The Mudcat Café TM
Thread #76036   Message #2324080
Posted By: MikeofNorthumbria
24-Apr-08 - 06:49 AM
Thread Name: Origins: Nobody Knows You When You're Down and Out
Subject: RE: Origins: Nobody Knows You When You're Down and
The chords for "Nobody knows you…" given by Mike Billo above are:

"C, E7, A Dmin, A, Dmin., F, F#dim,C,A7,D, G, then repeat, with the D and G at the end being double in length."

They certainly work. However, the version I learned (about 45 years ago, can't remember where from) is slightly different.

Where MB has his first A chord (over the word "millionaire" in line 1) my version has an A minor chord. For his second A chord (over the word "money" in line 2)I have an A7. And although it's OK to end every verse on an unresolved G (or G7) chord, I prefer to come home to a C chord at the finish of the last verse.

One more tip. That F# dim chord can sound really nice if you make it by holding down the F# note on the 6th (low E) string with your 2nd finger while barring 4th and 2nd strings at 1st fret with the 1st finger, stopping the 3rd string at 2nd fret with your 3rd finger, and damping out the 5th & 1st strings with adjacent fingers.

This diminished shape can be used anywhere on the fingerboard. In many jazz and blues songs it's a useful alternative to the "one up – one down - one up- one down" diminished chord played on the first four strings, which many introductory chord books give as the standard.

Wassail!