Which alternate tuning should I try next?

[Don W]

Try C (CGCGCE)...just mess around in this tuning...you will love it. Don't know about tutorials but this is a great place to "noodle".

[Bluenose]

I recently discovered an interesting variation of open G, DGDGBD, the variation being CGDGBD. The low open C becomes the bass in the IV chord in a blues in G. Works for slide too. Thanks to Rainer Brunn, the outstanding German fingerpicker for posting a video of an old Clifford Gibson song 'Tired of being Mistreated' in which he uses this tuning.

[Howard Emerson]

Originally Posted by paulzoom

Are there any tabs for that?

I don’t read or write tab.

I teach via demonstration & explanation.

There’s only one of my compositions tabbed. Crossing Crystal Lake on Mel Bay’s Fingerstyle Anthology l, which you can buy on Amazon, I believe.

I suggest you’d get a whole lot more from some lessons.

Regards,
Howard Emerson

[ljguitar]

Originally Posted by Twiddle Dee

…the variation being CGDGBD…

Hi T-Dee

Then you are only two tweaks away from CGCGCD


When you lower the three bass strings and the top string a full step each, the 2nd string (B) moves the ½ step up to C very easily without increasing tension on it.

[Br1ck]

Baby step from Drop D to Double Drop D. Droning the high D gives some nice chord voicing with what would be regular old cowboy chords.

[Bob from Brooklyn]

Originally Posted by Br1ck

Double Drop D

Cinnamon Girl
Copperhead Road

[Rosewood99]

I think I’m going to go with double drop D. I see quite a few songs that I like that have good YouTube tutorials with it. The first two are Fleetwood Mac the chain, and Led Zeppelin going to California. Not to mention Neil Young cinnamon girl. That should keep me busy for a while.

[jpd]

[Gcunplugged]

Double Drop-D
Black Water: https://youtu.be/9r9yihPwDs4

Open G
South City Midnight Lady: https://youtu.be/u71eW-_26oI

[dwasifar]

How about Robert Fripp's "New Standard Tuning"?

[Steve DeRosa]

Gee, I must be missing something here - I've been playing since 1962, never needed alternate tunings, play in those nasty flat keys/rarely use a capo, and like Howard I don't read or write tab...

[4mykey]

Lots of good suggestions here.
My first tunes I learned some 30 years ago:
Led Zeppelin: "Bron-yr-Aur"- CACGCE
"Rain Song" - DGCGCD
There's tons of cool tunings and pieces out there. Just find a piece you love, get the music and or tuning and go for it!

[Howard Emerson]

Originally Posted by Steve DeRosa

Gee, I must be missing something here - I've been playing since 1962, never needed alternate tunings, play in those nasty flat keys/rarely use a capo, and like Howard I don't read or write tab...

Yeah, Steve, but you read standard notation AND you're a real guitar player!

Seriously.

I'd be lost without open tunings, and for as many years as I've been composing almost nobody ever realized I was playing in open tunings because I never approached them from a 'modal' musical point of view.

I just discovered that they allowed my rhythmic side to merge smoothly with my melodic side.

There's no doubt that open tunings can be monotonous sounding place to be when you let the tuning do the driving.

Luckily I do understand a bit of music theory, and coupled with Nashville notation it made studio work (when I was doing it a lot) a pretty doable thing no matter where the capo was or what tuning I was in.

Best,
Howard

[Bluenose]

Originally Posted by ljguitar

Hi T-Dee

Then you are only two tweaks away from CGCGCD


When you lower the three bass strings and the top string a full step each, the 2nd string (B) moves the ½ step up to C very easily without increasing tension on it.

Ok thank you but I want to be clear why I find this particular variation so appealing.

First off I'm an old (66) blues fingerpicker. My first attempt at open tunings was back in the late 60's when I was trying to learn to play Police Dog Blues in open D. I think we can agree that most songs played in open tunings are in the key of that tuning ie. songs in dropped D are usually in D, however; I learned to play Eric Bibb's version of "Going Down Slow" from a video he did in which he played it in the key of A in dropped D tuning. This makes the D the bass for the IV chord instead of the I. Same applies for this variation but your are still playing in G in an open G tuning and the bass for the V chord is available 2 frets up. Ok I hope I haven't confused anyone with this but I don't know how else to describe it. BTW Twiddle Dee was poor choice for a screen name but too late now.

Tom

[TBman]

DGDGBE is interesting. I like to play in CGDGCD (Orkney tuning) and CGDGAD often. El McMeen has a lot of tunes in the latter. Stephen Wake is usually playing in Orkney.