Do You Like Drop Tuning Your Acoustic?

[daza152]

Hi all, there is a couple of songs I really like with drop tunings like Patience by GNR sounds great and She Talks To Angels, also a great song dropped tuning. For starters I havn't even begun to have a go at it, as I don't know how to do it and I use an electronic tuner too. Do you play any songs where you have to do this? or are you like me and would prefer not to change your tuning (I'm afraid I'll forget to re=tune it)

[GibbyPrague]

Well, if you want to get the tone coming from almost any early 90's grunge bands (unplugged that is) you would drop half a step. Personally i really like the half tuned down tone an keep one of my acoustics permanently in that tuning.

I also quite like Dropped D tuning, especially if i want to play some dirty, heavy power chords, good fun.

cheers.

[ljguitar]

Originally Posted by daza152

Hi all, there is a couple of songs I really like with drop tunings like Patience by GNR sounds great and She Talks To Angels, also a great song dropped tuning. For starters I havn't even begun to have a go at it, as I don't know how to do it and I use an electronic tuner too. Do you play any songs where you have to do this? or are you like me and would prefer not to change your tuning (I'm afraid I'll forget to re=tune it)

Hi daza…
My guitars live in Dropped D, and in fact I refer to it as my 'other standard tuning'.

In addition I own a fanned fret guitar which is often put into alternate tunings. Alternate and dropped and open tunings open up a whole new world of possibilities for voicings and a different linear approach to the melodies for chord-melody play.

[M19]

I don't compose, so my tunings are based solely on what the songwriter specifies. As such, my Martin is in DADGAD, Open G, Open Gm, Open D, sngl and dbl drop D and, of course, standard. It usually sees at least two different tunings each day. Sometimes ALL of them! I agree with the posts that speak of the great sounds that the alternate tunings give you. Kind of like switching from watercolor to oil to acrylic.

On the 12-string, I finally have tuned it down a full step and gone to mediums (per the illustrious Edward993!) and that's where it stays. I only play a couple of drop D tunes on it and I simply capo the top 5 strings at 2.

[HarleySpirit]

Originally Posted by daza152

"are you like me and would prefer not to change your tuning (I'm afraid I'll forget to re=tune it)"

On the contrary, I love experimenting with new tunings and have an "alternate tuning chord chart site" dedicated to provide the best and most useful open and drop tuning charts, for today's music styles.

[mr. beaumont]

I'm not an alternate tuning guy...I've spent nearly 20 years studying the fretboard in standard tuning--I don't need things to start changing and moving around--there's still 1,000's of things for me to learn this way!

Now, a fully dropped tuning is nice, like tuning the whole guitar down a half or whole step. Ideally, I don't like to tune back and forth--too many busted strings...

[jseth]

Daza, I have used a number of "alternate" tunings... most frequently, dropping the low E to D, dropping the high E to D as well, at times... DADGAD is a popular tuning too - Stephen Stills used it for a number of tunes, along with many other artists...

I guess I feel that a guitar likes to be in the same tuning, gets used to it and stabilizes there - so I really don't favor changing the tuning on my acoustic 6 string very much at all. Perhaps if I had a seperate guitar that I could keep in the same dropped tuning, I might do it.

Always fun to mess around with different tunings - it's like "every thing you know is wrong", LOL! Have to experiment and find shapes that produce sounds you want, very interesting and challenging... of course, if you just lower the low E to D, there isn't much change. I'd suggest you try that one first, play some songs in the key of D and have fun!

[IainDearg]

Dropped tuning? Do you mean tuning the guitar down a half-step as per metal bands...?

Alternate tunings, aka DADGAD and their ilk? Well they have a "personality" and sound folksy, archaic, "celtic", and have a charm all of their own.

Dropped D (just the bottom E down a whole step) is used often in classical pieces.

Standard tuning - my favorite - was developed over time to best facilitate western scales and harmony. With it you can move effortlessly between keys - even strange dark places like Eb minor, with a side-slip to F#, if you're so inclined - and that's a toughie in DADGAD and it's ilk.

[RevGeo]

I fingerpick in drop-D quite a bit. The keys of D and G lend themselves to that tuning very well, IMHO.

Rev George

[daza152]

I tried last night to change the tunings on one of my other guitars but found it impossible to do, I use electronic tuner for starters that has an auto and manual function......I want A string to B...D to E...G to G#...its open E tuning
The song is She Talks To Angels. have a listen to that its very nice.
My problem is I tried to set 5A to 7B and tried to set 4D to high 1E (LOL.) and thought no this must be wrong so how can I do this please?

Daza.

[HarleySpirit]

Originally Posted by daza152

Iits open E tuning
(LOL.) and thought no this must be wrong so how can I do this please?

Daza.

Hi Daza,
It sounds like you are tuning your acoustic guitar "up", which could result in snapping some strings... very bad!
Be sure to tune "down" to "open D tuning" and use a capo at the second fret, which will give you "open E tuning". Tuning "down" is much easier and safer!

[mrmatt1972]

I've just started being curious about DADGAD, but tuning down a step or a 1/2 step, and drop D (as well as Drop D using only the 1st string) have been on my pallet for years. Another current favourite is to use a shub capo on all the 2nd fret strings except the low one - Instant drop E...

[DutchDude]

Hey Daza,

I would strongly suggest tuning your guitar to Open D. Not only have I learned She Talks to Angels, but also "Little Martha" by the Allman Brothers and "Hard Time Killing Floor Blues" by Chris Thomas King. After tuning to standard and back to open D you get quite handy at it. Try this:

Open D tuning:
Your low E string must match your D string.
A and D stay the same
Your G string must match the FOURTH fret of your D string (so play the fourth string of your D string and your G string and tune your G string down until the sound matches.
Your B string must match the THIRD fret of your G string (actually F# now).
Your high E string must match your D string.

There ya go, you're in open D tuning!

[Andromeda]

I have recently tuned both my guitars down a half step and they now fit my voice for so many songs plus they sound great. So I think this change will be permanent.

[Hack Amatuer]

I use drop D and open G too.