Alternative tunings

[Romeo__11]

Dudes, is there anyone out there that can help me with alternative guitar tunings. I'm looking for a way to tune the guitar in the most easiest way using harmonics. I know how to standard, and drop D tune but there are so many other tunings out there and I just can't figure out how the hell to tune to them. For instance, I was looking in guitar world, and the system of a down song was tuned down a halfstep. What the...... .Does anybody know what I mean and if so could you help me out?
thanks... p.s. my name's cheyne

[The Fury]

Well if you can tune to drop D, then you should be alright just tuning down a half step. Tune the Low E string down a half step so that the 6th fret on the Low E sounds the same as the A string open. Now you can either use the 5th fret method or harmonics as before to tune all the other string down.

http://www.cyberfret.com/first-fret/index.php

I hope that helps:)

[sbguitman]

is there such a thing as DGDGBe tuning (dropping D, then gropping the A string to an octave lower than the G string)?

I just tried it out once for the hell of it, and although I dunno any songs in such a tuning, I tried it out and it sounded cool, barring a fret and playing the top four strings.

[The Fury]

Yeah, of course there is, if you can tune your strings to those notes, then it exists. You can tune your strings to whatever you want, it's just that some tunings are more common than others. Some tunings will have advantages for a certain song. Usually the most common open tunings make up the notes of a chord.

[Axehole]

Try here (http://www.guitartricks.com/2000/trick.php?trick_id=1754&PHPSESSID=e937a) - there's a whole page of alternate tunings

[cyberfret]

Here are some links to check out for some more information on open tunings.

http://www.alternatetuner.com/

http://www.cruzio.com/~gpa/mary/tunings.htm

http://www.acousticfingerstyle.com/opentune.htm

http://users.penn.com/~timmr/alt_tuning.html

http://www.win.net/mainstring/tunings.html


This is probably the best book on alternate tunings

The Complete Book of Alternate Tunings (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0936799137/cyberfcomonlinec) by Mark Hanson

--Shawn

[berserker Troy]

HEY! I saw SIX FEET UNDER a couple of years ago and met the guitarist - Steve Swanson. He told me he was tuned down two steps from standard. I later asked my guitar-shop dude and he said that's C F A# D# G C. So that's what I'm tuned to now. But on "alternatetuner.com", it says that 2 steps down is C F B E G C. So - who's right. Please help.

[cyberfret]

Originally posted by berserker Troy
HEY! I saw SIX FEET UNDER a couple of years ago and met the guitarist - Steve Swanson. He told me he was tuned down two steps from standard. I later asked my guitar-shop dude and he said that's C F A# D# G C. So that's what I'm tuned to now. But on "alternatetuner.com", it says that 2 steps down is C F B E G C. So - who's right. Please help.



The guitar shop dude is right. I will have to contact the webmaster at alternatetuner.com and let him know. I have a feeling he just forgot his flats when he made the diagram. In fact the audio is correct for the tuning notes. It should read C F Bb Eb G C. A# sounds the same as Bb and D# sounds the same as Eb.

--Shawn

[The Fury]

In that example on alternatetuner.com, next to the strings it says tuned down 2 notes which is not the same as two steps. It's misleading because is states once that is down 2 steps and later says it is tuned down 2 notes.

Two notes is C F B E G C, but two steps is C F A# D# G C.

I hope that helps.

[berserker Troy]

thanks people. What is/are the tunings for death and black metal music?

[Tony_Iommi]

Originally posted by berserker Troy
thanks people. What is/are the tunings for death and black metal music?

Any tuning of any type of music depends on the band. I cant speak for Death metal, but like, most power metal bands are tuned to 1/2 step down. But for example ,black sabbath.. it depends on the record. paranoid was in standard, Master of reality was 1 1/2 steps low and Heaven and Hell was 1/2 step low. so it really depends.