Do You Keep Your Guitar In Eb (flat)?

[daza152]

Hey guys I normally leave it in standard tuning but needed to drop it to Eflat or Eb to play some Nirvana songs sounds better so wondering if leave it in that tuning for most songs now?..... any help.

[JDGPicker]

As a fingerstyle guitar player, I constantly change the tuning on my guitar(Drop-D tuning) , (Drop D-G), and others. If you like it, leave it.

[walternewton]

I don't, but all that matters is what works for you, your guitar, your voice...if you're curious why not try it for a little while, it's easy enough to capo at the first fret to bring it up to standard tuning.

[daza152]

I tuned it bac k as was easy to swap back and forth so not a big deal really. thanks.

[jseth]

Naw... I just leave it tuned to standard pitch... I can still hit the notes, and I like the tone of my guitars that way...

[daza152]

Originally Posted by jseth

Naw... I just leave it tuned to standard pitch... I can still hit the notes, and I like the tone of my guitars that way...

Hey John do you play songs with power chords? I have been playing some lately, its just like barre chords but only hitting the first 2 or 3 strings...right?

[lovetheclassics]

Hendrix did, SRV did, and a boat load of others. I personaly like the tone sometimes too. I change tuning all of the time with my acoustic and electric. That is when I wish I could afford a guitar for every tuning. Only negative is that when changing tuning all of the time it prematurely wears the strings out. Eflat though is only half a step so it would probably take longer to wear them out than say, changing to CACGCE, or open E or G.....etc.

[Laird_Williams]

Originally Posted by daza152

Hey guys I normally leave it in standard tuning but needed to drop it to Eflat or Eb to play some Nirvana songs sounds better so wondering if leave it in that tuning for most songs now?..... any help.

Hmmm - a lot of folks seem to interpret this as just dropping the 6th string a half step. That would be a pretty weird tuning, even for us alternate-tuning nuts. I will take the other tack - which is assuming you are talking about dropping all 6 strings 1/2 step.

I don't do this - but I understand the reasoning behind it. It seems to be more common on electric guitar than on acoustic, although I see no real reason, other than convention for this to be the case.

Dropping the guitar 1/2 step releases tension on the strings. This can make them easier on the fingers and certainly makes them easier to bend. You can take this additional "ease" as-is, or - as many guitarists do - "spend" it by getting heavier strings.

In either case, if you then want to play in standard tuning, you can capo-I and the tension won't change all that much. (The effect of a capo comes primarily from shortening a string. There is sometimes a small change in tension as the string wraps around the capod fret - but not enough to pay much attention to.)

[GibbyPrague]

I keep Eb on one of my guitars, for same reason to play Nirvana and Alice in Chains unplugged tracks.

But i recorded today one Nirvan track in stndard tuning, its in the show n tell section. Just had to remember to sing a tad higher.

[71jasper]

I tried it for a while and compensated with heavier strings. I just wanted to see if it gave the guitar any more low end - authority - for lack of a better term, going through the PA. Not hearing much, if any, of a difference I reverted to standard pitch.

[Dru Edwards]

I keep a couple of guitars tuned down 1/2 step because it's easier on my voice.

[Hotspur]

Making a better fit for your voice is the most common reason to tune down a half step.

A lot of U2 stuff is a half step down for the same reason, in addition to other artists mentioned here. GnR did it on some stuff. It's not to make it sound "heavier" but to accommodate the singer.

Honestly, the differences in timbre between Standard and Eb are small enough that you probably don't really notice them unless you're just going back and forth between the two. But getting an extra note on the high end can make some songs a lot easier to sing.

[Bob1131]

I tune down one full step and capo up as needed. I tune down only for the benefit of my voice, but a full step with heavier strings definitely gives my guitars more growl! When I tried a half step, there wasn't much difference than at standard pitch, but that full step (DGCFAD) makes a very noticeable difference!

[Jesus_junkie]

When I'm not in DADGAD or DADF#BD or something like that, I keep my guitar in Standard D (tuned down a full step) just because I like the growl I can get from the low E (er...D) string that way. Haven't actually tuned to standard in months.

[DriverZ]

I've been thinking about this subject after purchasing an old Sigma 12-string several months ago.

It arrived, approximately, in tune, 1/2 step down. The thing sounded fabulous, and I hardly set it down for weeks. Eventually, I decided to learn Jimi's Hear My Train A Comin', so I tuned to C standard. I started playing everything in that tuning, since I didn't want to retune 12 strings, or set down the 12 string.

Anyway, it got me thinking about string tension, and the long term effects of standard tuning vs say, 1/2 step down. Can anyone tell me approximately how much this reduces the tension on a 6 string, with mediums? Is there any evidence to suggest that this would delay neck resets, bellying tops, or bridge separation?

Thanks!