DADGAD - a rough guide

An instructional video for guitar showing the tuning, basic chords and use of D suspended 4 (Dsus4) tuning - known as DADGAD tuning. The video features short interludes from "She Moved Thro' The Fair" and "The Lakes Of Pontchartrain".
PDF files for the DADGAD tuning & chords, and for the music, tabs and words to "The Lakes Of Pontchartrain" are available from my website at:
www.willflyguit...

[@idfkhaha6234]

will Will Fly fly? Yes, Will Fly will fly.

[@gageblakely6860]

Lol

[@hifijohn]

when he dies he will be known as 'have flown'!!!!

[@WillFlyGuitar]

LOL!

[@Mohrlaen]

Will Fly will fly for his will is to catch a fly.

[@BlazertronGames]

Will Smith will smith.

[@rjmcdnnll]

God hates when we use his name to swear bro...,I hope you are not offended, I really dont mean to..., Ive done it myself many times... just tryin to spread the Good News.., blessings!!!

[@JohnnyCyberspace]

I believe Jimmy Page is playing in DADGAD on the 1st LP Led Zeppelin did. One of the songs I'm almost sure it was called Black Mountain Side.

[@Sparta2310]

i am pretty sure Jimmy played D.A.D.G.A.D. on "Kashmir" as well! And thank you Will Fly for a great video. I always loved wee Christy Moore singing "The lakes of Ponchratrain"

[@jakewaldman6243]

BMS is dadgad down a half step

[@HansYork]

Hello Will, thanks for posting this, I really appreciate it. Playing in DADGAD now for more than 10 years and never tuned back:) Sending you my best wishes from Dallas, TX

[@usmclongrangebrainsurgeon]

Awesome tutorial. Can you do a video on how she moves through the fair? Im irish and that one hits home, especially since i am starting out on the guitar

[@avaron100]

Beautiful, sounds very much like a sitar

[@buckskinfringes79]

That was a very informative lesson! Please do more like this. Thank you.

[@WillFlyGuitar]

I sold it to pay for my Chisholm No. 18 - which is a wonderful guitar - but I do wish I'd kept all the guitars I've ever owned! :-)

[@rexmundi1570]

Great simple guide to DADGAD chords with helpful diagrams.

[@corneilledriezen]

I love your songs, mate ! Very inspiring and sang with passion ! Thanks ! Corneille from belgium

[@WillFlyGuitar]

Thanks - years of gigging have changed my voice from a squeak to a growl! :-)

[@andreadilemna]

My first song in DAGDAD style. Many many thanks for your lessons. Very good teacher. Good and clear website. Hugs from Italy. Andrea

[@awsomeal100]

Pleasent and informative.'She moved thro' the fair' a massive influencial song,the roots of so many love songs grabbed by so many over the years.DADGAD,timeless and beautiful.

[@armfm90]

youre the best man, make me want to play again my guitar right now! love your voice and your guitar skills. thanks to introduce me in the DADGAD world. saludos desde Perú!

[@notpopebuthope]

THANKS for showing !! Good introduction !! Best wishes and greetings from Austria !! SALUT !!

[@WillFlyGuitar]

+notpopebuthope Thanks - and best wishes to you from the UK. :-)

[@DaveHeagle]

Thanks for offering your knowledge and your website resources for FREE!

[@itsvoogle]

Hey great stuff! im a huge fan of alternate tuning there so fun to play,,here i recommend trying some of these out DADAAD based of a song called A little opera goes along way by Sky sailing and FACFGC its in a song called I am yours by Texas in july..check em out there great fun to play! :D

[@trevorobryant]

This is totally off subject but if you believe in this sort of thing, there is what some people might call a "spirit orb" on the right side of the screen at 31 seconds 'floating' up and to the left. Not saying thats what it is, just that it was kinda interesting.

[@empiremonkey]

A lotta players keep one guitar sitting around in DADGAD for those special songs.... or vice-versa. I remember when I started playing and didn't even have my own guitar, I'd retune my flat-mate's beater and leave it in DADGAD. He'd go nuts trying to figure out what was going on....

