View source for Open G tuning

{{Short description|Alternative tuning for the guitar}}
{{Cleanup bare URLs|date=August 2022}}
{{thumb|content=<score sound="1"> {
\clef "treble_8"
\time 3/4 \set Staff.midiInstrument = #"acoustic guitar (steel)"
<d, g, d g b d'>2.
<d, >4
<g, >4
<d >4
<g >4
<b >4
<d' >4
<d, g, d g b d'>2.
}
</score>}}

Among [[alternative tunings]] for the guitar, an '''open G tuning''' is an [[open tuning]] that features the [[G major|G-major]] [[major chord|chord]]; its [[open string (music)|open]] [[open note|note]]s are selected from the notes of a G-major chord, such as the G-[[major triad]] (G,B,D). For example, a popular open-G tuning is
:D–G–D–G–B–D (low to high).

An open-G tuning allows a G-major chord to be strummed on all six strings with neither fretting of the left hand nor a capo. Like other open tunings, it allows the eleven major chords besides G major each to be strummed by [[barre chord|barring]] at most one finger on exactly one fret.<ref name="Sethares16">{{cite book |last1=Denyer |first1=Ralph |title=The Guitar Handbook | others = Special contributors [[Isaac&nbsp;Guillory]] and <!-- NOT [[Alastair Crawford]] -->Alastair&nbsp;M.&nbsp;Crawford |publisher=Pan Books |edition= Fully revised and updated |location=London and Sydney |isbn=0-330-32750-X |pages=65-160 |chapter=Playing the guitar ('How the guitar is tuned', pp.&nbsp;68–69, and 'Alternative tunings', pp.&nbsp;158–159) |year = 1992}}</ref> 

== Usages in music =
Open G tuning allows for open strings and single-fret bar chords to be played in key which make techniques such as [[Slide guitar|slide]] and [[steel guitar]] viable. Open G tuning is common in [[blues music|blues]] and [[folk music]]<ref name="Denyer158">{{harvtxt|Denyer|1992|p=158}}</ref> (along with other open tunings).<ref name="Sethares16" /><ref name="Denyer160">{{harvtxt|Denyer|1992|p=160}}</ref>

Open G tuning particularly common in guitar music of [[Hawaii|Hawaiian]] origin including guitar styles such as [[slack-key guitar]] and [[steel guitar]]. In the context of slack-key music, open G is often referred to "Taro Patch" tuning (the term stems from [[taro]], a traditional staple cuisine of [[Polynesian culture|Polynesian]] Hawaii). However, guitar is not a traditional Polynesian instrument; it was introduced to Hawaii by [[Vaquero|vaqueros]] hired by [[Kamehameha III|King Kamehameha III]] to assist with the nascent Hawaiian ranching industry in the mid 19th century.

[[File:RussianSevenStringTuning.jpg|right|thumb|alt=A seven-string guitar with the open-strings annotated with the notes.| The seven-string Russian&nbsp;guitar uses the open-G tuning D–G–B–D–G–B–D.]]
{{anchor|Russian}}[[Repetitive tuning|Repetitive]] open-G tunings are used by Russian guitars, [[Dobro guitar]]s, and [[banjo]]s. They repeat three open-string notes.

The repetitive open-G tuning
:D–''G''–B–D–''G''–B–D
:<score sound="1"> {
\clef "treble_8"
\time 3/4 \set Staff.midiInstrument = #"acoustic guitar (steel)"
<d, g, b, d g b d'>2.
<d, >4
<g, >4
<b, >4
<d >4
<g >4
<b >4
<d' >4
<d, g, b, d g b d'>2.
}
</score>
is used by the [[Russian guitar]], which has [[seven-string guitar|seven strings]] tuned mostly in triads, in contrast to other guitars, which are tuned mostly in fourths.<ref>{{harvtxt|Bellow|1970|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=T7k5AQAAIAAJ&q=D+G+B 164]}}: {{cite book|title=The illustrated history of the guitar|first=Alexander|last=Bellow|publisher=Colombo Publications|year=1970|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=T7k5AQAAIAAJ&q=D+G+B}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|title=The Golden Age of the Russian Guitar: Repertoire, performance practice, and social function of the Russian seven-string guitar music, 1800–1850|first=Oleg&nbsp;V.|last=Timofeyev|author-link=Oleg V. Timofeyev|publisher=Duke University, Department of Music|year=1999|pages=1–584|id=University Microfilms (UMI), Ann Arbor, Michigan, number&nbsp;9928880}}{{Page range too broad|date=October 2021}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|series=The Russian Collection|volume=9|title=19th&nbsp;Century etudes for the Russian 7-string guitar in G&nbsp;Op<!-- "Op" is written, NOT "Open" -->|editor-first=Matanya|editor-last=Ophee|url=http://www.sheetmusicplus.com/title/The-Russian-Collection-Vol-9/18377478|publisher=Editions Orphee|id=PR.494028230}}; {{cite book|series=The Russian Collection|volume=10 ("X")|title=Selected Concert Works for the Russian 7-String Guitar in G&nbsp;open tuning|editor-first=Matanya|editor-last=Ophee|publisher=Editions Orphee|id=PR.494028240|url=http://www.sheetmusicplus.com/title/Selected-Concert-Works/18478341}}</ref>

[[Dobro]]s use a full six-string tuning with a bottom G: G–B–D–G–B–D, low to high. The two lowest strings are, accordingly, tuned three semitones higher for the lowest string (from E up to G) and two semitones higher for the second-lowest string (from A up to B) while the highest string is tuned two semitones lower (from E down to D), relative to [[guitar tuning|standard tuning]].

