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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 have been playing with DADEAD (which is fun to call DA DEAD TUNING ) which I found by accidentally tuning the g string lower than F# while trying to do open D tuning. And the result is you can bar all the strings and have a suspended 2nd power chord, which is rad, because you can easily barre minor: 2-2-2-3-2-2 and major: 2-2-2-4-2-2 (for instance) and then do all sorts of suspension and stuff.

Another one I liked is one from "Muzzle" by Smashing Pumpkins which is standard tuning but they drop the B string to A, which makes for all sorts of fun chords.

Other than that, most alternate tunings just make me do drone-y stuff, which is cool... but I'd like to do more. SO BRING ON THE FUN CHORD TIMES.

I love using tunings with multiples of open pitches, like EADGBB.
It's like you have a chorus pedal on only the highest note of the chord and everything sounds awesome.

DGADF#AD is what I like to use the most
Twinkly shapes and moveable chords are really easy

I use open D (dadf#ad) because of how simple it is to play and also think about. When I started playing I couldn't really wrap my head around the logic of how standard tuning is set up (hell I still cant ) I do something like this guy does to get minor chords anywhere on the neck (i finger it a little different though). I do end up mostly only playing in D though unless i use a capo... I really want to try one of those partial capos where you can pick which strings get fretted, spider capos i think theyre called?

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Yah, spider capo



i really want one of those, too. The dude from This Town Needs Guns uses one for some songs. Come to think of it, he is the MASTER of alternate tunings.

I play a 7 string tuned FCFA#DGC so its like a 6 string guitar tuned down to drop F with an extra high string. I did this so I can use the lower 4 strings like I usually do in drop tunings with 4 string bar chords, movable octaves with a droning low note, and what not. But with the top three strings tuned in fourths so I can do chord voicings normally reserved for the low strings in a standard tuning without having to do anything funky with my fingers, so I can easily do power chords, octaves, weird jazz chords, et cetera. Plus at least for me it makes lead runs and solos a lot easier because I don't have to think as much about skipping a fret down if I'm doing three string scale runs or arpeggios.

*edited for theory correctness, which I lack*

I don't know what the hell ya'll just said

I like double drop d? that's about it

On my VI I go A (below standard E) F C D f c
Because...uh...
I don't know anything about chords, but like...I can barre random things and it sounds cool, so.

The last time I played electric I tuned to Aen C standard (CGCGGD) which is really fun.
I like Ancient's idea of having fifths on the bottom so CGCGDA would be awesome to try.
But I would miss those unison strings...

Lately my acoustic has just bee strum and tune. Right now it's in something like DF#ADGE which is cool because you can barre major chords on the bottom three and a minor chords if you shift up one string. I also tuned it to all unison spreading three octaves not long ago, also quite fun.

Honestly I play in standard, drop D, D standard/drop C most of the time. I like having unison strings and open tunings are cool (one of my faves is GGDGBD), but I'm just so used to playing in standard tuning that I get frustrated not being able to do what I want immediately in alternate tunings.

At some point in the future when I can afford a second guitar one will totes always be in a weird tuning. It makes me play in really different ways than I normally would, which I enjoy a lot.

I've stolen a sonic youth tuning once (DDAF#AD). Chord work is... interesting.

PumpkinPieces wrote:I have been playing with DADEAD (which is fun to call DA DEAD TUNING ) which I found by accidentally tuning the g string lower than F# while trying to do open D tuning. And the result is you can bar all the strings and have a suspended 2nd power chord, which is rad, because you can easily barre minor: 2-2-2-3-2-2 and major: 2-2-2-4-2-2 (for instance) and then do all sorts of suspension and stuff.

I think Bob Dylan used DADEAD a bit? The Tallest Man On Earth uses it, as well. It is interesting, indeed.
The most alternate I've gone is DADGAD and then I just end up noodling.

I like tuning my bass in fifths sometimes (usually CGDA, although I did try GDAE once), it makes chord work interesting because the chord shapes are upside down from the normal chords you're used to when you're tuned in fourths.

monkeydancer wrote:Honestly I play in standard, drop D, D standard/drop C most of the time. I like having unison strings and open tunings are cool (one of my faves is GGDGBD), but I'm just so used to playing in standard tuning that I get frustrated not being able to do what I want immediately in alternate tunings.

That's my philosophy as well. I'm so used to standard and drop d that anything else doesn't make sense to me. If I want to play a minor chord or a power chord, my fingers need to do THIS...I don't like having to think about how to play simple things. I get that you can alter your tuning to make complex chords (or chords with a lot of stretching) easy to play, but that also means that previously easy chords are now difficult to finger. It's all good though. Play whatever is comfortable and makes sense to you