The archive contains posts about special open tuning techniques for guitar.
Are you tired of listening to out of tune guitar chords?
All open tunings are alternate tunings, but the reverse is not true. A guitarist makes an opening tuning when the guitar’s strings get tuned to a chord.
Many guitarists tune by comparing the strings to fretted notes. Others use electric tuners. This roughly brings the guitar into equal temperament. The temperament keeps the number of notes workable, but compromises the sound of the chords while doing so.
However, the guitar does not have to be tuned this way. Many guitarists tune the guitar’s strings to a chord by strumming all of the strings while turning the pegheads. Keith Richards does it this way. Likewise, Hawaiian artists, such as Keola Beamer and Ray Kane, also tune without fret references.
When tuned in this manner, the major third of the chord gets lowered when compared to equal temperament. This makes better sounding major thirds and therefore better tuned chords.
Similarly, Gerhard Kubik described how the Memphis bluesman Wolfman Belfour tuned while holding an open E chord in standard tuning. This yielded an E major chord with a lowered third.
Many guitarists find tuning the strings without fret references challenging. Therefore, in the blogs you will learn how to implement open tunings with harmonics.
Crafting tunings, such as open G and D, with harmonics yields very similar results to how Richards, Belfour, Beamer, and Kane tune. Regardless, either way sounds better than traditional tuning methods.
Moreover, tuning with harmonics trains the ear for what to listen for in a well-tuned chord. Thus, guitarists can switch to Richard’s method of tuning once they have mastered tuning with harmonics.
Some posts in this blog archive also discuss micro tuning synths and Supplemented Equal Temperament.
© 2021 Geoffrey Keith
Back to the Successful Music Student Blogs page
Does your guitar sound out of tune even when the tuner says you’re in tune? Do you have trouble tuning by ear or want to get a better guitar tone? Not all guitar tuners have been created equal. Read more to learn how to use an extremely accurate guitar strobe tuner to make your guitar sound awesome. Estimated reading time 9 minutes.
Can Supplemented Equal Temperament help you coordinate your guitar and synth tunings so they sound good? A wide range of Supplemented Equal Temperament (SET) charts and preexisting EDOs (equal-division-of-the-octave tunings) can fit under the umbrella of SET. This gives you a lot of control over how you tune your guitars, ukuleles, banjos, and synths. This in turn will allow your whole ensemble to sound better in tune. Read more to learn about the flexibility in Supplemented Equal Temperament’s theory. Estimated reading time 5 minutes.
I’m excited to share that I’ve posted my 100th blog article. My goal is to deliver fun, relevant, and insightful content that’s chock-full of soundtracks, vibrant images, and videos. I hope you like what you’ve seen so far. If you have, please visit again. Estimated reading time 5 minutes.
Do you have a hard time getting the authentic sound of bluegrass banjo? How you tune impacts how you sound. Read more to learn how to tune like an authentic bluegrass banjo player. Estimated reading time 4 minutes.
Want the authentic sound that comes with Hawaiian tuning? How you tune impacts the guitar’s sound. Read more to learn how to tune your guitar like a Hawaiian.
Estimated reading time 6 minutes.
Want to get the authentic sound of country blues guitar? Frustrated that your guitar sounds different from your favorite blues artist? The guitar’s tuning impacts the sound. Read more to learn how to tune country blues guitar to achieve an authentic blues sound.
Estimated reading time 7 minutes.
Do you want to know how Alex Lifeson tunes his guitar in the sci-fi rock opera 2112? How does experience with playing the violin or viola impact how guitarists tunes? This space opera may be the only example of a guitarist’s tuning being included as part of the finished product. At the beginning of the section entitled Discovery the hero finds a guitar, then tunes and plays it. Read more to learn about 2112’s guitar tuning.
Estimated reading time 7 minutes.
Do you want your ukulele to sound like the Hawaiian players? How you tune impacts your ukulele’s sound. Read more to learn how to tune your ukulele like a Hawaiian. You will also learn the song “Aloha ‘Oe (Farewell to Thee).” Estimated reading time 6 minutes.
Are you tired of your band sounding out of tune? Can’t get the classic rock sound when jamming with your group? Read more to learn how to jam like a rock star with open E tuning. You will also learn the song “Gimme Shelter.” Estimated reading time 4 minutes.
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. You will also learn the song “Brown Sugar.” Read more to learn how to sound like a rock star with open G tuning. Estimated reading time 3 minutes.