G Open Tunings For Playing
Folk, Country, Blues And New Age Music

Blues-man Muddy Waters was very into this tuning. He started using this tuning very early in his career, and the G tunings helped to shape his compositions and slide guitar playing style. Whenever he needed to play in different keys, he would always use a capo over the G tuning and play in different keys. Finger style guitarist, Leo Kottke, has also used this G open tuning in many of his 12 string guitar recordings. Jimmy Page of Led Zeppelin has also recorded songs using this tuning.

G Open Tuning - D, G, D, G, B, D
On the 6th string, lower the note to low D, the 5th string a tone down to G, the 4th string is D, the 3rd string is G, the 2nd string is B and the 1st string a tone down to D. Note that the 4th, 3rd and 2nd strings are the same as the standard guitar tuning. Only the 6th, 5th, and 1st strings are tuned a tone down. This G-open tuning represents the G chord, so by fretting and vertically moving the fingers across the fret-board, the basic guitar chords can be easily played.

If you are in for the blues type sounds, you would need to invest in a slide, which you would slip on the left hand ring or middle fingers. In the 1st position, you have the G open sound. Placing the slide vertically across the strings at the 5th position and you have the C position. Move up to the 7th position and you are in the D position. Up to the 9th position and you have the E chord. Up to the 12th position and you have the G chord an octave higher.

The G Open Tuning Scale Of G Major
Observe the notes and the tabs. It will guide you to the proper notes and fret-board positions to use. Beginning in the first bar, we have the G chord. On the 2nd bar, there is a C chord, the 3rd bar there is a D chord, the 4th bar is an E chord and the 5th bar is a G chord. Except for the G open chord, you can play the other chords using a slide. On bar 6 the G scale is written for you to get familiarized with the scale. On the 6th string, we have low D, E, F#, than G, A, B, C, on the 5th string D, E on the 4th string, G, A on the 3rd string. B, C on the 2nd string and D, E, F#, G, A, B, C#, D, E, F# and G on the 1st string.

Playing Fretted Chords On The G Open Tuning
In bar 13, we begin with the G chord. Note the positions in bar 14 the D chord, bar 15 the Emi7 chord. Bar 16 there is the Bmi9 chord, bar 17 is the G/B chord and bar 18 there is the C6 chord. In bar 19 there is the Gmaj7 chord, bar 20 is the CMaj9#11 chord and in bar 21 there is the D7sus4 and D7 chords.

Try this changes and see how interesting the sounds are starting from bar 1-5. If you have a slide, play over the C, D, E chords and G chord at the 12th fret.

Slide------------------
| G | C | D | E | G | G |

You can create some interesting solos with the slide. Experiment on different positions and get some unison lines like doubling the 4th and 1st strings and droning the 5th string G over it.

Starting on bar 13 we have the G chord, bar 14 is the D chord, bar 15 is the Emi7 chord, bar 16 is the Bmi9 chord, bar 17 is the C6 chord, bar 19 is the GMaj7 chord, bar 20 is the CMaj9#11 chord and bar 21 is the D7sus4 and D7 chords. We will now try to play through these changes starting from bar 13.

| G | D | Emi7 | Bmi9 |

| G/B | C6 | Gmaj7 | D7sus4 D7 |

| CMaj9#11 | Bmi9 Ami11 | G/B | C6 |

| D7 D | Emi7 | Ami11 Bmi9 | D7 |

| G | Dsus4 D7 | Ami11 | Emi7 |

| CMaj9#11 Ami11 | Bmi9 Emi7 | Ami11 Dsus4 | G |

G Open Tuning Minor Chords
In the 1st bar, there is a Gmi7 chord, follows by a Cmi chord in bar 2. Bar 3 is a D7 chord. Bar 4 is a Gmi chord, bar5 is a C/G chord, bar 6 is a Gmi chord.

Let's Play These Changes
| Gmi7 | Cmi | D7 | Gmi |

| C/G | Gmi | D7 | Gmi |

| Cmi | Cmi | Gmi | Gmi |

| C/G | C/G | D7 | Gmi7 |

| C/G | C/G | D7 | Gmi7 |

| Gmi7 | Cmi | Cmi D7 | Gmi7 |

Summary Of G Open Tuning
Go through this lesson slowly, pick out the the easiest fingerings and try them out with the chords. Get a feel of this open tuning and use a capo to play in different keys. For example, if you use the capo on the 1st position you are in the key of Ab major. To play in the key of A major, fix the capo on the 2nd position and you are in A major. Learn the chord positions by heart and use the same chord shapes in other transposed keys. With a little practice you can search and work out your own chord shapes.

Let's now proceed to the next guitar lesson and try another open tuning called the G6 Tuning - D G D G B E

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