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What tunings do you use?

Since I discovered the world of homemade guitars, I've been struggling a bit with what is the best tuning for a cigar box guitar. I've tried various open tunings, but they seem very limiting, for myself of course. I've finally gravitated to 4-strings or six strings, and use the standard guitar tuning for the top four strings. E-B-G-D for 4-strings. 3-string guitars I tune to E-B-G. Six-string guitars I keep with the standard E-B-G-D-A-E.

But I'd be interested in hearing from those who use open tunings, and why you do.

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Permalink Reply by Uncle John on May 8, 2015 at 12:12pm

I must respond to this Berkely thing. Big, damn deal!

I went to YALE. YALE! Not saying Jail with a Swedish accent, either.

I went to Yale, Iowa on my bicycle. Cute little town along the Raccoon River Bike Trail.

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Permalink Reply by Ron "Oily" Sprague on May 8, 2015 at 3:35pm

You'll go to jail in Yale next Yule
If you play yer CBG like a fool

No one there will think you're Danish
Speshly if you play it...Shanish

You just might think, or might be hopin'
To get away with playin' open

That might be fine, in Slider's Heaven,
But where the hell is "major seven?"

Some might 'cuse you of bein' jerkly,
Speshly if you went to Berklee

The only kind of fifth I'd round
Lies right here upon the ground

Ringing empty in my achin' head
This mournful tuning: D-E-D

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Permalink Reply by Uncle John on May 9, 2015 at 1:30am

Jah.

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Permalink Reply by Dane Donato on May 9, 2015 at 1:12am

Well, I have walked through Harvard Yard many times. They never mistook me for an actual ivy league student,, of course, especially as I was usually heading for the Cantab Lounge :). BTW, you simply can not park there

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Permalink Reply by Uncle John on May 9, 2015 at 1:29am

LOL, Dane.

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Permalink Reply by Bluesheart on May 8, 2015 at 2:02pm

I have come to love 3 stringers and DAd tuning. I also drop the A to G and I think that is an open G tuning. I don't find them limiting but then I'm not an expert guitarist either. To me the open chord tunings and relative ease of getting some music you can dance too just add to the charm and allure of these instruments. I want to play mostly blues and rock type stuff anyway so the open tuning and slide playing are perfect for that.

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Permalink Reply by Dane Donato on May 9, 2015 at 1:01am

How about the Ramones? :) Greatest punk band ever, and any group that sings about lobotomies is aces in my book. They did know more than 3 chords, btw. :)

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Permalink Reply by Bad Finger (Eric) on May 9, 2015 at 1:27am

Punk has to be among the easiest things to play on a 3-string CBG. I will be posting up "I wanna be sedated" on my 5-string Sawzall dobro guitar in the next couple days.

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Permalink Reply by Jim Morris on May 9, 2015 at 11:31am

Duck Wayfinder! I'm not a huge fan of punk but man, I love any music played with energy and reckless abandon! I'm looking forward to Eric's "Sedated" as well.

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Permalink Reply by TN Twang on May 9, 2015 at 12:02pm

In Ken Burns's series on the history of rock music, he interviews members of the Sex Pistols. Apparently they had genuine difficulty getting ready for their "return" tour because they had learned more in the meantime and couldn't duplicate the raw performances of their original group--which was what their fans were paying for.