Open G songs

[Bitt81]

I could use some help from the forum. I saw the youtube lesson on Honky Tonk Woman and picked up the song real quickly (I'm hoping part 2 gets posted soon). I don't have a huge repretoire but what I do know, I play in standard tunings. I know that there are a lot of Stones songs written in open G but I would like some suggestions for more songs I can learn in that tuning. I'm pretty much a "classic rock" guy but have been also learning some easy fingerstyle acoustic blues things. I figured as long as I have my #2 acoustic tuned to open G, I should know more than one song to play.

 

Let the suggestions begin.

 

Thanks.

[JDandCoke]

is open G DADGBD?

[Bitt81]

 

Originally posted by JDandCoke is open G DADGBD?

 

 

From low to high: DGDGBD.

[Freeman Keller]

Here are a few songs I play in open G

 

Country and Delta blues - Roll'n'Tumble, Walk'n Blues, Come on in my Kitchen, Kokomo, Big Train Blues...

 

Several John Fahey songs - Steamboat Going Round the Bend, several others

 

Some Ry Cooder songs - forget their name

 

Leo Kottke - Vaseline Machine Gun, Crow River Waltz, Jesu Joy of Mans Desiring, Sailor's Grave on the Prarie (my wife loves this one)

 

Miscellaneous - Will the Circle Be Unbroken, Amazing Grace, ....

 

And of course, the other name for the tuning is "Spanish Flangdango"

[Dave W.]

Freeman,

 

Impressive list. Do you usually play them open, or with a capo. Besides using a capo to adjust for singing range, which I don't do because i can't sing, I am still trying to learn the in's and outs of using a capo.

[JDandCoke]

Originally posted by Bitt81 From low to high: DGDGBD.

 

haha yeah thats what i meant

since when is an A in a G chord? haha

 

anyway

 

check out last goodbye by jeff buckley

 

also

 

brown sugar by the rolling stones

 

only two i know besides my own

[Freeman Keller]

 

Originally posted by Dave W. Freeman, Impressive list. Do you usually play them open, or with a capo. Besides using a capo to adjust for singing range, which I don't do because i can't sing, I am still trying to learn the in's and outs of using a capo.

 

 

I almost never use a capo unless I'm playing with someone else (I don't sing) or unless a particular song seems to need it to get a certain sound.

 

Many of those are slide or slide+fretted songs and most open tuning slide songs involve the 3rd, 5th, 7th, 10th and 12th frets. Several of my gits are twelve fretters - if you capo you start pushing that critical octave fret out of reach. Watch Rory in this clip - she is in open G capoed two and getting pretty close to the body with that socket .

 

http://acapella.harmony-central.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=1471008

 

Open G is probably the easiest tuning to experiment with slide - I think it has a "nastier" sound than open D - and it was used by many of the old Delta bluesmen. Listen to Cooder's "Come on to my Kitchen" - he only sings about half the words and the slide sings the rest.

 

I also tune some of my guitars down, so on the 12 string open G would really be open F - but the relationship between the strings is still the same. I like open G so much that one reso is always tuned that way and a 12 string is often.

 

And yes, I play all of those as well as a Larry Pattis song called "(something) Morning Sunrise" and a few more I can't think of. I know that the Stones and many other more modern players used open G but unfortunately I don't know any of them. Btw - "Amazing Grace" in open G can be made to absolutely cry - the next best thing to a bagpipe band. I played it for a friend who was buried in an avalanche last year and I'm afraid my tears were dripping on the coverplate when I was done.

 

Last little trick - you can take a song in open D and move it down(up away from the floor) one string and it works in open G. That is, a note on the 5th fret of the first string moves to the 5th of the second.

 

Last thought on capos, Dave, I use them sometimes to tame a long reach. Two examples - Alices Restaurart and MJH's Candy Man both have pinkie stretches that are much easier capoed up two. And for a 12 string a capo can help ease fretting the monster. But otherwise I almost never use one

[Freeman Keller]

One more thing to add. Many electric players tune UP to open A - same relationship of the strings. I think that is a bad idea for an acoustic because of the dramatically increased tension - so if you want to play along with Duane Alman or Dave Hole you might want to tune to G and capo two.

