This lesson shows you how to tune your guitar to Open G tuning, which from low to high (in pitch) is D-G-D-G-B-D. When playing a G chord using the open strings (or the related ‘one finger’ bar chords), you generally want to leave the 6th string out of the voicing as it sounds muddy. Keith Richards went so far as to take the 6th string off his guitar when playing in Open G, though when playing slack key or fingerstyle you will use the 6th string (i.e. for a D or D7 chord) and thus want to keep it on the guitar. Open G is often called “Taro Patch” tuning by slack key guitar players, and most slack key songs – especially traditional ones – are in Taro Patch or a close variant.
Tag Archives: open G
LIVE 002 • Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer
Here is a fingerstyle guitar arrangement of Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer I came up with for the holidays. It’s slack key tinged and was fun to play.
Happy St. Nicholas Day (December 6th) and Merry Christmas!
All rights reserved to this arrangement, however students may perform the arrangement in public.
SLACK 110 • Intro to Sixth Shapes in Open G
Intro to Sixth Shapes – this lesson explores Major and minor 6th shapes on the first and third strings in Open G tuning. These shapes are important building blocks for playing slack key (and other styles of guitar) in Open G. Sometimes referred to as simply “open” and “closed” shapes, they are used both to harmonize melody lines and outline chords.
SLACK 120 • Intro to Third Shapes in Open G
This lesson explores Major and minor 3rd shapes on the first and second strings in Open G tuning. These shapes are important building blocks for playing slack key (or other styles of guitar) in Open G.
SLACK 202 • Basic Slack Key Turnaround #2
Here is a follow-up to the basic slack key turnaround #1 lesson. Here we see another common type of turnaround plus a variation that can be used over a D7-G vamp.
SLACK 231 • Descending Slack Key Turnaround #2
This is a follow-up to the taro patch runs and picking patterns in lesson SLACK 230. This run starts higher up on the neck and requires a cutaway on your guitar. If you don’t have a cutaway, you can try to come up with some of your own variations on the patterns in SLACK 230 using some of the ideas from this lesson.
SLACK 230 • Descending Slack Key Turnaround #1
This lesson shows you how to play a descending turnaround in Taro Patch (Open G) tuning. This is a very common type of turnaround in Hawaiian slack key music and also makes a good exercise for those looking to move from beginner to intermediate territory. The tip to keep your left hand stationary (or even just using open strings) while focusing on your right hand picking pattern for 5 to 10 minutes is a good thing to keep in mind if you find yourself having trouble with the run.
SLACK 201 • Basic Slack Key Turnaround #1
Here is a very common type of slack key turnaround in Taro Patch (Open G) tuning. The turnaround resolves from a D7 to a G chord and can be played in just about any song in Taro Patch tuning.