COTD 13: D5(#4) from Poor Man's House

You know you've done enough
When every bone is sore
You know you've prayed enough when you don't ask anymore
You know you're coming to some kind of understanding
When every dream you've dreamed has passed and you're still standing

-Patty Griffin, "Poor Man's House" off Living with Ghosts

I should write more about that song, that album, and that artist, but for now I'll just talk about the chords she uses in the verse, in order:

D5/A
X00235

I think Patty hits that open 5th string also, not certain. This isn't a chord but a dyad consisting of root and fifth: a extended power chord with both notes doubled in octaves on the top, and the fifth doubled in the bass.

D5(#4)/A
X00234

Precisely the dissonance this song needed. In fact many extended power chords like the one above lend themselves to this diminished fifth awesomeness. I'll list them at the end. This is not a standard chord name in my strict tertian sense, but it is the best description of the chord as it functions in the song. An acceptable tertian name would be B-13, with a "(no root)" if you're so inclined.

Dsus4/A
X00233

D/A
X00232

These round out the chromatic line on the top; then it starts again. This song is deceptively difficult to sing and play; even fretting it is a little tricky because you have to decide when to swap out your middle finger for your ring finger on the second string. I typically do it between D(#4) and Dsus4.

Here are some more 5(#4)'s for you sowers of discord.

C5(#4)
X3401X

E5(#4)
022300 (Yowza! This is my favorite.)

G5(#4)
3X002X (I guess Jimmy Page used this on...Hhouses of the Holy? Not sure)

A5(#4)
X02240