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Any one play in open A tuning on a 4 string?

I have been playing in a band for the last 3 months and started with the slandered open G but have switched open A and really like it. I am still using the middle 4 strings from a 6 string pack of 10's I find I can get some real metal sound out of "Janet" my guitar as well as some blues sounds as well. So my question is this anyone else playing this tuning out there or am I the only freak out there.

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Permalink Reply by Shawn on March 13, 2015 at 7:08am

I have been using the devils tuning no wonder it sounds so bad a$$ with metal. Lol. As I have read on the net the church band it and gave it the name. It was thought that the tuning as off to the ear and could raise the beast of hell. Yah they thought leaches where a good thing too. As far as breaking strings not so far and I have been playing it in a band every Sunday for 4 months and practicing everyday for at least an hour. No I'll effect on neck so far as well. It is a maple neck with Purple Heart wood finger board though.

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Permalink Reply by The Phrygian Kid on March 13, 2015 at 2:28pm

Yes it's Keni's name for DGB, Or in the key of A it'd be EAC#

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Permalink Reply by BUGGY (C) on March 13, 2015 at 10:26pm

TN
I will do some digging
Keni Lee mentions devil tuning on his page somewhere
I Might have a play with it later..

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Permalink Reply by The Phrygian Kid on March 13, 2015 at 2:27pm

Muddy loved open A.

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Permalink Reply by BUGGY (C) on March 13, 2015 at 10:34pm

TN try this one
I haven't confined it yet but it might be

Aadd9 - E-B-E-A-C#-E

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Permalink Reply by TN Twang on March 14, 2015 at 4:30am

Keep in mind that I'm not a guitarist.

Can't figure out what to do with the B string. Do you just barre all six strings and strum all chords with an added 9th?

I'm familiar with E'-A-E-a-c#-e as a higher ("open A") version of "open g" or "Spanish Tuning" or sometimes "Chicago Tuning." I can see how it's useful to alternate A and E' with your thumb, but I can't see how to use the B except just to thicken the sonority..

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Permalink Reply by The Phrygian Kid on March 14, 2015 at 12:43pm

No, typically you would transition to the 'grips' approach of a steel player. A 9 tuning will typically included a 7 as well, so it gives you three seperate triads in a straight line across the strings, 135, 357 and 579 by adjusting which strings you use (the 'grips')

This is just about always one of the tunings on a double (or more) neck steel guitar, along with a 6th tuning, which does the same thing but in the opposite direction around the circle of fifths, which is the Hawaiian approach, 9 tuning being more the Nashville and Bakersfield country way

The other big thing about having a string at 9 is its only a one fret slant to get a minor third for your i grip

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Permalink Reply by Shawn on March 14, 2015 at 5:13pm

Kid that's some heavy theory there. Am I mistaken this applies to slide? I play cords and fingering so can this be applied in this as well?

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Permalink Reply by The Phrygian Kid on March 14, 2015 at 10:15pm

yeah mate this is steel/dobro stuff, so theres typically no frets or even when there is the action is way too high to use em. But if this is where the components of chordX is, then thats where they is, regardless if you use a bar or a fret or the back of an axe or your granny's big toe eh.

I'm sure you've seen steels/dobros with 8/9/10 strings per neck? Well when you play one of those you'd typically never play all strings at once or it'd sound a right mess, so theres various 'grips' which are each a combination of strings which together voice a chord, and that chord will be identified by one of those strings in particular. If you know any regular tuned guitar then its not unlike barre-chords, you know, you have one which you identify from the 5 string, you might think of it as an 'A' shape, another which you identify by the 6 string, an 'E' shape etc etc...