Mel Bay

For Fingerstyle Guitar

Author: Doug Young
Format: Book and CD
Instrumentation: Guitar TAB
Level: Beginning-Intermediate

Understanding DADGAD is a complete introduction to using the DADGAD tuning for fingerstyle acoustic guitar. The book systematically explores the tuning, starting with simple chords and scale patterns, ultimately showing how DADGAD can be used to play in nearly any key and in many different musical styles. Topics include moveable and open-string chords and scales, intervals, the harp-effect, common chord progressions in DADGAD and more, all in the context of either short musical examples or complete tunes.

Rather than just providing scales, chords, or tunes, this book guides the reader through the process of understanding the guitar from the perspective of DADGAD tuning. Topics are organized as a series of small self-contained sections ideal for a single study session or lesson. After exploring extremely easy ways to get started with DADGAD, involving as little as a single finger on the fretting hand, the book progresses to examples that will interest even more advanced players. 200 musical examples, including several full performance-quality pieces, demonstrate each concept. Includes access to online audio featuring the author playing many of the examples.

• A complete introduction to DADGAD tuning for fingerstyle acoustic guitar.
• Begins with simple chords and scale patterns and progresses to more complex musical examples in many different keys.
• Topics include moveable and open-string chords and scales, the harp-effect, intervals, common chord progressions in DADGAD and more.

Contents:

• INTRODUCTION
  • Tuning In DADGAD
  • How To Use This Book
• GETTING STARTED
  • Three Easy Chords
  • Playing Simple Melodies
  • Improvising With Third String Melodies
  • Improvising In Other Keys
  • Improvisation Examples
  • Learning More Chords
  • Simple Scale Patterns
  • Minor Scale Patterns
  • Putting It All Together
• LEVERAGING STANDARD TUNING
  • Using Standard Tuning Chord Shapes In DADGAD
  • Creating Chords By Shifting Strings
  • Moveable Chord Forms
  • Converting Scales From Standard To DADGAD
  • Creating Blues Scales In DADGAD
  • The CAGED System
  • CAGED In DADGAD
  • Putting It All Together
• INTERVALS AND HARMONY
  • Introducing Intervals
  • Harmonizing With Thirds
  • Harmonized Thirds On The Fourth And Fifth Strings
  • Harmonized Thirds On The Third And Fourth Strings
  • Harmonized Thirds On Second And Third Strings
  • More Harmonized Thirds
  • Harmonizing With Sixths
  • Applying Sixths
  • Harmonizing With Tenths
  • Tenths As Skeletal Chords
  • Using Tenths With Open Strings
  • Unisons
  • Octaves
  • Octave Examples
  • Putting It All Together
• TRICKS AND TECHNIQUES
  • Cross-String Patterns
  • Slurs And Cross-String Patterns
  • More Cross-String Picking Patterns
  • Parallel Harmony
  • Cheater Chords
  • Harmonics
  • Harmonic Patterns
  • Hammer-Ons And Pull-Offs
  • Percussive Techniques
  • Ten Things You Can't Do In Standard Tuning
  • Putting It All Together
• CHORD PROGRESSIONS
  • The Blues Progression
  • Blues Progression With Minimalist Chords
  • The II-V-I Progression
  • Moveable II-V-I Chord Patterns
  • Altered Chords
  • Rhythm Changes
  • Rhythm Changes Using Open String Chords
• SCALES AND ARPEGGIOS
  • Movable Major Scales
  • Learning Scale Forms
  • Scale Patterns
  • Minor Scales
  • Movable Minor Scales
  • Minor Scale Patterns
  • Cross-String Scales
  • Minor Cross-String Scales
  • Cross-String Examples
  • Arpeggios
  • Cross-String Arpeggios
• EXPLORING DIFFERENT KEYS
  • C Major
  • D Major
  • D Minor
  • F Major
  • G Major
  • G Minor
  • A Major
  • A Minor
  • B Flat Major