I am amazed how easy it was to play songs tonight. I've been using 11-49 strings on my electric for the past 4 years. It was time to change strings so I decided to detune all strings by a half step. MAN, it was sooooo much easier to play. I had another motive, though.
With the band, I've have refused to play Heartbreaker by Pat Benatar unless I bought a detuned guitar. Why? 4 out of the 6 chords are flats and my mind just cannot think of so many flats. I've typed the song to play with a standard guitar and with a flat guitar. I was so jazzed at how much easier it was for me when I detuned my guitar.
As such, I've been planning to buy a guitar and detune it. Tonight has solidified my desire for that because it made so much more sense. Further, it made fingering so much more comfortable. No pain! I've been having fretting hand wrist pain for almost 2 years now. Downing beer has really helped. But I detuned without brew earlier and no pain. I'm pretty excited about it. I may even use 10-46 on my main guitar just based on my test tonight. We'll see.
"Nothing...can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts."
When you play down a half step, is your singer happier, too?
Or do you compensate for that by conversion so you stay in the same key?
Bish
"I play live as playing dead is harder than it sounds!"
careful with changing string gauges and detuning like that, even minor adjustments can mess with the neck.
tuning down a half step in all likelihood won't make a difference, but a substantial change in string gauges may. just keep alert
glad you are feeling better about playing
