Open G tuning
 

Hi! I'm working on learning Martin Talstrom's finger-picked version of "The Rose" and a question comes to mind. He capos it on the 4th fret. What then is the key he would be in? To me, it looks like he's using typical G and C finger placements, but I don't know enough to be sure what the key would be. He does have a video on YouTube.
Any thoughts will be appreciated.

Jim

Open G with capo on 4 would be open B: F# B F# B D# F#
G and C chord shapes would be B and E chord sounds.

Hi Jim,
It's in the key of B.

I'm not quite sure what you're referring to when you say 'typical G and C finger placements', so I'll have to make some assumptions to reply.

The song starts on the I chord, of course, with the root of the chord played of the 5th string. When he goes to the V chord he plays the 4th fret of the 6th string which is the major 3rd of the V chord. He then walks it down to the 2nd fret of the 6th string during the IV chord, which is the major 3rd of the IV chord.

When he goes to the VI mi chord his thumb is on the 2nd fret of the 6th string which is the root of that chord, and when he goes to the II min chord the root is on the 2nd fret of the 5th string.

Whatever you do: DON'T LOOK AT OPEN TUNINGS IN TERMS OF WHAT YOU ALREADY KNOW IN STANDARD TUNING. And the sooner you familiarize yourself with Nashville notation, the easier all of this will be.

Once I learned to think in terms of scale numbers for my chords, life got a lot easier when I would do session work for clients who wanted layering in different tunings & capo locations. It made no difference to me what the chord was called on a piano because I know where to find a II min chord in any tuning or capo location I'm using, provided I DO KNOW the actual key I need to be in.

I don't read tablature or standard notation, but I do understand basic music theory.

Martin Tallstrom is a brilliant player, by the way. Beautiful arrangement of a gorgeous song.

Regards,
Howard Emerson

Open G
 

Thank you so much Howard.

I actually thought that it was in B, but when I'd tried to play a "normal" B chord along with the video, it just didn't sound quite right.
Again, thanks. Jim

Hi Jimmy,
Like the lawyers on TV ads say: Prior results are no guarantee of future outcomes.

Forget what you know in standard tuning and just learn what he’s playing.

It’s rather rudimentary, actually. Playing it with feeling, phrasing and dynamics?

THAT’S a different story.

Regards,
Howard