[lorispencer]

I don't use open chords or open strings often because it makes a change of key a bit harder. I play jazz standards and to be able to change the key instantly based on a different singer or different mix of instruments is a requirement. with no open strings, the muscle memory of the song is always the same. I tend to center my playing around the 5th to 7th fret so that i can move down or up without any big jumps.

the times that i will use open strings is when i arrange songs with note or notes used as a pivit point for every chord such as a song where the E and B strings are open through the entire song. For example if the song were E / C#m / A / B7 i would play E / C#m9 / A2 / Bsus. All chords have the low and high E and the B open playing all fingered notes on the 5th, 4th, and 3rd strings with the inversions being used in the 5th to 7th fret range. This is a pretty common guitar 'thing' and you hear it in many songs.