Estimated reading time 3 minutes
Table of Contents
Introduction
Do you want to capture the sound of 70s rock guitar? Amp settings, effects, pickups, and strings all play a role in crafting your guitar sound. Nevertheless, the tuning you choose remains an important factor in your guitar sound that you might have overlooked. Keith Richards tunes his guitars without holding down any frets as tuning references. Of open tunings, he says, “I found you can get the most amazing chords that you cannot get in a regular tuning.” Read more to learn how to sound like a rock star with open G tuning.
The last intonation post showed how fined-tuned open G sounds in an 80s style. This post looks at 70s style rock. The guitar riff in tracks 1 and 3 incorporates elements from the Rolling Stone’s style. However, the riff sounds similar to the style of other 70s bands like The Allman Brothers Band, The Eagles, and Pat Metheny Group. The video below shows how to play “Brown Sugar.”
This article uses technical musical terms. For definitions, see the Glossary at the end of the post.
It takes a moment for the sound to start on the 70s Rock Riff track, so please be patient.
70s Rock Riff (lead and rhythm):
Tuning Open G Using Harmonics
Mobile users: for best results reading the music, tilt your screen 90o to the right.
Tune the 5th string using this track:
Before you can sound like a rock star in open G tuning, you’ll need to tune up. Start by tuning the 5th string (the 2nd thickest string) to the tuning track. Then, use the tab as a guide for tuning the strings using harmonics.
Want more specifics where I talk about tuning open G in more detail? Read:
Tab also gets explained at the same time.
How to Sound Like a Rock Star with Open G Tuning: 70s Rock Riff
70s Rock Riff Part I
70s Rock Riff Part II
70s Rock Riff (lead and rhythm):
The riff in track 3 has two sections: Parts I and II. Also, the track ends with an open G chord.
In part I, the open G chord and the C chord barred at the 5th fret have the ideal tuning. In theory, each chord has a major third tuned to 386 cents and a perfect fifth tuned to 702 cents. This means the chord is tuned using just intervals, which happens when harmonics get tuned beatless.
Alternately, the open C chord and the F barre chord do not have the ideal tuning. In theory, each chord has a major third tuned to 416 cents and a perfect fifth tuned to 716 cents. These chords work best when played quickly. This can be heard in the Rolling Stones song “Brown Sugar” (below). It demonstrates how you can use chords to sound like a rock star in open G tuning. Try it out! It is fun to play when open G has been fine-tuned with harmonics.
This sort of chord coloration is typical of open G tuning when it has been fine-tuned with harmonics. It creates an effect similar to the key coloration found in the historical well temperaments.
This is why you need to listen carefully when writing in fine-tuned open G, because some chords sound better than others. You should always spend more time on the chords with the ideal tuning and play quickly through the less ideal chords.
Brown Sugar Video
Soloing and How to Sound Like a Rock Star with Open G Tuning
Strings 2, 3, and 4 are tuned like standard tuning, so start with soloing on that part of the neck. In fact, I did just that in the lead part on the 70s Rock Riff track. When you feel secure in that area of the neck, you can expand to the other strings.
Listen to the last chord in track 3 and then on track 4. You can hear beating on the last note of track 3, but not in the last chord on track 4. My note choice for the end of the lead part resulted in the beating partials.
The last note of the lead part lands on the G on the 4th string/7th fret. The 4th string tuning sounds about 2 cents higher than the open G notes in the rhythm guitar part. If I had played the open 3rd string G, there would have been no beating when played with the rhythm guitar.
This just goes to show that you need to be careful when soloing over the fine-tuned open G tuning. As it stands, the tuning error sounds no worse than equal temperament. (The guitar gets tuned to equal temperament when you tune using frets.)
Conversely, if I had played the final note on the 2nd string, the beating would have been much worse. Once again, always listen carefully when soloing in fine-tuned open G. Alternately, if you solo using a slide, you can lock in the notes of the solo with the tuning of the rhythm guitar part. Using the slide is another way you can get the rock star sound within open G tuning.
D Minor Pentatonic
70s Rock Riff (rhythm):
Concluding Thoughts on How to Sound Like a Rock Star with Open G Tuning
This tuning does not exist only in intonation music theory books. Actual rock guitarists have shaped their guitar sound by using alternate tunings. Once you fine-tune the guitar using harmonics, you are well on the way to sounding like a rock star with open G tuning.
Related Posts
- How to Tune Like a Rock Star
- Play Like a Rock Star with Open G Tuning
- Jam Like a Rock Star with Open E Tuning
- How to Tune the Classic Rock Open G Sound Using Harmonics
- How to Tune the Blues Rock Open D Sound Using Harmonics
- Learn How to Get a Killer Sound for Your Band
- Intonation and Supplemented Equal Temperament
© 2021 Geoffrey Keith
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