Guitar Tunings

Subject: RE: Guitar Tunings
From: Big Al Whittle
Date: 13 Oct 11 - 05:29 AM

You change that to CGCGCD - and you've got Carthy's Famous Flower of Serving Men, which is not a song I do. But I love the tuning. How Jimmy page missed ripping off FFOSM riff, I'll never know.

Subject: RE: Guitar Tunings
From: DrugCrazed
Date: 13 Oct 11 - 03:57 AM

I've found that CGDGCD is quite good for some jigs (Seven Stars I'm almost certain fits if you put capo 2 on, but I've not worked it out yet - just that the jig I wrote seques nicely into it).

Subject: RE: Guitar Tunings
From: John P
Date: 12 Oct 11 - 09:54 AM

Alex way up-thread suggested DADEAD. I picked up that tuning from a John Renbourn album and used it for years. Much the same utility as DADGAD but with a more sonorous sound.

I'm currently using CGCGCG (bass to treble). I love it. I play blues, Appalachian, French, British Isles, Balkan and Scandinavian music with it.

Subject: RE: Guitar Tunings
From: Big Al Whittle
Date: 12 Oct 11 - 06:00 AM

I've always thought that 'Rather be the Devil' is a DADGAD blues song and, Artie Traum did a dvd on playing KC Moan in DADGAD.

Subject: RE: Guitar Tunings
From: Bobert
Date: 11 Oct 11 - 10:48 PM

Yeah, double dropped d is a shits... I can play almost anything with it... Capo, of course... You really have 3 sweet zones... Open, capo/2, capo/5... Lotta songs in there...

B~

Subject: RE: Guitar Tunings
From: ollaimh
Date: 11 Oct 11 - 12:34 PM

i've never heard blues in dadgad, in open d yes--workd good as well.

however the bacjman refered tunning was ebgbed, very odd looking to me.i may try it. the high b and e would seem to be very high tension. i suppose ya use a few lighter strings.

there was also a wierd irish tunning i've forgotten that was good for playing along with jigs and reels. anyone heard of it?

i have also used two droped d 's, for tune accompanyment. dadgbd. you can get lots of drones and play regular chords in the middle four strings. easy for g and d, and more flexible than dadgad but not as flexible as standard

look up joni mitchell--she used a different tunning almost every song

Subject: RE: Guitar Tunings
From: Big Al Whittle
Date: 10 Oct 11 - 07:23 PM

DADGAD is very good for blues also. Ken Nicol showed me it one time at a seminar at Fylde FF. I thought it was just for folkies, but actually its pretty good.

Subject: RE: Guitar Tunings
From: DrugCrazed
Date: 10 Oct 11 - 06:33 PM

I'm not cool enough to be in a rock band :-(

Subject: RE: Guitar Tunings
From: Bobert
Date: 10 Oct 11 - 06:13 PM

Nah, it works fine, Crazed... I've used it for years... Left geetars in it for months and no problem... BTW, yeah, working fat down to high it is as you have it... Try it and then come back and tell us what you think... Heck, I turned a youngin' on to it 5 years ago and he's been playin' it ever since... Don't think he plays anything but it and he's in some kinda southern rock band???

B~

Subject: RE: Guitar Tunings
From: DrugCrazed
Date: 10 Oct 11 - 12:32 PM

@Bobert: Working low to high that's EBBEBE? Sounds mental. Might give it a try though, but itlooks like it places a lot of strain so I'd have to be in it for a couple of days to prevent a snap. Even though I already have another set of strings.

Subject: RE: Guitar Tunings
From: ollaimh
Date: 10 Oct 11 - 12:08 PM

randy bachman was talking about two tunins i've never tried on radio the other night.ebgbed and cgcgad anyone tried them?

i use dadgad a lot for celtic, and standard for blues and pop folk and a bit of other stuff.

i used to use an open c tuning but i haven't for years. i do love dadgad but standard shouldn't be ignored, you can get many ofte same efects plaing up the neck especially in the style of revverend gary davis--a favourite of mine

Subject: RE: Guitar Tunings
From: Bobert
Date: 10 Oct 11 - 11:48 AM

CAUTION: The following tuning is addictive... Use with care and keep the Betty Ford Clinic 800 number close by:

Starting with the high e string and working to the fat one: EBEBBE!!!

Have at it... This is a killer tuning... I call it an "e modal" but that probably isn't the correct tag for it...

B~

Subject: RE: Guitar Tunings
From: Big Al Whittle
Date: 10 Oct 11 - 10:12 AM

I'm not sure.

Subject: RE: Guitar Tunings
From: DrugCrazed
Date: 10 Oct 11 - 08:38 AM

How the hell does it work? Do the magic music pixies go from your pick up get changed somehow?

Subject: RE: Guitar Tunings
From: Big Al Whittle
Date: 10 Oct 11 - 07:46 AM

Yesterday in an hours gig. I used standard (12 string, parlour and dreadnought sounds), DADGAD, D major and G Spanish, Emajor. All without retuning, or saying to my audience Ian now changing the sound of my guitar.

Subject: RE: Guitar Tunings
From: Big Al Whittle
Date: 10 Oct 11 - 07:36 AM

Yes its very good though, i did a gig with one yesterday. You have to learn the stuff on acoustic. then when you've got the confidence its great - cos it feels different. Mind you sometimes at home, if i don't feel like detuning I get the variax out.

