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So...what's your favorite guitar TUNING?

koiulpoi	Date: October 3, 2004 @ 11:57 AM Mine, by far, is the power chord guitar. My fender (heh, squire) only has the bottom 4 strings left (i play other guitars, like my steinberger), and so I tuned it down to CGCG. It's so incredibly easy to play on and sound good, when you know it's just triplets up and down the strings.
notserp	Date: October 3, 2004 @ 5:52 PM I do most of my playing with standard tuning - but I do like to use a dropped D tuning once in a while - and when I recorded "The Parting Glass", I used a D tuning that I made up as I was recording (although I'm sure its probably used by others and has a common name)
victorsskull	Date: October 3, 2004 @ 8:29 PM standard or drop D on the top string
Droquen	Date: October 4, 2004 @ 2:03 PM EADGBE all the way! I hate having to tune my guitar to different tunings, such a hassle.
koiulpoi	Date: October 4, 2004 @ 5:37 PM Yeah - victorskull - i do double drop d as well. Ever hear of a classical guitar piece called 'Sunburst'? So good.
kingo	Date: October 5, 2004 @ 7:45 AM After my guitars' pretty well in tune to standard I like to slam it into the floor a couple of times and play it like that. Droquen, I agree about the re-tuning thing being a pain in the ass. It's nice to have extra guitars to keep in other tunings.
fanch-t	Date: October 5, 2004 @ 9:55 AM i write a lot of things in drop-d, and sometimes i go nuts with open tunings. And sometimes we sqeeze 8 strings onto a six string guitar and play it like a dishwasher. yeah.
gothian	Date: October 5, 2004 @ 11:27 AM The whole guitar half step down
johnnygnote	Date: October 5, 2004 @ 4:19 PM EBDGAD it's what David Crosby wrote Guinnever in..
BedroomSessions	Date: October 5, 2004 @ 5:43 PM DADGBD.... sweet as a nut
tossom	Date: October 6, 2004 @ 6:58 PM I like the tuning Kim Thayill used in a lot of Soundgarden songs- think it was CGCGGE
mystery-machine	Date: October 17, 2004 @ 1:10 AM DADGAD is PDcool tuning. Most of the time I play in standard tuning... Sometimes I'll drop the top string down to D.
chrismacmanus	Date: October 17, 2004 @ 2:00 PM DADGAD is great for acoustic folk, made most famous by Davy Graham. I also quite like DADGBD (used that on 'Ballad of Sally Ann - Capod 4th fr). The open D (DADF#AD) usually used for slide is a handy one - hard to hit a wrong note after a small bit of practice For the most part though, I use standard and a capo for most of my own stuff
Intergalacti...	Date: October 17, 2004 @ 4:17 PM Whats ever happened to the original guitar tuning eadgbe simply as all tyhis makin it easier for yourself. Wheres the fun in that.
chrismacmanus	Date: October 18, 2004 @ 9:16 AM increasing the amount of tunings doesn't just make songs easier. There's a lot of complicated songs played in different tunings which would be impossible to play in standard. Different tunings also give much different tonal quality to the instrument. Just because you learned the guitar with standard tuning, doesn't mean you've got to restrict yourself to playing it that way.
johnnygnote	Date: October 18, 2004 @ 4:09 PM Actually Inter try the tuning I posted it's not an easy one to play in and there are some things you can do in tunnings that you can't in standard tuning. The variations make for a great sense of what you can do in standard that you wouldn't have thought of otherwise. Led Zeplins version of Black Mountain Side (based on the traditional Black Water Side)is in DADGAD, and Yes's "Seen ALL Good People is in EGCGCe (open C, capo 4)I wouldn't call that an easy song. And If you are familiar with Richard Thompsons Vincent Black Lighting, asl onot an easy song to play, it's in CGDGBe. And for you Blues guitarists, Robert Johnson's Come on in My Kitchen is in EAEAC#e (open A). the list of musicians who use tunings is not subject to only Folk players here are a few Eric Clapton Rolling Stones ZZ Top Pink Floyd Led Zeppelin The Black Crowes Third Eye Blind Nirvana Little Feet The Who Blind Faith Beatles Pearl Jam My Bloody Valentine SoudGarden Curve Swervedriver The list goes on Here are some links to more well known songs that are in different tunings, as well as a list of many alternate tunings. http://www.tabcrawler.com/articles.php?action=readarticle&articleid=1 http://eceserv0.ece.wisc.edu/~sethares/alternatetunings/alternatetunings.html http://www.win.net/~mainstring/tunings.html http://archive.guitarplayer.com/archive/lessons/tunechrt.shtml
rj41	Date: October 18, 2004 @ 11:40 PM my fav tunning is eeaagg
Traf	Date: October 19, 2004 @ 7:45 PM I must learn how to tune..
