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Alternate Tuning Guide
Open G Tuning
Listen to MP3 of this tuning

Tuning Tips
  • Start by tuning your sixth string down a tone to D. Check the tuning with the fourth (D) string.
  • Then tune your fifth string down a tone to G. Check the tuning with the third (G) string.
  • Lastly, tune your first string down a tone to D. Check the tuning with the fourth (D) string.

Tab of Songs in This Tuning...

Start Me Up - Classic Rolling Stones riff played in open G tuning. Note that Keith Richards removed the lowest string from his telecaster for this song (and many others), so the tab only includes notation for the top five strings.

Honkytonk Women - More open G tuning from the Rolling Stones. Scroll down to the bottom of the tab to see the proper way to play the song.

Little Green - Joni Mitchell track from her album Blue. Lots of fingerpicking in this one.

Nathan LaFraneer - Another Joni Mitchell song from her self titled 1968 album. More fingerpicking here.

Twice As Hard - From The Black Crowes 1990 album Shake Your Money Maker, this track features quite a few guitars, MOST (but not all) of them in open G tuning.

Other Resources

Chords in Open G - Alan Horvath provides quite a few different usable chord shapes, with diagrams, for use in open G tuning.

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