Alternate tunings

[waitingroom]

What are some of your favorites? I rarely even use standard tuning anymore, so a guitar in standard tuning is almost an alternate tuning to me! Anyway, one of my favs is from high to low: E B A D F# D. Also use the normal open D's and a few others.

[Cappy*tan]

I don't really use alternate tunings but I use a capo a lot, which really does change the way you hear standard chords and such. And this is an old trick, but recording a guitar with standard open chords, like say a D-A-G pattern...throw a capo on say the fifth fret and play them up there along with the open chords. Really makes things come to life. But I used to mess around a lot with alternate tunings. Most I made up myself and can't remember...but I remember tuning my guitar to open B minor somehow..lol....I just find a capo is easier these days than remembering tunings and such...Sorry I don't have any more to add.

[MichaelAlan]

One of our guitar players uses dropped "D" and the other one switches between that and a strange open E tuning.


Mike

[Cappy*tan]

I realize I may not have made myself very clear....what I was talking about was doubling an acoustic, with one playing open chords, one playing the same chords capoed up the neck...old trick but it sounds great. Maybe that's a little easier to understand. heh I can confuse myself so easily....lol

[ubertar]

Right now I'm using E+20, A, D-20, G-40, B+40, E+20. The scale is 5 tone equal temperament. I like that scale because it sounds good melodically and harmonically. There are some really cool chords in 5 tet.

[thekeepsake]

C G D F# G C is one of my favorites. i'm also a fan of B F C E F F which is just wrong.

[Bwanasonic]

I often go off on various *Joni* tuning tangents, but good old DADGAD is incredibly versatile. I always encourage a good knowledge of the meat & potatoes tunings, open D and G (and their up-a-whole step equivalents, E and A). Some other notable tunings are the Mick Ralphs C, C, G, C, E, C "Can't Get Enough" tuning (use light strings!), Curtis Mayfield's F# A# C# F# A# F#, and Albert Collins' F C F Ab C F (capo'd way up the neck). Big Star and Sonic Youth fans should rarely be caught with a guitar in standard tuning

Kerry M

[Knights Who Say Neve]

Right now I'm using E+20, A, D-20, G+40, B+40, E+20. The scale is 5 tone equal temperament. I like that scale because it sounds good melodically and harmonically. There are some really cool chords in 5 tet.

How do you dial in your tuning on a guitar? I have one of those sabine autotuners, you know, the one with the LEDs...do I need a different tuner?

[ubertar]

Right now I'm using E+20, A, D-20, G-40, B+40, E+20. The scale is 5 tone equal temperament. I like that scale because it sounds good melodically and harmonically. There are some really cool chords in 5 tet.

How do you dial in your tuning on a guitar? I have one of those sabine autotuners, you know, the one with the LEDs...do I need a different tuner?

You need a good chromatic tuner that gives you readings in cents. And new frets.

[mjau]

I go through phases of C# G# C# F c# F ...an open C# major chord, which is really bright. Helps to have light strings, or those high strings pull out of tune fast.

And in drop D, I'll end up writing Neil Young songs all day long. Really, really bad Neil Young songs.

[Rigsby]

Right now I'm using E+20, A, D-20, G-40, B+40, E+20. The scale is 5 tone equal temperament. I like that scale because it sounds good melodically and harmonically. There are some really cool chords in 5 tet.

Awesome, like microtones and you'd be right on the money due to the frets. Interesting one to consider i think. I'm a fairly big fan of DGDGGD, especially when playing alongside the Oud.

[marqueemoon]

The only one I use is DADGAD. It's good for fingerpicking.

[ubertar]

Right now I'm using E+20, A, D-20, G-40, B+40, E+20. The scale is 5 tone equal temperament. I like that scale because it sounds good melodically and harmonically. There are some really cool chords in 5 tet.

Awesome, like microtones and you'd be right on the money due to the frets. Interesting one to consider i think. I'm a fairly big fan of DGDGGD, especially when playing alongside the Oud.

I'm using this in the song I'm working on now, and used it in some Bakshish stuff in the past. I'm having my students set up their guitars for 5 tet, too, to begin with. The fingering is really easy, and the chords are nice. We're making them with movable frets, so they won't be saddled with an obscure tuning forever, and so we can explore other tunings as well. Man, I love my job.

[awolski]

E A C# E A E is good for droney, bluesy rock.

That middle E on the G string can be really loose and hard to keep in tune sometimes, but you can use a higher gauge than the rest of the set for that string only.

[waitingroom]

Awesome, like microtones and you'd be right on the money due to the frets. Interesting one to consider i think. I'm a fairly big fan of DGDGGD, especially when playing alongside the Oud

I use this one, minus A string tuned to a G. I had never really thought of that. It seems like I never really read anything about tuning differently, except for old Drop D, I just started twisting the pegs and seeing what was happening. I play this bluegrass sounding song on an acoustic in my version of that tuning that is really fast and open sounding. I usually just play it to impress people, like in high school guitar class where everyone else was painstakingly playing the opening to "Thunderstruck" one note at a time on an acoustic guitar.