Informant38

CELTIC FINGERSTYLE GUITAR PAGE:TUNINGS The Yellow Pages method of guitar composition, all the rage since the open tuning explosion, turns the creative process on its head. Now the fingers, not the soul, create the music. By making available a selection of easily discoverable licks, the open tuning permits, even tempts the unwary, or lazy composer to substitute a mechanical process of riff hunting for what was once a creative endeavor. The tuning and a game of "hunt and peck" dictate the form and flavor of the composition. The guitar assumes the role of a one-armed bandit that if manipulated enough will produce a pleasing jingle. And like the slot machine, the open tuning eventually produces that pleasing jingle even if the player's brain is fully disengaged throughout the process.