G Whiz

The joys open G tuning

- BY CHARLIE STARR

HELLO, AND WELCOME to my new column for Guitar World! Over the course of these lessons, I will be sharing and demonstrating my approaches to rhythm playing, soloing, slide guitar, open tunings and songwriting, all of which have contributed to the music I've written and recorded with my band, Blackberry Smoke.

I'd like to start off with a look at open G tuning, which I used to write the Blackberry Smoke song "Ain't Much Left of Me" from our 2012 album, The Whippoorwill.

When I started writing songs for the band back in 2001, the very first one I wrote was in open G tuning, a tune called "Sanctified Woman." That song kicks off with a rhythm part along the lines of FIGURE 1. I begin with a G5 chord fretted on the 6th, 4th and 3rd strings, wrapping my thumb around the top of the neck at the 5th fret to sound the low G. G5 switches to Gsus4 and then G, sounded with the open 4th, 3rd and 2nd strings, followed by D5 and C5 chords sounded by barring across these strings.