Open Tuning

[plaidbeer]

Is open tuning good for general playing or is it only really used for slide playing? A friend mentioned that he uses open tuning primarily and from reading about it, it seems like it would be easier to play simple things with than standard tuning, which is what I've always used. If I were to change to this tuning, would this require a setup (I'd have to pay for one)?

[George]

At the moment I spend 70% of the time in open G (the top 5 strings) leaving the bottom E as E. It's really great and I play all sorts of stuff with and I barely do slide. You would not need a setup to do that sort of thing, you just wouldn't be able to use it with a floating trem like a Strat.

[plaidbeer]

I don't have a floating trem, but do have a trem (hardtail?) in my Bullet Strat.

[George]

If you have it set hardtail with 5 springs it won't be a problem. If it's set floating then the other strings will slip upward when tuning the A and top E strings down as the others take on the extra tension of the springs. Having said that mine slip a fraction with 5 springs but it's completely negligible.

But yeah, you can get lots of great things going with that tuning. The additional bottom E (making the guitar an open 6th chord technically) sounds quite lush and ethereal when played open, and it's also the relative minor so useful for folky stuff. Also, the best thing about open tuning is that when dropping or knocking the guitar it always sounds musical.

[plaidbeer]

George, thanks for the info. I was having a lot of fun a few moments ago with these really nice lush "chord-like" things using an OD, short delay, long dotted delay, and some 'verb. Instant dream-pop, even with my crappy abilities.

[George]

If you haven't already twigged it yet here are the corresponding chord shapes that works in the G major scale:

Majors barred

Code: Select all

  Gmaj Cmaj Dmaj
D---0---5---7
B---0---5---7
G---0---5---7
D---0---5---7
G---0---5---7
E---x---x---x

D major open
D---4
B---3
G---2
D---0
G---x
E---x

Add9 chords you can do easily by hammering on the above shapes with your index and text finger

Code: Select all

 Cadd9 Dadd9 Gadd9
D---0----2----7
B---1----3----8
G---0----2----7
D---2----4----9
G---0----2----7
E---x----x----x

Minors

Code: Select all

  Emin Amin Bmin
D---2----7----9
B---0----5----7
G---0----5----7
D---2----7----9
G---0----5----7
E---0----5----7

You can also look at this tuning from the point of D major by scrapping the Cmajor chord and replacing it with Amajor and swapping Aminor for F#minor:

Code: Select all

  Amaj F#min
D---2---4
B---2---2
G---2---2
D---2---4
G---2---2
E---x---2

The best thing about all these chords is you can let any amount of notes ring openly and it will still be in key and give you lots of options to experiment and go nuts – as a general rule don’t stick the open bottom E in too often with major chords and you’ll fine. It’s really good fun, I think dream pop describes it well.