Gigging in multiple tunings

[wcap]

My experience performing is not as extensive as many here, but I'd say this really depends on the sort of situation where you are performing (which is pretty much what Doug said above).

If I'm performing at something like a farmer's market or open streets event, or something like that, or in a coffee house, or providing music at a party or similar event, I have no problem just pausing and retuning - honestly in a lot of these situations few people are really all that focussed on what you are doing anyway (though if I'm performing with my family they might get impatient).

And if I'm wanting to perform in multiple tunings, then that means I'm routinely changing tunings when playing at home, so I'm actually quite quick with these tuning changes due to lots of practice (OK, I would not be wanting to change a 12-string from DADGAD to standard and back on the fly, but a 6-string can be retuned pretty quickly).

Performing in church or some formal event where you are part of a carefully planned out program is a whole different matter though. There the expectation is basically that the music will just happen on cue when the time for it comes, and there is no opportunity to be fooling around with changing tuning between the times when you are playing. In such situations, I try to think hard about how many different tunings I truly need, and try to minimize the number of tunings, and I have one instrument for each tuning if I absolutely must be using different tunings.

[MakingMusic]

Originally Posted by wcap

My experience performing is not as extensive as many here, but I'd say this really depends on the sort of situation where you are performing (which is pretty much what Doug said above).

If I'm performing at something like a farmer's market or open streets event, or something like that, or in a coffee house, or providing music at a party or similar event, I have no problem just pausing and retuning - honestly in a lot of these situations few people are really all that focussed on what you are doing anyway (though if I'm performing with my family they might get impatient).

And if I'm wanting to perform in multiple tunings, then that means I'm routinely changing tunings when playing at home, so I'm actually quite quick with these tuning changes due to lots of practice (OK, I would not be wanting to change a 12-string from DADGAD to standard and back on the fly, but a 6-string can be retuned pretty quickly).

Performing in church or some formal event where you are part of a carefully planned out program is a whole different matter though. There the expectation is basically that the music will just happen on cue when the time for it comes, and there is no opportunity to be fooling around with changing tuning between the times when you are playing. In such situations, I try to think hard about how many different tunings I truly need, and try to minimize the number of tunings, and I have one instrument for each tuning if I absolutely must be using different tunings.

This is probably your best advice.

[wcap]

I will add that a number of years ago I was at a truly wonderful performance (at least an hour or two long) by this guy:



He wasn't changing tunings, but he paused and adjusted and tweaked his tuning after each piece he played, often taking about as long as it would take me to switch, say, from standard tuning to DADGAD or back on a steel string guitar. And this was absolutely fine. I don't think anyone in the audience was bothered by this in the least.

[Cobby]

The most challenging thing for me is to remember to tune back to standard after playing a song in Drop D.

Depending on the tune, I might be several measures into it before I need to hit the low string. Oops. Then I just have to play it in Drop D. Most of the time I've been able to pull it off, but it is disconcerting. (hey dis-concert(ing) that was a pun!)

[reeve21]

Study some Leo Kottke concert videos. He takes tuning to a whole 'nother level!

[JonPR]

Famous tuning moment: Audience applauds, thinking it's the first piece:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BI1GszLu0Ns

[_zedagive]

Originally Posted by jklotz

Ahh, the ol' robo tuner. Wasn't that the nail in the coffin for Henry J. of Gibson past?

That was crap. New and much more advanced technology dude!

[KarenB]

When I was touring I took 2 guitars with me. One in standard, one in an altered tuning. I'd try to arrange my sets so that in one set I'd be usings song that were close in tunings to each other, and then in a different set, tune to another tuning and play songs that are closer to that one. Also take along a good tuner. Maybe those automatic tuners like tronical could help: https://www.tronicaltune.com/?v=3a52f3c22ed6
You could search this forum. There have been a number of threads about automatic tuners.

Bring extra strings. Tunings eat strings. Make sure you give your guitar(s) a good setup up, especially at the nut so that string breakage can be reduced.

And have fun.