Five-string [[banjo]]'s standard tuning is also an Open G: g–D–G–B–D, where the lower case "g" denotes the highest-pitched "[[drone string]]", physically located next to (above) the lowest-pitched string, the first upper case "D".<ref>http://opendtuning.com/open-g-tuning-dgdgbd/</ref>

Alan Sparhawk of Low has been using an Open G tuning his entire musical career, since being inspired by Sonic Youth as a kid.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Sparhawk |first1=Alan |title=Low—full performance (live on KEXP) |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SASH2LyTSBQ |website=YouTube |access-date=4 August 2023}}</ref>

==Overtones of the fundamental note G==
[[File:Randy Jackson.jpg|thumb|alt=Randy Jackson plays guitar|[[Zebra (American band)|Zebra]]'s [[Randy Jackson (Zebra)|Randy Jackson]] played "[[Who's Behind the Door?]]" using the same open-G overtones-tuning.]]
{{stack| }}
[[File:Keith Richards Hannover 2006.jpg|thumb|right|210px|The Rolling Stones's Keith Richards plays a five-string 1953 Telecaster in open-G tuning.]]
{{main|Overtones tuning}}

[[Bad Company]] guitarist [[Mick Ralphs]] has used another open-G tuning, which listed the initial six [[harmonic series (music)|overtone]]s of the G note,
:G–G–D–G–B–D
:<score sound="1"> {
\clef "treble_8"
\time 3/4 \set Staff.midiInstrument = #"acoustic guitar (steel)"
<g,, g, d g b d'>2.
<g,, >4
<g, >4
<d >4
<g >4
<b >4
<d' >4
<g,, g, d g b d'>2.
}
</score> for "Hey Hey" and while writing the demo of "Can't Get Enough".<ref>{{cite journal|title=Mick&nbsp;Ralphs: The rock&nbsp;'N'&nbsp;roll fantasy continues|first=Lisa|last=Sharken|date=15 May 2001|access-date=21 February 2013|url=http://www.vintageguitar.com/2801/mick-ralphs/|journal=Vintage Guitar}}</ref>
The overtones tuning G–G–D–G–B–D was used by [[Joni Mitchell]] for "Electricity", "For the Roses", and "Hunter (The Good Samaritan)".<ref>{{cite web | url=http://jonimitchell.com/music/viewalltranscriptions.cfm?sortby=by%20Tuning | title=List of all Guitar and Piano Transcriptions | publisher=JoniMitchell.com | work=GGDGBD | access-date=February 22, 2013}}</ref> Truncating this tuning to G-D-G-B-D for his five-string guitar, [[Keith Richards]] plays this overtones-tuning on [[the Rolling Stones]]' "[[Honky Tonk Women]]", "[[Brown Sugar (Rolling Stones song)|Brown Sugar]]" and "[[Start Me Up]]".<ref>{{cite journal|last=Ellis|first=Andy|title=How to play like ... Keith Richards|journal=Guitar Player|year=2005|access-date=24 March 2013|url=https://www.questia.com/read/1G1-129091443|url-access=subscription}}{{Dead link|date=June 2024 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> American rock band [[Eagles of Death Metal]], uses this tuning for the majority of their songs.<ref>{{cite journal | url=https://www.premierguitar.com/articles/23157-eagles-of-death-metals-jesse-hughes-special-forces-ringmaster?page=3 | title=Eagles of Death Metal's Jesse Hughes: Special Forces Ringmaster | journal=Premier Guitar | date=22 October 2015 | access-date=March 9, 2020}}</ref>

==See also==
{{Portal|Music}}
* [[Minor&nbsp;thirds tuning]]
* [[Scordatura]], alternative tunings of stringed instruments
* [[Stringed&nbsp;instrument tunings]]

==Notes==
{{reflist}}

==References==

* {{cite web|title=Alternate tuning guide|first=William&nbsp;A.|last=Sethares|author-link=William Sethares|date=n.d.|url=http://sethares.engr.wisc.edu/alternatetunings/alternatetunings.html|publisher=University of Wisconsin; Department of Electrical Engineering|location=Madison, Wisconsin|access-date=19 May 2012}} [http://sethares.engr.wisc.edu/alternatetunings/alltunings.pdf PDF]

==Further reading==
* {{cite book|title=Guitar tunings: A comprehensive guide|first=Dick|last=Weissman|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=-rRf8x53|publisher=Routledge|year=2006|lccn=0415974410|isbn=9780415974417|ref=none}}{{Dead link|date=June 2024 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}

{{Guitar tunings|Open}}
{{Guitars|Type|state=collapsed}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Open G Tuning}}
[[Category:Open tunings]]
[[Category:Repetitive guitar-tunings]]