The remains one of the most popular instruments among singer-songwriters, as well as solo instrumentalists. Admittedly, this is probably in part due to it being so portable, but beyond such everyday practicalities, there is an enduring fascination in getting so much from an instrument that, in theory, could seem quite limited. We have just six strings to work with, but, if anything, this seems to encourage us to push the boundaries – and it’s not uncommon for seasoned players to discover new chords and voicings that have been hiding in plain sight for decades! If we move beyond the standard tuning, these possibilities multiply, as suddenly we’re able to access voicings that are impossible – or even painful – in regular tuning.
We can use the open-tuned strings as a ‘drone’ while shifting one note around, or see what happens when we try regular chord shapes in the non-standard tunings. Changing things up like this can also shift writers’ block or give the solo acoustic guitar a more wide-ranging yet self-contained sound. In this feature, we’re looking at some of the more popular tunings, but rather than simply showing a few major and minor voicings that are widely available elsewhere, we’ll be exploring some of the more unusual, following in the footsteps of players such as Joni Mitchell, Nick Drake, Jimmy Page, Nick Harper and Gordon Giltrap.
Welcome to the tuning rabbit hole! This Em7 makes use of the open first string, giving us the 7th (D) as the top no.