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Post by Admin on Feb 7, 2013 13:15:26 GMT -5
The discovery of open G tuning was a revelation for Keith Richards, who wrote about the experience with awe and reverence in his autobiography Life. Open G helped Richards create a personal sound and approach on guitar, and yielded such classic Rolling Stones songs as “Honkytonk Women,” “Brown Sugar,” “Beast of Burden,” “Can’t You Hear Me Knockin’,” “Gimme Shelter,” “Happy” and “Start Me Up.” You don’t have to be a radical and remove your guitar’s low string to play in open G, the way that Richards does. However plenty of players have followed his path to good result. One example is Jim Chilson of Boston’s Ten Foot Polecats, whose five-string open G finger-picking style is just one reason that band is rising up from the blues underground. Richards, Chilson and others remove that low string because it can cause some awkward resonating frequencies if it’s accidentally struck in open G tuning. The sacrifice, however, is that a five string guitar can’t be reset to other tunings. So, although we’re on the road to learning the foundation of Richards’ style, in the interest of versatility please tune all six of your guitar strings thus, from low to high: D-G-D-G-B-D. That’s conventional open G tuning, the way it was first played in the Mississippi Delta many generations ago. Being careful to avoid that pesky low D string — at least until you’ve go a good enough grip on open G to add notes on that string or create dissonances to enhance a song’s vibe — hit the top five strings sans fretting and you’ve got an open G chord. Move up to the fifth fret and you’re on the IV chord, C, and two more frets and you’re at D. That’s all you need to play a 12-bar blues like Son House’s oft-covered “Death Letter” or R.L. Burnside and Mississippi Fred McDowell’s versions of “Old Black Mattie.” Playing those IV and V chords, or any major chords in open tunings for, simply requires laying a finger across the correct fret. Nonetheless, understanding opening tunings provides a key to an alternate universe if you’ve just played in standard tuning before. One of the keys to Richards’ style is changing the basic chord forms by pressing down on various strings with his second and third fingers. He also uses hammer-ons and pull-offs, and sliding cords, very effectively, all with a minimum amount of movement in his left hand. Let’s take a look at “Brown Sugar.” The first chord is a high G, so moves to the 12th fret and put your index finger across the bottom five strings. Put your middle finger on the 13th fret on the second (B) string from the bottom and place your third finger on the 14th fret at the fourth (D) string from the bottom. Strike that chord once with those fingers pinning the strings and rapidly lift your middle and fourth fingers and strike the one-fingered chord. Those are the first two chords of “Brown Sugar.” Then, using the same strings, slide the three fingered chord position you’ve just used to the fifth fret, and then to the eighth fret. And now you’ve got the intro to “Brown Sugar” and a grip on the foundation of Richards’ style. Simple as it seems, that manner of three-fingered guitar playing is at the core of many of Richards’ best compositions. Move from fret to fret and keeping working the basic changes of blues and blues-based tunes you know and you’ll get fluid fast. Start using your index finger to bend strings as you hold down chords, or the hammer and pull, and your command will grow to include interesting nuances as well. Sure, the Rolling Stones’ songs that Richards penned in open G can easily be translated to standard tuning, but they just don’t sound quite right. So dive into open G and play “Brown Sugar” like Keef, and then let the tuning be your guide into the mysteries of the Delta and hill country blues that inspired him as well. And there’s a bonus: open G is the predominant banjo tuning, which makes learning open G on guitar a potential gateway to another instrument.
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Post by Deleted on Feb 7, 2013 14:37:40 GMT -5
Why is it called Spanish Tuninng?
OPEN G must be the MOST used alternate tuning. Though someothers offer more it is cerainly the easiest toget used to. Has some great new tones in it especially for BLUES. And as ya said if ya wanna play the STONES you miight as well have an extra ax onstage tuned to this tuning as KEEF uses it to the point that he DOES NOT USE HIS BASS E STRING.
That;s right only 5 strings on his ax.
I love it along with E, and DADGAD....each have there own merits and like choosing an ax it is your decesion which only you can make. Some prefer to use capos , other prefer alternate tunings.
When playing a RESO, I think if you;re NOT using an alternate tuning you;re NOT getting all that ax has to offer.
The one thing I see a butt of that bothers me is even some of my students..( i only have 3 left) but BEFORE one moves onto alternate tunings I THINK ( my opinion only) one should be FLUENT in STANDARD TUNING before getting into another.
Playing in OPEN G or E with a 335 and a good slide creates a tone that just sings to ya and brings truth to the saying MUSIC SOOTHES THE SAVAGE BEAST !!!
