Some theory on alternative guitar tunnings
 

Hi everyone, here is a link of a pdf with theory about alternative tunnings for guitar. Please, if someone find this interesting, give me some rep.
Later. :cool:

Please, notice that the correct link is eceserv0.ece.wisc.edu/~sethares/alternatetunings/alltunings.pdf

Alternative tuning comes rather naturally to me but thanks for the list of alternative tunings. Maybe these will provide some new stuff that "tuning to what sounds good" has gotten me.

Tuning? What's that?

Alternate tunings are good for slide guitar, but aside from that it's not really worth it to me. Most stuff (not all, though) can be arranged for standard.

Open C is god.

I stopped using alternate tunings so much when I realised what I was doing was crap. But one tuning from this SY obsessed period is still being used by me, because it's so good. G-A-D-A-D-D

I think standard works fine but open tunings are great, especially open c. Just use a capo if you want... great for slide .. a really southern sound. I love it, it's a beautiful tuning.

I recently noticed there are absolutely no F minor chords being used in guitar based pop/rock music.

The Verlaines - Sunday in Sevastopol
Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds - Where the Wild Roses Grow

Sorry, Where the Wild Roses Grow uses G Minor and F Major.

I noticed that kind of thing too - chords like F minor, G minor, C minor aren't used as frequently as F# minor, G# minor, C# minor etc.

I use alternative tunnings on my guitars because I found them more interesting when I compose something. Sometimes it's great to get something differrent, but the standard is ok too.
I have a doubt, does Jim use alternative tunnings when playing with SY? Does he use them when he plays by himself? Could you list other artist that use them?

I use alternative tunings sometimes, but not with a band I'm playing live with because it's a bitch taking a few minutes to tune in the middle of a set.

Sounds like Jim plays a lot of open c and open d on some of his solo stuff.. but I dunno.

I agree, I can do just about the same thing with standard tuning as I can with some alternate tunings. The one advantage of alternate tunings to me though would be that I can be more creative because the usual paths in my brain of how I view guitar are distorted with alternate tuning, allowing me to think more "outside the box" (I hate the phrase, but I'm at a loss for words at 9 in the morning).

no more than you, man!

standard tuning sucks
why is standard tuning standard tuning?

Read the guide.

made up tunings are an excuse for absolute laziness.

How is making something lazy? I would say relying on the same old rule is creatively lazy.

Now on the other hand, I have no idea what she meant by that.

i'm fucking tired of explaining myself or trying to prove what i'm saying.

typically it's a lot fucking harder to play guitar proficiently in standard tuning. or generally when every sting isn't tuned to the same note.

Hm. Not sure if I agree with it being more "difficult" to play in standard tuning. More difficult to play what? Standard chords? Well, obviously.

Ha ha, really? Hard to play proficiently in standard tuning? I wonder where you get this "typically" from.

it's more difficult to play a guitar solo than it is to put two fingers on the fretboard one above the other on the same fret and because it's in some random made up tuning decide call it a chord. i don't have anything against doing that if it sounds good, i just think it can be too easily used as an excuse. it's like andy warhol. turning laziness into art.

I would say "I think she means in open tunings you can make major chords with just one finger barr chords which is easier to do than to use 3 or 4 fingers to make a chord in standard tuning" but the last time I thought I knew what she meant I was wrong so fuck it.

Standard tuning isn't more or less difficult than any other tuning.. difficulty doesn't have equate into the mix, it all has to do with what you want to get out of your instrument. Obvious but true. I don't think laziness has a single thing to do with it.

Well, she explained what she meant right as I wrote that so okay.........

i would say you need to stop trying to put words in my mouth and analyze my every word but the more i think about it the less i give a shit.

How am I putting words in your mouth? You say these ridiculous, profound, often mean-spirited, and sometimes close-minded things and offer no explanation whatsoever on what you mean (and on another thread, you go "I hate explaining myself" -- oh wait, sorry, "im sick of fuckin explainin myself")...

I'm simply trying to make sense of it.

You seem intimidated by people who know more than you and you often get angry at the slightest suggestion that you may, in fact, be wrong.

And trust me, you're not an interesting enough person for me to waste my time analyzing what you say.

But that's just tuning the open to a major chord. That whole argument rests on only a particular kind of alternative tuning.

go on.


no really. you can say as much as you want but at the end of the day very few people's words hold any validity whatsoever because very few people truly know me as a person. so say what you will.

Well, pbradley, the only tunings that had been mentioned specifically in this thread was a sonic youth tuning and some open tunings so I ASSUMED she was replying to that, but she explained herself so I know what she means now.

ostrich tuning and stuff like that. is that a simple enough explanation? it's too easy to fall back on if you're lazy.

Yes. Clarity is good.

but do you know what i mean...relying on tunings instead of musical ability.

Yeah, but I'm not sure if it's really more difficult either way... If you handed someone who usually plays standard tuning a guitar that was oddly-tuned, he may not know what to do, right?

So, if a person who uses alternate tunings creates their own language that no one else can figure out, it may be more interesting than any kind of "real" musicality.

But yeah, I agree, some bands get more focus for their tunings than anything "technically" they can do. I dunno... Either way.

well whatever. everyone has different opinions. just refer to my signature instead of anything i say in the future.

Hah.

My IQ is 123 the last time I got tested, which was 16 points lower than when I got tested 3 years ago. Too much cough syrup since then I guess.

what's the average?

mine is 132 for real (not 6, although it might as well be). i don't know if that means anything though, i don't think you can really measure someone's intelligence with a number.