Progression for RAdams Acoustic "Dear Chicago"

[KarlK]

Been minorly obsessed with this live acoustic version of Dear Chicago from RA's Life After Deaf collection. There are a number of vids out there of him playing the song with a full band, electrified, where he does the song in barre chords up the neck of his Stratocaster.

On this acoustic version, however, he seems to be using a capo...but is he?



Below is a tab I found, which I modified. Is this right?

Three things I am uncertain about.

1. Does he use a capo here with the e string open?
2. Is the final Dm7 Emin, F, G progression correct? Sounds as though he is moving up the fretboard from the Dm7 to Emin.
3. Is the last note before the final C progression to end the song actually hitting the open low E string at the 4th fret above the capo?

capo 4, low e string open
All chords(relative to capo):
C - X32010
Fmaj7 - x33210
Am - X02210
Dm7 - X00211	Em - 022000
F - 133211
G - 320033


Intro and End of each verse line played with hammer-on:
e|-0---0---0---|
B|-1---1---1---|
G|-0---0---0h2-|
D|-0h2-0h2-0---|
A|-3---3---3---|
E|-x---x---x---|
Intro: (C)
Verse 1
(C)Dear Chicago, 
You'll never guess
You know the girl you said I'd meet some day?
Well, I've got something to confess.
She picked me up on (Fmaj7) Friday.
Asked if she reminded me of you.
I just (C) laughed and lit a cigarette,
Said "that's impossible to do."
My life's gotten (Fmaj7) simple since.
But it fluctuates so much.
(C) Happy and sad and back again.
I'm not crying out too much.
Think about you (Fmaj7) all the time.
It's strange and hard to deal.
Think about you (C) lying there.
Those blankets lie so still.
Bridge 1
Nothing breathes (Am) here in the cold.
Nothing moves or even smiles.
I've been(G*)thinking some of(Fmaj7)suicide (*Single note hit 3rd fret low E)
There's bars out here for miles.
Sorry about (G*)the (Am) every kiss.
Every kiss you wasted bad.
I think the (G*)thing you (Fmaj7) said was true,
I'm going to die alone and sad. (C)
Verse 2 
(C) The wind's feeling real these days.
Baby, it hurts me some.
Never thought I'd feel so blue.
New York City, you're almost gone.
Bridge 2
I (Dm7) think that I've (Em) fallen (F) out of love (G), (barre F and G)
I (Dm7) think (Em) I've fallen (F) out of love (G), (barre F and G)
I (Dm7) think (Em) I've fallen (F) out of love (G), (barre F and G)
(F)(A**)-- with you.(C)(**Single Low E string on actual 4th fret, above capo)

[JonPR]

I'm pretty certain there is no capo there. The first chord you hear, before he starts the song, has a low B in it, so it's a plain open position E chord.

Check this video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vLD4pQxcvHs
He's in a different key (F#, a whole step up) which is why he has capo on 2 - but look at the shapes he's using .

Back with your audio, he's in E, so no capo.
When the song starts, he's using a partial barre "C" shape on 4th fret, with the open E - i.e., same shape as in your tab, but his index is the "capo".

The key is of course E, so I'm giving the chord names in that key:

E (with hammer-ons from 4th to 6th fret as shown in the tab) = 076454 (top string probably muted)
Aadd9 (not maj7) = x07600, or possibly x02420
C#m = x46654

chords for coda (from around 2:00)
F#m7 = 24425x (or 244220 ?)
E/G# = 47645x
A = 57765x
B(add4) = 799800

In each section there's quick passing chords, eg some kind of B between the Aadd9 and C#m (root fret 2 on 5th string); and in the coda, on the way back down from the B to E he goes via A and a hammer-on G# (4th fret from open E).

[KarlK]

Once again, JonPR comes to the rescue!!

Here's the problem for me though..I can't depress my index finger as the capo on the A-D-G-B strings and then have enough control to do the hammer ons!!

I just can't get it to to work with my small and stubby and inflexible fingers and my big fleshy palm.

It is depressing. Very depressing.

