A great way to develop your creativity as a musician is to
explore open tunings on your guitar. Don’t be discouraged when considering playing in something other than standard tuning, thinking it might be like learning the instrument all over again. It doesn't take too long to become familiar with the idiosyncrasy’s of a new tuning.
One such tuning that is very popular among guitarists is that of open g. Today I am going to focus particularly on chords in this tuning, and how you can easily be up and running using these in very creative ways on your guitar.
A Quick Note On Open G Tuning
The tuning of open g is very often associated with the blues as it was a popular tuning for greats in this style such as Robert Johnson and Muddy Waters.
Despite this, open g tuning existed well before the early 20th century blues players, going back to a tune called “Spanish Fandango” in 1830. This is why open g tuning is sometimes referred to as “spanish tuning”.
An open tuning gets its name from the chord that is sounded when strumming the open strings of your guitar, once you have altered the appropriate strings to be in that tuning.
In an open g tuning, you will sound a G chord when strumming the open strings. This is because the 6th, 5th, and 1st strings are changed to D, G, and D notes respectively. When combined wth the remaining strings, you have the notes of a G chord:
G Major = G B D
Here is a comparison between open g tuning and standard tuning:
Open G Tuning Table* Strings/notes that have been changed are in bold
So now let’s get into some cool and creative ways you can create music using chords in an open g tuning.
Don’t Make The Same Mistake I Did
I avoided playing in open tunings for many years for reasons I have already stated. I just assumed it was going to be difficult to have to learn the fretboard in a whole new tuning. Standard tuning was keeping me busy enough.
I’m so glad I finally did get into open tunings with my guitar playing, and only regret I didn’t do this sooner. It really isn’t hard to be up and sounding great in an open tuning such as g. Something you are about to discover.
Open tunings do so much for your guitar playing, such as:
- Dramatically increase your creativity on the instrument
- Provide you with a whole new sound and possibilities that just don’t exist in standard tuning
- Make it easier to play in other open and alternate tunings once you get one or two under your belt
Most of all, open tunings are fun to play in, and will enhance the skills you have already developed with your guitar playing.
Open G Tuning Chords
Let me now present to you 3 ways you can create awesome sounding music using chords in an open g tuning.
These are by no means an end, but a beginning in discovering and exploring the chords in this tuning. Once you have learned the following examples, you want to then create your own. This is not only fun but very rewarding to do. This is where you will truly make open g tuning part of your playing. It’s always about applying what you learn.
The Droning Of Open Strings
The droning of open strings is a unique feature of any open tuning. You can really use these to convert what would be an everyday chord progression in standard tuning, into something that is refreshing and unpredictable in sound.
Take the following as an example of this:
Open G Tuning Droning Chords
The progression above is about as common and predictable as they come if played in standard tuning. However in an open g tuning, it becomes something much less predictable and more unique in its sound. Notice how the open strings remain constant as the chords move down the neck of the guitar. This is what I am referring to as the droning of open strings.
I am only using 2 simple shapes as well, which makes this chord progression that much easier to play!
Again, experiment and create with this idea yourself on your guitar. You’ll be amazed how easy it is to get a great sounding progression, even if you just make up the chord shapes as you go!
The Harmony Of A 6th
A very common harmony used on the guitar is a 6th. You may very well already be familiar with this harmony, which will make this approach very easy for you to do.
We are going to start by placing our 6th harmony across the 2nd and 4th strings of the guitar. Remember, these strings remain unchanged in open g tuning, so if you’ve used this harmony before it will look familiar to you.
Here it is:
Open G Tuning 6th Harmony 1
Next we are simply going to add the droning of open strings like so:
Open G Tuning 6th Harmony 2
Sounds great just like this, however there is so much more you can do with this idea alone.
For example, you might like to arpeggiate the 6th harmony and open strings like this:
Open G Tuning 6th harmony 3
Whatever you do, be sure to hold the 6th harmony in your fingers (2 fingers/notes down at a time) so that the fretted notes ring out against the drone of the open strings.
From there you can create all sorts of cool ideas. Experiment with placing the 6th harmony on other string sets beside the 2nd and 4th, for a start.
Open G Tuning Bar Chords
To play a bar chord in open g tuning is very easy to do. Unlike standard tuning where you need to use most of your fingers and 3 frets, all you need to do in this tuning is bar a single fret with your index finger.
This is because we have tuned the open strings of the guitar to sound a particular chord, in this case G. Subsequently, if you bar the first fret you will sound a G# chord, bar the second fret and you have an A chord, third fret, an A#/Bb chord, and so on.
If we only need our index finger to sound a bar chord, this means the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th fingers are left free to add cool extensions and embellishments to this chord that would otherwise be very difficult and uncomfortable to do in standard tuning, if not impossible.
The following is an example of a progression using bar chords in open g tuning. I am taking advantage of the fact that I only need 1 finger to execute the chord by adding extensions/embellishments:
Open G Tuning Single Fret Bar Chords
Create your own progressions using this bar chord in open g tuning. Remember, it’s always about taking what you learn and applying it to your own guitar playing.
rnLearn
how to play guitar in open g tuning using riffs, licks, and melodies as well as more cool and unique ways to use chords too.