For which top three Stones songs have you found that tuning most vital (when playing them yourself)?

Honky Tonk Women, Brown Sugar and Tumbling Dice.

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ifyacantrockme
Honky Tonk Women, Brown Sugar and Tumbling Dice.

Don't you need the 6th string for TD? You do for the way I know how to play it. I play in Open G all the time, but I've never taken off the 6th string. I might not bother tuning it, but since there are Open G songs that utilize that string I leave it on the guitar.

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ifyacantrockme
Honky Tonk Women, Brown Sugar and Tumbling Dice.

I could easily swap out HTW with All Down The Line, but yeah - these are my big 3.

Tumbling Dice
All Down The Line
Honky Tonk Women

I never bother taking off the low "E". I tune it to D. It's sometimes useful, and I have learned over the years to never hit it when I don't want it.

Wild Horses: You won't get those beautiful B minors and A minors any other way. It's easy to do Ronnie's part in between as well with the open G.

Brown Sugar: Will sound super-lame without open G-tuning.

Start Me Up: Ditto

I use a 5-string Telecaster for about a third of the setlist with my band.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2013-09-20 10:12 by DandelionPowderman.

Brown Sugar, JJ.Flash,Happy,Honky Tonk,YCAGWYW,All Down The Line, and Street Fighting Man are all songs that I'd say can't be played without a guitar in open tuning. Brown Sugar is my favorite -it's such a good combination of riffs.

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S.T.P
Brown Sugar, JJ.Flash,Happy,Honky Tonk,YCAGWYW,All Down The Line, and Street Fighting Man are all songs that I'd say can't be played without a guitar in open tuning. Brown Sugar is my favorite -it's such a good combination of riffs.

Everything can be played without open tuning. Brown Sugar sounds like shit if you do, though...

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DandelionPowderman

Everything can be played without open tuning. Brown Sugar sounds like shit if you do, though...

-Yeah, that's excactly what I mean

It's never a problem if you're looking to emulate the sounds and riffs that Keith plays on the live stage today.

The problem is if you're looking to mimic the record.
Many songs don't sound right without both the 5 string open tuned part and the an accompanying concert tuned part.

I think that's part of the reason why there have been so many debates around hear over the years about which tunings were used for certain songs.
You don't always know which guitar is adding a certain note or drone in the background.

Street Fighting Man and Jumpin Jack Flash are lots of fun to play in 5 string open G

its cool for Cant You Hear Me Knockin

Sway is good in it..

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duke richardson
Street Fighting Man and Jumpin Jack Flash are lots of fun to play in 5 string open G

its cool for Cant You Hear Me Knockin

Sway is good in it..

They will never sound quite like the studio versions, though, with one string missing.

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DandelionPowderman

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duke richardson
Street Fighting Man and Jumpin Jack Flash are lots of fun to play in 5 string open G

its cool for Cant You Hear Me Knockin

Sway is good in it..

They will never sound quite like the studio versions, though, with one string missing.

its true. I was thinking of how they sound when rockin 'em out with a band. just the rhythm.

you are far more knowledgeable than most on this subject, DP !

The fact is that you can play all Stones songs in standard tuning, but it won`t be the right sound. (just try Wild Horses in both tunings and anyone would agree to that). Therefore I think that the answer to your question is: all of the songs played with open G!

I do the same thing as 71Tele, I don`t take of the low E, but tune it to D. And for some of the songs I have made for my band I also use this string.

I guess that once you learn to play in open G you (at least I) tend to use this tuning a lot. It makes a different sound and is a good addition to another guitar played in standard tuning.

Well, that`s my opinion on that subject...

I used to have a guitar I used strictly for 5 string open G. Had some songs with that tuning. Playing the Stones songs was easier without the E string in the way so I kept it that way.

Live Keith uses it for a lot of songs - some that he did not use open G for on the studio recording like JJF, SFM, LSTNT and She's So Cold. Are there any others that he's done that with?

So what's the list? What he's done live or both?

