Mastering Open G Tuning: A Step-by-Step Guide to Playing Slide Over The Blues
Open G tuning is one of the most versatile and expressive tunings for acoustic guitar. Whether you’re a beginner exploring alternate tunings or an experienced player looking to add depth to your sound, Open G offers endless possibilities. In this blog, we’ll break down a 12-bar blues composition specifically designed for Open G tuning, complete with step-by-step instructions, tips, and a video tutorial embedded for visual guidance. Plus, you’ll find links to download the TABS, GuitarPro file, and backing track to practice along.
HOW TO BUILD A SOLO
Starting with a simple riff or idea will help you build solo’s and find positions you can work with. For this lesson I have written a simple call and response melody using only 2 simple phrases. Using only 3 positions on the neck you can actually come up with many licks and phrases but initially you need something melodic to grab onto, something that sounds cool and fun to play. These simpel building blocks will help you with your own improvisations. Before we dive into that let’s go through some basics for those that are totally new to Open G tuning. tuning.
What is Open G Tuning?
Open G tuning transforms your guitar into a resonant powerhouse by retuning the strings to form a G major chord when played open. The tuning is as follows:
- 6th string: D
- 5th string: G
- 4th string: D
- 3rd string: G
- 2nd string: B
- 1st string: D
This setup eliminates the need for complex fingerings when playing chords, making it ideal for slide guitar, blues, and folk music. The simplicity of Open G allows you to focus on dynamics, rhythm, and embellishments.
How to Tune Your Guitar to Open G
To get started:
- Tune your 6th string (E) down to D.
- Leave your 5th string (A) as is (G).
- Tune your 4th string (D) as is (D).
- Leave your 3rd string (G) as is (G).
- Tune your 2nd string (B) as is (B).
- Finally, tune your 1st string (E) down to D.
Strum all six strings together—you should hear a rich, open G chord!
The 12-Bar Blues in Open G
The 12-bar blues is one of the most iconic progressions in music history. In this lesson, we’ll use Open G tuning to simplify the shapes while maintaining the soulful essence of blues.
Understanding the Structure
The 12-bar blues follows this chord progression:
- Bars 1–4: The I chord (G)
- Bars 5–6: The IV chord (C)
- Bars 7–8: Return to the I chord (G)
- Bars 9–10: The V chord (D)
- Bars 11–12: Back to the I chord (G)
In Open G tuning:
- The I chord is played open (no fretting required).
- The IV chord can be played by barring the 5th fret.
- The V chord can be played by barring the 7th fret.
HOW TO BUILD A SLIDE SOLO IN OPEN G TUNING
Step-by-Step Breakdown of the Piece
When constructing this lesson I kept the melody simple, covering 3 positions on the fretboard.
TIPS ON PRACTICE
- Play each phrase slowly without the backing track
- Commit each 2 bar section to memory
- Then pullout the backing track
Feel free to experiment and improvise on this idea. Once you get the sense of the changes ( when the chords change and where those shapes are on the neck you will be able to build on this. Experiment with the timing of each phrase.
