Tunings

Oskar · Joined: Jul 29, 2004 Posts: 1751 Location: Norway

When stuck in a rut, it's often seen as productive to change some parameters in your workflow.
My favourite tack is tuning my guitar differently. Here are some of my favourites, low to high:

Drop-D: D-A-D-G-B-E
Doubledrop-D: D-A-D-G-B-D
Dadgad: D-A-D-G-A-D
Open G: D-G-D-G-B-D
Open D: D-A-D-#F-A-D
G6: D-G-D-G-B-E
G "modal": C-G-D-G-B-E

I also have a 3/4 size cheapo Morgan electro-acoustic tuned
A-D-G-C-E-A

And my Irish Bouzouki:
G-D-A-E
or
F-C-G-D

By no means a compleat list of tunings, but I was wondering if any of our members like to fool around with other tunings, possibly combined with different playing techniques. Do Ya?

Oskar · Joined: Jul 29, 2004 Posts: 1751 Location: Norway

Actually, I forgot to mention that when playing solo acoustic on stage, I don't really tune to concert pitch, which means I often end up somewhere between a half step and a whole step below concert.

RF · Posted: Wed Nov 19, 2008 5:40 am Post subject:

Thanks for listing those tunings, Oskar.

I use DADGAD and Drop D every now and then - But there are some you listed I've never tried. Something for experimenting...

My wife, on the other hand is twisting tuners all the time. I often have no idea what she's doing...but it sounds great.

bruce

Oskar · Joined: Jul 29, 2004 Posts: 1751 Location: Norway

DrJustice · Posted: Wed Nov 19, 2008 5:45 am Post subject:

Say, don't you have to work hard to keep track of chords and scales in all those different tunings? I understand that some use alternative tunings to make certain songs (and chords/keys?) easier to play, but I know that at this stage of learning, the idea of having the notes shift around neck is a rather scary prospect...

DJ
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Oskar · Joined: Jul 29, 2004 Posts: 1751 Location: Norway

Spot on, DrJ! That is both scary AND exhilarating, without carrying the extra risk of, say, whitewater rafting or base jumping (as in parachuting off a high cliff)! Wink

DrJustice · Posted: Wed Nov 19, 2008 5:56 am Post subject:

Ah, just as I feared then. I suppose I'll know when I'm ready for that extra kick - a good few years down the road Very Happy

BTW, isn't this where a robot guitar might come into its own, if you have to go through several tunings during a gig?

DJ
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seraph · Posted: Wed Nov 19, 2008 5:58 am Post subject:

I have seen/heard those scary Line6 Variax guitars where you can select different tunings without changing the pitch of a single string.

http://line6.com/variax/workbench.html

DrJustice · Posted: Wed Nov 19, 2008 6:12 am Post subject:

BobTheDog · Posted: Wed Nov 19, 2008 6:24 am Post subject:

THE VG99 does offer the extra ability to slide between two different tunings with the expression pedal as well which is really neat.

Oskar · Joined: Jul 29, 2004 Posts: 1751 Location: Norway

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Standard_Tuning

Oskar · Joined: Jul 29, 2004 Posts: 1751 Location: Norway

Wout Blommers · Posted: Wed Nov 19, 2008 6:46 am Post subject:

Oskar · Joined: Jul 29, 2004 Posts: 1751 Location: Norway

Wout Blommers · Posted: Wed Nov 19, 2008 6:56 am Post subject:

The same here!
(It's the place where you can find me in the ZOO! DrJ, this is really scary Smile

BTW damn SpellCheck (Wow, what an excuse!)
More BTW That SpellCheck still doesn't recognize 'SpellCheck' Very Happy

Wout

Antimon · Posted: Wed Nov 19, 2008 8:25 am Post subject:

I'm constantly scared of having a string snap in my face or on my fingers when I'm experimenting with tunings. I've been safe so far (touch wood). Any war stories?

I have one of my gits tuned to something like E1 E1 E1 B2 B2 B2. With a slide thingy and heavy distortion I can get a pretty massive sound with that.

/Stefan

Oskar · Joined: Jul 29, 2004 Posts: 1751 Location: Norway

BobTheDog · Posted: Thu Nov 20, 2008 1:38 am Post subject:

There is a strange patch on the VG99 called "All E Moving" which has two guitars both with all strings tuned to E. Each guitar has some strings Es at different octaves. The second guitar is then switched between its tuning and the other guitars tuning using an LFO, this creates a strange echo type effect.

It isn't that easy to actually play as there is also echo on the FX rack and it gets a little confusing to my poor brain, I have included a mp3 so you can hear what it is like, just me fingerpicking on one guitar and some naff drums.

Scuse the timing I blame the echo!

Andy

AllE.mp3

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AllE.mp3

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DrJustice

I'm having fun with this tuning right now:
E2 E3 B3 E4 G#4 B4
It's the closest you can get to a harmonic series using only semitone steps in the VG-99.

I use a sound that has little overtones and I tweak the levels of each string to give a good playable spectrum. I'm playing barres to move the fundamental and modulate the timbre by picking/struming the upper strings in various ways, with or without the fundamental. Also trying some additional fingering to remove and double the highest harmonics. That's some kind of Interactive additive synthesis then... Probably nothing new, but it's my first foray into alternative tunings Smile

I take my chances and include a sound example. Nothing fancy - please excuse the lowly playing Embarassed

DJ
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harmonic_tuning.mp3

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Harmonic riffing in tuning E2 E3 B3 E4 G#4 B4

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