In this video
The D major lesson goes deep into one of the most versatile keys on guitar, covering everything from simple open chord embellishments to Mixolydian riffs and drop D territory.
The lesson opens with the essential D chord embellishments: sus two, sus four, D over F sharp and D over A, connecting them to songs like Highway to Hell, Times Like These, Wonderwall and Summer of 69. From there the D major scale pattern (024024) is used to unlock riffs from Waterfall, Over the Hills and Far Away and The Darkness.
The Mixolydian mode takes centre stage for a substantial section, showing how adding a C note (the flat seventh) creates the backbone of Norwegian Wood, She Sells Sanctuary, Fire Woman and Wanted Dead or Alive. The Cult catalogue gets a deep dive here, showing how D, C and G are the foundation of almost everything they recorded.
Songs covered include:
Norwegian Wood — Mixolydian mode explained through a song everyone knows
She Sells Sanctuary and Fire Woman — how the same D, C, G pattern works with overdrive
Shoot to Thrill — D over C sharp as an AC/DC trick
Drop D — how tuning the sixth string down opens up a completely different world of riffs