The Open-D Tuning Guitar Spot

Frustrated guitarists. How many there are. How many I’ve met, and played with. How many I’ve taught.

It’s a shame. That most wonderful instrument of all, the guitar. The most common instrument in our culture. The one you can sling over your shoulder without a case. The one that can be strummed with your thumb, picked with a bread tab or a dime, finger picked (with finger picks – or not). The one that can be played as quiet as a mouse or as loud as a jumbo jet. The one that can sing, whine, roar, or tinkle. The one that can be chorded and melodied at the same time. The one so many get frustrated with and leave in the case.

It’s a shame. It happens too much. My belief is that it happens too much for the wrong reasons. Too many lovers of guitar give up before they really give learning guitar a fair shake. The complication at the outset often stems from the maddening complexity (or so it feels) of the guitar and its standard tuning. Those without excellent manual dexterity and aptitude are behind the eightball immediately. Ditto those with the proverbial "tin ear", as the mechanics of standard tuning are not visually friendly. Personally, I had the ears, if not the hands; but I was very put off by an ongoing lack of progress. I was close to giving it up.

But I found a way to play guitar.

Evenutally, I got good enough to go onstage with it. I even got good enough to front a band with it. I got good enough on guitar to show others how to play. But what a journey it was and continues to be. Open-D tuning turned around a decade-plus long guitar losing streak.

My first exposure to guitar was when I was about eight years old. My older brother pestered our parents into submission; he talked them into getting him an acoustic guitar, with no case, and he used a bread tab to play it.

He stunk.

In fact, he got nowhere with it. So I gave it a try.

I stunk too, worse than my brother.

I persisted, though, and made maddeningly slow progress, to the point where I learned about five chords. I figured out about three pages of our EZ Book of Guitar. I was in my teens by now. The learning curve was, admittedly, a bit slow.

By my late teens, I had developed, surprisingly, a somewhat accomplished musical background, having played horns (trumpet, trombone and baritone) through elementary and high school. A chance to play in a paying situation steered me towards bass guitar. I picked that up reasonably easily. I got the paying gig.

Still, success on guitar, my first love and ambition, evaded me. By my twenties, I had barely progressed beyond those five chords and three pages. But, I thought to myself, how can this be? Here I am, a horn player, bassist, even a passable vocalist, and I can’t get anywhere with the world’s most popular instrument (and the one that gets the chicks!). I was determined to make this happen. So I started reading and researching, mostly guitar magazines. I discovered in every one, in every issue, they brought up the topic of alternate tuning, in some form or other. I was intrigued. I had a vague knowledge this existed, but never paid it any mind, thinking, if anything, it would make learning guitar even harder. After all, the EZ Guitar Method never mentioned it. But here it was, and what an impressive list of names was being bandied about – Jimmy Page, Ry Cooder, Joni Mitchell, Elmore James, Bo Diddley, Muddy Waters, Robert Johnson. This alternate tuning thing seemed to reach back a ways. I became even more intrigued.

Several tunings caught my interest. I began to experiment with them. Right off the bat, it became clear that some tunings definitely made the guitar sound more… musical, at first strum, anyway. That is, those open tunings seemed to ring nicely. Reading and re-tuning, reading and re-tuning, I got to know a few of these alternate tunings (though I still could play hardly anything). The one that was easiest, I concluded, was open-D. Finally, I felt, I found I way I could actually learn to play guitar. The transition from standard tuning E A D G B E, was easy enough, to D A D F# A D. Playing chords suddenly became easier. Gone were the multiple finger positions I’d been struggling with, on just the simplest bottom position chords. Here was a major chord I could play, up and down the neck of my guitar, with just one finger. I went to work on open-D tuning with renewed vigor.