[KarlK]

Just found this version, which shows pretty clearly (emphasis on "pretty") how he executes this song without a capo.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cwaAw2hcYe4

[KarlK]

Originally Posted by JonPR

In each section there's quick passing chords, eg some kind of B between the Aadd9 and C#m (root fret 2 on 5th string); and in the coda, on the way back down from the B to E he goes via A and a hammer-on G# (4th fret from open E).

It's hard to figure out the "passing chord" -- unless it's just the C#m shape down to Bmin, but just striking/emphasizing the B note on the A string and not playing anything else.

[KarlK]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cwaAw2hcYe4



OK, you great chord fingerers out there, what is the fingering on the chords with question marks at these precise time points in the video above?

She picked me up on (??? 0:59) Friday

Nothin' breathes here (C#min) in the cold
Nothing moves or even smiles
I been thinking (??? 0:59) some of sui-(???1:00)-cide
But there's bars out here for miles
I'm (??? 1:04) sorry about the (C#min) every kiss....

In the second run through this progression, he hammers at 1:12 on the same chord that’s at 1:00 -- what is the hammer at 1:12?

Then on the the three lines of the coda

I (???1:38 some form of F#min) think I've (???1:40 some form of G#min) fallen (Bmaj shape, but open B and high E strings)out of (C#maj shape, but open B and high E strings)love

Second line, same as the first

Third line

I (???1:50 ANOTHER form of F#min) think I've (???1:52 ANOTHER form of G#min) fallen (Bmaj shape, by open B and high E strings) out of (C#maj shape, by open B and high E strings) love

[JonPR]

Originally Posted by KarlK

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cwaAw2hcYe4



OK, you great chord fingerers out there, what is the fingering on the chords with question marks at these precise time points in the video above?

She picked me up on (??? 0:59) Friday

Nothin' breathes here (C#min) in the cold
Nothing moves or even smiles
I been thinking (??? 0:59) some of sui-(???1:00)-cide
But there's bars out here for miles
I'm (??? 1:04) sorry about the (C#min) every kiss....

In the second run through this progression, he hammers at 1:12 on the same chord that’s at 1:00 -- what is the hammer at 1:12?

Then on the the three lines of the coda

I (???1:38 some form of F#min) think I've (???1:40 some form of G#min) fallen (Bmaj shape, but open B and high E strings)out of (C#maj shape, but open B and high E strings)love

Second line, same as the first

Third line

I (???1:50 ANOTHER form of F#min) think I've (???1:52 ANOTHER form of G#min) fallen (Bmaj shape, by open B and high E strings) out of (C#maj shape, by open B and high E strings) love

0:22: Add9 = x-0-11-9-0-0

0:59: B = x-2-4-4-4-x

1:00: plain A chord!

1:04: B again.

1:12: hammer-on 0-2 on 2nd string (A chord)

1:38: sounds like plain A again, but he seems to have a finger on 6th (probably muting the 5th), so probably A/F# (F#m7).

1:40: looks/sounds like plain G#m, alhough his hand shape is odd. Looks like 4-x-4-4-4-x, with middle finger on 6th, index barring the middle strings. Also, he's singing an E, which is confusing the sound. You could play Emaj7/G# to suggest that: 4-7-6-4-4-(4).
(This is the chord I gave for what I guess is the same point in the other video.)

1:41: A barre

1:43: B barre. (No audible open E here, but you can hear one on the same shape at 1:57.)

1:44: Seems like it ought to be the same chord as 1:38, but it does sound different. Could be an open 2nd string: 2-x-(2?)-2-0-(0), something like that.

1:50: C#m7? x-4-2-4-0-x

1:51: G#m7, this time with clear D# as low note: x-6-6-4-4-x. (Could be B, X-6-4-4-4-x, but I think there's a G# on 4th.) Could also be D#m7 (x-6-4-6-4-x) which would make sense following the previous chord, but there is no audible C# in it.

followed by A and B again.

I guess you know the nice E chord at 2:00: 0-11-9-9-9-(0), with hammer-ons on 4th string and 5th string (9-11 on both).

[KarlK]

JonPr, once again THE man here on AGF!!

Thanks so much.

Agreed, the F#min - G#min progression at 1:40ff shows the weirdest left hand shape.

