The guitar odyssey of Joni Mitchell
Joni Mitchell is one of the true guitar pioneers of our time, using an ever-changing array of alternate tunings to generate a lifetime’s worth of songs. Back in 1996 I did an extensive interview with Mitchell for Acoustic Guitar that shed light on her approach to the instrument and to songwriting more broadly. Read an excerpt in which she talks about writing the songs on Blue; the complete interview can be found in the book Rock Troubadours.
More than 20 years later, I did another deep dive into Mitchell’s guitar style to put together a video lesson with tab examples based on songs from across her catalog. Here are the songs covered (as heard in the companion Spotify playlist), with their tunings:
Both Sides Now (E B E G# B E; or D A D F# A D, capo 2)
Conversation (D A D F# A D, capo 4)
Chelsea Morning (D A D F# A D, capo 2)
The Circle Game (D G D G B D, capo 4)
Little Green (D G D G B D, capo 4)
Cold Blue Steel and Sweet Fire (C G D G B D)
Woman of Heart and Mind (B F# C# E B D#; shown in the lesson a half step higher, as C G D F C E)
Just Like This Train (C G D F C E)
Refuge of the Roads (C A C F A C)
Night Ride Home (C G D E G C)
The Magdalene Laundries (B F# B E A E)
Big Yellow Taxi (2007; she originally originally played this song in open E—or open D, capo 2—and in this remake used a keyboard simulation of a strummed guitar)
Watch my lesson video above, and find the full text and tab:
In the February 2019 print/digital issue of Acoustic Guitar.
In the book Play Guitar Like the Great Singer-Songwriters.
Play Guitar Like the Great Singer-Songwriters
In-depth lessons on the guitar styles of Joni Mitchell, Bruce Cockburn, John Prine, Richard Thompson, Bob Dylan, John Denver, Joan Armatrading, Nick Drake, Willie Nelson, Paul Simon, Lucinda Williams, Bill Withers, Joan Baez, and Neil Young.
