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Open G - origins in the blues

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Stuart:
John Troutman has written about Hawaiian slack key and its influence in Kika kila and in his earlier article, "Slidin' The Steel," in Southern Cultures Vol. 19, no. 1.

We've discussed the problem of trying to identify specific lines of transmission before.

Another problem is the assumption of a single  origin of open G (Spanish) from which every subsequent use of the tuning can be traced back to. That two or more people, unknown to one another, tuned their instruments to open G, is not an impossibility.

Parlor Picker:
If I understand correctly, Joni Mitchell used various open tunings, including G, without knowing what they were. They suited what she needed and sounded nice. (Correct me if I've got this wrong.)

Zischkale:
Agree with both Stuart and Parlor Picker that the tuning might've arisen independently in more than one player.

waxwing:
I think that if, instead of thinking of these as special tunings, you group them under the rubric of tuning to an open chord, it makes it pretty obvious that any player of a multi string instrument could stumble upon a version of this particular arrangement of strings. You should google the origion of standard guitar tuning for a more interesting story.

I've been toying with the idea of making a two string broomstick didley bow, and immediately the question of tuning comes to mind. The two obvious tunings seemed to be I-V and V-I which I consider to be Spanish and Vastapol, due to the top or "melody" string being the same as the top string in those tunings on guitar. I guess you could also go with I-I.

I'd imagine Joni learned "open G" which lead her to experiment with other alternate tunings. It was pretty prevalent among folk players in the '60s, even in the wilds of Saskatchewan.

Wax

Stuart:
I agree, Wax. It makes more sense than an overly narrow focus.

It's been a long time, but IIRC there were more than a few articles re: songs in open tunings in Sing Out! back in the day.

I remember reading that owing to her earlier bout with polio, Joni had some problems with her left hand that resulted in difficulty with fuller chords shapes and thus her experimentation with open and alternate tunings. In addition, she just couldn't get the sounds she wanted from standard tuning and the chords she was able to finger.

And of course, the lap steel players, John Fahey, Leo Kottke, Harvey Reid with his use of partial capos, and many others have opened things up to where almost anything is possible.

But I digress...Back to open G...

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