DADGAD, hmm

[rick-slo]

Great post wcap.

[JonPR]

Originally Posted by wcap

And it seems I read that one of the early pioneers/developers of DADGAD tuning was trying to come up with a tuning to facilitate the playing of music from the Middle East!

Indeed: Davy Graham invented it as a way of making guitar sound more like the oud. (Strangely, because the oud is tuned quite differently.)
As I said in an earlier post, he wanted a modal sound to highlight the similarities between the folk musics of different cultures (at least Celtic and Arabic).

He first recorded with DADGAD in 1962 (She Moved Through the Fair), but here's excerpts of a later live version and some background:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cFB6xj1xHnM

He was first caught on film in 1959:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cAXnJgS_dp4
(skip to 3:50 - the way that girl looks at him probably explains why so many boys took up guitar afterwards...)

[Larry Pattis]

I guess I should be reading the "Play" sub-forum a bit more often...glad to see this DADGAD discussion occurring here!

I am of the camp that any tuning is what you make of it...and also that casual improvisations can indeed lead to some pretty good music...for the right player.

Here are three fairly diverse sounding pieces in DADGAD that may not fit the idea of a typical DADGAD sound...








...and one with a bit more of the "DADGAD sound":

[Earwitness]

Thanks, Larry. I liked Spanish Dream and Hands of Time very well.

[rick-slo]

Larry, earlier I had been thinking about some of your compositions written for DADGAD as an example of music somewhat different than the usual DADGAD fare. Glad you noticed this thread.

[islandguitar]

Spanish Dream......a new one for me.....fantastic, Larry!

[Hasbro]

Rick, dusting off this thread to suggest "si dolce el tormento " arranged bt Tony mcmanus, blew my mind that was in dadgad, and an amazing iconic song

[TBman]

I'm usually not fond of zombie threads but this looks good. Al Petteway's Mountain CD has a ton of interesting DADGAD tunes as well as a couple in Csus2

[rick-slo]

Originally Posted by Hasbro

Rick, dusting off this thread to suggest "si dolce el tormento " arranged bt Tony mcmanus, blew my mind that was in dadgad, and an amazing iconic song

Actually that tune is a good example of what I don't like about how many use dadgad (various other droning note tunings) to compose.

[rick-slo]

Originally Posted by TBman

I'm usually not fond of zombie threads but this looks good. Al Petteway's Mountain CD has a ton of interesting DADGAD tunes as well as a couple in Csus2

Yep, I like a number of Al's tunes regardless of the tuning he is using.

[Hasbro]

Originally Posted by rick-slo

Actually that tune is a good example of what I don't like about how many use dadgad (various other droning note tunings) to compose.

Its in minor key for starters, isnt Celtic, and is originally by monteverde. Totally outside the norms. Not modal, not droning, you are a difficult person to please

[rick-slo]

Originally Posted by Hasbro

Its in minor key for starters, isnt Celtic, and is originally by monteverde. Totally outside the norms. Not modal, not droning, you are a difficult person to please

Perhaps. I am in the melody line and song structure development camp, though some mood music is ok now and then.

[Hasbro]

Originally Posted by rick-slo

Perhaps. I am in the melody line and song structure development camp, though some mood music is ok now and then.

It was originally a vocal Opera Melody so I feel like when I hear him play it I can hear that Melody being sung

[SprintBob]

This is a great thread for me too as I want to begin to explore alternate tunings like DADGAD. I'm learning a lot from the discussion.