# Alternate tunings **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [August 24, 2010, 3:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alternate-tunings/551246 "2010-08-24T03:42:44Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Molotok](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ecd19e/32.png) [@Molotok](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Molotok)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2010, 3:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alternate-tunings/551246/1 "2010-08-24T03:42:44Z")
Maybe you guys have already broached this - I wouldn’t know coz I’m new - but I’m interested in any alternate tuning you guys use (Drop D is so common, it doesn’t really count, IMO). ATM, as a result of my fretting hand being cut up, I’m using CGCFAbc, and it’s opened up some crazy stuff… ---
**Author:** ![Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e47c2d/32.png) [@Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biffy_the_Elephant_Shrew)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2010, 7:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alternate-tunings/551246/2 "2010-08-24T19:15:54Z")
The guitarist in my band brings three guitars. The first is for open E and E minor tunings, the second is for standard tuning and drop-D, and the third is a nylon string in a weird open D, tuned D-A-D-A-D-F#. ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2010, 8:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alternate-tunings/551246/3 "2010-08-24T20:50:14Z")
I keep a guitar in a drop-D tuning, but I altered it to DAEGBE. I like it because I can still find where to go for soloing and stuff, but it also allows me to make barred 5ths on the top 3 strings, i.e. power chords. ---
**Author:** ![Le\_Ministre\_de\_l\_au-dela](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/le_ministre_de_l_au-dela/32/12181_2.png) [@Le\_Ministre\_de\_l\_au-dela](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Le_Ministre_de_l_au-dela)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2010, 9:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alternate-tunings/551246/4 "2010-08-24T21:14:58Z")
Let’s see - for ‘Foxglove’, I use an open ‘C’ tuning - CGCGCE. For ‘Going to the Country’, I crank the 6th string up to a G, giving GADGBE. For most lute/vihuela music, I drop the ‘G’ to an ‘F#’ - EADF#BE, occasionally dropping the 6th down to a low ‘D’. For a few pieces, I drop the ‘A’ to a ‘G’ as well, giving DGDGBE. I’ve also played around with raising the 6th string to ‘F’ for a piece in F major or Bb, and down to ‘Eb’ to play in Eb or Ab. I’ve tried straight thirds - E Ab C E Ab C - and straight fourths - EADGCF - but I’ve never enjoyed them enough to leave a guitar tuned that way. And I’m doing more and more repertoire with a baritone classical that’s tuned down a fourth - BEADF#B, enough so that I need to buy a guitar to keep in that particular tuning. Never did work on Carlo Domeniconi’s ‘Koyunbaba’, which is in an open C# tuning - C# G# C# G# C# E . It’s somewhere on my to-do list; I think I listened to it while reading the score once or twice - that must count for something. Oh, and sometimes, I’ll bring the B up to C, or drop both the D and the G down a semi-tone, giving EADGCE or EAC#F#BE. In each of those cases, it changes where the ‘bump’ lies, making some chord shapes easier. ---
**Author:** ![Molotok](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ecd19e/32.png) [@Molotok](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Molotok)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2010, 11:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alternate-tunings/551246/5 "2010-08-24T23:33:03Z")
Some great things here I would never’ve thought of. The other alt. tuning I’ve used with some success is CGCFBbeb. Just changing from Bb to Bb aug in that tuning is pretty cool. ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2010, 12:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alternate-tunings/551246/6 "2010-08-25T00:27:14Z")
I’m on vacation - I’ll try to find this thread when I’m back and geek out a bit… …but I just played a 1935 Martin D-18 - just wow. ---
**Author:** ![digs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/digs/32/14889_2.png) [@digs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/digs)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2010, 3:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alternate-tunings/551246/7 "2010-08-25T03:35:49Z")
I’m not worrrrthy… I mean, '35 Martin? And “For most lute/vihuela music…”? I’m seriously out of my league here. ---
**Author:** ![Kim\_o\_the\_Concrete\_Jungle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ee7513/32.png) [@Kim\_o\_the\_Concrete\_Jungle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kim_o_the_Concrete_Jungle)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2010, 4:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alternate-tunings/551246/8 "2010-08-25T04:59:31Z")
Slide players tend to use open G – that is, DGDGBD. ---
**Author:** ![Quercus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/7ab992/32.png) [@Quercus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quercus)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2010, 12:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alternate-tunings/551246/9 "2010-08-25T12:22:29Z")
I’m trying to remember the exact tuning for “Suite Judy Blue Eyes”; I think it’s DADDAD. Yes, that’s dropping the G all the way down to D. This makes the open chord unresolved whether it’s minor or major, so kind of a floaty, modal sound. ---
**Author:** ![Small\_Clanger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9fc348/32.png) [@Small\_Clanger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Small_Clanger)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2010, 4:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alternate-tunings/551246/10 "2010-08-25T16:38:58Z")
Playing other people’s songs. I had a guitar set up for _System of a Down_ tuning - dropped D but a tone down CGCFAD. Their stuff\* doesn’t require much in the way of convoluted fretting either (just fast), which may help with the wounded hand. And open/bottleneck tuning for Zeppelin’s _In my Time of dying_ - open A EAEAC#E. If you want to play Page’s parts you need the slide on your ring finger, since he frets some parts with his little finger. Playing original stuff I guess anything goes, look up Robert Fripp’s _crafty_ tuning. obviously I could do that for you but it’s going home time, maybe tomorrow 🙂 - at least the early stuff. For all I know they play reggae now. ---