Take the following examples, as a preliminary exercise: An E chord in standard tuning, at the bottom of the neck, requires your first, second and third fingers on the A string (2nd fret, 2nd finger), D string (2nd fret, 3rd finger) and G string (1st fret, 1st finger) to create the chord. In effect, you are “tightening up” those three strings to raise the pitch to match the remaining open strings, E (low), B, and E (high). Contrast this with open-D tuning. To get the same E chord, you place one finger on the second fret, across all six strings. You’ve just “tightened up” all six strings, with a single finger, to create exactly the same chord. Index finger is generally recommended, at least at first – the same finger you use to create barre chords in standard tuning. Now, you’re creating usable chords with only your index finger. Manipulations from this basic starting point become as simple as adding a finger (or fingers) onto any adjacent fret to create a new chord. For example, on that newly created E chord with one finger, add your 2nd finger onto the next (3rd in this example) fret of the high A string. You’ve just created and E augmented (E+). Change that to your 3rd finger on the next (4th) fret, and you’ve created an E sixth (E6).

I get asked many times, by prospective students and fellow teachers alike – what about the re-tuning process? The fact is it is a relatively simple transition. Two of the strings in standard tuning stay the same – A and D. The rest is a matter of slackening the other four strings to create the D major chord. Any guitar player who has experimented with drop-D tuning D A D G B E, will be almost half way there. Tuning the guitar to itself in open-D is actually simpler, in that you hear the major chord as you tune your guitar – the duplication of strings (three Ds, two As) is a benefit in the tuning process. The slight wildcard is the G to F# move – but this is only a semi-tone and quite readily accomplished.

Technically oriented issues might include guitar performance – intonation and so forth – as a result of the slackened tuning. I personally never noticed any issues, electric or acoustic. Very recently, however, a reputable repairman suggested a re-set on my electric intonation if I was staying in open-D. I had that done, but honestly didn’t notice a difference.

Obviously, there is no really good fast track, guaranteed to be the answer to all your guitar playing prayers. To play guitar is to aspire, and to be inspired. My personal experience was one of perseverence, and it will likely be anyone's who want to get somewhere on guitar. In any tuning.

I didn’t get “good” at guitar overnight. The transition to open-D is no magic pill, or substitute for regular and diligent practice. I don’t think I’m that “good” a guitar player to this day. But – I got good enough to play guitar. Isn’t that what a lot of people want? Not to be a wizard, or a star, or a god. Just to be able to play some guitar.

That’s what I got out of open-D tuning. The fact that I could play anything at all was the confidence boost that kept me going, to a greater degree of competence. The “getting going” part is what I’m convinced frustrates so many aspiring guitarists. Age, by the way, is irrelevant. I’ve had students of all ages who would just love to “get going” on guitar. I found a way to do it, even after being frustrated.

http://www.easierguitar.com

So say the many who have taken advantage of my new free service at Guitar-eze. You give me the particulars, I give you feedback, on how you might approach guitar. Whether you're a beginniner, frustrated novice, frustrated guitarist - period, intermediate, advanced, singer, teacher, it's a good way to a get an unbiased handle on how you might improve or at least change your approach. Sure, I may sell a book or two from this, but I think it's a guitar service unique in its scope.

I've had frustrated beginners, people looking to "get back into" guitar, parents looking for a way to get their kids playing guitar.

Lucky for me (and them) that Guitar-eze is so versatile, and therefore, so plausible a course of action for so many guitar enthusiasts. Makes no difference what the skill level or background - if traditional guitar systems have posed a problem or stumbling block for the aspiring guitarist, you almost owe it to yourself to give an alternative (as in alternative tuning - open-D) a try.

As far as musical styles in open-D, as many have asked, there are virtually no limits. Anything goes in Guitar-eze aka open-D tuning. Lord knows I've made use of it in rock'n'roll, blues (especially slide), country, classic rock, hard rock, polka, ska, reggae, and on it goes.

Be interested to hear from some guitar teachers seeking guitar teaching aids. I cannot think of a more useful one than exposing a student to another, perfectly viable, guitar path than an open tuning, any open tuning, but open-D for sure. What an eye-opener it can be.

Give the free guitar evaluation a try - or tell a friend who's thinking about playing guitar, or improving on guitar.


http://www.easierguitar.com

My repertoire of songs is 300+ and they are all played in open-D tuning. I've played this way (almost) exclusively for over 20 years.

