Trio – the original singer-songwriter web session – typically features original songs, but for the first in a special trio of trios I am covering some of the songs that have influenced me and my songwriting.

You can download the entire Trio, or start from a past suite of original songs:

• Suite #1: Identity
• Suite #2: Elise
• Suite #3: Hindsight
• Suite #4: Things Left Unsaid

See the rest of this post for chords to all three songs.

The chords listed below correspond to my performance in Trio. Since my performance may not match the original recording you should not post these chords to other websites.

If you are still having trouble playing a song even after listening to my performance please leave a comment.

Like a Virgin – Though the original is in F, the adaption is written in C. My recording is a half-step lower, in B – a good place for baritones to sing the song.

I tune to AADGBE to give chords an extra punch – i retune my low E string to an octave below my A string. You don’t have to retune your E to play this arrangement. For this Trio i additionally tuned all strings down one half-step.

To play along to the original recording with this arrangement you would either capo at 5 or (if your guitar can handle it) detune a fifth to (D or A)DGCEA.

Intro Riff: A: 3, 0 / low-A: 9 / A: 3, 3, 0 / low-A: 9 / A: 0
(if you don’t retune the 9s on the low-A become 3s on the E string)

Intro/Verse/Chorus: 3355xx, 5577xx
(without the mute you can play the chord either as 335553, 335550, or as 335533)

“Make Me Feel” & “Whoa-oh-oh”: 5577xx, 002210
Walk: 10-10-12-xxx, 8-8-10-xxx, 779xxx, 557xxx

In My Life – This arrangement is very similar to the original.

This song has a lot of freaking chords.

Intro/Riff: A: 0 / x02220 / A: 4 / D: 0, 2 / 022100
Verse: A, E, F#m, A, D, Dm, A
Chorus: F#m, D, G, A, F#m, B, xx0221

For the bridge i play one verse progression, and for the second progression use these half-barre versions of the chords:
577600, 079900, x-9-9-11-11-10-0, 577600, 10-12-12-11-0-0, 10-12-12-10-0-0, 577600
(for the D and Dm you could alternately play x57770, x57760)

Ziggy Stardust – This is an approximate arrangement for solo guitar.

On the topic of G chords – in the intro: 320033, in the verse: 320003, in the chorus 355433.

I don’t do it in this recording, but verse D chords sound good slid up from the C as 554030.

Intro/Riff: G, D(hammer)Dsus4, Cadd9, G/B, Am
Verse: G, Bm, C, D, G, E, Am C
Chorus: 577555, 355422, 133211(hammer)033200
Chorus Outro: D, E

In the verse you can incorporate some of the bass line as walks between chords. I primarily do this between the C and D, and the G and E. I keep strumming the chord as i fret the walk.
C-into-D walk – A: 3, 2, 3, 4 / D: 0, 2, 0
G-to-E walk – E: 3, 2, 0