Open Tunings, Open Heart

Joni Mitchell was known for her fearless use of alternate tunings. For her, it wasn’t about complexity. It was about emotional truth. When a song couldn’t be born in standard tuning, she made a new way.

Joni used over 50 alternate tunings in her career. Not to be clever, but to find freedom. She called standard tuning a ‘jail.’ Learning music doesn’t have to be rigid or hard-edged—it can be soft, intuitive, a kind of playful rebellion.

If you’re stuck or frustrated, try tuning your guitar to something new and nonsensical. Let your ear chase the beauty, not the rules. This is prairie learning. This is shepherdess learning. Wide skies, open hearts.

Open your strings, and you might just open your heart to other creative ways!