Open G , electric, if you could give one tip and one tip only....

robgilmo

to someone just starting out in open G on an electric, what would it be? Or two tips if you must.

tone1

Jack Daniels, Bandana & Capo 4th

edit... oh and a Telecaster and ditch the low e

robgilmo

Got the Tele, got Jamesons, dont have any bandanas , trying a glass slide with varying results. I really need to work on my muting though, especially when using the slide.

sticker

I was about to say “palm muting” but you appear to have figured that out!

Lewy

If limited to one tip only .... if you play the exact same fingering as you would to play an open position C chord if you were tuned to standard, you get a seriously gutsy C7 chord (just play the middle four strings).

If allowed a second tip, definitely DON’T ditch the 6th string! It’s extremely useful having a big fat sounding V available to you there.

TheBlueWolf

+1 for muting  

Lewy

Muting is important, but don’t mute the crap out of everything. A lot of the beauty of open tunings - especially with slide - comes from the sound of strings ringing sympathetically with notes from the key. Learn to move your slide vertically across the strings as well as horizontally along them so it’s not always laying across strings you’re not playing (this giving you more muting workload and killing all the sympathetic vibes). Example...if you’re sliding on the second string, just have the tip of your slide touching strings 2 & 1, and then you can have strings 6-3 ringing openly for lots of lovely cooderesque texture. Even better, “tip” you’re slide in so it’s not even touching string 1, only 2.

There are lots of notable players who don’t do that (like Sonny Landreth). They’re generally the ones who play with a tonne of delay and reverb to replace the ambience they’re muting out.

Funkfingers

robgilmo said:

two tips, if you must.

1. Mahogany slab guitar with P90 pickup(s).
2. Valve amplification, set on the threshold of crunchy overdrive.

ewal

Listen to Alan Sparhawk

robgilmo

Thanks guys , top tips, what about guitar set up? Strings radiused or flat at the bridge? Obviously my action will need to come up slightly, a high action will allow for radius I guess? Im digging Alan Sparhawk! But that could just be the whiskey and also that its half two in the morning.



I have tried to learn Black Crowes Twice as hard but its pretty easy and not much to it, all good so far though.

stickyfiddle

Remember you're allowed to use it for things outside of bluesy rock, e.g. Manic Stree Preachers' This Is Yesterday

Stuckfast

My one tip would be: put all your guitars into that tuning and keep them in it until it becomes completely natural. Force yourself to play in it all the time, don't try to dabble.

Second tip: open D tuning is the same as open G but moved sideways by one string. I personally found D easier to get to grips with for some reason, and it's also only a semitone away from DADGAD, which is another very common alternate tuning.

Phil_aka_Pip

Fingering from 6th to 1st: 320004, do not use 210003 as most people seem to because you have to swivel your hand round for Cmaj and you don't if you do it my way, just change to X32010 and its a lot easier.

Caffeine_Vampire

Learn how to fret behind the slide. It’s a whole new world. 

uncledick

Remember when playing slide to mute the string at the far end of the neck.  Otherwise as the note you're playing gets higher, the 'secondary - unwanted' note gets lower.  Steve James does some online tutorials.

mgaw

finger blocking with the right hand (if right handed) tis the key IMO especially on electrics where there is little room to hide poor technique

robgilmo

Thanks guys, I have a lot to get right, top tips and greatly appreciated.

clarkefan

stickyfiddle said:

Remember you're allowed to use it for things outside of bluesy rock, e.g. Manic Stree Preachers' This Is Yesterday

Wow one of my favourite Manics songs, I'd no idea it was in g tuning, must revisit, thank you

koneguitarist

Use heavier gauge strings to what you normally use. 
Remove 6th string 
and forget the guitar pick. 

koneguitarist

Also Down Down by Quo is in open g tuning as well. 

benmurray85

Detune the B string a touch