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Archive Entry

Eric Andersen and Open Tunings

Finding

The finding

Eric Andersen introduced Joni Mitchell to open tunings while they were living in Detroit.

Place
Detroit
Date
1965–1966

Evidence

The record

Publication

Eric Andersen

Acoustic Guitar December 12, 2018 Interviewer: Jeffrey Pepper Rodgers

She hated playing guitar in standard tuning. Standard tuning could be difficult... In my show in Detroit I was playing in E, D, and G tunings. Afterwards we went to her lovely home. She was curious about these tunings, so I showed her. From there, the rest was history.

https://jonimitchell.com/library/view.cfm?id=4351

Context

Coffeehouse tunings

Open G, Open C, Open E, D Modal... were the tunings that were known and kicking around the coffeehouses.

Q Magazine
1994
https://jonimitchell.com/library/view.cfm?id=583

Sources

Source record

  1. Eric Andersen

    Acoustic Guitar, December 12, 2018, Interviewer: Jeffrey Pepper Rodgers

    https://jonimitchell.com/library/view.cfm?id=4351

  2. Joni Mitchell

    Q Magazine, 1994

    https://jonimitchell.com/library/view.cfm?id=583

  3. Joni Mitchell

    Rolling Stone, February 18, 1999

    https://jonimitchell.com/library/view.cfm?id=1034