A Journey Into Open and Altered Tunings

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VikingBlues
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A Journey Into Open and Altered Tunings

Post by VikingBlues »

Maybe some commentary, thoughts, and soundclips as I progress on a new journey might be of interest / use to others?? :icon_whoknows:

Though my starting point on this journey is not at a blues based tuning I do see Gsus4 crops up later in the lessons - and I believe from what the book I'm following says, suspended 4th tunings are great blues tunings. So it'll maybe have some relevance to those who are 100% blues. :fingerscrossed:

When I introduced myself on an acoustic guitar forum at the beginning of January (seems a long time ago) discussion moved on to altered tunings, and in particular to Martin Simpson. Having listened to him quite a lot I really was very, very impressed. I then found a link on line and a week ago I received a copy of Martin Simpsons tutorial book and DVD on the subject. I listened to the section on Open D that night, and Open G the next day. I retuned the guitar and have started playing around in open G. After a couple of days I put the microphone on to capture what was going on as a reference point in the future and for a post playing evaluation - not so easy to be listening critically while playing - it's a different part of the brain. I've linked that recording a bit later in this post.

My impression so far is that Martin Simpson is covering some fairly basic principles (thankfully!) but in a very musical way. I found myself having the feeling I was on the edge of discoveries when I listened to his lessons - usually that's a sign I'll connect with a teacher and their methods. :cool:

I like the way he's drawn attention as to how useful the three adjacent strings (2nd, 3rd and 4th) are for harmonised elements of the major scale. Also the way he highlighted the use of the pairs of strings. Plus the potential use of bass notes.

I've used open G a bit in the past - but mainly just for slide and just on electric. When playing fretted notes in open G I've tended to get too Keef Richards. But that was in the past on electric .... but not now with the acoustic. I like the musical sounds and resonances I'm getting. The link to that recording I mentioned is below - I was just trying things out so it was not planned, smooth or mistake free. And I'm still tending to lose concentration due to listening to the tones from this TW73. Looking forward to exploring this all lots more - the way open tunings bring an acoustic guitar so much more to life is incredible! :eye_rub: .

:music1: http://soundclick.com/share.cfm?id=12703104

There are also a few transcriptions at the end of the instruction book. One of them is in Open G - which I had a go at today - "O Jerusalem".

:music1: http://soundclick.com/share.cfm?id=12704874

Hope this may be of interest - if so I'll try and keep the thread going, particularly if there's any bluesy connections. I intend to wrestle with each tuning for a while before moving on to the next. I'm enjoying this journey enormously so far.

If anyone has any special moves or tips on things that work well with Open G I'd be very keen to hear about them. :D
An improv a day keeps the demons at bay!
MichaelRobinson
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Re: A Journey Into Open and Altered Tunings

Post by MichaelRobinson »

I do not understand how you can keep track of all the fingers and strings. That sounds good. Keep it up. :clap: :thumbsup: :thumbsup:
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12bar
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Re: A Journey Into Open and Altered Tunings

Post by 12bar »

Sounds very "folk"-ish and not easy to play! :clap:
Keep on!
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VikingBlues
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Re: A Journey Into Open and Altered Tunings

Post by VikingBlues »

MichaelRobinson wrote:I do not understand how you can keep track of all the fingers and strings. That sounds good. Keep it up. :clap: :thumbsup: :thumbsup:
I'm not sure I can keep track of them Michael! :whistle:

The great thing is if you play the right fretted notes it doesn't matter too much which open strings you hit as they'll work OK together.
bellogi wrote:@ Gsus4...
Suspended notes! Mostly used are sus2 and sus4 chords, incidently, you may notice how it's easy to use with triads patterns drawn on the 3 middle strings :D
You certainly remember Old Love subtle use of Gsus4 as we come from Dm7... :D
I like the way he's drawn attention as to how useful the three adjacent strings (2nd, 3rd and 4th) are for harmonised elements of the major scale. Also the way he highlighted the use of the pairs of strings. Plus the potential use of bass notes
IMMO this is exactly the same with standard tuning, hopefully this also works with any group of 3 strings (notes) adjascent or not... :cool:

bellogi
I'm looking forward to getting to a bluesy element in this journey, but I also have to admit I'm enjoying the folksy type of music very enjoyable indeed. If I'd been told three months ago I'd be playing these things I'd have not believed a word of it.

Agreed about the three adjacent strings on standard tuning ... but ... what I find great about these open tunings is the way those three adjacent strings seem to fit in a much more understandable way to me with the other strings around them - due I think to the doubling of octave apart notes on different strings. Above all it's the way the resonances are enhanced. What is also great is I'm very ignorant of theory and find it very difficult to understand - what I'm looking at now I can understand how to apply the principles in a musical way while not actually needing to properly understand the theory. :cool:
12bar wrote:Sounds very "folk"-ish and not easy to play! :clap:
Keep on!
Thank you! :thumbsup: I really will try to keep on - the high enjoyment level at the moment is helpful - I'm :fingerscrossed: that that continues.

Also currently trying a bit of open G slide but bringing in one or two of the features I've been getting to grips with playing without slide. Maybe a bit of slide blues will result.
An improv a day keeps the demons at bay!
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VikingBlues
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Re: A Journey Into Open and Altered Tunings

Post by VikingBlues »

So a weeks gone by since I recorded my "First Steps in Open G" soundclip that started this thread.

Been playing around with the Open G a fair bit since then. I'm finding the harmonised major scale shapes on strings 2,3 and 4 very pleasing. Now I'll agree that those shapes exist on those three strings in standard tuning .....

..... BUT ..... it's so much more difficult in standard tuning to makes sense of what notes will fit in on the other strings. Chord shapes and relationships which vary across the fretboard come into play in standard tuning and confuse my poor old tired brain.

In this open tuning those paired up strings makes things simpler - the 5th to go with the third, the 1st (and 6th) to go with the 4th. It certainly makes improv so much more feasible for someone with my limited technical/theoretical knowledge. The fact that it's easier to know which notes fit is great - the extra resonances with the doubled up notes and open string harmonies is pure gravy. :drool: I can see the potential for putting some planned pieces together too - if I can be disciplined enough.

I really like Martin Simpsons ability to simplify and get to the musical essence. Also the way he gives you a broad and simple set of guidelines and lets you get up and running yourself is great. I've looked at open tunings a fair few times in the past and never found teaching that I could connect with so quickly and effectively. Great players are often bad teachers but I'm reckoning Mr S is a master of both. :cool: Most open tunings lessons I've seen in the past seem to concentrate on how to play standard chords in that tuning - which seems to me to mean you lose out on a huge amount of what makes an open tuning different and special.

So by way of a progress report here's a soundclip. More melodic lines work than in my effort of a week ago. Bit scrappy in places but I was making it up as I went along, and hadn't had a great nights sleep!

:music1: http://soundclick.com/share.cfm?id=12708905

Think I'll probably work through these various tunings with a fairly short time on each at first. I can then go back and do more work on the ones that seem most promising. Open C is next and Gsus4 is not far behind that (the bluesy edge from that one intrigues me). Till later ....
An improv a day keeps the demons at bay!
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