What are the different ways to tune your electric guitar?

Question

Well, I got a guitar a few months ago, I've been picking around and playing different tabs. Every now and then I'll see terms like "Drop D tuning". i'd take it theres some sort of list of ways to tune a guitar to make different sounds. Can anyone provide me with this and how to tune each one.

Answer 1

Jimi Hendrix used to use this tuning method, as does Ty Tabor from King's X.

Tuning to D or E b (E Flat) is relatively simple providing you do NOT have a floating tremolo (Floyd Rose, etc...) Basically, you tune each string down. Beginning with your Low E, tune it to D, doing 5th fret tuning or harmonics you tune the next strings accordingly.

E - A - D - G - B - E now becomes D.... Oh man, you're goanna make me go home and figure out the tuning again arent you. Lol.... Basically, you tune each string down two frets. So that way now you play an open E chord as a barre chord on the 2nd fret.

My only explanation as to why some people do this is to get a lower bass-ier sound. I used to think that they just didnt tune their geetar correctly. Eitherway, you have a couple of options in how you can do this without having to retune your guitar. You can get a pitch shifter, a cheap Digitech Whammy pedal did it for me in the 80s and 90s, I think you can get one now for about $40 or $50. Or, you can play the song back using Winamp (www.winamp.com) and you get a plug-in for it called a pacemaker. This allows you to change the pitch of the song, as well as the speed, and yes it works great at figuring out complex guitar solos. Because of this I was able to figure out the twin harmonized solos to "Gone Too Far" by Racer X.

But anyways... best of luck to ya...

Answer 2

There are tons of different ways, no way to list the all here but Drop D is easy. You take the low E and tune it down on whole step to a D. The advantage is that you can make a barre chord with just on finger across the top 3 strings.

If you want more you can tune the high e down to D and tune the B (second from the bottom) down on whole step to A. Jimmypage used this tuning on alot of their more folky songs.

Answer 3

Any tuning is valid if it works for the song. And drop D simply means tuning the low E string down to a D...easy as that :)

Answer 4

drop D - lower the lowest E string (the biggest one) down a whole step so it hits a D when hit open. thats the only string you have to detune to achieve Drop D.
there are other drop tunings, but i wont confuse you ... yet

Answer 5

Here are a few Major open tunings. These are good for playing slide guitar.

Starting from low string to high...

A ........E-A-C#-E-A-E

C.........C-G-C-G-C-E

D.........D-A-D-F#-A-D

E..........E-B-E-G#-B-E

F..........F-A-C-F-C-F

G..........D-G-D-G-B-D

Expieriment and practice! You can get a slide at any guitar shop for under $15.

Good luck