How well can you recognize alternate tunings when you hear them?

hovishead · #1 06-03-2011, 09:19 AM

I have real trouble working out tunings without actually seeing the performer playing the song in question.

I can hear drop D, double drop D and DADGAD but that's about it.

Can anyone here recognize every tuning just as easy as they recognize chord progressions, or it something that you only really hear if you spend a lot of time in that particular tuning.

Any tips on this?

Thanks.

H

ljguitar · #2 06-03-2011, 09:27 AM

Hi H…
I know a lot of people who cannot recognize standard when it's capoed, or even just being played without some coaching. But once they learn to listen for key chord voicings (D or G) then they can zero in on things.

Sometimes I still ''miss'' when a piece is capoed at the second fret and played in Dropped D for instance (because the bottom note is E) until I start working out the voicings.

Certainly has gotten easier with some years of experience. And the more I play in alternate tunings, the more I recognize the similarities and uniquenesses of them.

rick-slo · #3 06-03-2011, 09:28 AM

You have to work on it to figure it out. Some odd tuning can be a real chore. Then you have capos and even partial capos to consider. I usually start with the lowest note I hear in a piece to figure out the bass 6th string. From the tone and the way they ring out you can sometimes figure out open strings. Get a couple or three strings and you can start figuring out chords shapes and what is possible to play to get other strings. Regarding tunings think horses rather than zebras (consider the more common tunings first, eg standard, DADGAD, Open G, etc).

hovishead · #4 06-03-2011, 09:30 AM

Thanks for the replies guys.

MarkShapses · #5 06-03-2011, 09:48 AM

I seem to have a knack for working out the tunings. I can usually get it within 30 seconds or so

Jeremy · #6 06-03-2011, 09:51 AM

Drop D and DADGAD are easy for me. Not familiar with much else.

Doug Young · #7 06-03-2011, 09:57 AM

This depends a lot on what's being played. A tune that uses all the cliches in a tuning that I'm familiar with can be easy and fast. A tune that's not just running the standard cliches in various tunings, or unusual tunings can be a lot harder. Generally, you can recognize the chord voicings and little variations - like a James Taylor-style D lick in standard is a pretty good clue. There are similar clues that people use a lot in Open G, Open D, DADGAD, and so on. Once you get into really out there tunings, it can get harder, tho some alternate tuning pieces rely so heavily on the sound of the open chord that it becomes its own signature sound,once you've identified it.

lur3nj14 · #8 06-03-2011, 11:17 AM

I "cheat" with perfect pitch...
Though I always start by listening for the opening strings, unless a guitar with 0th fret was being played, the open string tone is a dead giveaway (harmonics also).

Gypsyblue · #9 06-03-2011, 11:50 AM

It's pretty obvious.

Lots of droning notes and endless noodling with a certain lack of real melody.

If the tune is not capoed you'll often hear a root that's tuned lower than a low E string. Could be a D or C.

Lot's of add 9's...you know that sound. If you don't, play a first position E chord and raise the E on the D string to an F# while keeping everything else the same. Or play a first position A chord and while keeping everything else the same raise the A on the G string to a B.

Scriptor · #10 06-03-2011, 12:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Doug Young

This depends a lot on what's being played. A tune that uses all the cliches in a tuning that I'm familiar with can be easy and fast. A tune that's not just running the standard cliches in various tunings, or unusual tunings can be a lot harder. Generally, you can recognize the chord voicings and little variations - like a James Taylor-style D lick in standard is a pretty good clue. There are similar clues that people use a lot in Open G, Open D, DADGAD, and so on. Once you get into really out there tunings, it can get harder, tho some alternate tuning pieces rely so heavily on the sound of the open chord that it becomes its own signature sound,once you've identified it.

+1 on what Doug said ... I do fairly well with recognizing the most used alt tunings and standard tuning with capo ... I tend to visualize how it's being played for the most part ... the "out there" tunings are the hardest to figure out without some assistance ... such as a Joni Mitchell tune I worked out recently ... John Mayer also uses some tough ones I believe ...

Glennwillow · #11 06-03-2011, 01:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Doug Young

This depends a lot on what's being played. A tune that uses all the cliches in a tuning that I'm familiar with can be easy and fast. A tune that's not just running the standard cliches in various tunings, or unusual tunings can be a lot harder. Generally, you can recognize the chord voicings and little variations - like a James Taylor-style D lick in standard is a pretty good clue. There are similar clues that people use a lot in Open G, Open D, DADGAD, and so on. Once you get into really out there tunings, it can get harder, tho some alternate tuning pieces rely so heavily on the sound of the open chord that it becomes its own signature sound,once you've identified it.

This is a very good response from the guy who wrote the book on DADGAD. And this, too, has been my experience now that I have been working on DADGAD for about a year. Not that I am any kind of expert...

Regards, Glenn

lmacmil · #12 06-03-2011, 01:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gypsyblue

It's pretty obvious.

Especially if it's a Stones tune, eh?

Personally I can't tell. Guess my listening skills are just not well developed.

Doug Young · #13 06-03-2011, 01:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gypsyblue

Lots of droning notes and endless noodling with a certain lack of real melody.

Only if the player is letting the tuning drive instead of using the tuning in service of the music. I know, unfortunately, there's a lot of this, but it doesn't have to be. It's quite possible to play a melody in any tuning! It's also possible to play total crap in standard.

Ed C. · #14 06-03-2011, 02:59 PM

I think they are easy to recognize (other than Tommy Emmanuel, who only plays standard and drop D). Recognizing between DADGAD and others. . . .

Wade Hampton · #15 06-03-2011, 03:22 PM

I find it a lot easier to recognize when guitars are played in alternative tunings if I'm witness to a live performance, even if the tunings aren't being changed or fiddled with during the performance. Part of that is watching the fingering and chord formations, naturally, but there's also a difference in tonality.

On recordings it's not as easy for me to pick them out, unless, of course, the open tuning playing clichés are being over-indulged in. I can tell Dropped D pretty easily since I use that one myself, and DADGAD has become so ubiquitous in acoustic music circles that I can often pick that out by listening alone.

I can spot different five string banjo tunings more easily, since as a clawhammer banjo player I know and use several. So I suppose it's personal familiarity with any of these tunings that makes it easiest to notice when they're in use. Dropped D and Double Dropped D are as exotic as I get on guitar, so most of the rest of the teeming pantheon of alternative tunings remain a mystery to me.

Which is fine: we can all use a little mystery in our lives!

Wade Hampton "Mostly I Have My Hands Full With Standard Tuning, Thank You" Miller

View Poll Results: How well can you recognize alternate tunings when you hear them?
Alternate tunings? Easy for me!!	4	11.11%
I can recognize some instantly and work out most others given time	16	44.44%
I can recognize a few, but then totally lost	10	27.78%
I can't really hear when things are tuned out of standard	6	16.67%
Voters: 36. You may not vote on this poll