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Open Tunings?
Hi Mona & Lisa, I just wondered if either of you ever experimented with open and alternative tunings. I don’t recall hearing any open tunings in your songs, but I thought I heard you using Drop D a couple of times. I personally found them fun and helpful when I was in a writer’s block because they gave me different sounds to consider. Have you ladies ever used them?
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3 Replies
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Hi Brian, I was going to write that we never used open tunings in our own music when I suddenly thought back of recording “Waiting For The Waiter”. Of course! I can’t remember what tuning I used exactly but I definitely tuned my Dobro to an open chord when doing all the slide parts. But I’m pretty sure that’s the only time we used it on a record so far.
We’ve played around with open tuning when we learned some fingerstyle pieces over the years, especially back in highschool. It’s fun, it’s satisfying, things sound great 😉 When it comes to songwriting I am normally a big fan of modulating keys which is a bit trickier with open tunings but that doesn’t mean that I won’t give writing with it a go sometime.
I like what you said about it being helpful in a writer’s block. I agree, playing around with things you’re not used to, changing up the tuning, the instrument, etc … great ways to get new ideas and break out of a rut.
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Lisa, thank you so much for responding to my question in such a thorough manner. I really appreciate you making time to answer me during such a busy time. I want to direct you to a wonderful alternative tuning artist/songwriter that I truly love. His name is David Wilcox. One of his excellent songs is called “Rusty Old American Dream”. I included a copy of it for you here because it is in an open tuning, but David modulates in the third verse by sliding his capo up a full step during a quick rest. It’s not easy, but it is doable. LOL. Anyway, I thought you’d get a laugh out of modulating that way. Big hugs … Brian
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Hey… If this is the same David Wilcox, I’m thinking it is, my 2nd older bro got to meet him one time after a gig he played here in Ottawa , Canada and had a pint or two with my bro and autographed a napkin or was it a coaster… Whatever it was, it was signed by David, for I recall seeing it on my brother’s wall down in the basement of our former rec room converted into his bedroom, he was stoked to meet him at the time…. Lol???
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