Alt Tunings & Fun Chord Time

[rustywire]

For the no-nuance 7string shredders:

DEAFFAG

[Ancient Astronaught]

[jamesmikelly]

American football tuning is always a favorite (FACGCE) I also do EGDGBE and EGDGBD because E Minor with the G low sounds awesomeeeee.

[kbit]

I gotta try American Football tuning again, I did it once and it was fun.
I went back to my ol' tuning today (CGCEbGD) and forgot how much I love it.

Alright, most of the time I play a half step down, every now and then I try some tuning... and I end up just playing in the key of whatever the low string is tuned to. Especially in drop D like tunings. So what I want to tackle in this thread is alternate tunings you use, even ones as simple as drop D, and what chords/shapes you use to get into different keys. For instance playing a song in drop D that isn't in the key of D.

I don't know why I didn't answer this when I posted before because this is something I've been really conscious about lately. I also tend to get stuck of playing in the key of the bottom string (in any tuning). One little trick that's helped me a bit is playing a chord with a root that isn't in the typical major/minor key of the tuning's root note. Then I play that chord over and over again until I get the root "stuck" in my head and play off of it.

Another trick is picking out a couple frets you don't normally hit and making something by combining them. Also try and approach the fretboard from a different perspective. I normally start on a low string, index finger and build up the neck and towards the higher strings. But starting with my pinky or on high strings going down or skip some strings, things are bound to be different. I need to do that one more often.

[Swordfishtrombone]

BF#BF#F#C# is pretty fun. Pretty sure it's one of the tunings I saw posted on here back when I was still just a lurker that I brought down a few semitones. Might put another guitar together out of some parts at some point so I can have one in that tuning again. In one tuning I was able to get some of the thickest power chords ever, drones + super cool harmonics (dem second and third strings), etc. Had my jaguar in that for a few months before eventually deciding that I wanted to do B standard.

EBEEBE is another one I used for a bit. Got a bit boring after I got done with pretending to be Thurston or Lee.

[Dramatis Persona]

I really like unison strings tunings:

DGDGBB
EBEBBB\EBEEBB\EBBEBB\EBBBBB my truss rod is gonna die.

I love the partial capo

And the 2nd chord tunings:

DGDAAD EBEF#BE(B) etc...

I fuckin' love 2nd chords

My crappy epi sg will die soon.

[insubordination]

For awhile I was writing in BADABC#, alternating with BADACE, because, well, BAD ACE. Both are fun.

[Ugly Nora]

Any recommendations for a good tuning for droney stuff? Basically, I am looking to fret single notes , or maybe 2 notes combined with open strings above or below those notes I am fretting to create a nice droney sound. This would be combined with tremolo, vibrato, reverb, and an octaver and maybe some delay mostly and other goodies as mood dictates.

I am looking to do this on a Jazzmaster. Current string gauge is 10 -46 . Please let me know if I would need a thicker/lighter gauge for the tuning you suggest. Sorry for the newb question, I am a new player.

Thanks
Nora

[kbit]

Nora, you should totally go with Aen's standard tuning.
DADAAE

I'd go for an unwound G string so it's not too tense when you tune it up to A, and maybe a heavier E string if the 46 goes too slack for your tastes in drop D.

[Ugly Nora]

^^ Thank you kind sir. I will check this out. I really appreciate it.

Nora

[Swordfishtrombone]

^^ Thank you kind sir. I will check this out. I really appreciate it.

Nora

Made a post about that one (even tho I didn't remember what it was actually called on here) a little further up in the thread (even tho I had it dropped down a few semitones). It's a fun tuning to use and I'll definitely be tuning a guitar to it again (probably once I get my duosonic in playable condition again). I'd recommend that one to anyone.

[kbit]

Yeah, I think DADAAE is better than DADGAD by a mile.

[Swordfishtrombone]

I agree. It's a beautiful tuning, and the notes are laid out really well too. Might put my acoustic in DADAAE or some variant of it tomorrow. There's no way my Jaguar could handle it with the strings on it atm, but the acoustic shouldn't be a problem.

[Ugly Nora]

^^ Thank you kind sir. I will check this out. I really appreciate it.

Nora

Made a post about that one (even tho I didn't remember what it was actually called on here) a little further up in the thread (even tho I had it dropped down a few semitones). It's a fun tuning to use and I'll definitely be tuning a guitar to it again (probably once I get my duosonic in playable condition again). I'd recommend that one to anyone.

Thank you my young friend. I will take a look back.

[kbit]

Also Nora you probably don't *need new string to go for that tuning. I'd give it a shot with your current set and just watch how the G string goes.