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Led Zeppelin 'That's the Way' — Open G Guitar Lesson

·2 mins
Open G Fingerstyle Folk Rock Intermediate Video Lesson
Table of Contents

Source: GTDB / Guitar Tuning Database

What This Video Covers #

“That’s the Way” from Led Zeppelin’s Led Zeppelin III is one of Page’s most beautiful acoustic fingerpicking pieces, recorded in Open G tuning. It sits apart from the band’s heavier material — quiet, introspective, and showcasing the tuning’s ability to produce rich, ringing chord voicings that would be impossible in standard.

The Open G Chord Voicings #

The song uses chord shapes specific to Open G that create close, overlapping note clusters. Because the open strings are already tuned to a G chord, adding just one or two fretted notes produces dense harmonic colours with very little effort. The lesson identifies the specific shapes Page uses and shows how they’re fingered.

Fingerpicking Pattern #

“That’s the Way” uses an alternating bass + melody fingerpicking pattern. The right-hand technique is the crux of the song — the lesson breaks down which fingers cover which strings and how the pattern creates the flowing, continuous texture of the piece.

The Acoustic Open G Sound #

This song demonstrates a side of Open G that’s separate from blues or rock: the tuning’s ability to produce lush, folk-influenced acoustic textures. The open D strings (string 1 and 6) ring sympathetically under chord changes, creating a shimmer that standard tuning can’t easily replicate.

Why This Song Works Well as a Learning Piece #

The chord vocabulary is relatively small, and the tempo is relaxed — making this a rewarding piece to work on once you have the basic shapes down. The fingerpicking pattern is challenging but consistent throughout, so once you have it, you have the whole song.

Who This Is For #

Fingerstyle players who want to move beyond rhythm strumming in Open G. Some experience with fingerpicking patterns in standard tuning will make this more accessible.

Key Takeaways #

  • Open G enables close chord voicings with ringing sympathetic strings
  • The fingerpicking pattern is the core technique to master in this piece
  • The song shows Open G’s folk and acoustic side, separate from blues or rock