Guitar chord vocab: fake Nashville tuning

Nashville tuning replaces the E, A, D and G strings with much thinner strings, tuned an octave higher. The B and high E remain standard, so the effect is the same as the ‘extra’ strings on a 12-string guitar.

Try this open E major chord for starters…

The general idea is most of the notes on the bottom four strings will sound higher than the top two strings, so we’re faking that effect by playing high on the fretboard. Strummed chords sound great when played by standard guitar and Nashville guitar together.

You can adapt any standard chord shapes, but we’ve used some inversions (with the slash showing the bass note) to allow for a hearty strum across all six strings. Also, those B and E strings wouldn’t necessarily be open, but it’s easier with our cheat version.

You don’t have to strum the chords, either. Easy arpeggio patterns sound great, because the contour from high notes to low notes is completely unexpected. Try fingerpicking patterns, too!

These chords work together as a sequence, but experiment with others.