Open tuning help...

[00J]

First of all i have no idea how to do this. ive wanted to try some, and if anyone would point me in the right direction to learning some that would be great

[Fred5]

Try d-a-d-g-a-d, very often used. Lower the E strings a whole step and bring the B string down the same amount.

Or "Open G" for slide and stuff, Black Crowes and Stones style riffing: tune the A string down to a G and the hi E down to a D.

Keef uses to take the low E string off when using this tuning.

If you have a chromatic tuner it's piece of cake.

[Terje]

Originally posted by Fred5 Try d-a-d-g-a-d, very often used. Lower the E strings a whole step and bring the B string down the same amount.

 

 

And all you have to do is lower the G-string to an F# and you have the Vestpol tuning, Open D, the one Elmore James used! Now, put a slide on your pinky and be a much happier person from now on.

[Show Me The Tele]

If you want to start to get an understand of open tunings I would try to pick up some slide guitar. I would also recommend you try to learn to play "She Talks to Angels" by The Black Crowes. It is a simple song to learn that is in open E (actually open D capo 2nd). You will never get tired of playing it, and it will teach you a lot about open tunings.

[StratKat]

Alternate tunings have alternat uses. Some are targeted for specific sounds that you may want. Others may be for a specific chordwork you need to use so IMPOSSIBLE chords (or difficult ones) are easier to finger (like the song Every breathe you take than Andy plays in the police. Its in an alternate tuning to make the chordwork easier.) And then there are slide tunings which for my two cents are just open chords.

TO us the open choprd tuning pick a chord like E major or minor and just tune each string to one note in the chord like

E minor

1-E
2-B
3-G
4-E
5-B
6-E

or E Major

1-E
2-B
3-G#
4-E
5-B
6-E

Now when you p[lay all of the strings open it sounds the chord. So when you play slide you can hold the slide directly over any fret and get a full chord from them.

[emcrae]

First of all, you'll need to decide what type of sound or "feeling" you're looking for. I play a lot of slide...dobro and electric...and love using Ry Cooder's signature tuning.....D,A,D,F#,A,D. It has a real eerie, bluesy feel to it. If your looking for more of a melodic and traditional sound, D,A,D,G,A,D OR Open G: D,G,D,G,B,D. I use the open G a pretty good bit as well.....Black Crowes use it alot. Open E: E,B,E,G#,B,E is the tuning the Crowes used on "She talks to angels". I use it a little as well although not as often as the open D (with F#) and open G tunings. Also, Goo Goo Dolls used a unique tuning in "Black Balloon" that I like alot. It's D,A,D,A,D,D except I think they tuned 1/2 step down to flat. I think somebody actually posted the tab to that song at Olga if I'm not mistaken. Anyway, a good starting point would be to pick up some of the Black Crowes' Tab books, specifically "Shake your moneymaker". Check out the Goo Goo Dolls thing too. From there, start checking out folks like Ry Cooder, Taj Mahal, Guy Davis, Allman Bros, Govt. Mule, Sonny Landreth, Johnny Winter, and the list goes on. The thing is, once you're familiar with a few of these tunings, if you have any fingerpicking skills at all, UREKA, you've become a slide player. If you can get your hands on the VHS or DVD of "Hellhounds On My Trail : Tribute to Robert Johnson" that was showing on HBO and Starz not too long, you can watch and listen to most of the blues artists and slide players I named above. Also, one last thought, to anyone out there that teaches guitar or is teaching they're children guitar.....Open tunings are great for beginners. A lot of times, people get discouraged when first learning to play because it all seems so complicated to them.....fingerings, etc. Open tuning can have them playing some of they're favorite songs right off the bat and really build a good musical foundation to keep them interested in pursuing the quest of learning standard tuning. On the other hand, it can promote laziness I guess.

[StratKat]

BINGO on the beginner thing!

My dad couldnt play the radio in tune!

I had him playing lap steel in an open Major tuning in about 2 minutes.

"Ok Dad, take this heavey bar and lay it straight accross the strings. Then hit all the strings with the pick and slide it up until it sounds like the chord im playing."

He was surprised to hear that he could make music so easily. I had tried to teach him formal music in standard tuning but he didnt want to learn alot. He just wanted to play music....