Open C Major (CGCGGC) - Joni Mitchell's 'Carey' Tuning

This resonant guitar tuning, famously used by Joni Mitchell for her classic track "Carey" from the iconic 1971 album Blue, transforms the standard instrument into a powerful, open C Major soundscape. It's a foundational tuning for singer-songwriters and folk musicians seeking a rich, drone-like quality with intuitive chord shapes.

Verbal Analysis

From a player's perspective, the Open C Major (CGCGGC) tuning immediately presents a full, harmonically rich C Major chord when strummed open. The low C string provides a deep, authoritative bass foundation, while the doubled C's and G's across the middle and treble strings create a dense, shimmering texture. This setup encourages a lyrical, melodic playing style, often utilizing drones and open string ringing to complement vocal lines. The significantly reduced string tension, due to all strings being tuned down, offers a softer touch and can make bending notes an effortless experience, contributing to a fluid, expressive sound. It's a tuning that invites exploration, making complex harmonies feel intuitive and accessible for fingerstyle and strumming alike.

Technical Analysis

Technically, the Open C Major tuning arranges the guitar strings from low to high as C2-G2-C3-C3-G3-G3. This configuration strongly emphasizes the root (C) and perfect fifth (G) of a C major triad, making it functionally an open C Major chord, sometimes referred to as a C5 due to the absence of the major third (E) in the open strings. The intervals from the lowest C are: Root, Perfect 5th, Octave, Octave, Perfect 5th, Perfect 5th. This structure creates a very stable and consonant sound, making it easy to establish a C major tonality. The substantial downtuning across all strings (ranging from 2 to 9 semitones from standard EADGBe) results in considerably lower string tension. This impacts the guitar's feel, sustain, and intonation, and for optimal performance, particularly on the lower strings, a heavier string gauge is often recommended to maintain tension and clarity.

Open Chords & Shapes

• Open C Major (C5) Chord: Strumming all open strings yields a powerful C Major (or C5) chord. This is the natural, resonant home base of the tuning.
• Easy Major Chords: By simply barring a single finger across all six strings at any fret, you instantly create a major chord with its root on the barred fret. For example, barring at the 5th fret gives you an F Major (or F5) chord, and at the 7th fret, a G Major (or G5) chord. This makes transposing chord progressions incredibly straightforward across the fretboard.
• Accessible Minor & Suspended Chords: While the open strings are inherently major/perfect fifths, the repeating G and C notes make it relatively easy to find shapes for minor chords (e.g., fretting an Eb on a C string for C minor) and various suspended chords with minimal finger movement. The open intervals provide excellent drone possibilities for more complex voicings and melodic embellishments.

How to Tune

To achieve the Open C Major (CGCGGC) tuning from standard EADGBe, follow these string movements carefully. Please be aware that significant downtuning can drastically reduce string tension. For movements exceeding 4 semitones (either up or down), a different string gauge might be advised for optimal playability, intonation, and to prevent string floppiness.

• 6th String (Low E): Tune down 4 semitones from its standard E2 to C2. (This is a notable drop; exercise care and ensure your tuning pegs can hold tension reliably.)
• 5th String (A): Tune down 2 semitones from its standard A2 to G2.
• 4th String (D): Tune down 2 semitones from its standard D3 to C3.
• 3rd String (G): Tune down 7 semitones from its standard G3 to C3. (Caution: This is a very substantial drop, a perfect fifth. Consider using a heavier gauge string for better tension, intonation, and to prevent excessive floppiness.)
• 2nd String (B): Tune down 4 semitones from its standard B3 to G3. (This is a notable drop; exercise care.)
• 1st String (High E): Tune down 9 semitones from its standard E4 to G3. (Strong Caution: This is an exceptionally large drop, almost a full octave. A much heavier gauge string is highly recommended to maintain playability, intonation, and to prevent severe string floppiness, which can affect tone and playing dynamics.)

6th String: C2
5th String: G2
4th String: C3
3rd String: C3
2nd String: G3
1st String: G3