[@MojoStrummer]

thank you for this, ive always loved the DADGAD tuning, but i never knew how to use it in my writing.

[@wesmatron]

Great little tutorial...especially the tip about the 3rds. ps You are the antithesis of BA from The A-Team....because he won't fly, whereas you... ;) sorry lol.

[@edpickford3148]

Enjoyed that - good teacher - even for an oldie like me!

[@scottishcluj]

Are you English? ;) Joking. :p Nice intro to DADGAD. Very haunting tuning I think it gives celtic/folk music a distinct charm to it. Even played by an Englishman! ;) Enough English jokes...love you guys really. :)

[@ryanbooth9292]

Thank you very much for the video! It's really helping me get started with acoustic :D

[@chrisfowell267]

aha jimmy page has been ripping off Irish tunes

[@12Radius]

Yeah ZEP. 1. right i hear it.

[@lughlongarm76]

You have such an awesome voice! I don't mean only your singing voice; your speaking voice is just very pleasant to hear. Thanks for the lesson!

[@donotpanic2011]

hi there do you believe that dadgad tuning might suit a twelve string better than a six string to achieve a more of droning sound if one wished to achieve a more asiastic way of playing

[@Northyorkspaul]

very good

[@loris234]

i am very sorry. my mistake. at 2:00 after the screen with 2: Basic Chords, when you appear look on the door . there will be a white small dot going down..what is that ?:|

[@fadingwithgraceuk]

i love it for some reason it makes me write better and play better, shame i gave it to my brother for his 21st :( they realy do rival martins and taylors.

[@MojoStrummer]

@suvetar look up the song Hope by rush. its in DADGAD on a twelve string. the openness of DADGAD as i sis really compliments a twelve string.

[@suvetar]

Also, has anyone tried DADGAD on a 12 string ? I have a tanglewood roundback 12 string that tends to play best with a dropped tuninhg anyway ...

[@XMguy]

I play in standard. But have a musician friend who uses DADGAD tuning because he plays many different instruments.

[@Azulnote]

Charming and educational

[@paulcooper3463]

good vid i keep hearing white summer black mountain side by led zepplin.

[@WillFlyGuitar]

Go to my website - all there. :-)

[@Melvorgazh]

Nice demonstration. Only when you say ‘Major’ of some chords you play are are not major, cause they haven’t got a 3rd at all. Sarah McQuaid calls those 1st-5th chords modal chords. Which are neutral. I play a lot of them but in standard tuning. I love the sound of DADGAD but when one plays in a set tunes of different key/modes it can get tricky. But DADGAD is more handy for backing songs and sets with tunes in the same or relative keys/modes. Those diagrams really help for remembering. Cheers.

[@WillFlyGuitar]

Quite correct! :-)

[@fredgriman]

that's soooo beautiful...some ancient nostalgia came upon my heart, and it made me cry, thanx a lot Will. Cheers from Brasil!

[@SamSandford]

It would've been funny if you broke out into Kashmir or White Summer / Black Mountain Side. Great vid mate, thanks!

[@juliakmars]

This is great! Thank you for this great video. Cheers!

[@dukeonmaui]

Just lovely...thank you. Love your singing. Wistful

[@mSw736]

Very good start for DADGAD. Well done mSw

[@tony59able]

Top Bloke Will. Many thanks for this gem of a video. Will certainly give this a go. Your good health!

[@WillFlyGuitar]

No - Drop D, as far as I'm aware, is just lowering the 6th, bass E string down two frets to D. All other strings stay the same. Drop D also creates some good sounds. In DADGAD, the 6 strings played together play a D suspended 4th chord. The open 3rd (G) string is the 4th note in the scale of D, so the chord sounds unresolved. When you fret that G at the 2nd string - and play the A note - the chord resolves closer to a D major. :-)

[@WillFlyGuitar]

@trevorobryant LOL! The gas boiler flue is just below my window and the hot air blows light things such as seeds, etc. past the window. The sun catches them and throws a tiny, fleeting shadow into the room - spirit orbs for free...! :-)

[@Rikk303]

Never really seen the need for plectrums and that. My nails grow faster than children and a file that lasts longer than their devotion.

