just tuned my father’s guitar down to DADGAD and noodled around a bit. I found Michael Eskin’s great DADGAD page after some searching and find the stretch needed for playing “his” cords quite challenging. I can play the Bb uilleann pipes and have no problems with really low flutes, but those chords are virtually unplayable for me…is it just because I’m a total guitar newbie (only played classical guitar for a year or two one decade ago) or does DADGAD need VERY big hands in general? Are there other ways to accompany in a similar way without having to torture my flutey fingers too hard?
Hi Gabriel, Are you sure you’re reading the chord charts correctly? The biggest stretch I see is 3 frets, and most of the positions are less. That’s a normal range for any guitar tuning, and should be OK for your normal-sized hand. Remember that you don’t have to finger the open strings, only the ones that are marked. The open strings are played open or muted, depending on the chord and the voicing that you want to produce.
I guess I’m reading them right, yup…for example, when playing a Dmaj I (1st chord chart in the PDF), I use my index finger for pressing down the G string into the 2nd fret and my pinky to press the low A string into the 5th fret. Between both fingers are two “open” frets then, and the sound is just “right”…but it feels kinda weird for me. Maybe my hand posture is wrong…wouldn’t be anything in particular as I’m a newb, as I said.
I have tiny hands and can play the chord shapes. Yes, DADGAD and Drop-D can require some stretches, particularly for that big D chord that will take some time to get used to, but I’m sure you had similar problems when you first started the pipes, nearly every student I’ve taught keeps a “death grip” on the chanter for the first few months.
Not clear on the “his” comment, I don’t have a copyright on the patterns, if you don’t like them or find them playable, make up your own.
Give yourself a month or so, be sure to take lots of breaks, and actively work to stretch your fingers and wrists between tunes, don’t hurt yourself!
wasn’t meant offensive or so, I truly appreciate your work as it’s really helpful for me. By using the "'s I only wanted to say that a chord can’t belong to a particular person…my english isn’t the best (and sometimes depends on the day’s form ), so sorry if I caused any misunderstandings.
Gabriel, it sounds like you’re doing everything right. You just need some time and practice to turn your flutey fingers into guitary fingers.
Here’s another tip. If the stretch of a particular position is too difficult, change it! For example, for that first long D chord (D5, actually), remove the pinky and you still have a nice voicing with the open A string. Or use your 3rd finger on the F# (4th string, 4rd fret) for a full D major chord. Experiment! One of the reasons DADGAD is popular is that small changes with a couple of fingers can produce some very nice sounds.
Favor your weak fingers. Plant your pinky and reach with your index finger. For example, when playing this G chord:
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Grab that G on the sixth string with your little finger first, then reach up to the second string for the B with your index finger. (Your little finger mutes the fifth string by tilting back to touch it.) If you plant the B with your index finger and try to reach your little finger over to the sixth string, it just won’t work. I have huge hands, but I can’t play that way!
It also helps to keep your thumb more or less in the middle of the back of the neck, classical style, and get your fingers over the fretboard.
Thanks for your hints! I’m currently working on grabbing the strings without touching their “neighbors” and changing chords…difficult stuff, but somewhat delightful. The sound of steel strings is just great. I also seem to get the hang of chord forming in DADGAD. I like it…
