Chords for Joni Mitchell "Hejira": Exploring Alternate Tunings | Reverb Learn to Play

[E] _ _ _ _ _ [B] _ _ [D] _
[E] _ _ _ _ _ [Bm] _ _ [C#m] _
_ _ [E] _ _ _ [B] _ _ [A] _
_ _ [E] _ _ [Bm] _ _ [G#m] [F#] Hey folks, Joe here at Reverb.com and checking out some songs and different tunings in the
key of Joni Mitchell.
Joni Mitchell was known for using so many different tunings, over 50 or 60 different
kinds of tunings.
This is definitely one of the more weird, mysterious tunings, I think, but I've learned
a lot from it.
So, it's from the tune Hegira.
Today we're going to learn the way that Joni has done it live with [B] just one acoustic guitar,
and she sometimes uses an electric guitar as well.
We're going all the way down to a B, _ F sharp, [F#m] C sharp, _ [C#m] E, _ another F [F#] sharp, and another [B] B.
_ [F#] _ [B] _ _ [C#m] _ _
_ _ _ _ [F#] _ _ _ [C#m] _
Just a whole lot of mystery there.
It's awesome.
Okay, so what are these chords?
This is going to be a C sharp minor 9, essentially. _
_ _ [G#m] 1, 5, [E] 9, minor 3rd.
Cool?
And then as we move it up, it's going to be a D add 9, [D] essentially.
[E] So [D] this is just 1, 5, [E] _ 9, and another 9.
Okay, so the 9th is doubled. _ _ _ _ _ _
So mysterious, I love it.
Okay, cool.
So what else happens on these chords is we get the [B] two top strings ringing out over the [C#m] chords.
So over the C sharp minor 9, [F#] it's going to be a [B] 4th and then a 7th ringing out [G#m] there.
[E] _ [B] _ _ And then we let those ring [Em] and move the shape up to our [D] D 9, [E] _ [D] _ and then this is going to be
relating to D, that's going to be a major 3rd, this F sharp, _ and then this [B] B is going
to be a [C#] 6th.
[C#m] _ _ _ _ _ [B] _
Okay?
[C#] So we're going _ [C#m] _ [C#] [G#m] thumb, _
[C#m] _ _ [C#] [G#] thumb on the 5th string as well.
[E] _ I use middle and ring fingers, that's what I'm most [C#] comfortable with.
_ [E] But after you grab this 5th string with the thumb, you return back to the [N] 6th string and
then just kind of let that rock on the [C#] quarter note.
_ [C#m] _ _ _ _ _ [E]
You're going up, [B] first 4, and then coming back down to your D string here, which in
this case is a C sharp string.
1, 2, 3, [C#] 4.
[C#m] _ _ [E] _ _ _ _ [B] _ _
Same exact thing, moving up one half step to your [D] D.
[E] _
_ _ _ _ [Bm] _ _ _ [G#m] _
_ [C#m] _ _ _ _ [B] _ _ [D] _
[E] _ _ _ [A] _ _ _ [B] For me, [E] open tunings, especially more weird open tunings, [B] are a great [A] ear training tool.
As guitar players, we learn certain ways [B] of using our block chords and our [F#] movable shapes,
and that's all [F] great and that gets us going.
However, open tunings put us in a place where we're unfamiliar.
Oftentimes, I am looking at a shape that I wouldn't be using [E] normally in a standard tuning,
so I'm not really knowing what notes I'm playing yet.
However, if I've identified one note, this is where the ear training comes in, [G#m] then _ [C#] I'm
relating to that note.
I'm just relating the interval to that note.
1, 2, 3, 4.
_ [E] _ _ _ _ _ [B] _
_ [D] _ [E] _ _ _ _ [D] _ _
[G#m] _ _ [C#m] _ _ _ _ [B] _ _
[D] _ _ [E] _ _ _ _ [D] _ _
[G#m] _ [E] Alright friends, that's Hegira from Joni Mitchell.
There are some other Joni lessons on [B] the site with some different tunings as well, so [A] check
those out and see you guys next time.
[E] Thanks so much for watching. _
[D] _ _ [G#m] _ _ [C#m] _ _ _ _
[B] _ _ [D] _ [E] _ _ _ _ _