Open C tuning#C-E-G-C-E-G
Open C tuning is an open tuning for guitar. The open-string notes form a C major chord, which is the triad (C,E,G) having the root note C, the major third (C,E), and the perfect fifth (C,G). When the guitar is strummed without fretting any strings, a C-major chord is sounded. By barring all of the strings for one fret (from one to eleven), one finger suffices to fret the other eleven major-chords.
Examples
There are several open C tunings.
=Repetitive C-E-G-C-E-G=
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The English guitar uses a repetitive open-C tuning
:C-E-G-C-E-G,
which is approximately a major-thirds tuning,{{cite book|title=Handbook of guitar and lute composers|first1=Hannu|last1=Annala|first2=Heiki|last2=Mätlik|edition=Translated by Katarina Backman|publisher=Mel Bay|year=2007|isbn=0786658444|page=30|chapter=Composers for other plucked instruments: Rudolf Straube (1717–1785)}} specifically
:C-E-G{{music|sharp}}-C-E-G{{music|sharp}}=C-E-A{{music|flat}}-C-E-A{{music|flat}}.
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="C5" variant C-G-C-G-G-E=
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This open C tuning was used by Soundgarden for songs including Pretty Noose, Burden in My Hand, and Head Down. Chord sequences often omit the high E string, leaving the power chord ubiquitous to Grunge music.{{cite web |url=http://www.wikihow.com/Write-a-Grunge-Song |access-date=May 25, 2017 |title=wikiHow to Write a Grunge Song}}
=C-G-C-G-C-E=
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: C-G-C-G-C-E.{{cite book |first=Steve |last=Baughman |chapter=Open C |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=zCSPzwsNhcIC&pg=PA8 |title=Mel Bay Beginning Open Tunings |publisher=Mel Bay Publications |year=2004 |pages=8–14 |isbn=978-0-7866-7093-2}}
This open C tuning was used by William Ackerman for his "Townshend Shuffle", by John Fahey for his tribute to Mississippi John Hurt,{{harvtxt|Sethares|2009|pp=18–19}} and by Led Zeppelin's Jimmy Page for "Friends".{{cite book|title=Legends of Rock Guitar: The Essential Reference of Rock's Greatest Guitarists|first1=Pete|last1=Prown|first2=HP|last2=Newquist|chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=60Jde3l7WNwC&dq=Jimmy+Page+C+G+C+G+C+E&pg=PA61|publisher=Hal Leonard Corporation|year=1997|chapter=Chapter Nine Hard rock and heavy metal: The birth of a behemoth|page=61|isbn=9780793540426}}
Page's "Friends" tuning is called an C6 chord (C-A-C-G-C-E) in [https://www.amazon.com/Led-Zeppelin-Confused-Stories-Behind/dp/1560258187/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1363816878&sr=1-1&keywords=1560258187#reader_1560258187 Page 92]: {{cite book|last=Welch|first=Chris|year=1998|title=Led Zeppelin: Dazed and confused: The stories behind every song |isbn=1-56025-818-7}} It is also used by Devin Townsend for the vast majority of his work (The Devin Townsend Project, Strapping Young Lad, Casualties of Cool).[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pw-9oGUXg6c#t=270 Devin Townsend Masterclass: GuitarMessenger.com at 4:30]
=Overtones C-C-G-C-E-G=
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Another open C tuning uses the harmonic sequence (overtones) of the note C. When an open-note C-string is struck, its harmonic sequence begins with the notes (C,C,G,C,E,G,B{{music|flat}},C). The root note is associated with a sequence of intervals, beginning with the unison interval (C,C), the octave interval (C,C), the perfect fifth (C,G), the perfect fourth (G,C), the major third (C,E), and the minor third (E,G); in particular, this sequence of intervals contains the thirds of the C-major chord {(C,E),(E,G)}.{{harvtxt|Persichetti|1961|pp=23–24}}: {{cite book |last=Persichetti |first=Vincent |author-link=Vincent Persichetti |title=Twentieth-century harmony: Creative aspects and practice |year=1961 |publisher=W. W. Norton |location=New York |isbn=0-393-09539-8 |oclc=398434 |url-access=registration |url=https://archive.org/details/isbn_9780393095395 }}
==C-minor open chord: Cross-note tuning==
Flattening this open tuning's open-note E to E{{music|flat}} changes the open chord from C-major to C-minor, so producing the cross-note tuning
:C-C--G-C-E{{music|flat}}-G
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which enables one-finger minor chords. Like other cross-note tunings, it also allows major chords to be fretted with one adjacent finger.{{harvtxt|Sethares|2009|p=16}}
==Relation to new standard tuning==
Many of the notes from the harmonic sequence for C appear in the new standard tuning (NST),{{cite web |url=http://steveball.typepad.com/diary/2006/01/sb_song_tuning_.html |first=Steve|last=Ball|title=Steve Ball music diary Tuesday, January 03, 2006|date=3 January 2006|publisher=steveball.com|id={{Allmusic
| class =artist
| id = p53842
| tab =
| label = Steve Ball}}|access-date=29 February 2012}} which is a nearly regular tuning based on perfect fifths; NST also has (D,A) from the pentatonic scale on C:
:C-G-D-A-E-G
NST is used in Guitar Craft (a school of guitar playing founded by King Crimson's Robert Fripp). The open-C overtones tuning has the same range as NST, which can use extreme strings (.011 and .059 inches).{{cite journal |first=Barry |last=Cleveland |title=California Guitar Trio (Interview)|issue=Fall |date=1 December 2004 |access-date=25 March 2012 |url=http://www.sroartists.com/artists/californiaguitartrio/files/cgt-reviews.pdf |journal=Frets Magazine}} {{subscription required}}
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=C-C-G-C-E-C=
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:C-C-G-C-E-C
Using a high C rather than the high G of the overtone series, this open C tuning was used by Mick Ralphs for the songs "Can't Get Enough" and "Movin' On" on Bad Company's debut album. Ralphs said, "It needs the open C to have that ring," and "it never really sounds right in standard tuning".{{cite journal|title=Mick Ralphs: The rock 'N' roll fantasy continues|first=Lisa|last=Sharken|date=15 May 2001|access-date=21 February 2013|url=http://www.vintageguitar.com/2801/mick-ralphs/|journal=Vintage Guitar}}
Notes
{{reflist|30em}}
References
- {{cite book|year=2009|title=Alternate tuning guide|first=Bill|last=Sethares|author-link=William Sethares|url=http://sethares.engr.wisc.edu/alternatetunings/opentunings.pdf|orig-year=2001|chapter=Open tunings|publisher=University of Wisconsin; Department of Electrical Engineering|location=Madison, Wisconsin}}
{{Guitar tunings|Open}}