Tuning Outside the Box

The aim of this class is to demystify alternate
guitar tunings by combining hands-on experience
with theoretical analysis and a thorough
understanding of the instrument's history.
'Scordatura' (literally meaning 'mistuning') first
appeared in German violin repertoire in the 1700s.
However, all over the world, instruments were
intuitively tuned to what worked and sounded best.
We will explore a range of commonly used tunings
and understand their strengths and weaknesses. The
tuning we will explore most in depth is DADGAD,
which has become the 'standard of open tunings'
due to its popularity and versatility in playing
in various keys.

a few examples of tunings we'll explore are:
Open D tuning - DADF#AD - probably best known from
Joni Mitchell's "Big Yellow Taxi"

Open G tuning - DGDGBD - known as "Taro Patch"
tuning in the Hawaiian "ki ho`alu" - Slack Key
tradition. Rolling Stones guitarist Keith Richards
uses it in quite a few of their songs, such as
"Start Me Up" and "Brown Sugar".

Open C tuning - CGCGCE - used by Led Zeppelin,
John Butler and Soundgarden.

CGDAEG, an approximation of an all-fifths tuning.
It provides a very interesting range and chord
voicings, but most importantly: once familiar with
this tuning, a guitar player can pick up a
mandolin or bouzouki and not feel lost.