Virtual ineptitude on guitar led me to where I eventually got. As with most good things in life, it happened largely by chance.

A perpetual neophyte on guitar, I had switched to horns and then bass from my pre-teen years through to my early twenties, always with an eye to the axe sitting, unused, in the corner of the rec room.

Playing bass in a band around 1984, I was advised by the guitarist that he couldn't duplicate the solo in the Stones' Hang Fire, because the guitars were tuned differently. To that point I only had a vague knowledge that guitars could be tuned differently.

Out came the guitar magazines. Sure enough, Keith Richards did play in alternate tunings - a lot. Thus I came along an article describing how he had been experimenting open-D tuning, acoustic guitars and cassette tape recorders, around 1968. Legend had it that this was how Jumpin' Jack Flash born, and Street Fighting Man.

Open-D tuning?

A re-tune of the guitar in the corner was in order. I found it (it wasn't that difficult, being that the D and A string stay right where they are). I strummed it.

The lightbulb, as they say, came on.

I had been strumming in standard tuning for long enough. But to strum this way - pow! There was the opening chord of Street Fighting Man! A two finger manipulation (I got the wrong one at first, but I learned) and pow! There was the progression - that classic Stones I-IV progression.

From there, rather than a lightbulb coming on, it was more like a series of Christmas minilights, igniting one after the other. An E chord played with one finger. A G chord played with one finger. An A chord played with one finger (whoa! A to open D - there's another I-IV). So on, and so forth, until I hit that B with one finger. Boy, did that sound familiar. More fritzing, then bang! B, E, A, one after another, all on one finger - there it was, Jumpin Jack Flash (sounding its best with guitar slung around knee-level). It was only hop and a skip from there to discover the only real way to play Elmore James' one riff on slide (Dust My Broom et al); and from there to Bo Diddley's chop in just about any key you like.

I felt like I had just discovered the cure for the common cold. Why wasn't this information plastered on billboards across the nation?

This all happened while I was in my early twenties. It took a few more years before my confidence and chops built to the point where I could take any of it on stage. Keith Richards, for his part, never played JJF the same way again, having subsequently switched to open-G as his alternate tuning of choice. But for this aspiring guitarist, let's just say I was hooked - on open-D tuning, hook, line and sinker.

As for the 300 songs - we'll talk, I'm sure.



http://www.easierguitar.com

My site, Guitar-eze, has got a new service up and running. It's a free evaluation for any guitar loving visitor. If you're considering buying my book package (including CD-ROM and Chord Book), but want to check your compatibility/the system's usefulness, I encourage potential buyers to fill in a form telling me a bit about their guitar situation - whether or not they play yet, acoustic or electric guitar, styles they are interested in, etc. From there, I reply with a personalized recommendation, based on what they supply me.

If Guitar-eze is a fit, I tell them. If not, then not. No hard feelings.

I think it's a cool thing. Gets people thinking about where they are really at. It also helps identify players from newbies, singers from teachers. All of these niches I think are great potential targets for a guitar system that is different, versatile, unique and most of all, easier. Traffic to the site is steady and growing, so I hope people use this service while it's on and available. If traffic gets too heavy, I may have to restrict the evaluation to only purchasing customers as a value-added service. We'll see how it goes, but for now, it's open to everyone.

I'm looking forward to the response. It's great to learn about people and their interest in the guitar. I love offering up opinions and advice too, so the fit is perfect!

Check out my site Guitar-eze, the Easier Way to Learn to Play Guitar .

Vocalists need accompaniment – it’s a fact. Acapella is fine – to a point. Accompanists are great too – when you have one handy. For those times when a chord or note is needed, there’s no handier instrument than guitar. After all, you can’t sling a piano over your shoulder on a strap. Guitar accompaniment for a singer need not be a daunting task, either. Too many have given up the prospect of self accompaniment on guitar because the start-up phase – the critical one which builds self-confidence – was too difficult. In sets frustration, due to slow progress, and ultimately, defeat. The shiny new guitar sits on the stand or lies in the case, untouched.

