Hope you all enjoyed the session with @LeeMB!
Here are some resources for you:
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I enjoyed Lee’s presentation on Free Fallin’ the other day. In listening to Lee play, he said to play a D, G sus 2, and A sus 4. I guess my ear training is at least somewhat paying off as I heard a D, D sus 2 and then a D sus 4. I jotted down the notes for those chords and compared them to the D, G sus 2, and A sus 4. The notes for a D sus 4 and G sus 2 are the same (D, G, A) and the notes for a D sus 2 are the same as an A sus 4 ( D, E A). I played it the way Lee showed us, and compared it to playing a D, D sus 2, and a D sus 4. They sound close, but Lee’s way sounded much better. Knowing the 1, 4 and 5 chords of the D scale as D, G, and A, I get why those chords were used for the song, but I’m wondering how much difference it would make in playing it to an audience using a D, D sus 4 and a D sus 2. Again, Lee’s way sounded better, but blended in with other instruments and voices would it matter that much? Hope I got all this right.
I haven’t watched Lee’s video yet, but I’ve been working on this song lately. Trickier than I expected!
I think your grasp of the theory is correct. If you just play it on the three thin strings, it will still sound good.
You can just play a regular A instead of Asus4, if that’s easier…it will still sound pretty good. Also, I found that the Asus4 got a lot easier once I realized I could leave my index and ring fingers in place, and just lift and move my middle and little fingers to make the Asus4.
The rhythm is a little tricky. I found the “march in place” technique that I have described elsewhere was really helpful for this.
And finally, my practice buddy pointed me to a John Mayers live version of this song, which is really nice. Easier to sing too… he doesn’t go so high in the chorus as Tom Petty does.
Hey Tbushnell, the notes of a D chord ( D, F#, A), a Gsus4 (G, D, A), and an Asus2 (A, D, E ) should allow you to play on the 1st 5 strings, unless I’m missing something. I’m working on the way Lee showed in his presentation. I listen to the song, strum along, and just strum what I feel. Seems to work ok. The switch from a D chord to the Gsus4 wasn’t too tricky I thought. The switch to the Asus2 got there after a few tries at it. Great to hear from you. Wish I could find a jam buddy who’s at the level I am or close.