Joni Mitchells Guitar Tunings

Excerpted Jan 2011 from James Leahys page:

http://www.jmdl.com/guitar/marian/jimleahy070396.htm

The following is a list of over 90 Joni Mitchell guitar songs and their
tunings (piano and dulcimer songs are not included). This list does
not claim to be 100% accurate. In a few cases, I am close to the right
tuning, but one string may be out. If you feel that I've missed a
string or two, please let me know, and I will fix it. Because of my
busy workload, I am no longer able to give chords or left-hand
shapes for any songs. You're on your own. So experiment! Have fun!

Many of Joni Mitchell's tunings are based on the traditional D and G

tunings. For example, a simple way to visualize the C tuning is to think of
it as the D tuning tuned one step lower. Joni's current favourite tuning is
called the "Canadian" tuning (the origins of this tuning are not clear) --
really just the D tuning with the D (4th) string tuned up a whole tone to E
(e.g., "Passion Play"). For other songs in this tuning, the strings are still
tuned the same in relation to each other, but a semitone or a tone lower
("Sunny Sunday", "Yvette in English"). Don't forget, Joni's voice has
lowered over the years, so songs she used to sing in D tuning, for example,
may be in C tuning for current live versions.

STANDARD TUNING:
E A D G B E:
Urge for Going
Tin Angel
Harlem in Havana

D TUNING (and variants):

D A D F# A D:
Both Sides Now (capo fourth fret)
Night in the City (capo fifth fret)
Pirate of Penance
Cactus Tree (capo fourth fret)
That Song About the Midway (capo 2nd fret)
Chelsea Morning (capo 2nd fret)
Conversation (capo 4th fret)
Big Yellow Taxi (capo 2nd fret)
You Turn Me On (I'm a Radio)
People's Parties
A Strange Boy
A Bird That Whistles (Corrina, Corrina)

D MODAL:
D A D E A D:
I Had a King (capo 7th fret)

D A C F# A D:
Barangrill (capo 1st fret)

D A D F# G D:
The Sire of Sorrow

D G D D A D:
The Dawntreader

D A D G A E (capo 5th fret):

The Priest Song

C TUNING (and variants):

C G C E G C:
Raised on Robbery
Amelia
The Three Great Stimulants (95 live version)

B TUNING (and variants):

B F# D# D# F# B
How Do You Stop?
Turbulent Indigo
Borderline

B F# D# F# B D#
Songs to Aging Children Come

B F# B B F# B
Song to a Seagull

CANADIAN TUNING (and variants):

D A E F# A D:
Love (capo 2nd fret)
Passion Play
Cherokee Louise

C# G# D# E# G# C#:
Sunny Sunday

C G D E G C :
God Must Be a Boogie Man
Night Ride Home
Yvette in English
Love Puts on a New Face (Love Has Many Faces)
Love's Cries

HEJIRA TUNING (and variants):

B F# C# G# F# B:
Hejira

C G D F G C:
My Secret Place
Number One
Cool Water

D A E G A D:
In France They Kiss on Main Street (capo 2nd fret)
Slouching Toward Bethlehem
The Only Joy in Town

G TUNING (and variants):

D G D G B D:
The Circle Game (capo 4th fret)
Little Green (capo 4th fret)
Marcie
Nathan La Franeer
Roses Blue
Morning Morgantown (capo 2nd fret)
Underneath the Streetlight (capo 2nd fret)

D A D G B D:
Help Me
Free Man in Paris

C G D G B D:
Cold Blue Steel and Sweet Fire
Trouble Child
Don't Interrupt the Sorrow
Sweet Bird

G G D G B D (6th and 5th strings an octave apart):

For the Roses (capo 3rd fret)
Electricity (capo 3rd fret)
This Flight Tonight
Hunter (The Good Samaritan)

F# TUNING:
C# F# C# F# A# C#:
The Gallery

F TUNING (and variants):

Bb F C F A C:
Otis and Marlena

C F C G A C
I Don't Know Where I Stand

C A C F A C
Refuge of the Roads

C A C F G C
Silky Veils of Ardour

C G D F A C
Blue Motel Room

NORTH CAROLINA TUNING:

E E B F# G# B (capo first fret, or F F C G A C)
Michael from Mountains

CALIFORNIA KITCHEN TUNING:

C G D F C E
Sisotowbell Lane (capo 2nd fret)
Ladies of the Canyon (capo 2nd fret)
Woman of Heart and Mind
Just Like This Train
Shadows and Light (mid-70s live version)
Coyote
Don Juan's Reckless Daughter

C G D G C E:
Happiness Is the Best Facelift

EDITH'S TUNING:
D A E G C E:
Jericho
Edith and the Kingpin

D A E G C D:
Talk to Me

C G D F Bb D:
Furry Sings the Blues
Harry's House/Centerpiece

MISCELLANEOUS TUNINGS:
C G Bb Eb F Bb:
Woodstock ('79 and '83 tours)
Moon at the Window
Sex Kills

C G Eb F Bb D:
The Wolf That Lives in Lindsey

B F# B E A E :
Magdalene Laundries

D A C E G A:
Song for Sharon

A A E G C E:
The Windfall (Everything for Nothing)

Db F Db F Ab Db:
Come in from the Cold

D A C G A D:
Ray's Dad's Cadillac

Bb F Db Eb Ab C:
Last Chance Lost

Bb Bb Db F Ab Bb (fifth and sixth strings an octave apart):

Black Crow