Maybe the F#min there is really an F#min7 -- 1, b3, b5, 7 -- that is, F A# C# E, with this chord voicing F# C# F# A E.

So the shape would be a 2-4-4-2-2-0 , with

• index on E2,
• ring on A4,
• pinky on D4,
• middle finger barring D-G-B (with only G and and B string sounding at that fret, as the pinky on D4 supercedes....
• AND the E open.

The open E is the trick. Maybe that's why you hear him sing a E.

The same configuration up to G#min.

He does use strange hand positions at times.

[Gary 775]

I may not have read this post in its entirety, but the chords I've always used are:
9
9
9
9
9 h11
0
Play around with the strumming for the into

Verses are just E and an A but...funky way of paying both

E A
0 0
0 5
9 4/6 6
9 7
7
0

Chorus is

Cm
4 4h6
5 4
6 6
6 6
4 4

Then back to the Cm and then quick change to a B with open strings on both E's and the b string and into that same sliding A chord. This progression is repeated twice and then back to the intro. The outro is just the F#m, G#m, A (5th fret) and B (7th fret) in that same jangly open high e formations. Let me know if questions, at work and doing this kinda quick

[TomiPaldanius]

Don't look his fingers.

It is very simple song. But if you watch his fingers you will notice that he has tuned the guitar out from standard tuning.

You can still play this very well with standard tuning guitar. Just use C shape E major chord and you can do those little licks.

Here is how it goes:

Intro = E
Verse = E and A
Bridge = Minor down the line from relative minor (C#m-B-A)
Another part = F#m-G#m-A-B (F#m and G#m fifth inversion 3rd time)

I listened the studio version from Youtube and there he does not play the inversions. But try those chords. Understand the foundation first before going to some licks and added notes. Basic major and minor here.

I think the problem with you (and with many others) is that you pay attention to less important things first. I would like to see and hear how you learn songs? This kind of songs should be easy to learn if you are intermediate player. What kind of ear training you are doing?

[rick-slo]

I listened to about the first twenty seconds of the original audio clip. The strum before the intro begins shows right
there it is in standard tuning and without a capo.

Most always (especially for singer guitar players) the easiest way to play something is the way they play something.
So the intro chord from treble to base strings would be 4/5/4/6/x/0 (barre on strings 1 to 4, 1 string not played, and
with the ring finger doing its little hammer on thingy - no pinky finger allowed).

[KarlK]

Originally Posted by Gary 775

I may not have read this post in its entirety, but the chords I've always used are:
9
9
9
9
9 h11
0
Play around with the strumming for the into

I think he hammers 11 on the D string as well as the A, with A11 first and then D

[KarlK]

Originally Posted by TomiPaldanius

Don't look his fingers.

It is very simple song. But if you watch his fingers you will notice that he has tuned the guitar out from standard tuning.

You can still play this very well with standard tuning guitar. Just use C shape E major chord and you can do those little licks.

Here is how it goes:

Intro = E
Verse = E and A
Bridge = Minor down the line from relative minor (C#m-B-A)
Another part = F#m-G#m-A-B (F#m and G#m fifth inversion 3rd time)

I listened the studio version from Youtube and there he does not play the inversions. But try those chords. Understand the foundation first before going to some licks and added notes. Basic major and minor here.

I think the problem with you (and with many others) is that you pay attention to less important things first. I would like to see and hear how you learn songs? This kind of songs should be easy to learn if you are intermediate player. What kind of ear training you are doing?

Couple of things.

First, I think in all the live performances the guitar is in standard tuning. He finishes up the song on a straight 1st position E in the youtube video I linked above.

Second, while your progression above is correct, I do think Adams uses oddiish chordal fingers to get a particular resonant effect. So, for example, in the coda, the first F#min, G#min, A -B progression is different from the second two -- the #min shapes depress all the strings except the high e, which remains open and rings out. And then he uses not a straight barre A and B, but rather a configuration that has an open B and E string to get a another open ringing sound.

Third, I've never had "ear training." I watch artists I like, play songs that I like, and I try to learn those songs. As the late great moral philosopher Yogi Berra said, "You can observe a lot by watching."

So what I do is watch, listen, and then try to replicate. In that sense youtube has been a Godsend.