theforgotten	Date: January 8, 2005 @ 6:42 PM DADGBD and standard tuning EBGDAE
zedsalt	Date: January 9, 2005 @ 10:39 AM There's no way I could pick just one. It was a real epiphany for me when I started using "alternative" tunings. I was writing about five to twenty songs a week, and by the end of that first year, I'd used 64 tunings in 52 weeks. I know it's not for everybody, but it was a MAJOR piece of the puzzle for me. I really enjoy just spinning the tuning pegs, tuning to something that sounds interesting as an open chord, writing two or three songs, then tweaking it in with a chromatic tuner before I record them. I arrive at SO many things that I wouldn't if I tried to take an academic, music-as-math approach. I can't remember the proper term for tuning to suit, but it's a practice that predates the guitar, and most folks are shocked when they begin to understand how much music of all genres involves "non-standard" tunings. I think part of why they're so popular is that they fit purely instinctive approaches AND purely academic ones. The same open chords that I arrive at by acting like a chimp, others arrive at by thinking like a music theory professor.
GreatGooglyM...	Date: January 10, 2005 @ 10:18 AM I like Eb and dropped to C. Eb gives a nice sound to Strat and dropped C has nice metally tone.
scottlaned	Date: January 17, 2005 @ 12:58 AM Standard E just plain out does it for me.
AngelinHeat	Date: January 25, 2005 @ 1:05 AM Standard, Drop D, and Tuning down one full step on every string.
8111	Date: January 25, 2005 @ 1:14 AM usually it's standard 440, makes chords nice and punchy, only have one song where I drop the D, get a real classic Sabbathy kinda tone...I have a special tuning I write in sometimes, from 1st to 6th it's d c g d g d if you go to S----click, you can hear it on my song "Camouflage".
wailingmiserere	Date: January 25, 2005 @ 5:21 AM You can't beat a bit of DADGAD I'm also rather fond of Eb-Bb-Eb-Gb-Bb-Eb. Please don't ask me where I came up with that one, for I have no idea . I use that particular tuning on my song 'Chiaroscuro.' Drop D also comes in handy sometimes, it's surprising how many of Jeff Buckley's songs use it. Oh, and open G too. [spot the girl who can't play barre chords]
furiousBall	Date: January 25, 2005 @ 3:08 PM I like standard tuning mostly, but I've been getting into CADGBE (dropped C) lately. I came up with a G7(?) tuning on an SGC tune that I love... DGDGBbF
Hlao-roo	Date: January 26, 2005 @ 12:00 PM Although I love standard, I have to say that Drop C has the crunch I love to have sometimes... I'm not saying that it is my favorite, but it is fun to try different tunings. I like to mess with the strings and tune them wierd... like open G, or Just drop D... I hate it when my strings feel like rubber bands though.... I need a baritone guitar, or maybe a 7 string...
mos	Date: February 21, 2005 @ 9:17 AM I like the standard the most
GTLive	Date: February 23, 2005 @ 12:59 AM I definately prefer "In-Tune" rather than "Out-Of-Tune"
stratmanstl	Date: March 18, 2005 @ 5:23 PM I play 99% of the time in standard tuning, but I am fond of DADGAD. Strum a few octaves on the acoustic and you become Jimmy Page. And Adrian Legg does some amazing stuff with that tuning.
zedsalt	Date: March 18, 2005 @ 11:21 PM Page uses a number of C based tunings, too...CGCGA#C, CGCGAD, CFCFAC, CFCFA#C, etc. And DGDGBE, especially on his slide stuff. A lot of folks assume that Keith Richards plays in Standard because his playing is so beautifully simple/simply beautiful, but I'm told that not only does he rarely play in standard, he usually plays without a first string!
