I’ve been playing guitar now for close to 30 years, and with the very rare exception when I’ll drop the low E to D, I’ve always played in standard tuning. I’m obviously very comfortable with it, but I’m now considering trying something new. Like fully immersing myself in open G or open D, or both (thanks mainly to Paul Brady).
This is a big decision for me because I’m a teacher and play, on average, about five hours a day for children who won’t be very tolerant of my learning process. But I’m feeling the need. I currently play ITRAD almost exclusively, away from work, and I’m looking for that open sound.
In the interest of full disclosure, I’ve gotten pretty comfortable with GDAE on mandolin.
So my question is, what is your preferred open tuning and why? I look forward to your thoughts and whatever tangents this thread might take.
If you’re comfortable in drop-D, why not just stick with that? It’s a great tuning. Have you seen John Doyle’s instructional DVD?
For accompanying Irish music I mostly use DADGAD. It’s awesome for many well-documented reasons. I like it because it has a vast number of different chord voicings available for the keys common in Irish music. I also use DADGBD, which combines some of the advantages of both DADGAD and drop-D. For flatpicking and fingerstyle stuff CGCGCD is great, though I don’t use it much because it’s a hassle to get into and out of. I should probably have a guitar dedicated to that tuning.
Thanks Ro3b. I played with DADGAD this morning and loved it. Excellent suggestion. The Drop-D works great for me for playing melodies, but I think I’m just looking to try something new as a challenge. Luckily I do have a spare guitar that I can dedicate to a specific tuning.
I guess I’m looking for the closest approximation of a bouzouki sound short of buying a zouk (no money). So now I’m off to try CGCGCD.
I’ll second Ro3b’s good advice. Most ITM guitarists I know, myself included, play mostly either Drop-D or DADGAD (or both). Each has its unique qualities of voicing and texture.
One observation about Drop-D. If you’re thinking of it as simply standard tuning with a D on the bottom, then you’re probably missing the essence. I’m always amazed at how the change of one string/note suggests and encourages a radical reconceptualization of the fretboard. In fact, very few of the voicings I play in Drop-D are the same as I’d use in standard tuning - it’s that different. For example, the possibilities of thinking and playing vertically instead of horizontally are greatly expanded. At the same time, Drop-D overlaps with both standard tuning and DADGAD, so many of those voicings are available, too. This kind of “tri-modal” flexibility is one of the attractions.
FWIW, as a similarly long-time guitarist (~40 years), it took me a good year or so of practice to come to grips with the complexities of Drop-D. So if you’re looking for an immersion experience, don’t sell this simple re-tuning short.
What’s the advantage of this over Orkney tuning (CGDGCD)?
A thing I like about CGCGCD is the CGC on the fourth, third, and second strings, which lets me carry over bouzouki fingerings when flatpicking. I think I’d miss that in Orkney tuning, although there would be other advantages to discover. As MTGuru says, one string makes a huge difference.
I forgot to mention CGCGCE. That’s also a lovely tuning, if a little restrictive.
Wow. Neat stuff. Maybe I won’t sell my second guitar after all…
“Playing vertically instead of horizontally” is a neat way to put it. I’ve been
trying out Drop-D for session accompaniment recently, and that’s exactly
what I’m grappling with. It’s got me moving up the neck a lot more in
standard tuning, too.
Oh, yes. As one example, take the standard closed G/Gm chord position in Drop-D:
G Maj: 5x543(3) fingered 3x421(1) voicing G G B d (g)
G Min: 5x533(3) fingered 3x411(1) voicing G G Bb d (g)
The 1st string is optional, and damp the 5th string with your 3rd finger. This corresponds more or less to the barred G/Gm chord position in standard tuning. Even on a non-cutaway guitar, this can easily be moved up the neck as far as D/Dm at the 10th fret. Which gives you G, A, B, C and D Maj/Min chords that you can slide up and down at will with good effect for chord scales, etc. It’s the kind of thing that John Doyle does all the time.
It also helps to think in terms of 4-string “zones” across the neck: low, mid, and high. Many of the nicest Irish voicings are only 2, 3 or 4 notes, and zones give you 3 voicing and texture options for a given neck position. Take the G chord again:
Low: 5553xx fingered 2341xx voicing G D G B
Mid: x5543x fingered x3421x voicing D G B d
High: xx5433 fingered xx3211 voicing G B d g
Or take the progression D-G-A (I-IV-V) in the mid zone:
D: xo423x fingered xo312x voicing A F# A d
G: xo543x fingered xo321x voicing A G B d
A: xo765x fingered xo321x voicing A A c# e
Here you’re moving the progression over an A pedal-point, and the resolution to the root position A Major can be very dramatic. And the G chord over A can be heard as a jazzy A11 chord if you like.
One comment on Orkney tuning. It helps to realize that it’s really identical to DADGAD, just shifted over (up) by one string - but now G-centric instead of D-centric, and with an extra C on the bottom. If you already play DADGAD, this really helps to reduce the learning curve.
hi all
Jim do you know what your getting yourself into?
I’ll introduce myself to this topic with some tunes over on MySpace so you get an idea of what I’m talkin about.
Two tunes in two tunings on acoustic guitar
The Tree of Strings and Warrens Clean Slate
and the rest of the music (mostly) on guitar synth. www.myspace.com/geobow
have a listen
I find “standard” tuning very limiting, it’s fine if you want to play in many keys, that’s what it was devised for from lute tuning (EADF+BE) to play early classical music with. I mean it’s ok if you play the kind of music IT lends IT’S self to as mentioned above or play a part (melody / harmony / bass or rhythm) but to play certain types of music it’s not necessary to play in many keys. If you look at the types of instrumentation and the manner which they are tuned in traditional music’s you will find that this is the very thing that gives the flavour and colour to this type of music and that we are imposing an alien (musical) system where it does not belong.
I was born into and reared in Scots/Irish trad music and that’s where I’m coming from melodically harmonically and rhythmical no mater what kind of “style” I play in as can be heard on MySpace.
So to answer your question, what ever tuning the piece requires
Make sense?
Un.
Thanks, all, for your thoughts and suggestions. Lots of great ideas for me to try.
I had initially thought that this past week, being on vacation, I’d get lots of time to experiment and maybe even get a little bit comfortable with some progressions. Of course, life got in the way, and I’ve now had all of 30 minutes during the past ten days to play. And all of that on day one. Tomorrow I go back to work and I’m still planning on spending the day entirely in DADGAD, and playing with some of the other suggestions throughout the week. I don’t know that my students will care for my learning process, but I’ll have fun.
and I’m still planning on spending the day entirely in DADGAD, and playing with some of the other suggestions throughout the week. I don’t know that my students will care for my learning process, but I’ll have fun.