# Stones' "Midnight Rambler" - how is Keith's guitar tuned? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [November 12, 2004, 10:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stones-midnight-rambler-how-is-keiths-guitar-tuned/274462 "2004-11-12T22:19:24Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d26b3c/32.png) [@Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Blue_Sky)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2004, 10:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stones-midnight-rambler-how-is-keiths-guitar-tuned/274462/1 "2004-11-12T22:19:24Z")
I have a friend who has recently started a band that does Rolling Stones covers. They are slowly adding new tunes to their sets and one they’d like to do is “Midnight Rambler”. My friend does the Keith Richards’ part (except for the heroin :D) and is having trouble figuring out how Richards has his guitar tuned. He believes it’s an open tuning, but has not had any luck getting the sound just right. Any Doper guitarist/Stones experts have a clue? ---
**Author:** ![DooWahDiddy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e9bcb4/32.png) [@DooWahDiddy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DooWahDiddy)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2004, 12:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stones-midnight-rambler-how-is-keiths-guitar-tuned/274462/2 "2004-11-13T00:44:38Z")
Googling “Midnight Rambler tuning” gives you a couple of things that say it’s a standard tuning, with a capo at the 7th fret. [Here’s one of them](http://64.233.167.104/search?q=cache:3cCijORBOfMJ:pub6.ezboard.com/fshidoobeewithstonesdougfrm353.showPrevMessage%3FtopicID%3D9.topic+Midnight+Rambler+tuning&hl=en&client=firefox-a). ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d26b3c/32.png) [@Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Blue_Sky)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2004, 1:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stones-midnight-rambler-how-is-keiths-guitar-tuned/274462/3 "2004-11-13T01:18:51Z")
I’ll send that page to my friend. He was thinking a capo was needed, but not sure where to put it. ---
**Author:** ![DanBlather](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/f4b2a3/32.png) [@DanBlather](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DanBlather)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2004, 4:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stones-midnight-rambler-how-is-keiths-guitar-tuned/274462/4 "2004-11-13T04:53:46Z")
> [@Mr. Blue Sky](#): > > I’ll send that page to my friend. He was thinking a capo was needed, but not sure where to put it. Then the musiciam says, that’s great, some asshole’s got my pen. ---
**Author:** ![bienville](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4bbf92/32.png) [@bienville](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bienville)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2004, 9:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stones-midnight-rambler-how-is-keiths-guitar-tuned/274462/5 "2004-11-13T09:34:49Z")
> [@DanBlather](#): > > Then the musiciam says, that’s great, some asshole’s got my pen. I don’t understand this joke. 😕 ---
**Author:** ![DanBlather](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/f4b2a3/32.png) [@DanBlather](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DanBlather)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2004, 2:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stones-midnight-rambler-how-is-keiths-guitar-tuned/274462/6 "2004-11-13T14:11:50Z")
> [@bienville](#): > > I don’t understand this joke. 😕 It’s the bastardizationof a classic. A doctor reaches up to get the pencil behind his ear and discovers it’s a rectal thermometer. He says “damn, some asshole has my pen”. ---
**Author:** ![cornflakes](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9d8465/32.png) [@cornflakes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cornflakes)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2004, 4:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stones-midnight-rambler-how-is-keiths-guitar-tuned/274462/7 "2004-11-13T16:49:58Z")
Keith Richards does use open tunings at times. Mostly he uses an open G tuning with the high (in pitch) E string and the low A tuned down a whole note to D and G respectively; the low E is removed from the guitar. Chords are played as bar chords, with the middle and/or ring finger adding other notes. In his words, the tuning only requires five strings, two fingers and one asshole. ---
**Author:** ![AskNott](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asknott/32/5790_2.png) [@AskNott](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AskNott)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2004, 5:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stones-midnight-rambler-how-is-keiths-guitar-tuned/274462/8 "2004-11-13T17:27:04Z")
An article in Guitar Player magazine years ago explained that Keith uses only 5 strings on many of his guitars. He leaves off the top (lowest pitch) string. That’s a part of his signature sound. Now, I’d like to be hip enough to tell you why it’s a good idea, but I haven’t a clue.