SilentDeftone	Date: March 19, 2005 @ 1:47 PM Standard
Intergalacti...	Date: March 19, 2005 @ 7:01 PM Fuck screwed up tuning I go for the simple eadgbe unless im playing with one of the bands i hate and they insist on using drop d
zedsalt	Date: March 20, 2005 @ 11:14 AM I'm too lazy for standard; it's SUCH a tough tuning to work in, obviously not designed for an instrument where one often plays more than one string at a time.
BlackMage	Date: March 20, 2005 @ 12:24 PM Yeah, what zedsalt said. I have no favourite, but the most used is standard EADGBE. I used DGDGAD to play some Bach once. Suiten für violencello I believe it was in deutsch. It was very easy on that tuning. Much easier than the standard.
MarcSalmon	Date: March 20, 2005 @ 12:39 PM i try and use everything except standard tuning, although if i do use standard tuning then i try and change chords around to get a nicer sound from the norm. I got a thing about finding nice, unconventional chords..
guitarjunkie	Date: March 31, 2005 @ 11:51 AM Standered E
zedsalt	Date: March 31, 2005 @ 1:00 PM I dig, Marc. I've worked with a few folks with an almost music-as-math approach...real theoreticians...and for some reason, I'm always delighted when they have a hard time putting a name to a chord I'm playing ("Gee, I don't know...a F#m add13?"), and I'm actually disappointed when I get something like, "That's a D. It has an interesting little octave tossed in there, but it's still your basic D." Maybe it's a mild neurosis, but I like the result.
pinheadslts75	Date: April 15, 2005 @ 7:48 PM standard or drop d.
Alexsy	Date: May 20, 2005 @ 1:31 PM i guess i'm just boring, but i like standard E the best. i do admit though that i like obscure chords.
SimonWaldram	Date: May 20, 2005 @ 6:56 PM BEBEBE
EvilPicnic	Date: May 21, 2005 @ 5:40 AM I have to say standard, but only bacuse I haven't really tried anything else. Having only one guitar (and a shitty one at that) any messing around with the tuning means all tuning stability is lost for the next fortnight, which gets a bit exasperating after a while.
chrismacmanus	Date: May 22, 2005 @ 3:47 PM Intergal.. If you don't see the benefit of playing any other tuning than standard, you may want to put down the guitar. All the greats use other tunings - Bert Jansch, John Renbourn, Nick Drake, Kelly Joe Phelps. It's all about increasing the depth and bredth of your guitar, standard tuning just doesn't allow for enough possibilities in terms of chord shapes, ability to put together a complex piece consisting of melody/harmony/baseline, or even the range of notes your guitar is capable of playing.
shadowself	Date: May 22, 2005 @ 5:42 PM Standard is where I am most comfortable, but recently started playing with DADGAD and I'm loving it. I realised that I can now ruin Willy Porter and Michael Hedges songs!
Alecs	Date: June 2, 2005 @ 10:07 PM Standard, of course. But I mess with alot of tunings. The favorite I've used is E B E G# B E. Basically, the open strings form an E Major barre chord. Check it out on my song The Eastern Wind: http://manofrock.dmusic.com/music/stream/hifi/221195/.18700e4b/stream.m3u
bambieyes	Date: July 7, 2005 @ 5:10 PM i tune every string to c, it really sounds good. im serious, try it.
TheAntihero	Date: July 9, 2005 @ 10:57 PM DGCFAD or lower, depends on how low the rest of the band is willing to go... There's nothing like a well-played, fast, down tuned guitar and snare-bass-snare-bass drums in straight eights.
SimonWaldram	Date: July 10, 2005 @ 6:32 AM I'm starting to agree with Thurston Moore, who once said that: "If you just play in standard then you're going to sound pretty...standard"
LostYears	Date: July 10, 2005 @ 2:22 PM EADGBe is the best for me, that way i know that string right above and right below the one im playin are gonnan sound good, also cause its a lot of work always retuning ur guitar
ReaganYouth1981	Date: July 17, 2005 @ 4:11 AM I Have a couple good tunings i like to use one is Open D the Other is DADAAe it sounds Great Another is Db-Gb-B-E-Ab-Db As Well As Open C.
rico	Date: October 4, 2005 @ 4:02 PM (c/d),g,c,f,a,d; (b/c#),f#,b,e,g#,c#;
kingo	Date: October 4, 2005 @ 4:28 PM I like E, E, E, B, E, E
EtherEclectic	Date: October 4, 2005 @ 4:41 PM i stick to standard, not to be plain, but just because im lazy as hell, if i tune it different it will stay like that for a long time.....unless i had more than 2 guitars.
