Hurt on Guitar: The One Note Between D and Dm

Hear the note first

Our chart of the Johnny Cash recording of Hurt rocks between Am and D at the start, with a C in there too. Later, when the song opens up, it moves to G, Am, F and C. Play the first part slowly, four counts on each chord, and strum Am and C from the A string and D from the D string.

Now hold a D and play only the high E string. That note is on the 2nd fret: F sharp. Then play Dm, which has that string on the 1st fret: F natural. Your first and second fingers swap strings to get there, but the other notes in the chord do not change.

Swap Dm into the first part: Am, C, Dm. It sounds darker and more settled. With D, it stays unsettled. The song sits in A minor, whose scale has F natural, so that F sharp is a note from outside it. To my ear, that note keeps the opening unsettled.

Where the note goes

Listen for this. The verses keep coming back to that F sharp. Then, when the song opens up, the chorus reaches F major, with F natural in it. Other chords come between them, but the two notes are one fret apart.

You can compare them on one string. Put your finger on the 2nd fret of the high E string and pick it: that is the top of the D chord. Move it down to the 1st fret: that is the top of the F chord. The verse has the higher note and the big chorus has the lower one.

To hear it in chords, use a small F for this: only the top four strings. First finger flat across the 1st fret of the high E and B strings, second finger on the 2nd fret of the G string, third finger on the 3rd fret of the D string. Play D, then that F, and keep your ear on the top note.

Playing it

The opening needs no speed and no barre. Pick the lowest note of the chord, then the other strings one at a time, and let them fade. Count four on each chord.

When the chorus comes, strum bigger, loose from the elbow.

The full F in that diagram is a barre. Keep using the small F, or if that buzzes, play Fmaj7: third finger on the 3rd fret of the D string, second on the 2nd fret of the G string, first on the 1st fret of the B string, with the high E open. Fmaj7 has no F on the top string, so you lose the falling note, and it still fits the chords.

Try it elsewhere

Next time you play a song in A minor that has Dm, try D for one bar and listen. If somebody is singing an F natural over it, it will clash and you will know straight away. If not, keep it if you like it.

Open the song, start at half speed, and listen for that top note as you play.