Amish Guitar

Lately I've been working on finding interesting (to me) instead of specific songs. Unfortunately I don't know much beyond the basic I IV V variations. One progression that I keep coming back to is:

G D C
G D C
G D Em Am
Em C
D

Am7 Em
Am C
D

G D C
G D C
G D C
D
G

I vary the rhythm to keep it interesting.

Another one I do is:

C D
G Em
C D
G
C D
G Em
C D7
G

Now, that one is quite familiar but I can't quite figure out what song(s) use the pattern.

The chord progression from Roy Orbison's Cryin' is kinda fun

D D+ G Gm
D A7 D

Well, that's just a short snippet but it was kinda fun to learn.

Another one I'm having fun with is:

D A Bm F#m G D G A

Which also happens to be the progression for Pachelbell's Canon in D. I found this one online however. It came up in a songwriting lesson on about.com that compared Pachelbell's masterpiece with Green Day's Basketcase. Interesting. The same progression for both (I V vi iii IV I IV V), just different keys. It does tell me that songs written in D would have the B and F# chords as minor, and I'm pretty sure the II chord (E) would be minor as well. And the seventh tone is almost always a form of a 7th chord (coincidental?) so VII would be C7.

So,what have I learned with all this mumbo jumbo. Just this, if I were to write a chord in a major key, the triads would be I ii iii IV V vi VII7. Good to know.

Now, can someone tell me when to add 9?

I've been making good on my goal and working on "Falling Slowly." It's a little maddening as it is a simple song that continues to elude me. I'm having trouble with the chord changes and have to think too much about where my fingers should land. I'm not yet able to make a smooth transition between the chords and keep time. But it's coming along.

I did find a youtuber (my Junior High English teacher just rolled over in her grave)who posted a lesson in how to play the song. He claims that it is exactly how Glen Hansard plays it. It's the closest thing I've been able to find, but I think Glen wraps his thumb around on the first fret to get an F on the 6th string and ring out that low bass during the finger picking part. The poster also talks about a Fsus2 chord. And the librarian in me just can't let it go without correcting it. The chord he describes-- xx3213 is Fadd9, not Fsus2. I know it's a bit of nit picking because both chords are created by adding a G. A true Fsus2 would have you suspend the third (A) and play the second (G) instead. Fadd9 is adding the 9th pitch above the root, but you leave all the other components of the triad alone. So, while the second and the ninth are both G, it's not quite the same thing. At least, that's how I understand it.

Nevertheless, the youtuber breaks the song down very well and teaches the mechanics simple enough for my 38 year old brain to understand it. Thanks tallie7487, whoever you are!

OK, theory lesson over. Now on to the vid: