collins tuning

8/13/2019 Collins Tuning

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FENDER PLAYERS CLUB ALBERT COLLINS

DOING MY THING

Performed by Albert Collins, 1969Written by Jim Mulloy

1969 (Renewed 1997) SILVER DOLLAR MUSIC (BMI)

Administered by BUG MUSIC

All Rights Reserved Used by Permission

From the book:

Open Tunings for Blues Guitarby Dave Rubin

Inside the Blues series

# HL 695412. Book/CD $17.95 (US).

Read more...

The Tuning:

6 5 4 3 2 1E G E G B E

The Albert Collins tuning is a device of Collins own making. Essentially, its an open Fm tuning. Like Open Dand E tunings, it contains the familiar root/5th/octave pattern on strings 64. However, the top three stringsare relative to standard tuning, like Drop D and Drop D and G. (Note that although their styles are entirelydifferent, Collinss Fm tuning also contains the same relative pitches as Skip Jamess Open Dm tuning.)

Because this tuning raises the pitch of every string, and because Collins typically used a capo to play invarious keys, its often easier to simulate this tuning in Open Em, and then add a capo to make up the

difference. This allows you to achieve the same licks as Albert but reduce the tension on the neckas well asmore easily visualize the fretboard. A quick way to tune from standard to Open Em (EBEGBE) is asfollows:

Match string 4 to string 6. Match string 5 to string 6, fret 7.

Selected Discography

Albert CollinsCollins appears to be the only musician to use this tuning. Examples can be found in virtually all of his work

from 1958 until his death in 1993.

How to Tune: Match string 6 to string 5, fret 8. Match string 5 to string 6, fret 7. Match string 4 to string 6. Match string 3 to string 4, fret 3.

Match string 2 to string 3, fret 5. Match string 1 to string 2, fret 5.

ALBERT COLLINS TUNING

AUDIO CLIP

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Albert Collins, a.k.a. The Iceman and Master of the Telecaster, was a true original likehis peer Albert King, and his personal tuning contributed to his instantly identifiablesound. After scuffling for ten years among various record labels following his debut in1958, he returned to his home base in Houston, Texas, where Canned Heat looked himup. With the help of singer Bob Bear Hite and guitarist Henry Sunflower Vestine,Collins signed a deal with Liberty/Imperial Records in 1969, resulting in the issuance of

three fine, funky blues disks.

Doing My Thing is a soulful, 12-bar instrumental from the first LP, Love Can Be FoundAnywhere (Even in a Guitar), reminiscent of Green Onions.While its likely that Collinsplayed this in his open Fm tuning with a capo at fret 2, the transcription reflects Emcapoed to fret 3, to ease the tension on the neck. (It is possible that Collins tuned upbecause he needed the extra tension to stand up to his hard, bare-fingered attack.)Note that all pitches will be referred to in E as notated, rather than in the actual key ofG.

Collinss frequent use of a capo gave him easy access to snappy open-stringpull-offsin all keys. On Doing My Thing,he displays this characteristic in the three guitar solos,particularly on string 3 (G). In measure 3 of the third solo, he executes a bend of the 4th(A) to the 5th (B), followed by a release and pull-off to the b3rd (G), with resolution tostring 4 (E) open. Further taking advantage of the tuning, Collins jumps the octavenotes on open strings 6 and 4 in various measures to beef up the bottom end of hissound over the I (E) chord, as well as deploying open strings 4 and 3 (EG) as a funkyEm double stop.

Collins plays few chords, but when he does comp, he places his voicings on the lowerstrings. Under the organ solo, Collins hammers from the b3rd (G) to the major 3rd (G#)while adding in the b7th (D) and root (E) for the I (E) chord. For the IV (A) chord, hehammers from the 2nd (B) to the 3rd (C#), with a 5th (E) above it. The V (B) chord isimplied with the root (B) and b7th (A). Collins plays similar, if simpler forms, under thesaxophone solo.

DOING MY THING

Performed by Albert Collins, 1969

Written by Jim Mulloy

1969 (Renewed 1997) SILVER DOLLAR MUSIC (BMI)Administered by BUG MUSICAll Rights Reserved Used by Permission


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# # #44

F

f

*G B C

E G A

02

G B C

n E G A

2 00 0

2 2

G B C

jn # . n.

E G A

0 1 (2)0

5 3

G B C

bE G A

2 2

# # # C E F

n n.

E C D

2 00

3

C E F

j

jn A C D

3 52

0

G B C

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0 20

G B C

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03

0 20

# # # D F G II II

IIII

n n B D E

3 02 0 2 0

0 0

C E F

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n n bA C D

0 20 0

2 3 30

G B C

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00 0

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n n.

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5 3

TAB

Gtr. 2, Standard TuningGtr. 1, Em Tuning, Capo III:(low to high) EBEGBE

= 132Guitar Solo

Organ Solo

Moderate Rock

Gtr. 1

Gtr. 2

6 fr

3 31 1

C

3

x

3 31

E

3

x x

8 fr

3 31

F

3

x x

10 fr

D8 fr

C10 fr

3 31

G

3

x x

3 31

B

3

x x

2 1 131

G

4 2 1 131 4 2 1 131 4

*Organ chord changes and rhythms adapted for gtr.

1/2

1/21

1 1

1

# # #

G B C

jn # . n

E G A

0 10 X 0

X 3X

XXX

XXX

XXX

XXX

XXX

G B C

E G

03

G B C

G

G B C

njE G A

00 00 200

#jn

A

1003

n

XXX

#jn

A

1003

nE

let ring

P.M.

II II

Doing My Thing

1969 (Renewed 1997) SILVER DOLLAR MUSIC (BMI)Administered by BUG MUSIC

All Rights Reserved Used by Permission

(Jim Mulloy) A DI LI
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