[Dave W.]

Thanks for the info Freeman,

 

On Chris Smithers' Link of Chain lesson he is in standard tuning, capo-ed on the 2nd. I work on it that way as the stretches are easier, but I am pretty sure he does it that way because he sings it.

 

I also ran into the capo thing on John Knowles' arraignment of Vincent. It is in dropped D, with a capo on the first. I don't think it is meant to be sung to, so I am not sure why he did it this way. The stretches are not too tough, but that is how I am playing it.

 

After the holidays I am going to get back into my OM-21, and I want to experiment with lowering the tuning and putting the capo on the first fret to get the short scale feel. I have done it before, but I have to admit to being distracted by the position markers not being where I am used to.

Somewhere Doc Watson is laughing.

[Terry Allan Hall]

"Open G" also allows you to take most any 5-string banjo tune and adapt it to the guitar, as the most common 5-string banjo tuning is gDGBd.

 

"Foggy Mountain Breakdown" is always a crowd pleaser, as is "Fox On The Run", "Beverly Hillbillies Theme", "Gentle on My Mind" and "Eastbound and Down".

[Freeman Keller]

Right on, Terry. I forgot "Black Mtn Rag" in my little list. Oh, yeah, "Silent Night" too.

 

And Dave, that is why I always capo two - mostly the fret markers work out and I don't bang the body too bad at 12=14.

[Freeman Keller]

 

Originally posted by Freeman Keller I Last little trick - you can take a song in open D and move it down(up away from the floor) one string and it works in open G. That is, a note on the 5th fret of the first string moves to the 5th of the second.

 

 

I realized last night that I said this bass-ackwards. You can take a song in open G and play it one string lower in open D. My triple ought was in D and I played a bunch of G songs by just ignoring the first string.

[Bitt81]

Thanks for your input. Your suggestions are good but my problem is most of what I learn is through tab and unfortunately I can't find most of the suggested songs on tab.

 

Also there wasn't much from my classic rock area. Anything else this group can come up with?

 

Thanks again.

[Fireproof]

Originally posted by Bitt81 Thanks for your input. Your suggestions are good but my problem is most of what I learn is through tab and unfortunately I can't find most of the suggested songs on tab. Also there wasn't much from my classic rock area. Anything else this group can come up with? Thanks again.

 

There are many Stones' songs in Open G. Four immediately come to mind:

- Honky Tonk Women

- Brown Sugar

- Start Me Up

- Happy

 

Also, the Black Crowes have some great songs in Open G:

- Twice As Hard

- Jealous Again

- Seeing Things

- Hard to Handle (the lead isn't in Open G)

 

Also, check out:

- Bad to the Bone by George Thorogood

- Bron Y Aur Stomp by Led Zeppelin

 

 

I know there are a lot more, but it's been too long...

[Freeman Keller]

 

Originally posted by Bitt81 Thanks for your input. Your suggestions are good but my problem is most of what I learn is through tab and unfortunately I can't find most of the suggested songs on tab. Also there wasn't much from my classic rock area. Anything else this group can come up with? Thanks again.

 

 

OMG, I've got the tab for almost everything I play - much of it from books or lessons. I don't have (or play) classic rock but if you want any blues or kottke or fahey or any of the other stuff, just let me know. I was looking for a copy of Silent Night for you but it isn't on this computer

 

There are whole lesson series in how to play in open tunings - Stefan Grossman, Mark Hanson and others have books, vids, and all kinds of tabs. I know this has to exist for the genres you play too.

[rhythmdoctor]

Led Zeppelin- That's the Way is in open G.