**Author:** ![Le\_Ministre\_de\_l\_au-dela](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/le_ministre_de_l_au-dela/32/12181_2.png) [@Le\_Ministre\_de\_l\_au-dela](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Le_Ministre_de_l_au-dela)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2010, 9:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alternate-tunings/551246/11 "2010-08-25T21:33:32Z")
> [@digs](#): > > And “For most lute/vihuela music…”? > > I’m seriously out of my league here. Dude, if were anyone to be taken seriously, I would be playing lute and vihuela music on a lute, theorbo or a vihuela. The fact that I’m playing those pieces on a guitar just marks me as a f@cking dabbler… ---
**Author:** ![banjoDavid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/3d9bf3/32.png) [@banjoDavid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/banjoDavid)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2010, 12:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alternate-tunings/551246/12 "2010-08-26T00:33:02Z")
A lot of Celtic music is played with DADGAD tuning. I went to a workshop with Laurence Jumar from Wings, and he used it. Cool start for improvising. Someone mentioned an open G tuning. That’s used for dobro as well, and is similar to the gDGBD tuning of the 5-string banjo. With the banjo, I just recently got into the D tuning f#DF#AD. Lots of fun. David ---
**Author:** ![Knorf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/58956e/32.png) [@Knorf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Knorf)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2010, 1:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alternate-tunings/551246/13 "2010-08-26T01:08:28Z")
[_Scordatura_.](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scordatura) ---
**Author:** ![antonio107](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/7ea924/32.png) [@antonio107](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/antonio107)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2010, 2:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alternate-tunings/551246/14 "2010-08-26T02:15:27Z")
In my music department, there’s a few resident composers that work with microtonal systems, with different frets making quartertones and the like…wondering if anyone here is _that_ adventurous! ---
**Author:** ![Molotok](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ecd19e/32.png) [@Molotok](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Molotok)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2010, 2:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alternate-tunings/551246/15 "2010-08-26T02:28:39Z")
> [@antonio107](#): > > In my music department, there’s a few resident composers that work with microtonal systems, with different frets making quartertones and the like…wondering if anyone here is _that_ adventurous! :eek: wouldn’t know where to start! :eek: ---
**Author:** ![antonio107](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/7ea924/32.png) [@antonio107](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/antonio107)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2010, 2:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alternate-tunings/551246/16 "2010-08-26T02:40:57Z")
> [@boomerwang](#): > > > [@antonio107](#): > > > > In my music department, there’s a few resident composers that work with microtonal systems, with different frets making quartertones and the like…wondering if anyone here is _that_ adventurous! > > :eek: wouldn’t know where to start! :eek: The aptly named [mictronalguitar.com](http://www.microtonalguitar.com/) is an idea! I also have a few facebook friends I can bother if you’re interested. I’m a keyboardist myself, so I know Equal Tempered, Mean tone, and bluegrass. Those are my three tuning systems. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![banjoDavid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/3d9bf3/32.png) [@banjoDavid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/banjoDavid)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2010, 2:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alternate-tunings/551246/17 "2010-08-26T02:56:29Z")
[QUOTEI’m a keyboardist myself, so I know Equal Tempered, Mean tone, and bluegrass. Those are my three tuning systems. :D[/QUOTE] How many bluegrass players does it take to tune a banjo? It’s NEVER been done. David ---
**Author:** ![antonio107](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/7ea924/32.png) [@antonio107](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/antonio107)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2010, 3:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alternate-tunings/551246/18 "2010-08-26T03:03:13Z")
> [@banjoDavid](#): > > [QUOTE=antonio107] > I’m a keyboardist myself, so I know Equal Tempered, Mean tone, and bluegrass. Those are my three tuning systems. 😃 How many bluegrass players does it take to tune a banjo? It’s NEVER been done. David [/QUOTE] My joke was more subtle, so phbbbbt! to you. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Molotok](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ecd19e/32.png) [@Molotok](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Molotok)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2010, 3:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alternate-tunings/551246/19 "2010-08-26T03:17:26Z")
[This](http://www.technologyreview.com/Infotech/19462/?a=f) would make alternate tunings much easier… ---
**Author:** ![banjoDavid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/3d9bf3/32.png) [@banjoDavid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/banjoDavid)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2010, 5:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alternate-tunings/551246/20 "2010-08-26T05:34:30Z")
“My joke was more subtle, so phbbbbt! to you. :p” Ain’t nothin’ subtle about a banjo David [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alternate-tunings/551246.md?page=2)