Hi everyone,
I’m a longtime clawhammer banjo player finally taking the leap to learning old time backup guitar, sort of doing it out of a sense of duty so I can spell other players at jams.
I’ve done some guitar fingerpicking in the past, mostly out of open tunings. Standard guitar tuning has always seemed a bit suspect to me. I know all the open shapes, but just have never vibed with how the notes lay out.
So I’m practicing my boom chuck on guitar (using thumb pick for boom and back of nails for chuck) and struggling with the D chord shape. I really wish I could do just a two finger shape, and some ancestral memory pushes me to detune the high E string to a D. I do, and voila, the guitar becomes 80% easier to play.
The tuning is now EADGBD. Basically open G on banjo + two bass strings. It truly is beautiful. Easy one finger G and A chords, an easy two finger D. The only real downside is that you lose the high E for a C chord, but my attitude is that the banjo can handle the treble strings, and you can omit the open D or play it over the C chord, either way sounds fine.
Anybody else use this tuning for a guitar? It feels like a cheat, but I honestly think it’s so much easier that it should be standard for beginners or people who have struggled with guitar for a long time.
I have tuned the electric guitar that way to play certain songs. I fingerpick the guitar and I found out a long time ago that I can use banjo chords in this tuning. One time, my dad came home while I was in the middle of a rather hot solo of Alabama Jubilee. He said, "I wish to hell you could play the guitar like that all the time."
quote:
Originally posted by CullodenI have tuned the electric guitar that way to play certain songs. I fingerpick the guitar and I found out a long time ago that I can use banjo chords in this tuning. One time, my dad came home while I was in the middle of a rather hot solo of Alabama Jubilee. He said, "I wish to hell you could play the guitar like that all the time."
That's such a cool story. There's a definite satisfaction out of getting good results from slightly unorthodox methods. I think it scratches my inner hipster lol.
For a long time I felt constrained by clawhammer banjo's need to retune for different keys, but now I'm realizing that the process of doing that means I've built a pretty intuitive sense of how tunings and intervals work, and it's gratifying to be able to apply that first-hand knowledge to guide me in expanding my musical journey.
Next step: using DADGAD for old time backup. Just kidding! (Or am I ...)
I feel I should mention Keith Richards…
I've lived in open G since 1980 or so. If the song/tune is in D, i slack the fat string down to D.
If in G, I leave the fat string in E.
Capo 2 for E, etc.
Great for finger picking, and slide playing too.
It's my Magic power.
quote:
Originally posted by EEBI feel I should mention Keith Richards…
I was under the impression that he used a straight open G tuning with the 6th string taken off, so GDGBD. Significantly different from EADGBD in a context where playing bass notes and runs is a primary responsibility. Let me know if I'm mistaken. Thanks.
Edited by - bFunk on 08/26/2026 11:09:58
quote:
Originally posted by bFunkquote:
Originally posted by EEBI feel I should mention Keith Richards…
I was under the impression that he used a straight open G tuning with the 6th string taken off, so GDGBD. Significantly different from EADGBD in a context where playing bass notes and runs is a primary responsibility. Let me know if I'm mistaken. Thanks.
Well, Keif does take the fattest string off. The remaining strings are ADGBD (fat to skinny)
quote:
Originally posted by NopixI've lived in open G since 1980 or so. If the song/tune is in D, i slack the fat string down to D.
If in G, I leave the fat string in E.
Capo 2 for E, etc.
Great for finger picking, and slide playing too.
It's my Magic power.
Oh man, open G with the 6th string kept at E is my favorite guitar tuning too. I never liked the way the low D felt or sounded, and I loved having access to an easy E minor. Fun to double up the low G on the third fret of the "fat" string too.
quote:
Originally posted by bFunk
The tuning is now EADGBD. Basically open G on banjo + two bass strings. It truly is beautiful.
As you're experimenting with a purpose I have a suggestion...
I play finger-style on early 6 (5+1) and 7 (6+1) string banjos. Your comment about the beauty of two bass strings struck a chord with me.
I wonder if the 7-string banjo tuning minus the 7th drone string GCDGBD would be an additional useful option for you? Obviously string tension on those bass strings would need figuring out for guitar. Here's a recording of my 7-string banjo sound (albeit with the drone string included). This gives an idea of the bass possibilities:
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=OQCQLk3s2Y8&ra=m
I'm coming at this from the opposite direction as solely a banjo player having never played guitar.
Edited by - EEB on 08/27/2026 01:14:48
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