It Wouldn't Have Made Any Difference I've seen several tabs of this song, but none of them conveyed what I think is the real charm and musical lesson to be learned from this song: polychords! or rather, Todd's favorite trick of playing simple triads over unusual bass notes. It's a pianistic technique that can also be applied to guitar. This song is a great example: the first chord, f'rinstance, is an E major triad played over an A bass note. This gives us, from the bottom up: A, E, G#, B, and E... a nice A major 9 chord. Notice that there is no C# in the chord, which gives it a slightly open, ambiguous (jazzy? Todd-y?) sound. I hope you can see that many of the fingerings are simple 3-string chord shapes that you might play in the first (nut) position, just moved up higher on the neck and with a different bass note fretted with a spare finger. If this concept makes sense, I think you'll find the fingerings easier to play (also, my chord names will mean more.) Todd seems to have discovered this device sometime around the Runt: The Ballad album, and he comes back to it on all his records. It's one of the signatures of the Todd sound, for me. I wonder who he learned it from? [in the transcription below, the letter to the left of the slash is always a triad, the letter to the right is a bass note only.] It Wouldn't have Made Any Difference ----------------------------------------- Intro: E/A A E/A A E/F# A/F# A/D D/E E/A A E/A A E/F# A/F# E/F# A/F# Do you remember the last time I said A/D D A/D D If I ever thought of lying, A/B Bm D/E I'd rather think of dying instead, And maybe you remember the E/A A E/A A E/F# A/F# E/F# A/F# Last time you called me to say we were through A/D D A/D D How it took a million tears A/B D/B D Em D just to prove they all were for you, But those days are through, cause E/A A E/A A E/F# A/F# It wouldn't have made any difference, if you loved me A/D D/E How could you love me E/A A E/A A E/F# When it wouldn't really make any difference, if you really loved me A/D D/E You just didn't love me 'cause I know of hundreds of times I could be In the most unfaithful arms that you always picture me And maybe you remember that Though I can't always show proof I was true No one else could change my mind or stop me coming home to you But those days are through, cause (chorus) G/A D/A D/A A Enough to believe me (enough to believe me) G/A D/A D/A A Enough not to leave me (enough not to leave me) G/A D/A Enough not to look for a C#m7 F#m7 C#m7 F#m7 reason to be unhappy with me Bm7 C#m7 D D/E And make me regret ever wanting you D Em D But those days are through, cause (chorus) E/A A E/F# A/F# xo___o xo___o _x__oo _x____ 1|||1|| 1|||||| 1|||1|| 1|||||| ||2||| ||234| 2|3||| 2|333| |||||| |||||| |||||| |||||| |||||| |||||| |||||| |||||| A/D D/E A/D D/E x Alternate xx0__o _x____ 5|1111| 7|1111| fingerings 1|||||| 1|||||| |||2|| |||||| (easier?) |||12| ||1111 ||3||| |||||| -----> |||||| ||||2| |||||| |||||| |||||| |||||| A/D D A/B Bm x x____o x_____ 5|1111| 5|1|||| 1|||||| 1|||||| |||2|| |||||| |1111| |1|||| ||3||| ||333| |||||| ||||2| |||||| |||||| |||||| ||34|| G/A D/A A xo x xo x xo 7||111| 7||111| 5||||1| ||||2| |||||| |||2|| ||3||| |||||| ||3||| |||||| |||||| |||||| C#m7 F#m7 4|11111 2111111 (Bm7 is same ||||2| |||||| fingering as ||3||| |3|||| C#m7 but down |||||| |||||| 2 frets) -- ...Lin Sprague................................................ lsprague@user1.channel1.com -OR- lsprague@crater.ma02.bull.com