A Guide to Alternative Tunings - Open C Tuning
- The American Guitar Academy
- Jun 13
- 5 min read
It wasn’t too long ago that we looked at drop D tuning. This is usually the first step that modern guitarists take in the world of alternate tunings. However, I thought that today we would look at something a bit more adventurous - Open C tuning.
What I like the most about this tuning is that it doesn’t seem to confine itself to one particular style, at least not in the same way that drop D tuning does. Today we will explore some of the uses of the tuning, and some of my favorite songs that use it.
What is Open C Tuning?
Open C tuning is quite straightforward in terms of the theory behind it, but due to the fact that some of the strings are tuned quite low, you may have to make some adjustments to the guitar set-up so you don’t affect the playability.
The tuning is as follows:
6 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 |
C | G | C | G | C | E |
As before, this goes from string six to string one. The three thickest strings are detuned, the third string stays the same as does the first string - the second string is tuned up a tone, from B to C. The eagle-eyed amongst you, and those of you with some basic chord knowledge, will recognise that these notes spell out a C triad - C E G. This means that when you strum all of the strings open, you get a C Major chord with a nice low end and full sound thanks to the detuning.
When Do We Use Open C Tuning?
As the strings have been changed so much from standard tuning, you have to relearn all of your chord shapes and scales again - though some people just rely on their ears at this point. You can play a major chord by barring your finger over any fret - it really is that easy.
However, some more thought out uses involve using the C string (six) as a counterpart to a melody, a bassline if you will.
This example by Bruce Cockburn, a short yet sweet piece called ‘Foxglove’, demonstrates this concept very clearly. You can hear the alternating pattern representing a bass voice, whilst the melody dances with harmony higher up. Many styles of music rely on a typical sound or interval (think of the b5 or ‘tritone’ in heavy metal), but this song uses the alternate tuning to it’s advantage - the melody would use an unorthodox fingering if it was in standard tuning.
Bruce Cockburn - Foxglove
Some Great Examples
One of the great musicians of our time, Devin Townsend, credits his love of early Led Zeppelin music for his choice to write most of the songs in his career using an open tuning. He either uses Open C or Open B, and if he has a seven string the formula remains the same (the seventh string is usually tuned down to a G - very low indeed!).
The song ‘Kingdom’ that I have linked below is a tricky one to play from a physical standpoint, but when you watch Devin play (a clear view in the linked video!), so you can see he is using a relatively simple set of shapes.
I also think the arrangement here is brilliant, and slightly unusual as it is almost exclusively in a major key - playing a metal song in a major key is to guitarists as garlic is to vampires!
Devin Townsend - Kingdom
The Moody Blues featuring Justin Hayward, have been around since the early 1960s and despite being labeled a rock band, have an eclectic mix of recordings under their belts. The song ‘Question’ as linked below is packed with intense orchestration, and that typically uses a wider spread of notes.
Whilst I don’t know exactly why this song used this tuning, I know that it was written in a rush. Perhaps an alternate tuning was selected at random, so something ordinary could be played with an extraordinary tuning and create something new as a result. It is also possible that the tuning was chosen to give the guitar the lower range it needed to make the orchestration. If you are looking for an intense song with thoughtful lyrics, check this one out!
The Moody Blues - Question
Some Things to Try
Being able to use at least basic scales is a great way to get comfortable with a new tuning. Occasionally, you will see new patterns emerge and you will approach those scales differently as a result. Below I have added the tabs for how you might play an Eb Major scale in this tuning. Remember, we are starting from the third fret of the sixth string because it has been tuned down to a C.
Whilst there are seemingly endless permutations of this scale, as there are for all of them, this particular way of playing has a mirror-like fingering. You will see how the first two sets of strings are the same as the next two, the only difference being the E string (first).
To demonstrate how this could be used effectively, see below for a lick I transcribed in the style of Devin Townsend. Despite the use of sextuplets and legato, as well as the big stretch that may be difficult for some as it is from the third fret, it is actually quite easy to play due to the interchangeable nature of this fingering and tuning. You may notice that the lick omits the 4th degree of the scale - that is just an artistic choice and still imparts a major tonality.
If you are attempting this lick, be mindful of when to use legato and when to pick a note. For best results, either change the key of the lick itself or, if you happen to be playing in the key of Eb Major, try to end the idea in an appropriate fashion given the context - this is just for demonstration purposes.
As all of the strings are set out to represent a major chord, it stands to reason that a minor tonality would be counter intuitive. I believe this is the case, as the natural minor scale would either be played on one string - this is restrictive although not entirely useless. Another approach to playing the natural minor scale in this tuning is to omit certain intervals altogether. This can create interesting riffs and melodic ideas, and is part of the reason why I think Devin Townsend’s music is so captivating.
In Fig. 1 I have demonstrated the Eb Natural minor scale on one string. Fig. 2 is showing how cumbersome the full scale can be, whereas Fig. 3 demonstrates an idea that omits the 4th degree of the scale again, similar to the major lick from earlier.
Final Thoughts
This is yet another of the interesting tunings that you could use to give depth to your playing and writing. Whilst it still uses the same twelve notes as before, they are arranged in a different way and are sure to unlock new possibilities for you.
This is significantly trickier to grasp than Drop D, but I think even just throwing yourself into the deep end is going to produce some surprises. Write a riff, figuring out how to play songs you already know (this could be tricky!) or just mess about - it is all good fun!
If your current teacher is especially versed in folk, bluegrass and even metal music, they should have some experience here. Failing that, the amazing team of teachers at the American Guitar Academy can help guide you through this process, navigating what can sometimes be a bit of a minefield.