JAMES
Like jimm says playing THE STONES is soooo easy if you can llay open G.... It can be played in Standard but you;re not doingit justice when ya do.... thisis what IMO ax;s like a aMIM TELE or a LP JR or even the old MELODY MAKERS are great for. I used to keep a couple MELODY MAKERS when they had P-90's on the side for such songs that REALLY STOOD OUT with the OPEN G OR E tunings.... Perfect for slide, fun....
GOOD TOPIC JIMMMM
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Post by Admin on Feb 7, 2013 15:07:53 GMT -5
Why is it called Spanish Tuninng? I believe it goes back to the early blues and creole period when the tuning was taught to the old blues guys by people of Spanish descent.
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Post by steve on Feb 7, 2013 16:44:18 GMT -5
I do like open G and it would be nice to play the Stones songs that I play with the band the correct way but for practical reasons, I use standard tuning. Maybe I should bite the bullet and tune a spare guitar to open G and grab that when the Stones songs come up in the set.
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Post by dadfad on Feb 8, 2013 10:29:33 GMT -5
Why is it called Spanish Tuninng? I believe it goes back to the early blues and creole period when the tuning was taught to the old blues guys by people of Spanish descent. It was supposedly named after a recording that was popular at that time called "The Spanish Fandango" which was played in that tuning. (Similar to how open-D, or open-E, being called Sevestapol tuning after the popular tune "The Battle of Sevestapol" played in that tuning.) Open-G is also called Taro-Patch tuning in Hawaii and was used by popular 1920-30s Hawaiian guitarist Bennie Nawahi and Pennsylvania guitarist Roy Smeck. (Smeck was so popular Gibson made a high-stringed for slide guitar (basically an Advanced Jumbo) they called the Roy Smeck model.) Keith Richards removes his 6-string for open-G (which does often "get in the way" when playing in the key of G in some styles), but I met an old Louisianna guitarist who instead tuned that six-string UP to G (same as the five-string) which not only no longer got in the way but was useful if you needed a bassier G sound or G-drone (while still able to different notes on the other five strings).. He called it "Sawtooth-G." I play in quite a few altered tunings. I consider open-D and open-E, or open-G and open-A, the same tunings as they are played identically in a relative sense. And I don't really count dropped-D because it's so close to standard. I also use the open minors (Dm and Em, never liked Gm much). I can play in DADGAD but find little use for it aside from Celtic-style stuff which I don't play often. Open-G6 (DGDGBE) I use almost exclusively for some old Bo Carter tunes. And a few other pretty obscure ones I've picked up "along the way." Probably more region-specific tunings, like "Scotch-B" (I learned from a Kentucky fiddler/guitarist) that works well with some fiddle-tunes. Or "Cut-Throat" (in both slightly-different Cut-throat-'Vestapol and Cut-throat-Spanish) which are both all first-fifth opens I learned from an old Georgia guitarist. Those tunings add a sort of "12-string sound" to the playing, probably invented to more closely mimic the sound of the old 20s-30s Atlanta blues done on 12-strings, by Blind Willie McTell, Barbeque Bob, etc. which was popular back then. One of the weirdest tunings I've used is an open-E5 tuning EEEEBE, which I've never found any other use for at all than to be able to play "Suite: Judy Blue Eyes" accurately! Getting into opens, it's a good idea to have multiple guitars so they can be left in that tuning. Having to tune and re-tune all the time discourages practicing in other tunings and one is much more likely to do so if all he has to do is pick up a guitar that's "ready to go." And those practice-guitars don't have to be as expensive as your main-guitar either, just something to work with and practice on. Using opens and altereds opens up guitar in a lot of different directions.
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Post by jaked on Feb 8, 2013 12:42:41 GMT -5
I have learned a ton of Stones tunes lately. It is my new obesssion. Lots and lots of open G, but I play Beast of Burden in standard and I play Gimmie Shelter in Open E. From what I have seen Gimmie Shelter is the only Stones tune in Open E. But that is just my opinion and I'm sure Keef did them in all the tunings and different each time, yada yada.
I will say that James has been pushing me for years to look at open G and I never did until recently and it really has advanced my playing. Or at least the quality of my playing.
