Why do so many guitar players insist that a guitar NEVER be tuned to anything other than standard tuning?
It's not like alternate tuning is a new thing. Blues players have been using open tunings for slide guitar since the early part of the 20th century.
Tony Iommi detuned his guitar a full 2 steps in the early 70s. And he did it with super light strings, which boggles my mind.
There are examples throughout the existence of the guitar of people tuning them differently.
I can understand trying to steer beginning guitar students away from drop tunings and a bunch of different alternate tunings, because I do so myself. I believe it is important to get the fundamentals down before you start screwing around with alternate tunings.
But what about those players who already know what they are doing, like myself? I mean, I've been honest about my preference for drop tunings, and my reason isn't because I can play power chords with one finger. Do some of you guys think I'm wrong and/or an idiot for tuning my guitar to something other than standard?
Just curious, because I keep running across answers where the person giving advice acts as though tuning a guitar to anything other than standard is a crime against music.
2014-03-06T04:21:06Z
Some of you figured out what I was doing. Kudos on that.
If even one beginning guitarist makes a quick search and finds all these great answers from knowledgeable people in one place, I'll consider my goal to have been reached.
I know why *I* drop tune, and it isn't because it's easier. In fact, it makes some things a lot harder. My reason is I have long enough fingers that I can play a full major or minor triad across just the 3 lowest strings. That gives me the ability to play major and minor chords with a lot of gain that would sound terrible if I played them across 5 or 6 strings (too many harmonics getting jumbled together).
2014-03-06T04:25:04Z
Bar the E and A strings at a given fret and put your pinky on the D string 4 frets away and you're playing a minor chord.
Move your pinky one fret farther and it becomes a major.
Impossible to do in standard tuning, and difficult in a drop tuning unless you have long fingers (which I do).
I've also adapted a lot of my open chords to utilize the open low string. In drop D for example, I'll often let the low D ring while playing G major and D major. It gives it a nice low end warmness that I like.
?2014-03-05T04:17:24Z
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It's up to you whether you want to use standard tuning or not. Who cares what anyone else thinks or does. My only problem with alternate tunings is forgetting the song I learnt in that tuning because it was the only song I wanted to learn in that tuning. One song is the rain song by led zeppelin. I spent a whole day learning it, played it for a week or so until I wanted to play other stuff in standard tuning then a couple of weeks later went back to play it and forgot how to play parts of it. Standard tuning is just easier. If there was a few songs I liked that had the same tuning as the rain song I could stayed in that tuning and played them all without getting bored. I love playing songs in different tuning especially zeppelin songs but like I said I forget how to play them after spending most of the time in standard tuning. Most of the stuff I play is in standard tuning. Only 10 or so that aren't. Anyone learning should stick to standard tuning until they're ready to experiment.
I think this is a great question. You'll notice that every answer is from a heavy hitter in here. I think that the bullet points have been well documented here and are very valid. It's not that we think drop tuning or alternate tuning is "bad" per se, but as you said, for beginners it is a very bad idea. These guys know nothing about the correct notes and if they have a tremolo bridge drop tuning plays hell with it. Even as a long time guitarist, I would find it very confusing is I just did a simple "dropped D" My muscle memory is pretty well ingrained. I would be constantly messing up on the low E string. I remember the first time I played a 5 string bass(onstage during a very high class, well paying gig) to give the bass player a rest. I kept going down to the B string instead the E string. So for a beginner, just learning the dotted fret notes is a challenge. How is a new player ever going to learn how to play in certain keys if every song they play has the root notes on different frets?
That is MY main objection to it....but as you say, for newbies. If you know what you are doing, then drop tuning to get the "metal" sound is fine. But for those who put on the thicker gauges to drop tune are in for a rude awakening if they actually try to play in Standard.
I seem to see one of the main reasons for alternate tunings is that kids learn all the guitar tricks that use the open strings. A simple lick being the little riff in the Back in Black main riff. That's kinda hard to do if you don't use the open notes, right? So if the metal guys want to play in B or C or D, they just change the tuning of the guitar so they can play the same fingerings for every key and they are robbing themselves of versatility.
Many of the others and myself are just trying to instill proper knowledge of the instrument BEFORE delving into alternate realms. ( I think Me and Tony B are the most vociferous objectors...) LOL sounds like a cool song "Meeeeee aaaaand Toneee Beeeeee"
Most of the time when I see someone telling someone else not to use non standard tuning, they are talking to people who are beginners and have very little experience playing the guitar.
In that case, I wholeheartedly agree. They should master standard tuning first so that they can better understand chord structure and where to find different notes and get familiar with the neck.
I have nothing against non standard although I rarely use open tuning myself. I really have no desire to do that. If I played slide more, I would probably keep one of my guitars tuned to an open chord.
I do sometimes tune one of my guitars 1/2 or a whole step sharp or flat since I usually play at Church and they have a tendency of re-pitching music and I loathe capos.
If I have to do this, I will use my SG if I have to tune up and use my Tele if I have to tune down since the scales of those two guitars is so different and they still play decent tuned like that. I will then use my Strat as my main tuned to pitch and keep the 2nd on an A/B switch to use for the re-pitched songs.
Even with this, I only tune sharp or flat if there is a required open string drone (common in Contemporary Christian music) or the chords just absolutely have to have the open strings in them.
Hi, 'C. When I started posting here about three years ago, I was kinda like "those people", pretty quick to knock drop tuning. In context, it generally seems to be sought by some new kid way short of actually knowing how to play, instead looking for some "easy" short-cut way to sound Awesome.
Over time, however, I have learned much from you about the subject, and from some of the other great posters who've answered this question today. (I also have come to look for your responses on Metal Q's as pretty definitive.) So I will endeavor to leave the issue alone, as you da man. It's not easy to teach an old coot like me, but you have, and I thank you for that.
EDIT: Damn, what a read! A few more, and it will be the full gathering of the Tribe, 'C. I can't but wonder how many noobs will just blow by this whole (great) string. Sigh. Wow.
I am not a guitarist - but have taught music for over 35 years, both in the schools of NY and in my private studio. I am writing in SUPPORT of the great answers about the learning curve of beginners. Some are kids who think that in SHORT ORDER - and by watching YooToob -they can soon outplay the most creative and accomplished guitarists. They do not know how play more than a handful of chords, do not know the capabilities of the guitar in its *native*, basic, standard tuning - and seem to think that if they *go rogue* and start using ( as if they knew how!) some alternative that their IDOL mentioned using - that they, too can "grow up to be him!". I fully support teacher who will tell students to STAY in standard tuning *for now* - or until that student has proficiency. As other experts here said - there are kids who do not know the basics, and thing that "creativity" meaning scorning instruction or fundamental knowledge; master players know that there is a certain chunk you NEED to know - another chunk that is optional, more advanced than you need right now, or a matter of stylistic choice. I tell my students ( I aa flutist) that artists need to draw in black-and-white - with a pencil - before they need to mess around with the Crayola Big Box, or spend $$ on an easel and oils. There are kids who scorn learning to read music - and really do not know the spectrum of tabs or chord symbols, either. They sneer at lessons - but will spend a stupid amount of money on "more guitar than they need" - and that includes amps that will cause car alarms to go off down the street.
So keep the great advice coming, folks - there are tons of kids here who NEED to hear it form you.