3 Alternate Tunings Every Guitarist Should Try

3 Alternate Tunings Every Guitarist Should Try Sign up successful How to Tune Your Guitar to Open Tunings We are going to deal only with three of the most popular keys used for open tuning for now. Each tuning below is low to high on the strings. Use your  electronic tuner and tune your guitar down to the chord for the key you want to play in today. The advantage of knowing these tunings is that they open the door to more ideas, more fun, and more songs to play either with your fingers exploring new fingerings or using a slide to play slide  guitar and take a solo during the song. If playing lead guitar has been difficult for you up until now, cheer up because tuning your guitar to Open E, Open D,  or Open G may be your passport to freedom. Open  tunings create a full sound that is both pleasing to the ears when strummed on guitar, or when playing melodies with one or two fingers, and of  course when jamming with other guitar players. Open E: E B E G# B E (tune down low to high) Open E Secrets:  Open E is one of the most popular tunings in American music. For instance, Derek Trucks of the Allman Brothers frequently tunes to Open E. He  absolutely flies along at a nice tempo creating beautiful sounds for his audience. He has played with bands live all over the world. This includes  legendary musicians like Doyle Bramhall and Eric Clapton and his spouse Susan Tedeschi in the Tedeschi Trucks Band. His influences came from  Duane Allman and countless others like blues music legends Robert Johnson and Mike Bloomfield. Today this tuning is used by John  Mayer, Joe Bonamassa, and Sheryl Crowe. Bands like Train and Goo Goo Dolls use this tuning on acoustic guitar and electric guitar to make the melody and vocal really dance. It is definitely worth exploring. Open D:  D D F # A D (tune down low to high) Open D Secrets: This is one of the most satisfying keys to play in, write a song in, and sing along with if you enjoy creating a pleasing harmony. Classic songs  like “Suite: Judy Blue Eyes” by Crosby Stills Nash and Young use this tuning. In fact without Stephen Stills acoustic tuned  down to Open D it would lack the support the song needs. Open G:  D G D G B D (tune down low to high) Open G Secrets: This is a key most anyone can grab on to and sing a song in. With the exception of C Major, which is home, this may be the  most comfortable of choices in western music, which makes it a must-know for guitar players all over the country. The droning quality  and sweet tones make us feel good. Also we notice the variation tuning G-G-D-G-B-D was used by Joni Mitchell for Electricity, and For the  Roses, both Hit Songs for her. Altering this tuning slightly to G-D-G-B-D for his five-string guitar, Keith Richards of The Rolling Stones plays his  songs “Start Me Up”, “Honky Tonk Women”, “Brown Sugar” with authority, conviction and a swagger the recalls the early blues master Muddy  Waters, and Father of Rock and Roll, Chuck Berry. Keith made it clear that open tunings freed up his creative spark. Interested in learning more about alternate tunings and other ways to experiment on the guitar? A great guitar teacher can show you all the tricks and tips you need to make your guitar playing come alive! Post Author:  James  W. James W. teaches guitar, singing, and acting  lessons in Jacksonville, FL. He specializes in teaching pop, rock, and modern country styles. James has been teaching for 10 years and joined the TakeLessons in 2010.  Learn more about James  here! Interested in Private Lessons? Search thousands of teachers for local and live, online lessons. Sign up for convenient, affordable private lessons today! Search for Your Teacher Photo  by  the bridge