shoegaze

I Read about alt guitar tunings in another thread so I thought I would start one.

I understand how drop d tuning can make it easier to play power chords. Is this the purpose of alt tunings?

Is the main purpose of using alt tunings to make it easier to play a chord or to alter the sound of a note or chord?

Which alt tunings do you use?

Thanks!

Hey Andrew,

You have much to learn young gazer.
open tuning can greatly help in creating that 'wall of sound' we long for so much. I'd recomend Open D - which is D A D F# A D. Open tunings cause you to forget a lot of the theory you know about guitar and start from scratch, If i find myself lost for inspiration, i chuck it into a different tuning.

Hope that mini-rant helps you out and happy tuning!

Dan

Wow... this topic sent me down an inspirational path!
I'm going to give it a shot!

I sense a touch of sarcasm here Skew...
But i hope that you wernt joking 'cause open tunings rock my socks.

Alternate tunings are great for throwing you out of your comfort zone and inspiring you to try new chord voicings and scales and the like.

I have been know to retune specifically to make certain chords easier to play, or to force open string drones to fit the key in which I'm working.

Sonic Youth uses all kinds of non-standard tunings. From what I've read, they like to use multiple unisons or close intervals (2nds, etc) between strings. MBV is also said to have used a number of unusual tunings.

Alan Sparhawk plays almost exclusively in open G tuning.

I've got a Mini-Strat which I keep tuned to Nashville tuning - the "extra" set from a 12 string where the lowest 4 strings are an octave up from standard.

I use DADGAD more than any other tuning, followed by equal amounts of standard and open D. I've tried open G, which was also a lot of fun.
I love the different voicings you get with alternate tunings, plus the enforced absence from your comfort zone. It's always good to have a challenge.

I remember trying to play something in DADGAD which was quite tricky and thinking it would be a lot easier if the top string was tuned down a touch. This resulted in DADGAE.

But even standard tunings dropped or lowered can make quite a difference to the sound. Tony Iommi tuned down to C sharp and the Chameleons tuned up to both F and F sharp.

If you do use a lot of open tunings, it's a good idea to invest in a capo, so everything doesn't end up in the same key.

i change up the tuning on bass for a couple of songs. i use a 4 string tuned low b-e-a-d & sometimes drop the d to b or the b to a.

sometimes when i can't seem to come up with a bass line alt tunings help give a different set of notes to work with.

D# A# D# F# A# A#