Confused about D7
- Thread starter Trawler
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As far as I know, 2223 is G-7. I've seen the 2020 used in the Daily Ukulele, but you are right, doesn't really sound like D7....at least not to me. To some, it's called a "Hawaiian G7" because many think it sounds better when playing slack key or playing with slack key guitars. Here's a prior UU discussion on the matter:
http://forum.ukuleleunderground.com/archive/index.php/t-21319.html
http://forum.ukuleleunderground.com/archive/index.php/t-21319.html
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OldePhart
Well-known member
The second is not technically a complete D7 - in fact, the D is missing. However, it contains the other three notes of a D7 chord and can substitute for it in many cases. Generally, if you are playing alone you should try to play a complete D7 (the first form). With a group you could play the second form and there would be enough people playing the D note that it would not even be noticeable. Even playing alone it is usually better to play the second form then it would be to play a basic D without the dominant 7 note (the C). I.e. the 2020 would sound more like it's "supposed to" than playing the 2220 would.
A D chord contains a D, F# and A. Adding the dominant 7th, i.e. the C, makes it a D7 chord. That C is called the dominant 7th for a reason - it is a very "strong" note that dominates the character of the resulting chord. You can leave any one of the other notes out and that dominant 7th still delivers much of the intended "feel" for that position in the song.
John
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RichM
Well-known member
2223 is D7. 2020 is a variation that is not truly a D7 chord (it lacks the D root), but will fit in many songs and is usually easier for beginners to play. Your best bet is to learn both and use where they sound best.
RichM
Well-known member
OldePhart
Well-known member
Yeah, what John said
- I think all three of us were answering at the same time. How's that for service!One other bit about dropping notes from a chord. The fifth and the root are usually actually the least important notes in the chord, and sometimes you just can't make a complete chord on a ukulele (especially for chords that require five different notes).
Some basic rules...
1) The fifth ('A' in the case of a D chord) can almost always be dropped with no harm, no foul. The exceptions are if it is diminished (A-flat) or augmented (A-sharp) but both are very rare in popular music.
2) As counterintuitive as it may be, the root ('D' in the case of a D chord) is rarely essential it would be the second choice to drop.
3) The third is pretty important in establishing mood and movement. It should rarely be dropped, except in the cases where it is "suspended" to a fourth or dropped in favor of the second (sus4 and "2" chords, respectively). Or, in the case of rock, simply dropped (making a "power chord") to emphasize the rhythm.
4) The 7th is pretty important - quite possibly the most important note of chords that have a 7 - especially if it is a dominant 7th (flat 7).
5) The 6th is not as important as the 7th but it is often used in establishing a riff so you should be careful about dropping it.
6) The 9th, 11th, etc. all include a dominant 7th - and that dominant 7th is so powerful that the 9th, 11th etc. get pretty lost. I.e. if a D9 is called for play a D7 if you have to - don't drop that dominant 7th to make the 9th. If you do, you have a Dadd9 chord and it is nowhere near as close to the intended D9 as the D7 would have been.
7) Trumps all above - rules were meant to be broken. Play your uke and have fun.
John
Depends on what chords come before and after. The "Hawaiian" D7 moves more easily to/from an Am for example while a D goes nicely to a full D7 for me since I play the D with the first digit of my middle finger then just roll to a bar with the ring finger covering the 1st string 3rd fret. Sounds more complicated than it is. Very simple. You can probably tell I'm not too much on theory…just playability. (an excuse for not knowing much theory?)
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mikelz777
Well-known member
I prefer the 2020 over the "official" version because it it moves so easily to and from so many other chords plus I like the lower sound of it. When I try both versions in a song, I pick 2020 over the 2223 version 9 out of 10 times.
coolkayaker1
Well-known member
One other factor in choosing: 2223 is a moveable chord. 0202 is not.
Actually, 2020 is very moveable. Just use your index finger as the nut as you move up. Guitar players will probably recognize the 2020 form as a typical Dom 7th barre chord. The root would be on the fifth (A) string.
Tele295
Well-known member
There are lots of ways to play a D7 - 2020 and 2223 work great. Sometimes, I'll even play 2023. It's a "rude voicing" but it gets the dominant 7 point across. Sometimes you need the hammer.
It's true that some of these chords do not contain all 4 notes of a D7 chord, but the harmonies and usage in a song imply the rest. It's all chord substitution and essential voicings. My jazz teacher used to say there are no rules if it sounds good.
It's true that some of these chords do not contain all 4 notes of a D7 chord, but the harmonies and usage in a song imply the rest. It's all chord substitution and essential voicings. My jazz teacher used to say there are no rules if it sounds good.
UkeCan1
Well-known member
I do the same. I play by sound mostly, so I will often noodle with chords and voicings to get the "right" sound I want. Sometimes I even make up chords.
Eight weeks into my uke-playing adventure (started Aug 31, 2013), I wrote a song in which I use two of these D7 fingerings in different places (2020 and 2023), for the different sounds they provide. (I also use the "W11" chord I made up, 0012 - it's a kind of G11 that works great in final chord progressions in C.)
Here's the sheet music (with actual notes!): "That Thing You Said" sheet music
[Sorry it's so slow. I can play it much better than this now! My songwriting was ahead of my playing....
]In a more recent video, of "You Won't Ever Be Lonely", which started out a simple 4-chord (G Em D C) country song and ended up a 9-chord jazz song, I added both D6 (2222) and D7 (2223) as transition chords in different places from the D, depending on the notes I was singing in each place.
So I have used all three of those D7's.
I had all these same questions about D7's just a few weeks ago, so it's nice to hear I figured it all out right.
- Wendy
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I love options such as the 2023. I often share this site in regarding "Less is More," especially the nugget from Lyle Ritz about his F chord.
http://www.ukuleleyes.com/issues/vol7/no3/pedagogy-corner.htm
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cb56
Well-known member
There's always 5655 or 7685 or 7689
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coolkayaker1
Well-known member
Every chord is moveable if you use your index finger as the nut.
UkeCan1
Well-known member
Okay, so I'm new here (3.5 months), and so far not ready for such things, but ... doesn't learning all those inversions make your head explode? I can feel the pressure building up in there just thinking about it. There are more chords available in just the first 4 frets than I can imagining ever fitting in there. And I'm a pretty good memorizer. How does anybody DO that?!
Doug W
Well-known member
30% of all ukulele players are lost in the first year due to exploding heads. If you can make it through the initial 365 days without a hole in your skull, you have a 67% chance of making it to the ukulele retirement center in International Falls, MN at the age of 71.
Playing ukulele is 90% mental, and the other half is physical.
(apologies to Yogi Berra)
(apologies to Yogi Berra)
cb56
Well-known member
Very slowly. and I have a long way to go. A book that has been very helpful to me is a book called "Neck anywhere" by Washtub Jerry (No it' not a makeout book)Okay, so I'm new here (3.5 months), and so far not ready for such things, but ... doesn't learning all those inversions make your head explode? I can feel the pressure building up in there just thinking about it. There are more chords available in just the first 4 frets than I can imagining ever fitting in there. And I'm a pretty good memorizer. How does anybody DO that?!
Jerry teaches the most often used moveable chords as chord shapes used in neighborhoods (common groupings) instead of learning chord names.
I use some more often than others and those seem to stick in my head without thinking about them too much.
I would suggest getting a good foundation of basic chord knowledge by using uncle Rod's boot camp and after you've mastered that move on to the moveable chord shapes up the neck. I've been playing uke about 4 years now and I've found it's a never ending process. Just have fun with it and use what you know but always be on the lookout for new things to learn. And please don't let your head explode. Messy.