GeneHilbert	Date: October 4, 2005 @ 5:03 PM Standard...... master one first. I only play slide occasionally - however I know the neck well enough I don't need to line up chords on one fret. It's all personal taste and your approach. As well if you like the open drone strings to fill in your playing that's kewl... For shows - where your moving faster from tune to tune - one key get old real quick so you better be rehearsed in retuning - or have more than instrument around. I saw David Lindley perform solo and he loves strange tunings and gtr's - it was kewl but it moved at a snails pace and got old real quick. In a reply to an earlier post - the guitar has been around for hundreds of years and mostly used in standard tuning..... I submit it is a hard case to argue that Segova, Bach, Paganini, Hendrix, Danny Gatton, SRV, Randy Rhodes, Van Halen, and Steve Via sound standard.
nevermindRJ	Date: October 5, 2005 @ 4:52 PM standard or Drop D
MindSculpture	Date: October 5, 2005 @ 5:05 PM Z P X T G W
rookie0ne	Date: October 5, 2005 @ 5:19 PM One tone lower or drop C.
laalaaloo	Date: October 5, 2005 @ 7:03 PM I love Standard, I adore Drop-D and I'm Enjoying open E.
Hawkwise	Date: October 22, 2005 @ 8:39 PM DADGAD
skynyrddude	Date: October 26, 2005 @ 7:04 PM i like a half step down myself
TheOwl	Date: October 28, 2005 @ 9:46 AM Still the standard tuning for me but every once ina while I'll experiment with something for a specific piece of music. One I tried was: DGCGAD Another time for fun, I tried tuning to an open C Minor 7/9
Intergalacti...	Date: October 28, 2005 @ 10:49 AM ooohh also, when playing with the ol' slide i like it in A for that but hmm ill come back when i've experimented more
EtherEclectic	Date: October 28, 2005 @ 9:52 PM for my simihollow i tune it standard recently i have been keeping my strat tuned to open G, both for slide and normal play for something different.
KyleEpps	Date: October 29, 2005 @ 8:50 PM for me it's gotta be standard
PinkFloydFan13	Date: October 29, 2005 @ 9:14 PM Eb
Blaz	Date: November 3, 2005 @ 4:00 AM I just use standard tuning. Its just the easyer tuning. And I sometimes use a half step down tuning for some GNR stuff.
mr-spiffy	Date: November 12, 2005 @ 6:44 PM I'm gonna sound like the oddball here. My favourite's... B F# B E G C that's low if you're wondering
celtaidd	Date: November 12, 2005 @ 8:52 PM On my 12 string definately DADGAD, but I cant seem to be able to record it with the right tone, otherwise it has to be standard tuning because thats what my electrics are tuned to
guitaroo	Date: November 14, 2005 @ 9:49 AM EADGBE is the one I use the most i use DADGBE from time to time
Bhairava	Date: November 14, 2005 @ 2:15 PM Open G is cool.
les-legend	Date: December 8, 2005 @ 10:26 PM Standard tuning is the best for most kinds of music.. But it really depends on the style of music, and the way it is played.. No matter what though - Dropping e to a d is just stupid (my opinion) it sounds stupid, and its boring to play..
tooles	Date: December 9, 2005 @ 9:00 PM Maybe drop d is boring if you're just playing power chords, but it can actually make a very interesting drone, especially if you drop the high e string as well. There are also situations where dropping to d or lower can supplement your bass line.
TFive	Date: December 16, 2005 @ 8:29 PM DGDGAD, very weird. check out my page i have few ,actully, some weird tunings posted.
Bhairava	Date: December 16, 2005 @ 10:42 PM I want to mess around with dad gad sometime Jimi Page liked I think I heard that somewhere.
LChen	Date: December 29, 2005 @ 2:51 AM "Ever hear of a classical guitar piece called 'Sunburst'? So good." Yeah, Andrew York is pretty awesome eh, koiulpoi? Double drop D is slightly bothersome, so drop D is in fact my favourite tuning, as it increases the range of notes available. However, there's always the hassle-free, highly convenient standard EADGBe.
mylomaster	Date: December 29, 2005 @ 7:40 AM half step down to keep my voice good, and sometimes the "limp bizkit" tune

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