D7?

revdj

revdj

Well-known member
Joined
Jun 17, 2013
Messages
63
Reaction score
0
Location
Deep in the heart of Darkest Iowa
Some charts say D7 is this:

2223 - where the 3 is on the A

But I've also seen it like this:

2020

It is frustrating, because I've been practicing it the latter way.

Is 2020 a D7? Or is it something else?
 
It's a D7, kind of. I think it's actually a F#diminished, it doesn't have the D root in it. That said, it's heavily used (as a D7) in Hawaiian music, and often sounds just fine. The other D7 is a good entry point to the wonderful world of barre chords.
 
The Daily Ukulele book features the 2020 D7 chord so that's my default/go-to fingering. If I'm playing a song that features barre chords or partial barre chords around the D7 I'll sometimes use the 2223 version. They both sound good so I'll use whatever works best with the chords around it.
 
I actually switch between 2223, 2020, and 2023, depending on how it sounds in the song.
 
Don't like the phony D7...doesn't sound the same to me. Better to learn 2223....just my opinion. Can modify it anytime, once you get it right. I have no problems switching in and out of it either. Just practice it.
 
I use the regular D7 (2223) as my "default" D7, but I use the Hawai'ian D7 (as it is sometimes called) in Hawai'ian music or in songs from the 1920s. When I am working on the song I will try both, and it generally works out to that formula, with a few exceptions.

The 2223 fingering is challenging to learn, or at least it was in my experience. It is worth learning, even if it takes a while, and until you have it mastered it's nice to have the simpler version as an option. Definitely don't be saddened! You are doing well, but there is always more to learn for all of us!
 
The Hawaiian (English word, no 'okina) D7, in my ears and experience, is used heavily in Hawaiian music because it has a much less abrasive sound than the blues-note-on-top version. The highest note you hear in a chord is the one that stands out most so I find the 2223 shape puts too much emphasis on that blues note. It's an interesting thing to pay attention to when watching the big Hawaiian names play 'ukulele.

The real D7 is great for all kinds of other stuff and should most definitely be in your bag of tricks, but in Hawaiian music? Personally, I'll pass...
 
JUST ONE MAN'S OPINION. I USE THE 2020 D7 WHEN IT IS FOLLOWED BY THE 0212 G7 OR 0232 G. EASIER TO TRANSITION.
AS A GATEWAY TO BARR CHORDS, THE 2223 D7 IF MOVED UP [TOWARDS THE BRIDGE] TWO FRETS TO 4445 GETS YOU AN E7, 5556 AN F7, AND SO ON UP THE FRET BOARD. ALSO, A 2225 IS THE D, 4447 AN E, 5558 AN F, ETC. ANOTHER BONUS IS THE 2224 FOR Dmaj7, 4446 FOR Emaj7, AND SO ON.
USE THE 2020 D7 BUT ALSO LEARN THE USES OF THE BARR CHORDS STARTING WITH THE 2223 D7.
THAT'S MY TWO CENTS.
 
I find 5655 (D7) a very useful moveable shape - A7;Bb7;B7;C7;Db7;D7;Eb7;E7;F7 etc.
 
mm stan said:
It depends on the song and the chord progression...the transition and the application...
Click to expand...

Exactly! Saying one fingering is better than the other is like saying a sharp is better than a flat.
 
I'm another 2023'er, depending on where I'm coming from or going to....
R
 
Hippie Guy said:
The Hawaiian (English word, no 'okina) D7, in my ears and experience, is used heavily in Hawaiian music because it has a much less abrasive sound than the blues-note-on-top version. The highest note you hear in a chord is the one that stands out most so I find the 2223 shape puts too much emphasis on that blues note.
Click to expand...

I agree with this. I don't think of the 2020 D7 as a chord for Hawaiian songs, I like it in all kind of songs. The majority of the time I don't care for that high note emphasis in the 2223 shape. I've come to prefer the lower, softer sound of the former.
 
mikelz777 said:
I agree with this. I don't think of the 2020 D7 as a chord for Hawaiian songs, I like it in all kind of songs. The majority of the time I don't care for that high note emphasis in the 2223 shape. I've come to prefer the lower, softer sound of the former.
Click to expand...

Another option that avoids the 7th as the high note is to play 2025, which keeps the 7th at the low end of the voicing, and puts the root at the top. It takes a little bit of stretch with the pinkie, but it's a nice variation.
 
I mostly use 2020. I think it generally sounds better for accompanying folk songs. There are times I find 2223 better, though.
 
I generally use 2223 for blues and rock based songs
and 2020 for more melodic and gentler ones.
 
2223 and 2020 are both "real", neither is fake. It is good to learn both versions. As stated 2223 is a good intro to barre chords, it is probably the easiest barre chord to learn on a uke (why? because it is easier on the barre finger as you go up the neck away from the nut, but counting frets gets trickier as you go farther up - the D7 is the perfect compromise). So learn 2223 before you try other barre chords. 2020 sounds nicer in some applications (you get to choose) and moving from Am to D7 and back is really simple with 2020.

Some will carp about 2020 not containing an actual D note, but many 4-note chords on the uke omit one or more of the required notes. We jsut live with that.
 
Are you playing with others? In my Uke Ellington combo, we often use all eight uke strings (two ukes) to create and add emphasis in building chord voicings. For instance, sometimes with a 9th or add 9 chord, only one of us will play the 9th degree of the scale, yet it works just fine. You can often do the same with 6ths and 7ths as well. Just don't play a minor against a real major!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top Bottom