# Altered tunings?



## Prophecy420 (Sep 20, 2004)

Does anyone have any cool altered tunings for the seven that they use a lot?

I'm not really big on theory but I'd love to know how to tune to things like open sus chords and stuff.


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## Metal Ken (Sep 20, 2004)

i use down one step a lot. ;p 
As far as Sus chords, all you do is take a chord like a C, which is C-E-G, and take the 3rd (middle note) and make it a 4th--for a sus4 chord. ...so, it'd like, C-F-G.


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## Digital Black (Sep 20, 2004)

Sometimes I drop the Low E to match the Low B which can make for somer interesting chorus like sounds. Open G is a lot of fun too; DGBdgbd .


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## The Sleeper (Sep 24, 2004)

A guy posted these links on HRI & I thought shit this is a good resource so....ok guys here you go, heaps of alternate tunings. These are for a 6 string but you can just tune the low B the same as the high B to keep the tuning in key  

http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/warrenallen/tunings.htm

http://www.museweb.com/ag/tunings/fm_tunings.html

Catch ya's later.......Joe


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## No Soul (Oct 26, 2004)

I actually tune my guitar up to an open B tuning, which is still plenty heavy sounding.


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## Vince (Oct 26, 2004)

I like power chords:

B-F#-B-F#-B-F#-B


That tuning f'n kicks ass.


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## Metal Ken (Oct 26, 2004)

ive been thinking about getting one of them 200$ washburn 7 strings on music 123 and tuning it to 5ths... (A-E-B-F#-C#-G#-D#)..
Maybe classical style 5th like violin or mandolin...

G-D-A-E-B-F#-C#


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## Andi Rauscher (Oct 29, 2004)

I use the standard Tuning B-E-A-D-G-B-E, the dropped one A-E-A-D-G-B-E, and sometimes the B tuned up half a step to C: C-E-A-D-G-B-E. Also possible is double dropped: A-D-A-D-G-B-E, but I´ve never tried that.

*Desertdweller*, what string gauges do u use for your B-F#-B-F#-B-F#-B Tuning? sounds interesting, I think I´ll try that one day...

*No Soul*, what is open B?


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## Andi Rauscher (Oct 29, 2004)

ah, I forgot: Mr. Hetfield uses C-C-G-C-F-A-D in "some kind of Monster" and creates interesting effects with the two unisono strings. check out the TAB!


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## No Soul (Oct 30, 2004)

Andi Rauscher said:


> *No Soul*, what is open B?



pretty much what it sounds like. 

start with standard tuning, then tune all strings, minus the low B, up a full step. 

you have 
B - F# - B - E - A - C# - F#


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## Shannon (Oct 30, 2004)

I've been using mine to tune ungodly low!  
How do I explain it? I guess you'd tune it to F# B E A D F# B, then drop the 2 low strings down an additional step. Insane, I know, but it sure is fun.

Low to high:

Low E (equivalent to Low E on a bass)
Low A (equivalent to Low A on a bass) 
E
A
D
F#
B


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## Andi Rauscher (Nov 1, 2004)

I´ve made this little spreadsheet, maybe it helps... if anyone knows more tunings, please feel free to email me! I will be happy to integrate them.


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## Vince (Nov 1, 2004)

Andi, you rock bud. Great addition to the board.


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## No Soul (Nov 3, 2004)

revsharp777 said:


> I've been using mine to tune ungodly low!
> How do I explain it? I guess you'd tune it to F# B E A D F# B, then drop the 2 low strings down an additional step. Insane, I know, but it sure is fun.
> 
> Low to high:
> ...



what kind of music are you playing?


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## Leon (Nov 3, 2004)

Andi Rauscher said:


> I´ve made this little spreadsheet, maybe it helps... if anyone knows more tunings, please feel free to email me! I will be happy to integrate them.


awesome!

i've always been leary about alternate tunings, as i'm so used to the standard spacings/patterns/whatnots. maybe i'm pigeon-holing myself?


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## uv-7 (Apr 22, 2005)

low to high 
 
gcgcgce


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## Drew (Apr 22, 2005)

That's not quite open B... Strummed, that'd give you... Hmm. It's like a B7sus4add9? Anyway, straight-up open B would be B F# B D F# B F#.

I sorta like DADGAD with a low A - it's considered an "acoustic" open tuning, mostly, for fingerstyle stuff, but it absolutely rocks for heavy riffing in the vein of Tool, with lots of low-string chugging and these big suspended ringing chords on top. When I get off my ass and start writing again, I'll definitely be doing a tune with the riffing in that tuning.  

-D


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## WayneCustom7 (Apr 22, 2005)

I tried the drop A tuning, but I couldn't really figure things out...


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## 7StringofAblicK (Apr 22, 2005)

Mudvayne does that Open b tuning, but since he uses a six string it minus a high string. For five years of my 7 string tuning, I tuned only ADGCFAD. ONLY, but I did do some drop G riffage for one song(when I had baritone .076 guage for the seven). But in the last month, I realized that Standard tuning is what I love. I can keep a .056 or .054 guage(which IMHO has the best _tone_, for what I do), and it will be nice tight and firm. Plus intonating and neck adjustment is very consisten. Low A was not as tight as my B tuning, and I hate anything bigger than a .058( which I use on my washburn, but it's .009-.058, so it plays very well. The GHS boomer lights). The d'addario .054 and .056 are my favorite for B tuning. I can't stand a floppy muddy seven string, and either way you look at it, there will always be seven strings and always as many notes. the only thing that sounds different is the frequency the note is in. It's always going to be that sevenstring chuggy heaviness for me.


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## Drew (Apr 22, 2005)

Here's a little hint, for drop-A - play an "Am shaped" sweep arpeggio (an arpeggio that would, if played in the open position, outline an Am chord. The terminology's my own, so if there's a better way to describe this, let me know. ) anywhere on the neck. Let's say 12th, so it really IS an Am. Now, play the arpeggio. Your E-string note will be the same as a 6, so hit the 12th fret. Now, your low A will perfectly parallel the A the root's on, so do 15 and 12. It's actually easier to do seven string sweeps in A than in B, I think. 


```
|-------------------------12h17-|-------------------------12h17-|----------------------12h16-|
|----------------------13-------|----------------------14-------|-------------------12-------|
|-------------------14----------|-------------------14----------|----------------13----------|
|----------------14-------------|----------------14-------------|-------------14-------------|
|----------12h15----------------|----------12h16----------------|----------14----------------|
|-------12----------------------|-------12----------------------|----12h16-------------------|
|-12h15-------------------------|-12h16-------------------------|-14-------------------------|
```

Idunno, there's a couple. You get the idea.  Eventually, I'll turn this into a full lesson for the site, but there's a few patterns to get you up and running. The fingerings are very intuitive. 

-D


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## Shawn (Apr 24, 2005)

Thats great stuff.


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## Metal Ken (Apr 24, 2005)

No Soul said:


> pretty much what it sounds like.
> 
> start with standard tuning, then tune all strings, minus the low B, up a full step.
> 
> ...



I JUST now noticed this. That'd actually by Open Bmaj9sus2.
There's no 3rd(D#) in this.


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