Those who find success are those who may be more technically dexterous or adept. Those initial hand and finger positions are crucial to success on guitar. For singers more challenged in this area, or for those looking to expand their horizons, there is an alternative –as in, alternative tunings for that under-utilized guitar.

Long before I learned to warble, I yearned to play guitar, with little success. Strumming wasn’t the problem. Fingering was. There were too many to remember. Too many to master. Guitar seemed out of reach. To my surprise, I discovered, with a little research, that guitars could be tuned different ways. I made the connection that perhaps it was the tuning of the guitar that was holding me back. A simpler tuning may just provide the breakthrough for an aspiring guitarist.

After much experimentation, I found one tuning to be most useful. Open-D is a simple alteration of standard guitar tuning:

Standard guitar tuning (low to high strings) - E A D G B E

Open D guitar tuning (low to high strings) - D A D F# A D

Notice that two of the strings on your guitar stay the same (A and D). That’s your starting point for the switch. The rest become a matter of adjusting the other four strings lower, to become a D major chord. From there, let the strumming begin.

Notice that now the four highest strings represent at D-major triad (with an octave for a nice complete arpeggio). That chord can be transposed up the neck of your guitar with a single finger (index finger recommended but some people feel their middle finger is stronger). This is the backbone of open-D guitar playing. It’s also the major simplification. There are now, for major chords, no fingerings to memorize, no technique to learn, no acclimatizing fingers to various curves and stretches. Your training, at the outset, is getting one finger to press straight against as many or few guitar strings as is comfortable. It doesn’t get any easier than that, anywhere in the guitar world.

Now the versatility of open-D guitar tuning should start to become apparent. Changes to that basic major chord are just another finger away, on any string. You can create new chords through sheer experimentation, although I have written a fairly comprehensive Chord Book which goes along with my method book Guitar-eze – A Simpler Way to Approach to Playing the Guitar. Chords can be built off that one-finger starting point, limited only by your imagination. With the repeating strings (in open-D, you have three Ds and two As to work with) many different chord textures and sounds can be created with just a simple string shift of one finger. The big bonus is that you can see the changes you’re creating. Knowing that each fret on your guitar represents a semi-tone, you’ll now “see” how the shift of one finger on a particular fret creates that new chord . Augment, suspend, major sixth, etc., to your heart’s delight.

For composing, I find that open-D tuned guitar is even more useful than a piano (and a little more portable, for those sunny days out in a meadow or down by the seaside). Truly a versatile way to play guitar, and far simpler, especially at the outset. For vocalists, it might just be the guitar breakthrough they’ve been dreaming of. Get that guitar out the case, re-tune it to open-D and get strummin’.


website http://www.easierguitar.com .

Yay! People seem to be finding http://www.easierguitar.com ...

I've written a few new articles I hope to post on some sites and here as well. One is on tuning and re-tuning to and from open-D and within open-D. It's really quite simple, I point out. Also finished off a dandy little short article on the merits of vocalists trying it out even if they've failed on guitar in the past.

Let's face it, if you even have just a bare-bones rudimentary understanding of the rudiments, open-D, as outlined in Guitar-eze, is a breeze to understand. The chords structures are right in your face. You're playing many of them with one finger! It's a beautiful thing.

Not to say limited either. Up and down the neck of your guitar, there are inversions and voicings you never dreamed possible and would likely never find on standard guitar tuning E A D G B E. Never. Seriously.

Once again I was the only open-D'er at the jam on Sunday - played a little Chicago-style slide, in the best possible tuning for Chicago slide. This coming Sunday, Dusty is joining us. Wonder if he does any alternate tuning stuff? Click the Katz site to see what's what with the band.

