Tab question

[Ben1123]

Hey, i have heard before that the fifth fret is the same note as the open string of the next lower string, and if so could you play an open string instead of a fifth fret?
Example
------------------
------------------
------------------
1-1-5-1-4-1-1-5--
could be played as
------------------
------------------
----0----------0--
1-1---1-4-1-1----

Does this make any sense, and if it does will it work, i was wondering because its a pain in the @## to have to slide your hand down like that for fast songs.

[MilkyMcMilkMilk]

yeah that's right you can subsitute the open string of the next higher string for the 5th fret, just like your example shows. same note, just gonna have a bit of a different tone with the open and the fretted note.

[Woodell]

That's exactly right. Play whatever works for you. Change it up if you want even.

This is how you do relative tuning by the way once you know any one of the strings are in tune.

[Woodell]

Actually I prefer to avoid open strings sometimes because I have to mute them if I don't want them to keep ringing. If I want the note to stop once I move on, I'll play a fretted version such that when I release the string it is no longer heard. And like MilkyMcMilkMilk posted, you do get a little different tone out of a fretted versus open note. It's all up to you.