After you learn how to get into an open tuning, such as Open G Tuning, the next thing to do is: have some fun.
I don’t know about you, but when I tune my guitar differently, something just switches in my brain. This is new and fun and a little bit terrifying!
I hope that the last lesson on getting into open g tuning has helped to cut down the terrifying part. You can check out the whole lesson here, but here’s a quick summary.
- Tune your guitar to (D – G – D – G – B – D)
- Tuned this way strumming the open strings sounds a G Major.
- Chords can be made by barring across all six strings.
- Important chords are the I – IV – V found in the open position, 5th fret and 7th fret.
Keep those few points in mind as you get started to help you focus your efforts now that the entire guitar is re-tuned and may seem a little strange.
Use What You Already Know
If you’ve been following along with BGI, you know that I put a heavy emphasis on knowing the 12 bar blues pattern. In this lesson, we’ll take a look at playing a familiar 12 bar blues sound in a slightly unfamiliar way. This should help you get used to where things happen on the fretboard in open g tuning.
Check out the video and grab the tab to get a quick look at the standard 12 bar blues shuffle in G using open G tuning.
If you need to brush up on your twelve bar blues, check out the course from BGI dedicated to building a solid 12 bar foundation.
How to Get Started Playing the Blues
What’s Next?
Getting into open tunings just begs for a slide doesn’t it? It’s been quite a while since I pulled out a slide for a lesson, it’s time we revisit that, don’t you think?