Open to new ideas

January 20, 2010 5:04 PM

Any recommendations for songs played in open guitar tunings?

I've been fiddling around recently in Dm and Em and playing things like skip james but would like to learn more songs in open tunings.

Any and all recommendations welcome but I'm mainly after blues, especially slide pieces, and folk as i usually play acoustic. Any other tunings that you use would also be appreciated.

posted by chelegonian to sports, hobbies, & recreation (17 answers total)

Sonic Youth uses a lot of open tunings. "Schizophrenia" is an oldie of there's that's in a strange open tuning, for example.
posted by kaseijin at 5:29 PM on January 20, 2010

Friends off Led Zeppelin III is in open C6 (C A C G C E) and is a lot of fun to play. It's acoustic, one of their folkier numbers, with a sort of sinister vibe. Can't vouch for the accuracy of that tab, but it'd give you a place to start.

Here it is on YouTube.
posted by evisceratordeath at 5:37 PM on January 20, 2010

Like this? I imagine one could play it pretty well on a 6-string instead of the cigar box.
posted by ctmf at 5:37 PM on January 20, 2010

This is my favorite slide piece right now. It's in open G.
posted by Pecinpah at 6:02 PM on January 20, 2010

Speaking of Zeppelin, "That's the Way" uses an open tuning, if I remember correctly.
posted by greatgefilte at 7:06 PM on January 20, 2010

Jimmy Page used DADGAD tuning a few times as well. Michael Hedges used them...well, just about exclusively.
posted by jquinby at 7:14 PM on January 20, 2010

On the folk side: Richard Thompson, Nick Drake.
posted by holgate at 7:15 PM on January 20, 2010

An open G tuning DGDGBD will get you a number of Rolling Stone tracks, including, "Start Me Up", "Brown Sugar", "Honky Tonk Women", "Happy"(capoed at the 4th fret), "Can't You Hear Me Knocking"
posted by wabbittwax at 7:21 PM on January 20, 2010

She talks to Angels - Black Crowes
posted by i_am_a_Jedi at 7:54 PM on January 20, 2010

Buckets of Rain by Bob Dylan is played in open-D tuning. (capoed at the second fret so it sounds in E)
posted by tdismukes at 7:57 PM on January 20, 2010

Basically everything by Richie Havens.
posted by treblemaker at 11:26 PM on January 20, 2010

The Tallest Man on Earth is a Swede with a great voice who writes beautiful songs (in English), often with open tunings. I can't recommend him highly enough.

Here are some videos of him playing on a snowy Swedish hillside as the sun sets.

Honey Won't You Let Me In
The Gardener
Where Do My Blue Bird Fly
Into the Stream
posted by wemayfreeze at 12:48 AM on January 21, 2010

DoubleDrop D (DADGBD) gets you staged for some Neil Young tunes. Cinnamon Girl being a popular one, and Ohio.
posted by artdrectr at 12:57 AM on January 21, 2010

There are versions of (I think) all the songs from Dylan's Blood on the Tracks that are recorded in open tuning. This page will get you started.
posted by primer_dimer at 2:07 AM on January 21, 2010

Roy Harper. Brilliant.
posted by supremefiction at 6:22 AM on January 21, 2010

House Carpenter as arranged by Buffy Sainte-Marie?
posted by aqsakal at 6:41 AM on January 21, 2010

Thanks for all the good suggestions this should give me plenty to work on
posted by chelegonian at 4:38 AM on January 24, 2010