LSTNT - live only
JJF - live only
SFM - live only
Honky Tonk Women
YCAGWYW
Jiving Sister Fanny
Brown Sugar
Sway (Mick, of course)
Wild Horses - live
Can't You Hear Me Knocking
Tumbling Dice
All Down The Line
Soul Survivor
Plundered My Soul (is that correct?)
Happy
Casino Boogie
Turd On The Run
Ventilator Blues
Tops
Dance Little Sister
Luxury
Crazy Mama
Worried About You
Before They Make Me Run
I Can't Help It
Start Me Up
Undercover Of The Night (whoever)
Too Tough
Wanna Hold You
One Hit (To The Body)
Sad Sad Sad
Mixed Emotions
Rock And A Hard Place
Hearts For Sale (Mick for sure...)
Almost Hear You Sigh
Highwire
Love Is Strong
You Got Me Rocking
Sparks Will Fly
I Go Wild
Like A Rolling Stone
Lowdown
Too Tight
Don't Stop
Rough Justice
It Won't Take Long
She Saw Me Coming
Dangerous Beauty
Look What The Cat Dragged In
Doom And Gloom
One More Shot

Little T&A is a lot of fun to play in it...

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Spud
It's never a problem if you're looking to emulate the sounds and riffs that Keith plays on the live stage today.

The problem is if you're looking to mimic the record.
Many songs don't sound right without both the 5 string open tuned part and the an accompanying concert tuned part.

I think that's part of the reason why there have been so many debates around hear over the years about which tunings were used for certain songs.
You don't always know which guitar is adding a certain note or drone in the background.

Not to mention songs that are either in an off tuning or the speed was adjusted. Honky Tonk Women and Star Star come to mind, you can't just tune to the regular tunings. I think they're a little sharp, or the tape is sped up.

Then of course there's playing along to Exile and the out of tune guitars. Tumbling Dice and Rocks off never sound right when I play along. Some songs sound alright though, Happy is either surprising in tune or I'm out of tune, or maybe SOMEBODY is in tune so my guitar doesn't stick out like a sore thumb like it does on some tracks. That's another fun Open G song, Happy. And Before They Make Me Run while on the subject of Keith songs.

GasLightStreet, I'd add If You Can't Rock Me. That's Open G right? That's the only way I've ever known to play it. It's pretty fun, especially the breakdown part. Then of course you could add the '75 version of Get Off Of My Cloud played together with it.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2013-09-20 16:07 by NoCode0680.

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GasLightStreet
I used to have a guitar I used strictly for 5 string open G. Had some songs with that tuning. Playing the Stones songs was easier without the E string in the way so I kept it that way.

Live Keith uses it for a lot of songs - some that he did not use open G for on the studio recording like JJF, SFM, LSTNT and She's So Cold. Are there any others that he's done that with?

So what's the list? What he's done live or both?

LSTNT - live only
JJF - live only
SFM - live only
Honky Tonk Women
YCAGWYW
Jiving Sister Fanny
Brown Sugar
Sway (Mick, of course)
Wild Horses - live
Can't You Hear Me Knocking
Tumbling Dice
All Down The Line
Soul Survivor
Plundered My Soul (is that correct?)
Happy
Casino Boogie
Turd On The Run
Ventilator Blues
Tops
Dance Little Sister
Luxury
Crazy Mama
Worried About You
Before They Make Me Run
I Can't Help It
Start Me Up
Undercover Of The Night (whoever)
Too Tough
Wanna Hold You
One Hit (To The Body)
Sad Sad Sad
Mixed Emotions
Rock And A Hard Place
Hearts For Sale (Mick for sure...)
Almost Hear You Sigh
Highwire
Love Is Strong
You Got Me Rocking
Sparks Will Fly
I Go Wild
Like A Rolling Stone
Lowdown
Too Tight
Don't Stop
Rough Justice
It Won't Take Long
She Saw Me Coming
Dangerous Beauty
Look What The Cat Dragged In
Doom And Gloom
One More Shot

Crazy Mama, Sad Sad Sad and Highwire is only Mick on open G.

Almost Hear You Sigh is standard tuning. So is Hearts For Sale (all the three guitars)

Not so sure about Worried About You - my guess is standard tuning...