Also good news - fender have just brought out a new acoustasonic - less than half the weight of the SFX, half the price and the same power rating. I am waiting for the delivery of mine. The SFX is a real rupture generator! But it sounds lovely. I use it as the PA also. Must have been twenty plus people yesterday complimented me on the ound.

the thing about the variax is that you connect it up to your computer and tune it just the way you want. Then you synchronise it like an ipod. You can have about half a dozen different tunings at your command. I like the 12 string and the round neck resonator guitar sound also. Not so keen on the banjo and shamisen . the sitar is good, but I've not found a use for it and the mandola is a lot better sound that Steve Knightley's. Can't imagine why more people don't use them - I tried to convince Ken Nicol, but he thought i was crazy.

Subject: RE: Guitar Tunings
From: DrugCrazed
Date: 10 Oct 11 - 07:10 AM

But that's cheating!

Subject: RE: Guitar Tunings
From: GUEST,KP
Date: 10 Oct 11 - 07:07 AM

Sometimes put my 12 string into DGDGAE - this gives lots of 2 fingered chords with different voicings, and lots of 12 string character from the open strings. I think Leo Kottke sometimes goes to CGDGAE, where you have lots of 5th intervals like a cello or fiddle.

Subject: RE: Guitar Tunings
From: Big Al Whittle
Date: 10 Oct 11 - 06:16 AM

Get a variax 700 and and a fender acoustasonic amp and have all your favourite tunings at the push of a button.

Subject: RE: Guitar Tunings
From: DrugCrazed
Date: 10 Oct 11 - 05:33 AM

Tell that to Sam Carter. I'm sure he changed tunings for each of his songs when I saw him last time...

Subject: RE: Guitar Tunings
From: GUEST,SeanSiegfried
Date: 10 Oct 11 - 02:24 AM

I love playing around in DADGAD CGDGAD and DADEBE when I'm not in ol' standard. CGDGAD is an interesting one, Dave Evans (welsh folk singer/guitarist) played in it for a lot of his tunes. DADEBE is great and I've come up with a lot of songs in it - it's fairly close to standard but seems completely different at the same time. It's very close to the tuning for Nick Drake's 'Road' (EADEBE). Word of warning though - try not to go too nuts with the alternate tunings like I did a while ago. Standard is a good compromise and has incredibly far-reaching potential. Alternate tunings are great for coming up with ideas, but make sure you don't find yourself in a pickle. with ten songs in eight different tunings! ;-)

Subject: RE: Guitar Tunings
From: Big Al Whittle
Date: 09 Oct 11 - 06:43 PM

Talking of Open D. I've always loved Ralph McTells The Setting for its imaginative use of the vestapol tuning.

D min is quite fun - DADFAD

Subject: RE: Guitar Tunings
From: Stower
Date: 09 Oct 11 - 03:49 PM

Lots of guitar tuning threads previously you may want to look up, DC.

Subject: RE: Guitar Tunings
From: Sir Roger de Beverley
Date: 09 Oct 11 - 03:08 PM

The original album had each track introduced with Michael playing each string of the tuning so that you could hear what it sounded like. that was then followed by him playing the full tune.

I would recommend obtaining the album if you can.

R

Subject: RE: Guitar Tunings
From: Sir Roger de Beverley
Date: 09 Oct 11 - 03:06 PM

I used to have this Michael Chapman LP and booklet on alternate tunings that is reproduced here on-line:

http://michaelchapman.co.uk/albums/play-guitar/index.html

Roger

Subject: RE: Guitar Tunings
From: DrugCrazed
Date: 09 Oct 11 - 02:53 PM

Someone told me about CGDGBE, but I haven't got around to playing with it yet, sounds like fun though.

Subject: RE: Guitar Tunings
From: alex s
Date: 09 Oct 11 - 01:19 PM

try DADEAD

Subject: RE: Guitar Tunings
From: GUEST,gillymor
Date: 09 Oct 11 - 01:00 PM

open D is great for gritty blues and folk music. Dadgad is fun, particularly for Scottish and Irish tunes.
And one I like called Malagasy tuning CGDGBE, low to high, which only lowers the bottom two strings is good for things in G and makes it easier to go up the fingerboard on the high strings and still get some relevant bass notes. Richard Thompson's 52 Vincent Black Lightning was done is this tuning and I've worked up arrangements of Ashoskhan Farewell, Planxty Irwin, Planxty George Brabazon and a few other tunes. If you play single note blues you can also thump on the Bass strings (G C D) while playing solos.

Subject: RE: Guitar Tunings
From: The Sandman
Date: 09 Oct 11 - 12:11 PM

double drop d, and eadgbd, dgdgcd, dadeae

Subject: RE: Guitar Tunings
From: Mavis Enderby
Date: 09 Oct 11 - 12:07 PM

I like open D (DADF#AD) or the darker sounding DADDAD for slide playing. DADDAD in particular I like for playing melody on the 3rd & 4th DD unison strings. Sounds almost like a built-in chorus/phaser effect.

I like to pretend I'm cool too!

Pete.

Subject: Guitar Tunings
From: DrugCrazed
Date: 09 Oct 11 - 11:54 AM

So, I've started messing around in other guitar tunings, so I can pretend I'm cool. I've now tried: Standard (EADGBE), Dropped D (DADGBE), Open G (DGDGBD), CGDGBD and currently I'm trying CGCGCD.

I'm loving CGCGCD, but any others that are interesting to play in? I'm usually just fiddling with scales and improvising a melody, chordal stuff I'll stick to Standard or Open G.