Billy G - La Grange - Open or Std tuning?

bigdaddy · #1 02-02-2010, 11:56 PM

Ok, I referred to him as overrated in this and other forums, but I am obsessed with the riff that is La Grange after hearing it in a store the other day. There are obviously a lot of ways to get close to this riff. everyone I have seen cover it plays it in standard tuning. I've been messing around a lot in open G lately. My ears and the limited research I have done on youtube watching Billy himself lead me to believe he played this in open tuning (open A). What say you?

BadCat · #2 02-03-2010, 12:12 AM

standard

OldSchool · #3 02-03-2010, 05:46 AM

Yep.........Standard. And he is a hell of a slide player in standard as well.

TB72 · #4 02-03-2010, 05:51 AM

There has been some speculation that the intro on the Tres Hombres album was in open A tuning. Live, he does it in Standard.

Later...

Phoebe · #5 02-03-2010, 06:06 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bigdaddy

Ok, I referred to him as overrated in this and other forums, but I am obsessed with the riff that is La Grange after hearing it in a store the other day. There are obviously a lot of ways to get close to this riff. everyone I have seen cover it plays it in standard tuning. I've been messing around a lot in open G lately. My ears and the limited research I have done on youtube watching Billy himself lead me to believe he played this in open tuning (open A). What say you?

Listen again. Standard for sure. At least the studio version is.

GCDEF · #6 02-03-2010, 06:15 AM

Sounds like standard to me. That's the way I've always played it and it sounds right. It's not a hard riff to play. I'm not sure where the confusion would come from.

Bob Maximus · #7 02-03-2010, 06:36 AM

John Lee Hooker plays a very similar lick in standard tuning in Boogie Chillin:

kelvinator60 · #8 02-03-2010, 06:46 AM

Well that is probably where La Grange came from. That is not a slam BTW just an observation.

bigdaddy · #9 02-03-2010, 07:20 AM

Probably? Make that obviously.

Quote:

That's the way I've always played it and it sounds right. It's not a hard riff to play. I'm not sure where the confusion would come from.

There's no confusion and no one said it was hard. There are umpteen variations on, and ways to play, that riff. Try it in open A and see what you think.

I'll say one thing for damn sure, he doesn't ever move up to 5th position to get on the flat 7 on the m3, like all the 'lesson' videos on youtube purport. IOW, if you're playing a D barre or power chord in 5th position, you're missing most of the subtleties of the riff.