Brian plays open G on Little Red Rooster.

Plundered My Soul is correct.

Wild Horses has been debated to death, but I'm with you - I'm still not sure there is a open G (5 or 10-string) in there. I can't hear the G-string that would be ringing differently on the minor chords in open tuning, in there...



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2013-09-20 17:01 by DandelionPowderman.

Mick plays Hearts For Sale in open G for the wah-wah part. Perhaps that is the only part.

Some of those I wasn't sure of. Perhaps that's part of the problem - some of the songs seem like they're open G, like Worried About You. I forgot about If You Can't Rock Me even though I looked at the album to remember what songs. Not sure how I forgot that one.

Pretty sure Wild Horses does not have a 5-string open G on the studio version. It's all 6, 9, 12, 38 and 72 string guitars in various tunings - Nashville, Manhattan, Miami and Los Angeles tunings were the rage back then.

Well, regardless of who's playing it, Crazy Mama etc does have 5 string open G in it!

Justice is standard.
Worried I'm 99% sure it's standard.
Rock and a hard place sounds standard to me, but I never tried it.

C

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GasLightStreet
Mick plays Hearts For Sale in open G for the wah-wah part. Perhaps that is the only part.

Some of those I wasn't sure of. Perhaps that's part of the problem - some of the songs seem like they're open G, like Worried About You. I forgot about If You Can't Rock Me even though I looked at the album to remember what songs. Not sure how I forgot that one.

Pretty sure Wild Horses does not have a 5-string open G on the studio version. It's all 6, 9, 12, 38 and 72 string guitars in various tunings - Nashville, Manhattan, Miami and Los Angeles tunings were the rage back then.

Well, regardless of who's playing it, Crazy Mama etc does have 5 string open G in it!

To my ears, Mick plays a single-string riff on Hearts For Sale. He uses so much fuss and effects that it is impossible to hear if the tuning is standard or open G. Can't imagine why he'd need a different tuning for playing one or two strings only, though?

IYCRM is of course open G. Classic! BTW, Keith claimed Little T + A was in open tuning in an interview, but that's BS

Black Limousine, however, is indeed in open G on the studio version only.

Miami-tuning? I need to try out that one

Some very knowledgable people here claim Keith plays Wild Horses in open tuning, but I'm still not convinced (no, I don't want that debate again!)

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liddas
Justice is standard.
Worried I'm 99% sure it's standard.
Rock and a hard place sounds standard to me, but I never tried it.

C

I think Keith plays standard on Rock And A Hard Place, but Mick might be playing open G.

What about Hand Of Fate? I'm guessing Wayne is in standard, but Keith's in Open G right? I've played it in standard before, but it didn't sound nearly as good as Open G. That was actually the song that caused me to first take the jump and tune my guitar to Open G, prior to that I was just like "that's too much work", and would look for a standard song to play.

>>BTW, Keith claimed Little T + A was in open tuning in an interview, but that's BS

disputing the master on this?? heavens..

I've always had trouble with Little T&A, neither tuning sounds right. Standard sounds right during the intro and choruses, but I can't get it to sound right in Open G, but the verses don't sound right at all in standard, but Open G sounds right.

I'm no guitar player, but when I tuned to open G it was a revelation...stones songs just pour out.

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DandelionPowderman

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GasLightStreet
Mick plays Hearts For Sale in open G for the wah-wah part. Perhaps that is the only part.

To my ears, Mick plays a single-string riff on Hearts For Sale. He uses so much fuss and effects that it is impossible to hear if the tuning is standard or open G. Can't imagine why he'd need a different tuning for playing one or two strings only, though?

He stated it in a guitar or something magazine back in 1989. Just that part. Not sure why but it was brought up. It makes sense with those notes though, to play it in that rolling manner. GCDGCDD...

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treaclefingers
I'm no guitar player, but when I tuned to open G it was a revelation...stones songs just pour out.

same here treaclefingers..

made playing a lot of them so much easier..

not too difficult for us non guitar players who like to play guitar ..

i'm a bass player