JONI MITCHELL TUNINGS

Written by Howard Wright
spxhaw@uk.ac.cf.thor

I thought I'd put together a little piece on Joni's tunings because I've recently worked out quite a few of the tunings she uses, and it's easier to list them all in one place than try to TAB them all separately. I hope to get round to tabbing at least a couple of the songs mentioned in full, but it takes time so I thought I'd write this first to give the basic info.

Two 'standard' tunings which she has used quite a bit are the open G and open D tunings.

Open G is (from low to hight) : DGDGBD
Open D is (low to high) : DADF#AD

I say 'standard' tunings because these have been used by a lot of people. The open G tuning is used a hell of a lot by Keith Richards for example.

Another favourite of hers is a variation on the open D which I call the Dadd9 tuning.

It is : DAEF#AD

There are also a couple of other tunings I've worked out, though I've only found her using them on one particular song.Anyway, here is a list of songs with their appropriate tunings. I hope to add to this list as I work out more songs, but I've got a feeling that she has a small number of tunings which she uses on a lot of different songs, rather than inventing a new tuning for every new song. If you play around a bit you might start to get the song worked out for yourself - once you've got the right tuning, things are a lot easier !

Thanks also to Jared White for sending some tunings he knew, and to Jimfre Bacal for sending some others (courtesy of Patrick Willoughby).

Tuning
SONG
Album

C G Bb Eb F Bb:
Sex Kills
Turbulent Indigo

D A E F# A D:
Sunny Sunday
Turbulent Indigo

Passion Play
Night Ride Home

Cherokee Louise
Night Ride Home

Night Ride Home
Night Ride Home

D A E G C E :
Furry Sings the Blues
Hejira

Jericho
Don Juan's Reckless Daughter

C G D F C E :
Coyote
Hejira

Woman of Heart and Mind
For the Roses

Don Juan's Reckless Daughter
Don Juan's Reckless Daughter

C G D F G C :
My Secret Place
Chalk Mark in a Rainstorm

Number One
Chalk Mark in a Rainstorm

Cool Water
Chalk Mark in a Rainstorm

Hejira
Hejira

D A D F# A D :
Free Man In Paris
Court And Spark

People's Parties
Court And Spark

Michael From Mountains
Joni Mitchell

Cactus Tree
Joni Mitchell

Night in the City
Joni Mitchell

Pirate of Penzance
Joni Mitchell

Both Sides now
Clouds

Chelsea Morning
Clouds

You turn me on
For the roses

D A D E A D :
I had a King
Joni Mitchell

D G D G B D :
(Open G) Don't InterruptThe Sorrow
Hissing of Summer Lawns

Nathan La Franeer
Joni Mitchell

Little
Green Blue

For the roses
For the roses

Marcie
Joni Mitchell

Circle Game
Ladies of the Canyon

Morning Morgantown
Ladies of the canyon

C G D G B D :
Sweet Bird
Hissing of Summer Lawns

Cold Blues Steel and Sweet Fire
For The Roses

B F# B E A E :
Magdalen Laundries
Turbulent Indigo

Remember that you can tune down and then use a capo to get the same
sound- so instead of tuning to open D (DADF#AD),

you could tune to open C (CGCEGC) then put a capo on the 2nd fret.

I've tabbed 'Free Man in Paris' and 'People's Parties' already - check out Nevada for those (but use a mirror site !) If you have any trouble finding them I can mail them to you.