I've been playing around with alternate tunings, but some of the ones I have looked at have no chance of happening with the strings I have on now. I was wondering if it is an extreme tuning how would it be done, do they use lower gauge if the string is tuned high and vice versa? But then I would think you would run into a problem of some strings sounding very tinny compared to thicker ones. Is this something to live with or how else would a tuning like BDDDDD be done?
Thanks
Try open E,
E B E G# B E
or DADGAD is a cool one too...
I've been imitated so well I've heard people copy my mistakes.
- Jimi Hendrix
the ctrain.
I don't think that last answer really was an answer was it? I get where you are coming from, you are saying if you are really stressing "standard" strings, what is the likely out come - yeah?
Bloody good question and one I would like answered to - as I am looking at this side of things to.
So anyone got experiece of really stressful tunings, and if so, got any solutions?
Matt
I was reading here on GN about advice on alt tunings. It was mentioned that 2-3 semitones is the max recommended for tuning up. The article suggested it's better to pick an alt tuning where you tune down and then capo when you need something higher for the music.
Jim
I do use a capo if I'm tuning up, but then of course you have to tune everything else down and the strings get very loose(and lose tone). So to refrase my question how would you setup a guitar, so the strings still have tension, for an alternate tuning?
This doesn't answer the question at all, but if you want to see some really odd, stressful alt. tunings, check out Nick Drake. God knows how many high e strings I've broken playing in his tuning, let alone how many he broke. If Im not mistaken, he tunes the high e to F# but I will have to check
"How could you possibly be scared of being bad? Once you get past that, it's all beautiful." -Trey Anastasio
Most likely for an oddball like that you'd have to mix and match string sets.
Anything lower than C is going to cause major buzzing problems.
I've played CGDGBE - "Never going back again"
I looked it up and here are some of the Nick Drake variations I could find.
D A D G D F#
C G C F C E
C G C F C F
D G D D A D
You have to be out of your mind, and on top of those tunings, he used a capo too.
"How could you possibly be scared of being bad? Once you get past that, it's all beautiful." -Trey Anastasio
Open "G" is a good one. Open "c" is pretty good too.
Also, in a semi-drone tuning try DADDAD. Good for CS&N stuff.