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Post by Admin on Feb 8, 2013 16:35:51 GMT -5
It was supposedly named after a recording that was popular at that time called "The Spanish Fandango" which was played in that tuning. Using opens and altereds opens up guitar in a lot of different directions. Excellent post John. I did a version of Spanish Fandango a few years ago and I just looked up the old tape. Here it is - in Open G. www.soundclick.com/player/single_player.cfm?songid=12156456&q=hi
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Post by dadfad on Feb 8, 2013 16:52:40 GMT -5
It was supposedly named after a recording that was popular at that time called "The Spanish Fandango" which was played in that tuning. Using opens and altereds opens up guitar in a lot of different directions. Excellent post John. I did a version of Spanish Fandango a few years ago and I just looked up the old tape. Here it is - in Open G. www.soundclick.com/player/single_player.cfm?songid=12156456&q=hiI listened to your SoundClick, Jim. Very nice work!
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Post by Admin on Feb 8, 2013 16:55:15 GMT -5
I listened to your SoundClick, Jim. Very nice work! Thanks...
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Post by razzgospel on Feb 10, 2013 21:56:28 GMT -5
I always have associated Spanish Fandango with Elizabeth Cotton. That's where I learned it.
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Post by Admin on Feb 11, 2013 11:12:39 GMT -5
I always have associated Spanish Fandango with Elizabeth Cotton. That's where I learned it. Great version. So was Miss John Hurt Credit for the following research goes to John Renbourn, esteemed British fingerstyle guitarist and avid student of American parlor guitar. In 1992, John published copies of “Spanish Fandango” and “Sebastopol” , along with these revelations: “I have many other parlour pieces in open tunings from around the same time. I am in the process of comparing these with early recorded ‘folk’ versions to see how much of the originals have been retained. It looks as if a great deal has been retained, so much so that these old pieces seem to me to have laid the foundation for the emerging blues and fingerpicking guitar styles. ‘Sebastopol’ and ‘Spanish Fandango’ were both outstandingly popular solo pieces and their availability in print continued beyond the turn of the century. It seems clear that these pieces lent their names to the folk terms ‘Spanish,’ for open-G tuning, and ‘Vastopol’ for open D or open E. But the connections are not limited to the tunings, they go on in terms of harmonic content and even specific right-hand patterns." What probably happened was this: When guitars began to be mass produced and widely distributed by mail order in the 1890s, they came complete with little tutor books. The most common ones were by a man called Septimus Winner, who almost invariably included versions of ‘Sebastopol’ and ‘Spanish Fandango.’ These fairly simple pieces then would have been the starting point for thousands of rural players around the turn of the century. “Most authorities seem to agree on the various strands of Afro-American music that contributed to the makeup of what we recognize as the blues – the field calls and work songs, etc. – predominantly linear music characterized by what has become known as the ‘blues scale.’ What has never been satisfactorily explained is the origin of the basic harmonic format that distinguishes the blues from these other types. “If you can imagine a field hand sitting down after work and trying to fit an arhoolie [field song] across the basic chords of ‘Spanish Fandango,’ then you would be close to the moment of transformation, in my opinion. In early recorded blues – i.e., Charley Patton and his school – the harmonic language (right down to specific chord shapes but with bluesy modification usually of one finger only) is straight from parlour music. The same is true for early blues in open D compared to ‘Sebastopol.’ It’s fascinating stuff and fairly controversial, but it fills in the missing gap between the steel-string guitar coming in to circulation and the highly developed styles that appeared on recordings in the 1920s.” The first American guitars designed for steel strings date to around the turn of the century. In its 1902 catalog, the Gibson company stated that their guitars could be strung with steel or gut strings." A prime example of an early recording of “Spanish Fandango” is John Dilleshaw & The String Marvel’s 1929 version (hear it here: www.archive.org/details/JohnDilleshawTheStringMarvel-spanishFandango). Dilleshaw, a 6’7” giant of a man, had learned the song while growing up in north Georgia’s rural hill country. On the recording, one guitarist fingerpicks leads in open G while the other flatpicks basic accompaniment. The musicians have changed Worrall’s sedate 6/8 to a more swinging 2/4 and added alternating bass and bluesy bends, but the final chorus’ droning bass recalls the feel of older parlor guitar pieces. Another early version was released by Bo Carter, the main guitarist with the Mississippi Sheiks and an influence on many Delta guitarists. Carter based his song “Country Fool” on “Spanish Fandango” chord progression, but altered the open-G tuning by keeping his highest string tuned to E. This allowed him to pick distinctive treble patterns while retaining a deep, powerful bass. A recently recorded banjo version, played and explained by Patrick Costello, can be heard here: www.archive.org/details/TheDailyFrail2310.
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Post by slapjaw on Jan 24, 2014 9:05:12 GMT -5
I know this is an old thread, but I just started clowning around with open G and other openings.
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