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I've been toying around with various alternate tunings lately. I'm sure everyone does Drop D or Eb every once in awhile, but does anyone use anything else?

I like double drop D, where in addition to lowering the low E down to D, you also drop the top D down. Elliott Smith used this tuning on "No Name No. 5 (well, actually another full step down, so double drop C)"

When I used to own a Mustang, I would actually tune everything up a full step sometimes, to compensate for the reduced tension and also get a "zingier" tone.

Another tuning I've taken from Smith is CGCEAD. (I think it's open C?) He uses it on "Clementine" and a few others.

My new favorite tuning is the "Sonic Youth" tuning that Thurston Moore uses on a bunch of his songs. It's CGDGCD -- probably a Csus2 tuning.

Far from being a niche "gimmick tuning", it actually sounds fantastic and really forces you to relearn the fretboard and move away from cliched playing. It makes your guitar sound more piano-like because the range is extended greatly. I'm planning on buying a really thick gauge of strings so I can set up a guitar for this tuning exclusively -- it still sounds good on a set of 11s, but that low string starts to get a little flabby once you're that low. But as I said, it sounds very piano-like in a clean application, but also lends itself well to fuzz and overdrive -- the shapes you can make on the lower strings sound cool and more interesting than your standard power chords, yet the intervals don't get muddled even with a lot of gain.

Anyone have some good alternate tunings? What applications do you use them for?

I used to used DADDAE a fair bit, I have no idea what it is, I just made it up. the 'G' string is a bit flappy, but it sounds cool and quite sonic youthesque.

I quite like drop tunings, where you're just shifting a string or two a little for some interesting voicings. For Doog fanboys:

EGDGBE (Starfucks - Weevil Knievel)
AADGBE (SUV, The Eighth Day, I Talk In Semaphore - Casa Bonita)
AADGG*E (Oh!Tmeal - Casa Bonita)
BADGBE (SUV - Casa Bonita)
CADGBE (The Lazy W - Doog)

And sometimes just go stupid:

BEADGD (Lolzords - Casa Bonita)

Mustang Melx wrote:I used to used DADDAE a fair bit, I have no idea what it is, I just made it up. the 'G' string is a bit flappy, but it sounds cool and quite sonic youthesque.

It's like a bit fat D powerchord with an added 2nd/9th, the E.

I nearly used this in a new WK song too, it's fun to play A-shape powerchords with it:

E ----
B ----
G -4---
D -4---
A -2---
C#-2---

Adds a low 3rd, sounds PHAT.

I have my 20pounds Argos classical acoustic tuned to DADGAD, for when the folk feeling takes me.

Thats about as wild as I get. Still alot of exploring to do in Standard.

Generally just use dropping of the E or A by up to a tone and a Capo for the rest of my re-voicing. I don't really have the patience for it since I'm anti both multiple guitars unless you're playing the Astoria or long tuning breaks which are never acceptable.

Alternate tunings are for lazy fucks who can't play real guitar.

Even though i am a big fan of Sonic Youth and MBV the only time i have used alt tuning is for RAWK. Drop everything to D (wholetone) then drop the D (drop C tuning).
Bands like 'Prong' use this, some go even lower. Drop C is just manageable and completely changes everything, srsly, play songs you know in the same positions but in this tuning and you will be shocked how different they sound.

when i first started playing i would tune my guitar to 5ths starting with c, 'cause i knew where all the notes were.

aen wrote:Alternate tunings are for lazy fucks who can't play real guitar.

This is about as far from the truth as you can get. Maybe you were being sarcastic? Have you ever even listened to Sonic Youth or Elliott Smith?

Aeon wrote:

aen wrote:Alternate tunings are for lazy fucks who can't play real guitar.

This is about as far from the truth as you can get. Maybe you were being sarcastic? Have you ever even listened to Sonic Youth or Elliott Smith?

yeah, they can definatly help you out of a rut, there shouldn't be any rules anyway, tune however you want...this is rock n roll!!!

...mike hit the nail on the head though....you either play everything in the same tuning or you look like a wannabe rockstar changing guitar every song.

Who the hell would retune the guitar in between songs (especially 'rock stars', who have techies handing them different guitars)? I can see maybe switching to drop D, but anything beyond that would take far too long.. Easier to just bring another guitar or play everything in one tuning, as you said.

Mustang Melx wrote:

Aeon wrote:

aen wrote:Alternate tunings are for lazy fucks who can't play real guitar.

This is about as far from the truth as you can get. Maybe you were being sarcastic? Have you ever even listened to Sonic Youth or Elliott Smith?

yeah, they can definatly help you out of a rut, there shouldn't be any rules anyway, tune however you want...this is rock n roll!!!

...mike hit the nail on the head though....you either play everything in the same tuning or you look like a wannabe rockstar changing guitar every song.

You might looks like a GAWD, since you have mad amounts of axes and such... Depends on who's watching.

Mustang Melx wrote: ...mike hit the nail on the head though....you either play everything in the same tuning or you look like a wannabe rockstar changing guitar every song.

Or you just tune to other tunings quickly, worked for me.

Doog wrote:

Mustang Melx wrote:I used to used DADDAE a fair bit, I have no idea what it is, I just made it up. the 'G' string is a bit flappy, but it sounds cool and quite sonic youthesque.

It's like a bit fat D powerchord with an added 2nd/9th, the E.

I nearly used this in a new WK song too, it's fun to play A-shape powerchords with it:

E ----
B ----
G -4---
D -4---
A -2---
C#-2---

Adds a low 3rd, sounds PHAT.

What's a 9th? An octave from the 2nd?

Yeah, think so- I'm a bit hazy on it myself.. you don't get "add2" chords, but you do get "add9".. maybe it's always referred to as a 9th even if it's in the same octave as the root..

My fav tuning of the moment and of up and coming pmt song is CGCGGD IT Rawks.

The best thing about odd tunings is trying standard chord shapes and occassionally stumbling across something amazing, it DOES happen.

DADF#AD and CGCEGC on acoustic/12-string a fair bit

used to use DGDGGD on electric, but it's only good for chords.

Doog wrote:Yeah, think so- I'm a bit hazy on it myself.. you don't get "add2" chords, but you do get "add9".. maybe it's always referred to as a 9th even if it's in the same octave as the root..

Yea, cause if you do the every other thing, you end up on the 9th...

CEGBD... Thanks for the info, broski!