Chord heavy songs

[grathan]

What songs that you play make you think of "chords"?



Looking for ideas for strengthening my chord playing ability, but also interested in hearing your opinions on songs that come to mind.

[MarvinLee]

Anything composed on piano.

[ljguitar]

Originally Posted by grathan

What songs that you play make you think of "chords"?

Classic Hymns...nearly every note involves a chord change.

[mtsusean]

Cat Scratch Fever

[grathan]

Originally Posted by ljguitar

Classic Hymns...nearly every note involves a chord change.

That is what I was thinking. America (My country 'Tis of Thee) came to mind specifically.

[ljguitar]

Originally Posted by grathan

That is what I was thinking. America (My country 'Tis of Thee) came to mind specifically.

Hi g...
A few examples come to mind. You can always 'dumb' down hymns to simpler chords, but as they were written and scored, they are pretty chord-laden.

A Mighty Fortress Is Our God
Lo How A Rose 'Er Blooming
Crown Him With Many Crowns
Old Rugged Cross

When less note-literate players began to play in church the chord progressions began to simplify as well.

I'm around people who love traditional music, both secular and hymns and the chord progressions as scored in piano scores can be challenging. Fun too…

I play a version of Entertainer, and it has quite a few chord changes in it.

Traditional Hymns and classically oriented pieces tend to have a lot of walking bass parts so you may play a D chord four times, with 4 different bass notes (D | D/C# | D/B | D/A | and such.)

Some players just skip all the 'slash' notes and just play a D thorough the entire passage. But my training was classical from 3rd grade through college, so I tend to hear and attempt to adhere to all the extra bits.

With the advent of late swing era and early jazz we began to see guitarists playing less chords - or more of the same chord while comping a rhythm part. But another frequent chord changing genre is Cowboy swing. Man sometimes they change those comping chords every beat while chopping away at the eighth notes!

Gypsy jazz does that too.

So chord-heavy play is not limited to hymns.

[Ciarre]

Maybe no comparison, but "Yesterday" has a boatload of chords in it, especially in the chorus where the first seven syllables have seven chord changes, albeit simple ones.

[Pitar]

Originally Posted by Ciarre

Maybe no comparison, but "Yesterday" has a boatload of chords in it, especially in the chorus where the first seven syllables have seven chord changes, albeit simple ones.

Yep, but you can walk that fingerpicking and not get too awful busy. Hotel California has some change-ups. Paul Simon gets pretty busy in Dangling Conversation, Lincoln Duncan, Kathy's Song and Homeward Bound especially has some quick change-ups that need to be spot on. Cat Steven's Sad Lisa is another. Elton John gets chordy in his Yellow Brick Road and Your Song. Joni Mitchell's Both Sides Now wanders a bit, instrumentally speaking. Now that I think of it, many songs were crowded with chords.

I have to add, though, that despite there being lot's of chords they are all only partially shaped when fingerpicking. You just sort of grab pieces of them when making changes and as long as the color and flavor of the melody are expressed, full chords need not be executed.

[clintj]

Some Beatles songs, as mentioned, are very heavy on chords. The one song I had a hard time getting up to speed when starting out was Led Zeppelin's "Gallows Pole". Once it takes off after the intro, it goes into rapid fire open chord changes during each verse.

[Rockguy475]

You can simplify a lot of songs by breaking them down into chords instead of playing single notes.

Bad moon rising
Heart of gold
Hey joe
Let it be
Redemption song

[David M123]

"Bitterblue" by Cat Stevens, back when he was still Cat Stevens.

Lot's of chord changes in a very fast, upbeat rhythm. I used to play it back in my college days and was quite proud of doing so.

[Caddy]

Nearly any jazz song and most 30's and 40's big band songs and show tunes.

[LeftArm]

I'm not sure it's chord "heavy" but John Fahey's "In Christ there is no East or West" makes me think more in chords.
The first part is very churchy sounding.
Tab is here:
http://www.johnfahey.com/TabChristNoEast.htm

[fazool]

American Pie is very chord heavy, I think.

[YamaYairi]

Paul Simon's "Fifty Ways To Leave Your Lover" has chord changes on almost every word!