In response to many inquiries (mostly from myself), I offer this quick guide on how to run an unsuccessful jam, guaranteed to fold after 2-3 weeks:

• make sure you get the nod from a bar owner who is totally disinterested in live music;
• always short-sell the band especially on fee; this ensures the bar has nothing much to lose in canning you; plus other bands can get ripped off in future;
• leave it absolutely vague that you expect the bar to contribute in any way, including promotion, creation of awareness, enthusiasm of any type or level; incentive to encourage attendance;
• be sure to give priority to your friends when it comes to jammers getting on stage;
• be suspicious of any new or unfamiliar jammers;
• ignore your audience whose drink/food purchases are paying your fee;
• play good and LOUD from the very start;
• make sure vocals are inaudible;
• use a crappy PA whenever you can;
• large guitar amplifiers are best for driving people out of the room;
• be surly to all bar staff and management;
• extra long breaks work best at minimizing interest and clearing out a room;
• a long first set by the host act followed by a long break always helps dissuade jammers;
• smoking dope during breaks ensures questionable quality of performance afterward;
• lots of alcohol intake will translate to interesting performances also;
• be sure to stick to the narrow confines of one style of music only;
• play LOTS of long, slowwww songs;
• host players always take the longest solos;
• when a jammer is really good, cut them off quickly before they get too much attention or applause;
• on a slower night (like say week 2) quit nice and early but ask for the same lousy money;
• complain about the bar owner a lot, both to band members and anyone else;
• play the same material every week;
• repeat songs whenever necessary (as in "often");
• try not to look like you're having a good time;

These points should crash your jam pretty quick. Please let me know any other tricks of the trade you've used to kill off a jam in the past.

Oh yeah, play in open D tuning a lot http://www.easierguitar.com . This won't kill your jam but it's fun to do.

Oh year, too, want to see a great jam run by a great band - come to Place Concorde (Windsor, Ontario, Canada) Sundays 4-8 pm.

That's right, not just another pretty face with a guitar website - also a workin' musician. The Katz head into jam #20 tomorrow at Oasis in Place Concorde (Windsor, Ontario, Canada). We JumpKatz host the thing and what a blast it's been since last fall, and going strong. Every week features a different guest who wails with us - tomorrow it's vocalist Kim Atherton.

You wanna see open-D guitar (Guitar-eze, as it's known) in action all afternoon, that's where I'll be.

It's s'posed to be a blues jam, but lord knows we stretch the limits a titch (or two). With a 300 song repertoire, 12-bar alone would be a little confining. But we have lots of great players (blues and otherwise) show up every week, so it's never a dull moment. Last week positively rocked with Brian Smith on harp and vox, Dave Williams on keys, Dave Whitehead (Keef Riffhard), oh man, some of the combos up there were hot. Also lots of sax players tend to show up so if you're a lover of horns come on out. I always get to throw in a little slide guitar which is fun even though I hold the guitar a bit too low to really be effective.

The week before (Superbowl Sunday) was extra-neat because guest Tom Lockwood and I both brought National Steel acoustics for some howlin' acoustic slide guitar. Tom specially tuned down to open-F for me so I could sing easier... What a night that was, football and all.

One of them has to be "A" - partially because it nicely suits my (oh so limited) singing range. What a happy coincidence!

But reality is, "A" (major or minor for that matter) is a beautiful thing in open-D.

For one thing, if you're soloing on electric guitar, it is a nice zone for the fingers - not cramped like up at fret 12, and not ringing all over the place like on the lower end. But, if your tune has anything resembling a major 4th (the IV as I call it), hint-hint a 12-bar blues, hello! You are at D - as in open-D. That means you can take your finger off the barre and riff away at fret seven with all those open-D strings ringing right along with you - a cool effect. People are always telling me they hear harmonics coming out of my playing, that, believe me, just seem to happen. Only recently have I (a) tried to control or mute them and/or (b) noticed them at all as I play. But they simply happen and they are amazing.

Come to think of it, that D being the IV in the key of "A" can also be played on fret 12 - here you can tell if your axe is in tune with itself (3 Ds especially but also the 2 as) as well as your intonation. But hold a couple strings on fret 12 and let the open ones ring and again! Harmonics and overtones out the wazoo!

