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Permalink Reply by Cigar Box Gus on October 11, 2012 at 5:18am

Probably not a ton of blues songs because the progression doesn't lend itself to blues melodies (that vi chord jacks it all up) but I can tell you this: there were pop-punk bands in the '90s that never seemed to use any other chord progression. I was in a couple myself, though I was conscious of it and tried to avoid it. "When I Come Around" by Green Day (G-D-Em-C) was the most famous example. They were influenced by Operation Ivy, who used it on "The Crowd" (in fact, the whole Berkeley punk scene was rife with it).

You hear it everywhere from The Clash to Belle and Sebastian, and I think I found it in a Mozart symphony once (though that may have been its doo-wop cousin I-vi-IV-V ["Earth Angel," for example], I can't remember).

Currently, the Gaslight Anthem has dipped into the I-V-vi-IV pool several times, and it's starting to show up in country music as well.

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Permalink Reply by Bad Finger (Eric) on October 11, 2012 at 5:38am

Shoot, I've been playing G D Em C since I was 7.  I didn't know how cool I was.  :)

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Permalink Reply by Cigar Box Gus on October 11, 2012 at 2:56pm

Well, not knowing you're cool is a huge part of being cool.

Unless you're Johnny Cash. Johnny Cash was cool, knew dang good and well he was cool, and still managed to remain cool. Nick Cave, Tom Waits and Leonard Cohen can kind of pull that off, too.

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Permalink Reply by Clock The Wolf on October 11, 2012 at 3:16pm

๏_๏ What the !*@&(! is a "chord" ?!?!?! OMG!!! 

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Permalink Reply by Keni Lee Burgess on October 12, 2012 at 2:44am

If you are interested, on a 3 string Cigar Box Guitar

tuning from GDg (using strings ADg) to ADf# offers a great way to play chords.

This is Open D.

These are the chords for a 1 - 5 - 6minor - 4 progression:

I numbered the strings A - 3 / D - 2 / f# - 1 / Then followed by the fret number

1 chord (D)  3-5, 2-4, 1-3

5 chord (A) 3-4, 2-2, 1-3

6 minor chord (Bm) 3-5, 2-4, 1-5

4 chord (G) 3-2, 2-0, 1-1

On CD 6, I teach the whole approach. It is possible to play in all 12 keys of music using a method of movable chords that functions just like the system used on a standard 6 string.

Furthermore, if your retain the same interval spacing of 5-1-3 like ADf# in the key of A, you can restring and tune to any key you like. For example using strings Dgb and tuning the same, is key of G. All the chord shapes are the same, but of course their names change.

You can create instruments of different pitch ranges using standard guitar strings:

EAD tune EAC# (Key of A)

ADg tune ADf# (Key of D)

Dgb tune Dgb (Key of G)

Please check out CD 6. I am quite sure you will find it a fasinating and highly functional way to play CBG.

http://www.ebay.com/sch/njmikeb/m.html?_nkw=&_armrs=1&_from...

Enjoy your practice, Keni Lee

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Permalink Reply by Clock The Wolf on October 12, 2012 at 1:03pm

๏_๏ How about BAd tuning, also known as Drop B(low) tuning?

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Permalink Reply by Cigar Box Gus on October 12, 2012 at 5:28pm

All my builds are tuned bad.

Not drop-B like you meant; they just all have weird tuning and intonation quirks.

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Permalink Reply by Brian Hunt on October 22, 2012 at 6:39pm

thanks for sharing that was fun.

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