Hi Ho Silver Lining ...... starts in D or A ????

Jimbo55

Forever beginner here, many apologies !
Just thought I'd learn the late great Jeff's Hi Ho Silver Lining ......
I realise that many songs can be in any key to suit the vocals or whoever, but there seems 2 distinctive 'camps' in youtube tutorials and tabs that have this start as A/D/C/D/A/E....... or D/G/C/G/D/A........
What are the thoughts of the best of these for me to do in a pub open mike session in a couple of days time (with my ropey vocals) but get the chords to sound the better/original - if this makes sense !!!!!
I guess the solo will not be the same depending either ....
...PLEASE HELP !

KKJale

I would try it in the original key of A first [edit: D! Doh. Apologies Jimbo and the very correct @Viz , this was 3 a.m.] and see if your voice can manage it. It's quite a distinctive rhythm guitar part and you'll lose a little something IMO if you transpose it.

You probably know this, but it's maybe worth mentioning that the first chord is a slashed D over a droning A bass... or actually two different D chords over an A bass. 

I would play the first one by 1) damping the bottom E with my thumb over the neck while 2) letting the open A ring and 3) playing the D string at the 12th fret, G at the 11th and B at the 10th...while all the time damping the top E with your fretting hand first finger. Do this for four beats, then keep damping the top and bottom E and keep playing the open A string but move your hand down the neck and play the D, G and B string all at the seventh fret. It's still a D chord, just a different inversion.Do this for four beats... then move to the G chord for eight beats, then C, G, D, A. And you're away. 

viz

I’m using this version to base my musings on:

https://youtu.be/rb-bKKRl_hw

I think it’s quite cleverly confusing because of the drone on A before the song starts, tricking you into thinking it’s in A, This is compounded by the fact that the first four D chords are played in 2nd inversion, ie D/A. Then to make matters worse, the first few words are sung on A. (And then I read your bar symbols as slash chords, which confused me a fourth time!)

But all the time, that A is the 5th degree of the scale. The song is in D. 

Anyway, agnostic of key, the chords are:

 I - IV - bVII - IV - I - V

And in the original key of D, that’s:

A (long drone note)

D/A x2 (intro)

D/A x2 (You’re happy and you know it baby)
G x2
C
G
D
A

I haven’t searched chord websites but I can’t find an example on YouTube where it’s transposed down a 4th to A. 

Edit - I just looked further, and wow OK there are some people playing it in A (ending on an E7 as the dominant chord). It sounds really uninspiring played so low down. I suggest you stick to D if you can sing that high!

(Btw when you write A/D/C/D/A/E, I assume you mean A/D/G/D/A/E)

Jimbo55

My gosh, thank you so much KKJale and viz - seems it isn't that straightforward a thing to do - am working on your advice now