People on the site www.easierguitar.com have e-mailed about slide an open-D or Guitar-eze as it's called. Topic for another post while I gather my thoughts...

Here's a little something I'm looking to submit wherever I can...



I’m on a mission. To convert.

To convert guitar players and aspiring guitar players to open-D. It’s the tuning so important to guitar in the last number of decades, but too often, so overlooked by the mainstream. Standard tuning has a stranglehold on the business of learning guitar. The reason, to me, remains unclear.

As a starting point, an open tuning is clearly the logical choice. What easier way to begin to play guitar, but with an open, major chord? How much more confidence could an aspiring guitarist (of any age, but more on that later) need than to be able to play a nice sounding chord without putting finger to fret? That’s what you get when you start with an open tuning.

My personal story went like this. Frustrated novice guitar player (“novice” for years on end!). Gets nowhere with guitar for years. Does research (i.e. reads guitar magazines). Realizes many of the greats played in alternate tunings (K. Richard, J. Mitchell, E. James, R. Johnson, R. Cooder, J. Page, etc, etc.). Re-tunes guitar until he finds one that works – open-D. Presto! Light bulb comes on, a better guitar player is hatched.
Open tunings are mentioned, frequently enough, in magazines articles, transcriptions, books and the like. But very seldom or never have I seen an outright promotion of their use as a stand-alone approach to guitar (my god, even Keith switches to standard tuning every now and again!). And open-D, the most logical of all starting points, is rarely mentioned at all. I have yet, in 20+ years of public performance, have anyone come up to me and say – “How about that – you play just like I do, in open-D”. People do come up, but the comments are almost always, “You sure use some funny chord positions” or “Are you playing in a different tuning”. Amazingly, many guitar players associate “open tuning” with “more difficult”. Nothing could be further from the truth. Sure, to make the transition from standard tuning is a bit of a learning curve, but once you’re there, POW! You’ll never want to play any other way (although just adding proficiency on an open tuning to your standard tuning is a giant leap).

Which brings us back to beginners. No matter what the age, a beginner, whether 6 or 60 years old will find open-D an easier way to start playing guitar. It is so obvious. Focus on the strum without any fingers on the fretboard, and then work your way up to one finger on the fretboard (the basic major chord in open-D is just one finger). What a way to develop early confidence. The truth is, and I am living proof, you would never have to make the flip to standard tuning. But if you wanted to, it’s just small tweak up to standard – sort of drop-D tuning with three other minor adjustments back and forth, to and from standard E A D G B E, to D A D F# D.

One question that arises – why open-D, then, of all the potential starting points? The absolute simplest choice may be, for easier understanding of theory, keys and harmony might be open-C C G C E G C, but that gets a tad floppy sounding, as the guitar strings are so slackened. Going the other way to open-E E B E G# B E might be going too far the other way, though it’s used. Open-D seems the perfect choice! For singers wanting to accompany themselves, of course, it becomes an issue of vocal range tied to the guitar tuning. A capo may be in order.

I’m such a fervent believer in open-D, I’ve written a book – Guitar-eze A Simpler Approach to Playing Guitar, with a companion Chord Book, as well as a website http://www.easierguitar.com/ and a blog http://open-d.blogspot.com/ dedicated to helping guitarists and aspiring guitarists see the light. Who knows? Maybe some day open-D will be known as “standard tuning”.

Here it is:

D A D F# A D

I believe it's the easiest way to play guitar and possibly the most versatile and effective. So much so that I started a blog to talk about it and a website to sell a book about it.

I play guitar in open-D almost exclusively. I can strum some in standard tuning. I also use open-G, open-F, and a little DADGAD all of which evolved out of that most versatile of guitar tunings - open-D.

The site is called Guitar-eze and can be found at http://www.easierguitar.com

The world seems quite wrongly entrenched in standard guitar tuning so here is my little attempt to set it straight - all guitars should start by tuning to open-D - D A D F# A D. Lord, would there be more happy guitar players out there if we all just made the switch! lol.

More on that as we move along. Love to hear your thoughts, especially players.