Difficulty of transposing songs to different tuning?

[thechariot1x]

So I really don't like regularly re-tuning guitars. In fact, I actually have two acoustics. I leave one in standard and one in DADGAD for this reason. Nonetheless, every now and then I do look up a song and find that it is in some other sort of unholy tuning. So my question is, especially as it pertains to songs that are strummed chords rather than having more intricate lead lines, how hard would it be to play something that is normally played in a different tuning (C# F# B E G# C# but has a strummed chord riff for example) in standard tuning (or I guess DADGAD if that would be easier).

[JonnyBGood]

Difficult to say without an actual example, it would depend entirely on the piece and the voicings used as to whether you can finger it successfully.

I have transposed a few fingerstyle solo pieces from altered tunings into standard, mainly because I used to be a mainly nylon string player and with the exception of subtle alterations (eg drop D) retuning is a massive pain. It was rarely straightforward to refinger these though.

Steel string guitar is *far* easier for altered tunings and I have to say the hassle of transposing is probably going to be far greater than the hassle of a few minutes retuning. Retuning standard to DADGAD takes, what, one or two minutes?

[JonPR]

Originally Posted by JonnyBGood

Retuning standard to DADGAD takes, what, one or two minutes?

Less than 15 seconds, once you've done it a few times.

[JonPR]

Originally Posted by thechariot1x

So I really don't like regularly re-tuning guitars. In fact, I actually have two acoustics. I leave one in standard and one in DADGAD for this reason. Nonetheless, every now and then I do look up a song and find that it is in some other sort of unholy tuning. So my question is, especially as it pertains to songs that are strummed chords rather than having more intricate lead lines, how hard would it be to play something that is normally played in a different tuning (C# F# B E G# C# but has a strummed chord riff for example) in standard tuning (or I guess DADGAD if that would be easier).

Well, C# F# B E G# C# is just EADGBE tuned 3 half-steps down. So the chord shapes are the same. Of course if you keep the same shapes in EADGBE it will all sound 3 half-steps higher, so if wanted to play in the original key you need to transpose - but that's easy. E.g., a G shape in C# F# B E G# C# is an E chord. An E chord in EADGBE won't quite the same as the E played with a G chord shape in C# F# B E G# C# because of the different voicing, so it really depends on what aspects of the sound you want to preserve.

[Silly Moustache]

Think of the chord progression rather than the key.

The number system, makes it easier, often called the "Nashville" numbering system but actually used for eons before that.

[thechariot1x]

Originally Posted by JonPR

Well, C# F# B E G# C# is just EADGBE tuned 3 half-steps down. So the chord shapes are the same. Of course if you keep the same shapes in EADGBE it will all sound 3 half-steps higher, so if wanted to play in the original key you need to transpose - but that's easy.

Ah thank you! I hadn't actually thought of this but this was a lightbulb moment. I just took the chord sheet on Ultimate Guitar and raised it three half steps and voila! I can now play it using barre chords.

The specific song is "Snuff" (the acoustic version corey taylor plays-it's a semi-guilty pleasure song of mine) It sounds less metal-y (Metalesque? Metalic?) with barre chords but I personally think it actually sounds cooler using the barre chords in standard and it gives me something to play around with and practice barre chords on.

I apparently was familiar with the Nashville system but just didn't know the term haha.