Sometimes Going Forward Means Taking A Step Back....

and that can be a good thing.

Back in the 80's, I began experimenting with non-standard tunings on guitar. Some people call this alternate tuning or open tunings. It's something that guitarists have been doing for a long time and is more common than people think.

People who regularly use non-standard tunings on guitar include Keith Richards, Jimmy Page, Jack White, Joni Mitchell, Neil Young, Son House and Robert Johnson.

A few years ago, when I started playing in bands, I stopped using tunings (except Open G; I couldn't live without Open G 😋 ) because it takes time to retune on stage, and some musicians find it hard to follow a player not playing chord shapes they are familiar with.  

 The disadvantage is you rely on other people to perform the music you've just written and recorded.

But what happens if they don't want to or are unable to? Sometimes life doesn't go as planned.

So, do you stop? Do you start everything over again? Do you create your backing tracks to play along, too?

All three are possibilities and have happened over the past couple of years. It's honestly very frustrating from this end of things.

I performed for nearly a decade as a solo artist. Back then, you did not have the technology to provide backing tracks. Today, there are lots of ways people do this. But I don't just want to be a karaoke machine for the music I create. 

So, I've been writing more using non-standard tunings to fill in some of the space we're all used to hearing from a four-piece band.

I'm looking forward to letting you hear some of it soon.

(Note: This was initially published in 2017, and it was the last news I posted on this site for six years. My oh my, did things ever take a turn after this. I'll tell you about it sometime.)

Sincerely,

Mitch Ross

Musician | Songwriter | Producer

You're never too old to follow your heart.