Both Electric and Acoustic Uses

Music And Song — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 13:58:55 +0000

An open tuning is one where the strings have been tuned to the notes of a major or minor chord. This means that when you lay a finger across the neck, the barre creates another chord. The other fingers can then add notes to that
chord. In an open minor tuning, a major chord can be played by identifying the string(s) tuned to the third andputting a finger on that string one fret up.

Open major and minor tunings have certain things in common. For example, the chord on which the tuning is based will repeat itself at the 12th fret. Chord IV is played as a barre at the fifth fret, and chord V as a barre at the seventh. These, in combination with the open strings, will give you the three-chord trick. Minor open tunings are the same, except IV and V will be minor. The fifth, seventh and 12th frets will also provide resonant harmonics.

Open G – D G D G B D – is a popular tuning, favoured by Keith Richards, that is suited to both electric and acoustic uses. You can hear open G on ‘Blackbird’, ‘That’s The Way’ (a semitone lower at open Gb) and ‘Black Country Woman’. Since the root note is on the fifth string, some players don’t bother to tune the low E down to D but find it more useful to leave it as is. Another option would be to tune the bottom string up three semitones to G. A tone (whole step) higher, open G becomes open A – E A E A C# E – a tuning favoured by electric slide players. But be careful, as this increases tension on the neck.

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Both Electric and Acoustic Uses