Sting - Fields of Gold - Guitar Lesson

About Fields of Gold

Open G tuning gives "Fields of Gold" its warm, resonant character, and getting comfortable with that re-tuning is the first thing to sort out before you play a single note. In D major at a relaxed 76 BPM, the song rewards a light touch: the fingerpicked arpeggio pattern that carries the whole piece needs to feel unhurried and even, which is harder to sustain than it sounds at this kind of tempo. The open strings ring into each other in ways that standard tuning simply does not give you, so pay attention to which fingers you let sustain and which you mute. Sting wrote the piece with that drone-like quality very much in mind, and chasing that stillness is the real challenge here. If the picking pattern keeps tripping you up, isolate just two or three bars in the Practice Toolbar, slow it right down, and let your right hand find the motion without rushing. This sits comfortably within the Folk Rock tradition of using open tunings to blur the line between rhythm and melody.

• Open G tuning is essential here: the open strings create a sustained drone that defines the song's texture and cannot be replicated in standard tuning.
• The fingerpicked arpeggio pattern runs throughout at 76 BPM, making consistent right-hand timing and even tone across strings the main technical challenge.
• Practising the picking pattern slowly with the Practice Toolbar loop is the most effective way to build the muscle memory before bringing it up to tempo.