“If we add in the convenience of the pentatonic shapes also being available… I think we have a pretty compelling case for staying with standard tuning”: Why you don’t need open tunings to play slide guitar

Muddy Waters plays his iconic red Telecaster onstage.

When people discuss slide guitar, they often presume the guitar will be open-tuned to a chord. This is fair enough as it’s a time-honoured method that allows a lot of flexibility.

However, unless you’re going to play the whole gig in an open tuning, it might feel a bit excessive to keep retuning or to carry an extra guitar for a couple of songs. If you’re just looking to play solos, or even just getting into slide, it isn’t necessary to go to such lengths.