What is your favorite alternate tuning?

[Dynadude]

I sometimes get into playing slide guitar or lap steel, and alternates are a natural extension of that style.

 

I try to pick out what alternates other players use in recordings, but it's not always easy.

 

So, what are your most used, or favorites?

[SRV-Zeppelin]

None for me- I think the best tuning is standard.

 

People who only use drop D have probably never learned how to play power chords.

 

People who only use open G for playing slide have probably never learned to play normal chords.

 

People who only use DADGAD are better at guitar than I am... either that or they only know how to play "Kashmir."

[surfpup]

I usually only change the electric for slide - open E or D. Once in awhile I'll do the open G thing to get my Stones on. However, I like DADGAD a lot for acoustic fingerstyle. I like to leave one in that tuning in the living room.

 

If you are doing lap steel you might try the C6 tunings a lot of the country dudes use. Ben Harper's E5 tuning is cool too - no 3rd so it fits well with major or minor keys.

 

Here's a link with a bunch of lap steel tunings... http://www.well.com/~wellvis/tuning.html

[Dynadude]

Thanks for the input guys.

 

That's a fantastic page link Surfpup. I never knew there were that many tuning options. Those should keep me occupied for months.

 

Srv-Zep, I didn't even know that Kashmir was played with an alternate. I've always used standard. I guess that's what I get for playing by ear.

 

By "power chords" are you referring to an alternate tuning?

[SRV-Zeppelin]

No, by "power chords" I refer to three-note chords played on the top 4 strings (either EAD or ADG) built on the interval of a 5th and an octave. Used heavily by Jack White and Slash when he occasionally plays rhythm...

 

[Thundergod]

None for me- I think the best tuning is standard.

 

People who only use drop D have probably never learned how to play power chords.

 

 

 

Sadly most people I know that tune their guitars in drop D don't know how to play power chords (or anything else at all...) C'mon guys... if someone can't play power chords, chances are he can't play at all. But there are such people. And their numbers grow by the minute.

 

Damn guitar hero's age.

[AXE®]

Low E---Drop C#

A---G#

D---C#

G---F#

B---A#

E---D#

 

On all my guitars most of the time.

[surfpup]

No' date=' by "power chords" I refer to three-note chords played on the top 4 strings (either EAD or ADG) built on the interval of a 5th and an octave. Used heavily by Jack White and Slash when he occasionally plays rhythm...

 

[img']http://i404.photobucket.com/albums/pp122/aperturevx/a5.gif[/img]

 

So what's the difference between the 5th chords you are charting here (call 'em power chords if you want) and the drop D 5th chords you are ragging on? I see none. I thought you were talking about real power chords you know... ones with a major or minor 3rd in them!

[solacematt]

I use a form of tuning referred to as 'Triple Drop C' in my band. One weekend I was jammin at work and had my PRS at the time tuned to Drop C for a favorite a band's cd I was learning, and also had an old issue of Guitar World open where Travis Meeks from Days Of The New (Check out their tunings, he uses a lot of nutty tunings) explained all of his band's tunings on that album. I saw 'Double Drop D' and 'Triple Drop C' in his list, so I tuned my high E down an Additional step from D to C and really dug the tuning. It makes me play some chords in a different way and creates much fuller sounding chords :) Been using it since mid/late '05 now :)

[DamienAzrael]

I don't get too crazy with the drop tunings all that much anymore....I used to really like tuning down to B, but then I just ended up using a 7 string whenever a song called for that....I stick with either E flat or standard D...Those seem to work well for me.

[Tim Plains]

How does a person not know what a power chord is? :)

It's the first thing you learn as a guitar player and the only thing I knew for the first six months!

 

With me, it's either standard or drop D.

[elessar820]

Drop D, half a step down and drop D with a half step. I used to play drop C and B a lot, but it's not for me. I love listening to low tuned bands, but I'm not a fan playing it.

[Thundergod]

How does a person not know what a power chord is?

It's the first thing you learn as a guitar player and the only thing I knew for the first six months!

 

 

+1

[Thundergod]

I never answered...

 

Most of the time I play in standard concert tunning.

 

I keep one of the guitars one step down to play 80s stuff (poison, guns, and such).

[littlekenny]

I pretty much always keep my Ibanez in standard tuning but with my acoustic I like messing around with tunings, usually it's just half a step down though

[SRV-Zeppelin]

 

So what's the difference between the 5th chords you are charting here (call 'em power chords if you want) and the drop D 5th chords you are ragging on? I see none. I thought you were talking about real power chords you know... ones with a major or minor 3rd in them!

 

Well' date=' if you're in Drop D, all the notes on the E string (which will hence be the D string) will be up 2 frets from normal playing. Thus, if you're playing a power chord on the top three strings in Drop D, you only have to bar those strings on one fret rather than stretching across 3 frets.

 

As I said, [i']cheating[/i]...

[AXE®]

It's called musical interpretation,

Eddie's tapping-------cheating ?

[rmngretsch14]

D A D F#A D, Great tuning for real gritty delta slide gee-tar

[Ian Martin]

My favorite is:

 

A

F#

D

C

C#

B

 

 

 

 

 

...honestly, I just made that up right here.

 

I normally play standard tuning, occasionally drop it half a step for ease on my crappy vocal range.

 

For slide, open G or A.

[Dynadude]

Cool. Got some good info and ideas changing hands here.

 

As to the "power chord" thing, everyone that plays knows what they are, but the way they were referred to regarding the subject of alternate tunings kind'a threw me. I thought maybe there could be tunings that could be used to emulate them, or maybe there was something I'd never heard of regarding alt tunings.

 

It's amazing to me how much these different tunings are used, and how players get so good at implementing them. Any jack-leg can power chord. I have little/no interest in that technique. If you can't do that, you need to stay in the audience.

[Ian Martin]

I'm not too fond of drop tunings on electric, but they sound killer on acoustic.

 

Unless you have a really mellow acoustic, standard tuning seems a little too bright most of the time.

[SRV-Zeppelin]

Any jack-leg can power chord. I have little/no interest in that technique. If you can't do that' date=' you need to stay in the audience.[/quote']

 

+1

 

Exactly!

[surfpup]

 

Well' date=' if you're in Drop D, all the notes on the E string (which will hence be the D string) will be up 2 frets from normal playing. Thus, if you're playing a power chord on the top three strings in Drop D, you only have to bar those strings on one fret rather than stretching across 3 frets.

 

As I said, [i']cheating[/i]...

 

Duh! But the chord you listed is the same. It just takes one more finger. Big whup. Both are 5th chords with no 3rd ... I call them middle school chords cuz that's all my students can play. A 7th or, god forbid, a 9th chord blows their tiny little brains to pieces!

[ALIEN8]

Playing a 7-string I usually play standard (low string tuned to B, the rest standard) or drop A tuning. And a modified version that yeilds A E A D F B E

 

My SG is tuned a step down to D G C F G D, and I drop C it sometimes for playing in C.

 

The Les is tuned to standard tuning.

 

 

But generally the trend with different tunings is to make chord fingerings easier, or to make a chord reachable by the method you use ie slide, or one finger baring / reaching notes out of your hands stretch range.

[Dynadude]

I'm not too fond of drop tunings on electric' date=' but they sound killer on acoustic.

 

Unless you have a really mellow acoustic, standard tuning seems a little too bright most of the time.[/quote']

 

I tend to agree, but with the rig I use I can get a pretty decent acoustic type tones from some of my electrics. The pickups just can't be too hot.

 

You also need to consider the value of these tunings on a lap steel or slide guitar. They are a blast to experiment with. You'll find yourself saying, "So that's how they do that," a lot.