{{Short description|Alternative tuning for the guitar}}{{Redirect|Open G|"opentail" letters G|G#Typographic_variants}}{{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 chord; its open notes 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 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 Guillory and <!-- NOT Alastair Crawford -->Alastair M. 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. 68–69, and 'Alternative tunings', pp. 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 and steel guitar viable. Open G tuning is common in 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 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 Hawaii). However, guitar is not a traditional Polynesian instrument; it was introduced to Hawaii by vaqueros hired by King Kamehameha III to assist with the nascent Hawaiian ranching industry in the mid 19th century.
right|thumb|alt=A seven-string guitar with the open-strings annotated with the notes.| The seven-string Russian guitar uses the open-G tuning D–G–B–D–G–B–D. {{anchor|Russian}}Repetitive open-G tunings are used by Russian guitars, Dobro guitars, and banjos. 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 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 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 9928880}}{{Page range too broad|date=October 2021}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|series=The Russian Collection|volume=9|title=19th Century etudes for the Russian 7-string guitar in G 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 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>
Dobros 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 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>{{Cite web | title=Open G Tuning: D,G,D,G,B,D {{!}} Open D Tuning | url=http://opendtuning.com/open-g-tuning-dgdgbd/ | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130924052613/http://opendtuning.com/open-g-tuning-dgdgbd/ | access-date=2025-04-27 | archive-date=2013-09-24 | url-status=live }}</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 |date=6 May 2013 |access-date=4 August 2023}}</ref>
==Overtones of the fundamental note G== [[File:Randy Jackson.jpg|thumb|alt=Randy Jackson plays guitar|Zebra's Randy Jackson played "Who's Behind the Door?" using the same open-G overtones-tuning.]] {{stack| }} 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 overtones 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 Ralphs: The rock 'N' 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" 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 thirds tuning * Scordatura, alternative tunings of stringed instruments * Stringed instrument tunings
==Notes== {{reflist}}
==References==
* {{cite web|title=Alternate tuning guide|first=William 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