[@banacek60chord43]

Rikk303 Count yourself lucky! Mine used to be like that but now rip and break if I look at them! I can't hang on to a damned plectrum either and it doesn't suit my style anyway! Getting old; better than the alternative!

[@banacek60chord43]

Another mystery unlocked! Thank you so much.

[@WillFlyGuitar]

I haven't experienced with neck tension myself - but then I've rarely had a guitar in DADGAD for any length of time! When I use it, I've lowered the strings for a tune, then retuned to normal tuning immediately. If I was doing a longer repertoire with DADGAD tuning, I'd probably dedicate a guitar to it - and then make sure there were no neck tension problems. :-)

[@WillFlyGuitar]

@donotpanic2011 Well, it's a possibility - and DADGAD tuning does lower the strings in a similar way that some 12-strings are tuned. Certainly worth an experiment. :-)

[@WillFlyGuitar]

Ah - gotcha! Others have commented... my room is above the central heating flue - and, when the sun shines in a certain way, the hot air makes specks rise outside the window. The sun catches these and - lo and behold - they appear as flecks in the camera! :-)

[@WillFlyGuitar]

That's one of the possible side effects of de-tuning down to DADGAD and re-tuning back up to normal pitch. Some strings, particularly if they're old, will break.

[@WillFlyGuitar]

Thanks for the kind comments. I must admit that I got the guitar sound in this video just right. The secret is not to get the mic too close to the bass end and/or the soundhole - which I've done too often in the past - and probably will again! :-)

[@DixonSteele1on1]

Loved your opening of showing us how to play the DadGadgummin chords! You're the first on KZbin! Thanks for all that! But with nothing else to follow up with -like actual PDFs and/or auxiliary lessons supposedly on your free website - Well, you kind of get ahead of yourself and lose us in the process! Just saying...

[@WillFlyGuitar]

There's a PDF on my website for the DADGAD stuff - as stated. BUT - the website has changed to a new URL: willflyguitar.com

[@UnlocktheguitarNet]

Great tutorial, well explained!

[@stefanremus8336]

Thanks a lot mate ;-) Keep on rocking

[@namaste91]

Can follow that,very good made instructinal video. Thank you,Sir.

[@fadingwithgraceuk]

is that a larivee om3r ? cause i baught one for my bro a few years ago :D

[@Louisiana1975]

Wow, is that a Larrivee? I have the exact one! Awesome guitar!

[@brandondermody8121]

Hi Will! You are an awsome teacher!! Is there anyway I can contact you?! Maybe you can help me with some DADGAD i really need help. Thanks alot, cheers from Costa Rica!!

[@WillFlyGuitar]

Contact me via my website: willflyguitar.com "-)

[@WillFlyGuitar]

Heh heh - good one! I have spells of using DADGAD and then forget all about it. I rarely detune and retune when playing live. :-)

[@loris234]

at 2:42 there is a white dot falling right of the screen..what is it ?

[@9pixals]

are you using that zoom h2 recorder to record the guitar with just the mics. I have one and don't really have any good mics to record with. It sounds pretty darn good is why I'm asking.

