how to learn in open tunings?

It's easier if you learn how to figure chords out yourself, and then you can work with any tuning imaginable. A little bit of basic music theory goes a long way.

Try World of Tuning, at https://ragajunglism.org/tunings/

This is the best source I found on all possible alternate tunings, what genres you can play with every tuning, artists that have popularized each alternate tunings and even videos! Have fun!

The best onramp here is to learn songs in alternate tunings. Two bands I really milked as a kid that have taught me many, many open tunings are Led Zeppelin and The Tea Party. If neither of these resonate with you I still recommend you find folks writing songs with open tunings and then learn to play them. That gives you a better sense for how to use open tunings than any static list of shapes or something.

Besides, playing in open tunings is more than just learning familiar scales and chord shapes with your strings tuned differently. It's a whole paradigm shift where unique voicings become possible. You might not even know the names for chords possible when in Layover or open Bm or something.

c#g#c#d#a#c (unsure of this tuning name)

Does that really have C on top, or do you mean C#? If you do mean C natural, it's a half-step from this one: https://gtdb.org/dadebcs. And that looks like the site you need to work out chords in any other tuning you want.

Bear in mind that a lot of players who use these alternative tunings work by ear, and don't really care what the names are of the chords they are playing. I.e., they "learn to play" in these tunings by just playing - finding what sounds good. (Of course, usually they are experienced players in EADGBE to begin with, and probably could work out the chords if they wanted to.)

But if you do care - and you've come a to a theory site, so I guess you do! - then learn (a) the notes on the fretboard (in whatever tuning you choose) and (b) a bit of basic chord structure theory (root-3rd-5th and so on).

Here's a couple of videos you might find interesting on open tunings in general:

Danny Thompson on John Martyn's "Inside Out"("He didn't know chords either, doesn't matter...")

Martin Carthy and Jim Moray

alesund tuning

Theory, in general, would help. If you know C major chord is made of C, E, G, it doesn't matter what the tuning is. You change your fingering based on the tuning to hold the proper notes.

Trevor Wong on YouTube has some good videos on popular Emo/Math Rock alternative tunings. (FACGCE and DAEAC#E)

He'll go over basic chord shapes and go through the process of mapping out the fretboard for specific keys.

Here's where I learned mine. http://nickdraketabs.co.uk/

Chord.Rocks and Fretastic are both great for chords and scales

Watch some Andy McKee lessons. He often explains the tunings and rationale behind his choices. I saw him live recently and he tunes (by ear) between each song. Someone in the audience joked we could just listen to him tune the whole show. I agree, he's a wizard.

https://youtu.be/jFbZaroXQBY

Learn some basic music theory, once you know what notes a chord is made of you can just find your own variations whatever the tuning.

I just got an alternate tuning chord book, it’s a great resource. I love the Wild West nature of open tunings and not really knowing what’s going on. Opens up a lot of room for experimenting. Sounds like you’re having fun with it I hope.

Vestapol Medley - Perry Lederman (youtube)

Open D (Vestapol) tuning

Here's what's worked for me...

Pick a song you like in that uses that open tuning, and learn it based of tablature. Become familiar with the chord fingerings by playing it as often as you like. Once you have that memorized, learn the same song (in the same key) in standard tuning, by just reading the chord chart. It will sound different with the different chord voicings of course, but the song will be there. Get the chord progression in standard tuning memorized.

Flip between playing the song in each tuning, and eventually you will develop a mental connection of what chords the open tuning fingerings actually are, not just their shapes. Do this with as many songs in that tuning as you can, to develop your vocabulary of chords in that tuning.

I’ve often struggled with this. I know standard tuning well, and also can get along in like open e or c6 (from playing steel guitars). But when it comes to something like dadgad im totally lost. I can analyze what im playing but that comes after the fact, where in standard I know exactly what im doing.

What helps me is to get into the mindset that each tuning offers something unique, what’s the point of playing stuff you know in standard in open f for example. Use what the tuning gives you

Do it by ear.

Other people in the thread have a lot of information already, but I would just like to say that learning arpeggios is a really good way to memories chords, since you can often get multiple notes per string. Just make sure you say out loud if the note you are playing is the first, third or 5th.

Stumbling upon sounds on an open tuning is what it's all about. Esp if you're a songwriter, going in bling and looking at it as a new land that's never been explored, will throw a billion ideas on your head.

I'd suggest just start fretting random notes and strum them to get a feel and move them around. This ll tickle your curiosity and then you'll start to map them out yourself. Which is a lot more fun than doing it using theory, cause you have a sense of your own understanding that you can now use in different combinations.

I'm sorry, I'm not much of a guitar player, but... how does the string tuning make any sort of difference regarding scales? Just play the notes, but in the new tuning. You want to play D minor? Play D E F G A Bb C. Why does the fingering on the instrument matter here?