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What open tuning were you using in “Both Sides Now”?
Hi Girls … I really am happy that you chose to do an open tuning on your Joni Mitchell cover. I had mentioned to Lisa a while ago that I often find open tunings are helpful when I have writer’s block or just want to hear things differently. You both did a magnificent job on this tune and I was wondering what open tuning you used, since you also capo-ed your guitars. It looked a little like Open G to me, but I am often off target in predicting those kinds of things. Joni Mitchell used countless open tunings that she developed herself, so I was thinking that you probably used a tuning that worked for you rather than try to duplicate hers … lol, but again Ii could be – and probably am – wrong. Bottom line is you are both amazing and I love you like oxygen. 🙂
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11 Replies
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Thank you Brian!
My guitar is tuned to an open D (D A D F# A D) with the capo on the 5th fret (so sounding like an open G) and Mona’s is tuned to an open E with the capo on the 3rd fret. Yeah, we could have just used the same tuning/capo placement on both guitars but we wanted to have a little bit of variety 🙂
We love this song, and I don’t get to sing falsetto that often or use an open tuning so it was a fun change. We’re both glad you like the version ♥ -
Thanks so much for sharing this information with me, Lisa. I really appreciate it and I am so very impressed with your vocal ability which seems to have no limits. Stay groovy, Ladies, and keep up your fabulous music!
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I’ll learn what you guys are talking about one day! 🙂
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I looked it up a little earlier, Jung, and it’s not hard to understand, although I’m a little fuzzy on what it’s good for. Open tuning means you adjust the tension on the strings so that you get a nice major chord when you strum without depressing any of them (an “open” fingering).
For example, the strings on my ukulele are tuned to the notes G-C-E-A. If I were to decrease the tension on the A string so that it played a G, then the instrument would be open-tuned to C because the fingerless chord would be C major.
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Thanks David for the explanation.
Love these kinds of technical music/instrument questions. I’ve learned so much about guitars and music theory here.
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Me too, Jung. I never would have anticipated that joining this club would take me in this direction, but the journey has been an absolute delight.
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Yes, folks, open tuning is simply tuning the guitar so that simply strumming it with no fingering sounds the chord that it is tuned to such as G, E, A, C, D and others, although these are among the easiest and most popular. There are Major and Minor chord open tunings. When tuned that way, fingering other chords requires different fingering positions from the standard tuning of E-A-D-G-B-E. So that can be a deterrent to some players, but the sound of open tunings give a different suggestion to the ear of the guitarist or composer and can sometimes stimulate creativity. A number of years ago, I was recording a stellar open tuning ( or alternative tuning) guitarist in my home studio. The next day I decided to try some of those tunings. I tuned to an open G and amazingly wrote a song that I had been mentally harboring for almost fifty years. The tuning just suggested something different to my ears that I hadn’t experienced before.
The down side of open tunings is something that Lisa has shared with me: It is difficult to modulate (change keys within a song) in open tuning. It isn’t impossible, but it can be very challenging. So typically, if you are using an open tuning you will remain in the key in which you started throughout. Sliding up or down a half step or a step can be accomplished by sliding a capo (David Wilcox does this excellently on “Rusty Old American Dream”), but it is hard and only works in certain situations. Joni Mitchell was famous for using alternative tunings and often created her own. On stage it can be challenging to have to change your guitar tuning constantly as you go through your repertoire of songs in other keys. It isn’t unusual for the audience to become impatient.
I hope this helps to better understand the concept, usage, advantages and limitations of Open or Alternative Tunings. Best… Brian
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Now, that was something new learned today, though I’m somewhat familiar of that concept, seeing my 2nd oldest brother plays guitar in his spare time and had wknd jam sessions in the basement growing up…lol…I seem to grasp better this concept than the music theory stuff, though still not clear on the notes, their positioning, I just know to hear the notes, not knowing what they are but rather how they sound….lol, Thanks Bruan for fab question and for Lisa’s easy to understand/grasp reply…at least, I can understand somewhat….lol
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Thank you for the context, Brian; that helps a lot!
I was watching a video the other day that dealt with the difference between just intonation and equal temperament. Does that come into play here? I’m thinking that open tuning is done with just intonation to get the frequency ratios exact for the octaves and fifths and thirds in the key of the song, which means they would be off a little if you modulated.
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Awesome, thanks Brian for the detailed insight into open tuning and alternative tuning and the examples you cited. It’s great to be able to enjoy the wonderful music musicians create but then to hear of the techniques and know how of the craft that are involved adds an extra layer of appreciation for the music.
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Lol…this is the area of music where I get lost, feel left out of/ for…lol…I’m just not music tech minded at all…lol…just cannot grasp it, rather better of to learn/play by ear and visual references….Have no clue about keys, etc, just a sense/sound of what is high notes, low, more or less music sheet note illiterate, can’t understand fully guitar chords or piano keys technicalities…etc…I’ll think to just stick to dabbling around on tambourine, singing, lyric/poet songwriting harmonica, air drumming and guitaring….but I do find it interesting how/for those here that understand/grasp the mechanics/technical aspects of music theory etc, I just wish I could understand better to be able to participate more in discussions in this area, I feel inadequate amongst you….lol…but not going to let that stop me from appreciating…. I just wish to have that ability/gift to understand the way you all do, it just doesn’t come to me naturally that way …I do understand what you’re conveying, I just can’t compute/grasp the concept in my brain to the actual doing of…. the part of communication is lost for me…  as with guitar issue I’ve previously stated before…I can read/ watch videos on how to but I cannot duplicate it into actual practice…. for whatever reason, what my brain absorbs, cannot register properly by the time it comes to the doing part of task….though it also doesn’t help having unusually small child like hands with limited dexterity to be able to chord properly……I live vicariously through all the musicians on here that can play/read music, chords, etc…I’m music minded, spirited, just not overly mechanical/technically music note literate aspect minded…lol?????
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