Alternate Tunings

[dagosto]

Although I never use them live, I am a fan of experimenting with different tunings to bring a more experimental sort of inspiration to my writing. Here are a few that I like.

G-G-D-D-G-G
Nice and simple. Light gauge strings reccomended.

E-B-E-E-A-B
Based on perfect fifths and fourths

E-Gb-D-G-Eb-Db
I love this one. Great for strangely beautiful arppegiations.

E-G-E-Ab-B-D
This is a really weird one. All string are tune to some sort of third with the adjacent strings. Definately not an open tuning unless you're into dissonance. . . which I am. I come up with some great unorthodox melodies with this one.

[armrest]

here's some Nick Drake tunings I love to use:
C-G-C-F-C-E
B-E-B-E-B-E

...and a favorite John Fahey tuning:
G-G-D-G-B-D

[teledeluxe]

DADF#AD is probably the most useful outside of standard that I've found.

Having said that, GGDDGG is very fun. Thanks Sonic Youth!

[smopo24]

i use a lot of tunings....most of which have alternate temperaments; i keep them secret.....much like the tradition of hawaiian slack-key guitar (up until recently they kept all tunings a family secret {mostly drone-based}; but when the tradition began to die out, they opened it up to outsiders). i have never revealed them, i want chords and voicings that only i can make. kevin shields had some similar philosophy for the valentines' tunings, a blending of 3 tracks of alternately tuned chords making a blissed-out mess that he holds the secret to. you can say there are plenty of imitators; but only they have the elements that make their sound unique.

[dagosto]

Alternate temperments!

I play one hard rocker onstage and I'm in an alternate temperment whether I like it or not.

I like the Pythagorean tuning because it keeps me in the more natural keys when writing. Better for pop music.

[Professor Riffs]

I'm not a big alternate tuning guy, but when it comes to jazz and certain other scenarios, I really dig tuning the guitar in all 4ths, E A D G C F. Since it makes the shapes of the intervals on the neck much more symmetrical (The shape of a major 3rd is the same everywhere, etc etc), things like transposition and soloing in unfamiliar keys become quite a bit easier. As a result, dragons will fly out of the PA. I promise!

RIFF ON.

[lukedavo]

oh man drop D tuning is the best, I dont even have to try when I play guitar and it sounds heavy (sarcasm) .

[Chaorta]

Thank god for analog oscillators with sweepable pitch.

[Professor Riffs]

Originally Posted by lukedavo

oh man drop D tuning is the best, I dont even have to try when I play guitar and it sounds heavy (sarcasm) .

You can always use drop D to do things besides play lazy single-finger power chords, often with SUPER MEGA EVIL CONSEQUENCES!!!! I mean, I know it's eternally tied to nu-metal borefests, but it does add 2 more notes. And the way I see it, even one more added option is an ocean of new sonic possibilities!

[dagosto]

Originally Posted by Professor Riffs

You can always use drop D to do things besides play lazy single-finger power chords, often with SUPER MEGA EVIL CONSEQUENCES!!!! I mean, I know it's eternally tied to nu-metal borefests, but it does add 2 more notes. And the way I see it, even one more added option is an ocean of new sonic possibilities!

Yes, parrallel sixths can be infinitely evil if used correctly. Larger intervals in the lower notes can make for some very nice voicings and dropped d is great for this type of stuff.