Davy Graham: Anji

A song that inspired a generation of guitarists, Davy Graham’s instrumental “Anji” was issued on an EP in 1963 titled “3/4 AD.” While Graham uses an Am chord variation on this tune, he capos the guitar at the third fret and the song transposes as Cm. Sometimes the song is found on other albums as “Angi,” “Angie,” and even “On gee.” Others that recorded Graham’s original composition include Bert Jansch, Paul Simon, Chicken Shack, John Renbourn, and Ralph McTell.

While it is short in length, this fingerstyle classic is big on sound. The song has three separate movements. While he never received the commercial acclaim that matched his talent, Graham was a giant in the folk guitar genre.

 One of his greatest contributions was the modal guitar tuning DADGAD that has been borrowed by numerous others including Jimmy Page – who actually stole, er, borrowed a Graham arrangement of “She moved through the Fair” as the basis for his Yardbirds’ instrumental “White Summer.”