Does anyone tune down ½ - 1 full step?

[crnazz]

There are certain songs that are above my vocal range…. But I really like the chording of them, so I don’t want transpose – i.e. change the key or use a capo….

So how typical/usual is it to tune your guitar down? Does it tend to be too much to bring it down a full step? ½ a step is more the thing?
I know there’s a limit before it sounds bad….. or becomes unplayable.

Just curious how common this might be and what others do.

Thanks!

[foxo]

B flat and B are my favourite keys for my voice so I will occasionally tune down if I want to play using C shape. Capo in relevant place and playing with A or G chord is quicker though.

[hubcapsc]

Leon Redbone is generally tuned down two half steps so
he can play with clarinets and stuff...

-Mike "b flat"

[rampix]

As my voice aged (it’s 69 this year) I started tuning down a half step. All of my guitars sounded fine there. About 10 years ago I started tuning a full step down. I’ve found that some guitars are fine there but others don’t handle it well. My 2 current guitars (HD28VS & OM28 custom) are both fine down a full step with medium strings.

I did have a Gibson J45 that really lost its oomf down a full step, but was fine at 1/2 step down. I think it kind of depends on the guitar. I’ll look forward to hearing how it works out for you.

[Oldguy64]

You can also capo, till you can sing an octave below where you are playing.

[Bob from Brooklyn]

I have my Breedlove tuned down 1/2 step. It's a great morning guitar.

[HodgdonExtreme]

I've found that to play along with many of my favorite tunes, I must tune my guitar(s) down somewhere between 1/3 and 1 full step*.

The setup on my guitars is always about as low and easy-playing as I can get it with standard tuning. I'll start to get some fret buzz a whole step down, but not enough to worry about.

*I've heard this is because slowing down the guitar track will also drop the pitch. That makes sense, but wouldn't speeding the track up increase pitch? If so, it seems the sound engineers must slow the track down much more often than speeding it up, because I can't remember EVER having to tune UP to play along with a song...

[DM3MD136]

After 20 years, just started tuning full step down a few weeks ago and can't believe I didn't start earlier. Taylors couldn't handle it, thin sound and fret buzz... but the Martin 000 and Bourgeois OM's sound and play fantastic. I plan to keep at least 1 guitar tuned down from here on out.

[fitness1]

I never really messed with it much because I have a pretty high tenor voice, but a few months back I bought a Lakewood baritone and I found it's sweet spot was with medium gauge strings tuned down a half step.

It worked well for some of the female vocal tunes I do that are a slight stretch and after I sold it, I kind of missed it.

So, a couple weeks back I decided to tune my Mcknight/Poling custom down a half and see what happened. That guitar has always had a slight brightness in the trebles and when I detuned, it almost completely went away. I did this with light gauge strings, so I ordered some GHS True Mediums and put them on over the last weekend.

It's truly like a different (and much better sounding) guitar. It's so incredibly lightly braced that I think the bright trebles were exacerbated by the higher tension.

It will be staying a half step down for the rest of my days, I'm guessing! VERY pleasing sound! It's a lot louder and "rounder" than every dread I've ever owned tuned to standard.

[hubcapsc]

because I can't remember EVER having to tune UP to play along with a song...

On the original issue of Billy Joel's Coldspring Harbor, he sounds almost
like one of the chipmunks. After he was a big star they re-released it at
the right speed... I like it better speeded up ...

-Mike

[Denny B]

All of my guitars are tuned down a full step...

It suits my voice, and I like the tone of the guitar, and the feel of the strings at that spot...

And if I want standard tuning for some reason, just capo at the 2nd fret...

[Paleolith54]

Originally Posted by crnazz

There are certain songs that are above my vocal range…. But I really like the chording of them, so I don’t want transpose – i.e. change the key or use a capo….

So how typical/usual is it to tune your guitar down? Does it tend to be too much to bring it down a full step? ½ a step is more the thing?
I know there’s a limit before it sounds bad….. or becomes unplayable.

Just curious how common this might be and what others do.

Thanks!

Well, to be clear, if you tune down and play the same chord shapes you'd play when tuned to concert pitch, you are changing the key: you're just making it easier to sing and avoiding learning a different way of playing the song. A song in E played on a guitar tuned down a full step using the same chord shapes is now being played in the key of D.

I generally stay down a half-step on my acoustic. I like how acoustics sound tuned down a full step, but don't do it myself.

[ljguitar]

Originally Posted by crnazz

There are certain songs that are above my vocal range…. But I really like the chording of them, so I don’t want transpose – i.e. change the key or use a capo….

So how typical/usual is it to tune your guitar down? Does it tend to be too much to bring it down a full step? ½ a step is more the thing?
I know there’s a limit before it sounds bad….. or becomes unplayable.

Just curious how common this might be and what others do.

Thanks!

Hi crn-etc

I tune one guitar down ½ or full step, but NOT for the sake of singing lower.

It has to do with that particular guitar sounding better tuned down, and the ability to bend strings easier.

All my others are tuned up to pitch.

I have a couple friends who tune down for that reason (singing), so while it's not common, it's not unusual, nor illegal (in most states).

I have no issues with transposing or using capos.

[L20A]

I like to sing a lot of John Denver songs.
Many are now too high for my 68 year old voice.
I like to stick to the original chords which are a big part of the sound.

I tried tuning down with limited success.
I also tried using heavy gauge strings and tuning C to C helped a bit.
All in all I don't like the way my guitars sound when placed in a lower tuning.

My solution was to buy a Baritone guitar.
Now I have the best of both worlds.
I can play in standard tuning or drop down as needed, all the way to B to B.

I also have a 12 string that is tuned D to D.
Between all three of these guitars, I have all of my bases covered.

[6L6]

Neil tunes down 1/2 step these days.