?

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