[@WillFlyGuitar]

+9pixals Yes - just the Zoom H2 internal mic - always does a good job for me. I upload it to my Mac Book Pro with the USB cable and then check the sound level - and top and tail the audio clip using Audacity. :-)

[@Chantellyssa]

FINALLY. Someone who can help me. Your videos are straight-forward and easy to understand. Love the fact that you show the chord pictures too. This newbie needs them :)

[@WillFlyGuitar]

@sahilcc7 This video was made with a Larrivée OM model - which I don't have now. :-)

[@WillFlyGuitar]

A Larrivee indeed! It was a great guitar - I sold it to buy a custom-built model by a local luthier... :-)

[@WillFlyGuitar]

Glad you found it useful. I also do "Pontchartrain in standard tuning (in C) - nice bass run down starting on the bass C... :-)

[@WillFlyGuitar]

I slap my wrist... :-) It's on my list of things to do, I can assure you - a list which is getting longer all the time... :-)

[@StoneFlyOutdoors]

Will is your house haunted???!!!??? There is an orb at :32 that shows up at the bottom right of the screen.... Just saying....

[@WillFlyGuitar]

No - just a reflection of the sun through the window on some object or other... :-)

[@abond623]

Ok, I'm tuning to DADGAD, and learning all the minor chords, how long do you thing it will take for all of my neighbors to become depressed?

[@WillFlyGuitar]

Depends on how loudly and lengthily you play... :-)

[@nickyG7515]

BEAUTIFUL AND SIMPLE ALTERNATE TUNING, GREAT FOR COMPOSING

[@WillFlyGuitar]

True - gives a different perspective. :-)

[@plotonisradd]

So Jimmy Page ripped Kashmir off from "She Moved Thro' The Fair" , amazing tutorial thanks !

[@plotonisradd]

+Clive Blanston thanks for the more info! even though he may "ripped it off" somewhere that doesnt change he is one of the best if not the best

[@cruntpoop]

I'm looking for a way to play an F#m and C in DADGAD. Any ideas ?

[@cheapsurrealist]

Thank you very much for your videos and pdfs. They are of great value to me.

[@WillFlyGuitar]

+cheapsurrealist My pleasure. :-)

[@nelsonjcloudy]

yes thanks, for not digressing

[@Foggyforeigntown]

really really useful !!!!!!!!!!

[@alexandermorison]

Very blimmin lovely and thank you so much. Beautiful.

[@kczluther]

I thought you were Ulli Boogershausen...

[@WillFlyGuitar]

@armfm90 Thanks! Now - go and pick up that guitar! :-)

[@Geotubest]

Thanks. Nicely done.

[@WillFlyGuitar]

Yup - it is. I don't have it now, but it was a good guitar. :-)

[@soloBeppe]

man, you are the Bob Ross of Music, your voice is so chill

[@WillFlyGuitar]

Glad to be of sound service! :-)

[@CelticBearWoman]

so clear! Thanks

[@bodhran4075]

nice one very important video for the chords.

[@WillFlyGuitar]

Thanks. :-)

[@Testacabeza]

Thanks again Will. Muchas gracias!

[@dopizdi]

u so cool! greetings from Russia. Please do more stuff.

[@WillFlyGuitar]

I will! :-)

[@dopizdi]

Much Thanks. Can u tell us about some licks in DADGAD. You use capo?

[@rrrrrrrrrrrrr.]

Will fly the guitar guy

[@hellwroughtangel]

What a warm sound. :)

[@elemileTLDR]

You've just showed me the light. Thank you.

[@nsntg]

I would like to here you singing the full version "The Lakes of Pontchartrain", it is very good. Thank you by the way.

[@WillFlyGuitar]

I'll see what I can do! Cheers, :-)

[@nsntg]

Thank you :)

[@EspritDeBottineQc]

lol I heard : She moves trough the fat hahaha

[@noble1981]

Romba nanri.. translated Thank you very much.

[@WillFlyGuitar]

Just checked - couldn't see it at 2:42...

[@Sweetmelody2011]

Thanks, Ronnie.

[@otttyb1]

thank you santa. i always knew you were real

[@juliamckechnie4094]

great tutoring.

[@schlaackmusic]

Thank you very much! This was very helpful!

[@WillFlyGuitar]

It's a Larrivée - which I no longer have... :-)

[@TinGamponia]

E string broke :| :| :| :| :|

[@a3wishine]

Thank you so much !

[@joaorepolho6152]

what is the guitar brand you used here? :D