Mitchell Tunings by Joni Mitchell, tabs and chords at PlayUkuleleNET

Mitchell Tunings

Biography:

Joni Mitchell, CC, (born Roberta Joan Anderson on November 7, 1943 in Fort Macleod, Alberta, Canada) is a Canadian musician, singer-songwriter, poet and painter. A highly influential artist, she has received eight Grammy Awards during her career, with the first coming in 1969 and the most recent in 2008. She received a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2002, with the citation describing her as "one of the most important female recording artists of the rock era" and "a powerful influence on all artists who embrace diversity

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JONI MITCHELL TUNINGS
-----------------------------

written by Howard Wright
[email protected]

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 Hejira
Blues

Jericho Don Juan's Reckless
Daughter

C G D F C E :

Coyote Hejira

Woman of Heart and For the Roses
Mind

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

C G D F G C :

Chalk mark in a Chalk Mark in a
Rainstorm no. 1 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 Joni Mitchell
Mountains

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 :

Don't Interrupt Hissing of Summer
The Sorrow 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

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

I hope to TAB some of the others soon

Howard