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Topic: Alternative Tunings
Open G tuning is the next in my alternative tuning series.
Going from standard tuning, lower the first, fifth and sixth strings.
Open G tuning was one of the most common tunings used by the Mississippi Delta bluesmen. It also has a following among some fingerstyle and bluegrass players. By not having the root note on the first and sixth strings this alters the melodic range of the first string and allows for a strong dominent chord sound on the bass side. Some guitarists tune their guitars to the open A variant of this tuning where the fourth, third, and second strings are tuned up a whole step.
The scale tones created by this tuning are
| String | Scale Tone |
| 1st | fifth |
| 2nd | major third |
| 3rd | root |
| 4th | fifth |
| 5th | root |
| 6th | fifth |
As always, my demo starts with the open string strum. For this demo I went with a common slide riff using my Global SG Style, a brass Dunlop slide, and thumbpick and fingers. To play this riff, run the slide up from the neck to the third fret while picking out bass and treble notes. Then go up to the fifth fret, back to the third, then to the seventh, fifth and ending the chorus on the third fret. Go all the way down to the fifteenth fret to nail the high part. This tuning is a lot of fun and a great one to get started on slide with so give it a try.
Click Here To Download Open G Tuning Demo MP3
Please feel free to leave a comment if you have any questions about the Open G Tuning and I'll try to answer them as best I can.
