Anyone here use open G tuning?

[specialk]

After reading Keef's book "Life", I'm intrigued by his use of open G tuning. I thought it would be good for slide players but I don't play slide much.

Anyone here use it, or something similar? Is it hard to adjust to? I've always played in standard tuning at concert pitch, so I don't know all the right questions to ask. I do know I'm not getting rid of my low E string anytime soon,

Thanks for any advice/info.

[Jakeboy]

I'm no expert but I've been playing open G since 1985...great tuning for dynamic rhthym playing. I always keep a guitar in open G. Pretty easy toa djust to as the dgb strings stay the same. Keep the low E & tune it to D. Try it...you might like it.

[DaveH]

'Jesus Just Left Chicago', anyone?

[elduave]

I play in G from time to time. It's really cool. I'm sure you can Google or get a book, but I learned from listening to Black Crowes and Davey Johnstone's Starlicks tape.

[Caddie]

Pick up a George Thorogood song book. It will have the tab for the tunings for each song. George plays in open E, open G or open D in most songs. Its fun. There is an issue of Guitar World mag Nov '05 with Keef on the over. It goes into great detail on Keef's style.

You'll have fun with it.

caddie

[Hackubus]

I use open G for around 6-8 tunes a gig with our band. At first, it was just the Stones/Black Crowes stuff. We'd group em together to minimize dead air between songs. Then we started adding other tunes that were in the key of G or drop D to the group and the blocks got a little bigger. Now the Crowes stuff is gone, and we do tunes you wouldn't think of doing in open G like Hungry Like The Wolf & Gold Dust Woman. Well, technically we're doing HLTW in dropped D, but since I'm such a lazy bastard, I just learned it in open G & threw it in one of the open G blocks of songs as well.

About all I could suggest is to incorporate your root 5 chords on the low D & G strings to the one finger/three finger Keef style of open G. Check out some of Jimmy Page's work in open G. Very anti-Keef.

[tommy p]

I use it on a few songs with my band, and turned on the other guitarist so he uses on a couple now also. There are a few Zeppelin songs that show the full range of open G: the folksy That's The Way, bluesy In My Time Of Dying and Bron-y-aur Stomp, and the weird Dancing Days.

The high D screws me up on leads in open G for some reason so I need to work on that. On the other hand, the A being tuned to G was easy to adapt to.

The best advice I can give you is tune to open G and play along with some Stones, Black Crowes, and anything else you can find in open G. I found myself capable (but not expert) in no time.

[Hamer95USA]

I learned to use open G tuning for "Lit Up" by Buckcherry and "Rain Song" & "In My Time of Dying" by Led Zeppelin. Great songs and I can see how bluesy & fun that tuning is to jam on. I also enjoy the Led Zeppelin songs "tommy p" mentioned as well. The Rolling Stones made a career from that tuning. LOL!!

Guitar George

[tommy p]

I learned to use open G tuning for "Lit Up" by Buckcherry and "Rain Song" & "In My Time of Dying" by Led Zeppelin. Great songs and I can see how bluesy & fun that tuning is to jam on. I also enjoy the Led Zeppelin songs "tommy p" mentioned as well. The Rolling Stones made a career from that tuning. LOL!!

Guitar George

I use D-G-C-G-C-D for the Rain Song. I'll have to try it in open G.