[Bitt81]

Originally posted by Freeman Keller OMG, I've got the tab for almost everything I play - much of it from books or lessons. I don't have (or play) classic rock but if you want any blues or kottke or fahey or any of the other stuff, just let me know. I was looking for a copy of Silent Night for you but it isn't on this computer There are whole lesson series in how to play in open tunings - Stefan Grossman, Mark Hanson and others have books, vids, and all kinds of tabs. I know this has to exist for the genres you play too.

 

Thanks for the input. I am trying to expand and challenge myself outside of the areas I have become most comfortable. At my age the learning becomes a lot slower too....played cowboy chord stuff since my teens but in the last few years (I'm in my early 50's) the guitar has become my mid-life crisis obsession...safer than a young mistress and cheaper than a sports car

 

I may look into the lessons series that you recommended.

[Freeman Keller]

Originally posted by Bitt81 Thanks for the input. I am trying to expand and challenge myself outside of the areas I have become most comfortable. At my age the learning becomes a lot slower too....played cowboy chord stuff since my teens but in the last few years (I'm in my early 50's) the guitar has become my mid-life crisis obsession...safer than a young mistress and cheaper than a sports car I may look into the lessons series that you recommended.

 

Bitt, for what it is worth, I am 62, have been struggling to learn to play these silly things for a goodly portion of my life, wouldn't have a clue what to do with a young mistress and love sports cars.

 

Toys

 

Here would be a couple of good introductions to open tunings - its going to be mostly blues, but blues are the roots of rock

 

http://guitarvideos.com/video/dvd/969dvd.htm

 

http://www.accentonmusic.com/video_detail.asp?qID=90

[Bitt81]

 

Originally posted by Freeman Keller Bitt, for what it is worth, I am 62, have been struggling to learn to play these silly things for a goodly portion of my life, wouldn't have a clue what to do with a young mistress and love sports cars. Toys Here would be a couple of good introductions to open tunings - its going to be mostly blues, but blues are the roots of rock http://guitarvideos.com/video/dvd/969dvd.htm http://www.accentonmusic.com/video_detail.asp?qID=90

 

 

Nice cars!

 

I own a slide and have toyed with it but haven't been able to do too much. Actually I have learned a couple of fingerstyle blues tunes thanks to an old forumite, Little Brother. That is an area I'd love to expand.

[Freeman Keller]

The old fart with an old git and a broken wine bottle

 

RetroGrouch and Yamie

[Bitt81]

 

Originally posted by Freeman Keller The old fart with an old git and a broken wine bottle RetroGrouch and Yamie

 

 

That may be a good use for one of those bottles I tend to empty once and a while.

[Dave W.]

This Kelly Joe Phelps lesson DVD is on my Christmas list:

 

http://www.homespuntapes.com/prodpg/prodpg.asp?prodID=801&prodType=

 

As with most Homespun lessons, if you scroll to the bottom of the page there is usually a 2 minute preview clip, assuming you have a connection with decent speed.

[Freeman Keller]

 

Originally posted by Dave W. This Kelly Joe Phelps lesson DVD is on my Christmas list: http://www.homespuntapes.com/prodpg/prodpg.asp?prodID=801&prodType= As with most Homespun lessons, if you scroll to the bottom of the page there is usually a 2 minute preview clip, assuming you have a connection with decent speed.

 

 

Kelly Joe plays most of his slide stuff in open D, often capoed way up. He plays lap style with a nut extender and a Shubb or Stevens steel. On his acoustics he plays in a lot of open tunings - there is an article about him in one of the recent AG mags. Great player and great music.

[Terry Allan Hall]

Originally posted by Freeman Keller The old fart with an old git and a broken wine bottle RetroGrouch and Yamie

 

You know what I like best about that picture, Freeman?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It's one of the few on Earth that make me look young...

[mildlysane]

Fearless by Pink Floyd

Black Country Woman by Led Zeppelin

I also play Travelling Riverside Blues (Zeppelin) in Open G-I think it is really in Modal D tuning, but sounds good in open G too

Also, if you have another guitarist in standard, it is fun to track along in open G for the cool texture....