The most fun you've had with 3 chords...

[AnthonyD]

We officially added a tune to the list during tonights rehearsal - John Mellencamp's "Authority Song". Three chords - no change - the whole way through!

And we LOVED doing it! 4 minutes of what is sure to be toe-tappin', hand clappin', crowd pleasing fun.

Anyone else have similarly simplistic yet overall fun songs on their list?

(BTW: The Sterling ruled the roost - new amp, new flats, the guys couldn't get enough of me... )

 

[phatduckk]

Anyone else have similarly simplistic yet overall fun songs on their list?

no way ... im in a punk band so all our stuff is super technical

(BTW: The Sterling ruled the roost - new amp, new flats, the guys couldn't get enough of me... )

hell ya!!!! right on dude!

 

[bovinehost]

We occasionally toss the Beatles "Why Don't We Do It In The Road" into the set list and invite strangers up on stage to sing a verse or two.

The words are easy to remember, we play it in E, what's not to like?

 

[Aussie Mark]

"Baby Please Don't Go" as recorded by Them (featuring Van Morrison). Two chords of full throttle fun.

 

[WillPlay4Food]

I just learned Van Morrison's Brown Eyed Girl yesterday. G-C-G-D. Lather. Rinse. Repeat.

 

[Aussie Mark]

I just learned Van Morrison's Brown Eyed Girl yesterday. G-C-G-D. Lather. Rinse. Repeat.

Isn't there an Em in there as well?

 

[AnthonyD]

Yep - we do that one. An Em makes an appearance and I have the D charted as a D7.

These are some great examples... The giggle I got over how much fun the Authority Song was is simply this:

D - G - A in one patten, beginning to end, over and over and over... "Lead" guitar work not withstanding.

 

[jongitarz]

G-l-o-r-i-a

 

[bovinehost]

"Wild Thing" with verses sung in Spanish and Russian.

Yup, we've done it.

And might just do it again!

 

[Mobay45]

One of our originals, "Talk To Me Baby", gets a great crowd response. By the second chorus I'll see people singing along with us even if they've never heard it before that show.

 

[higher1]

... magic carpet ride is a great 3 chord driver!

 

[WillPlay4Food]

Isn't there an Em in there as well?

The way I hear it, I play:

G G A B C
C E F# G
G B C D
D E F# G

repeat

G|---------|-------|-------|-------|
D|---------|--2-4-5|5------|-------|
A|------2-3|3------|--2-3-5|5------|
E|3-3-5----|-------|-------|--0-2-3|

There's a D-Db-C-C-E-D-D-F#-G that leads into the chorus that I play something like

G|--------|2------|-------|
D|5-4-3-3-|--5-5--|-------|
A|--------|-------|-------|
E|--------|------2|3------|

There are slight variations each time through but I'm wondering, where do you guys see the Em?

 

[Bluesbob]

I am...

Bluesbob!

 

[Aussie Mark]

There are slight variations each time through but I'm wondering, where do you guys see the Em?

The last line of each verse has an Em in it, eg.


And you, my brown eyed girl; you, my brown eyed girl

C D G Em C D G D

 

[tkarter]

The chart I have on Brown Eyed girl in Eb shows nothing more than root 3 5 for any chord played.

I know the original was done in G but it does transcribe. I would tab it out but I don't do tab.


tk

 

[tkarter]

Johnny B Good is the one 3 chorder we have a lot of fun with. Well most every thing 3 chord we have fun with but it is a little more funner LOL


tk

 

[Father Gino]

I don't understand this post at all. If you removed all the songs with three chords, the size of the rock & roll catalog would drop from from something like the Encyclopedia Britannica to something like People magazine.

What the hell do you people play? jazz, classical, God forbid - progressive rock?

 

[Psychicpet]

might be 4 chords but "Cry Love" from John Hiatt.... never changes the whole wya through and just cooks

 

[AnthonyD]

I don't understand this post at all. If you removed all the songs with three chords, the size of the rock & roll catalog would drop from from something like the Encyclopedia Britannica to something like People magazine.

Funny - and very true!

My point, and what got me thinking about the "Authority Song" is not just the fact that there are limited chords that make up the song, but that there are no changes what so ever - nothing, nada, zip... And the damn thing is a hoot to play through!

True story - third guitarist shows-up Friday night after we've been kicking it around a bit. As he's setting up, I ask - "Can you play D - G - A? (of course I'm being a bit sarcastic) Good, we've got another song on the list. Play D - G - A and don't stop 'til we're done!"

 

[WillPlay4Food]

The chart I have on Brown Eyed girl in Eb shows nothing more than root 3 5 for any chord played.

I know the original was done in G but it does transcribe. I would tab it out but I don't do tab.


tk

Do you have a link to online sheet music then? I TABbed out my bassline because it's faster than programming the whole song into Finale. I recorded Brown Eyed Girl into my DigiTech JamMan loop pedal and played along with it for quite some time yesterday and except for some different passing tones and a chord the bassist throws into the song at one spot I thought I had the basic line cold.