Music Lesson: Gardenia in DADGAD Tuning

Introduction

So that's a tune called Gardenia. I mean DADGAD tuning: D A D G A D.

What I'd like to treat this lesson as is looking at the way the melody gets integrated into the texture and how to bring it out of the texture in a smooth and melodic way.

Opening Phrase

Starting off, I have this opening phrase. I'm following a descending bass line.

• You'll notice that there's some cross fingering involved in how the melody is articulated.
• By cross fingering, I refer to moving from the open top string (which is a D) to the third string, crossing the second string.
• I'm sliding down from the sixth fret to the fourth fret.

Here, you'll notice how the melody involves a series of hammer-ons.

• Make sure those hammer-ons are done with a lot of force.
• It's always easier to hammer onto a string that's already sounding.
• Hammering onto a fret without it sounding has a very different effect.

Occasionally, in that section, I will throw in this variation: E, F sharp, G, A.

• So, four adjacent scale tones across adjacent strings.
• Then again B, C sharp, D, E, basically going all the way up the D scale, starting on an E and ending on an E, doing that as a flourish, as a gesture.

B7 Augmented Chord

That's a cool chord in DADGAD: the B7 augmented with a sharp 9.

• I'll hit that as a slap harmonic.
• Here's a technical point: take the index finger of your right hand and slap at the 12th fret.
• This creates a harmonic and reveals some non-harmonic notes, but also emphasizes the fundamental note.

Contrary Motion

Moving into the next bit, I have some contrary motion, going from E and G to F sharp and F sharp.

• Here, I'm doing A, E, D, B, B flat as a melodic fragment with the bass note.
• You'll notice that I'm stretching my fourth finger to reach the G bass note.

This is typical of DADGAD tuning because, if you're in the key of D, your G (the 4) is on the fifth fret instead of the third fret as in standard tuning.

• Anchor with the fourth finger and lean back to reach the lower notes.

Chorus Section

Now moving into the chorus section, this is a B flat chord.

• My melody goes from an A to a D with a B flat bass note along with a G and a B and an A.
• I have two open strings, so...

Let me start that section again.

In the middle, I have a little answering phrase, then I go to an F sharp chord.

• This is where it gets tricky: bringing out the melody to a B minor.

These are the chords, very cool voicings!

• I have an E bass note with a melody going from G sharp to C sharp to D to E to F sharp.
• Keep that E bass note going for resonance.

Then, this is also a little tricky: I've got a third with a G bass note and a B.

• Notice that I'm actually playing an open G while fretting the same note at the 10th fret of the fifth string.

The whole phrase sounds like this.

Transition to F Chord

Now, moving to an F chord, this part is tricky as well because...

• You make a variety of F, which has no actual A in it, so it feels a bit anonymous.
• It's an F major 7 with a G melody note at the beginning, transitioning to an E bass with a B on the fourth string, creating an E minor.

So the whole section transitions smoothly.

Here, I'm going to an E flat, maintaining the same chord form as that F, but with an E flat.

• I have an open G string, the third of the chord, but it again remains a major seven.

So that entire section sounds like this:

• Transitioning from E flat to A, then back to the beginning of that.

Variation and Return

Then, I vary that B minor to E.

• The same thing on the G, settling on a D.

Moving throughout these sections creates intricate resolution and anticipation.

Bridge Section

The bridge section starts on an A13 sitting on an open A bass note.

• It features a cool diminished shape.
• From A7 to A9, which is actually an A13, then to a D added six that has a very Hawaiian sound, a beautiful color in that chord.

Next, I shift to a D major seventh but voiced so that...

• The top note is G, with an F sharp, open D string as the first string, and including a C sharp (the major seventh).

From here, I transition from F sharp to B minor.

Now, I'm going to go to a B flat.

Conclusion

I'll repeat that transition to an A, leading back to the main theme.

Notice how I incorporate a little slide in there.

To finish, I go back to the chorus we've covered and, at the very end, do a little harmonic exploration again.

• Creating artificial harmonics by plucking 12 frets higher than where I fret (the 15th fret here), then the 12th fret with the open strings, and finishing up with a D.

Remember as you play: you're integrating the melody into the chords in a way that's very typical of being in DADGAD tuning.

And that's Gardenia!