# Favorite alternate tunings?



## marshallH (Feb 15, 2014)

Mine is probably open Dmadd9 (a la opeth) or one I came up with myself that is a variation of some tuning I found somewhere: C# G# C# G# A E (on seven string low b is tuned to G#)

If you didn't know ioen Dmadd9 is D A D F A E (A D A D F A E on seven string) 

What do you guys like to use?


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## Yo_Wattup (Feb 15, 2014)

marshallH said:


> Mine is probably open Dmadd9



Came here to say this


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## Chuck (Feb 15, 2014)

I really like EAEADGCF on 8 and G#F#BEAD on 6.


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## ncfiala (Feb 15, 2014)

ADGCFA#D# is all I use now.


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## Chuck (Feb 15, 2014)

ncfiala said:


> ADGCFA#D# is all I use now.



All fourths


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## rockskate4x (Feb 16, 2014)

good old DADGAD is great. Recently I tried E B E G# C# E, which i guess is like an E6 tuning. This is pretty awesome because the middle of it still feels very much like the top of C# standard tuning. It makes me want to try C# F# B E G# C# E or B F# B E G# C# E on seven strings. I've also been doing a lot of BADGBE and AGCFAD a la periphery and mastodon.


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## Edoris (Feb 16, 2014)

I quite like the tuning that Mark Tremonti (guitarist from Creed and Alter Bridge) uses on a few songs. Not sure what it's called but it's DADADD. I'm always afraid my B string will break tuning up to the D but it's pretty awesome to play in.


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## Dayn (Feb 16, 2014)

For my eight-string, either EBGDAEBE, or EBGDAEAC#. I rarely use the latter, but it's very fun when I do.


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## noUser01 (Feb 16, 2014)

For 8 strings I really dig E-A-E-A-D-G-B-E. I use this in my band but a half step down (Eb-Ab-Eb-Ab-Db-Gb-Bb-Eb). Allows for crazy cool arpeggios on the bottom 3-4 strings, massive chords across the top 7 strings (or 8 for a low 5th), easy to get used to if you use 7's in Drop A... real fun.


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## MrPepperoniNipples (Feb 16, 2014)

Eb Ab Db Gb Bb Eb

im original


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## starslight (Feb 16, 2014)

Some of my favorites for acoustic fingerstyle stuff:

CGDGAD
CGCDAB
CGCDGB
BADEAB
DADEAB
DADF#AE
DADF#BE
EBEGAD


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## TeeWX (Feb 16, 2014)

Industry standard drop tunings for me. Drop C/B/A#/Z etc


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## musicaldeath (Feb 16, 2014)

Open CMaj usually. For some good old DT or SYL riffage. Although I like trying to play leads like he does in his guitar messenger video. That Ravi Shankar vibe with the droning notes and the others kinda of running into each other. Very cool.


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## Konfyouzd (Feb 16, 2014)

Low to High:

G D G D A E
A E A C# E G# E
E B E A D G B E


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## Eptaceros (Feb 16, 2014)

Dmaj7add9

E
C#
F#
D
F#
D



You can hear all open strings at 0:34


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## DoomJazz (Feb 16, 2014)

Eb
Bb
Gb
Db
Ab
Db
Ab
F


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## AngstRiddenDreams (Feb 16, 2014)

C-G-D-G-B-E


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## karjim (Feb 16, 2014)

Open C tuning CGCGCE Friends


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## ElRay (Feb 16, 2014)

I loved all M3rds, but it wasn't the greatest for Me, Myself & I playing and I *don't* play frequently enough to be able to handle switching between that and standard tuning for working with my daughter's Classical lessons.

Right now, I'm running the Steve Tibbetts tuning (C-G-D-G-B-E) -- That lets me us the dam fingerings that my daughter is using on the trebles, but give me a bit extra range. The root-fifth-octave on the center strings is also nice.

Ray


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## 80H (Feb 16, 2014)

Every single one I've explored has been awesome. I have yet to find a tuning I dislike. 


However, I really love double drop D (DADGBD), and it replaced DADGAD for me pretty much entirely. I play a lot in G & A major right now (Irish influence), and I like having that A there a bit more than the B for a few specific reasons that wouldn't make sense until you saw/heard what I'm using them for. Still love DADGAD anyways though. 



I also use a spider capo though so I have way more tunings to play with than I have time for right now. I need 2 more of them (at least) to really get into the meat of what I want to use them for. Trace Bundy influence?! Yes. Spider Capo with other capos also offers a lot of options. If I had a 28 fret guitar with a robot tuner+a few dozen capos, I might die of sheer bliss.


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## All_¥our_Bass (Feb 16, 2014)

All perfect fourths
All perfect fifths
All major thirds


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## Abaddon9112 (Feb 16, 2014)

Other than regular drop tunings, I like the ones where you tune the lowest string an octave below the one next to it. Like A-A-D-G-B-E on a six. Or on a seven, E1-E-A-D-G-B-E. You get the low root notes that way without losing any of the higher notes that you have access to in standard tuning. 

I used to play around with some strange drone tunings like 
D-A-D-D-A-D sometimes, but I've never been able to really get into those.


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## lemniscate (Feb 16, 2014)

marshallH said:


> Mine is probably open Dmadd9 (a la opeth) or one I came up with myself that is a variation of some tuning I found somewhere: C# G# C# G# A E (on seven string low b is tuned to G#)
> 
> If you didn't know ioen Dmadd9 is D A D F A E (A D A D F A E on seven string)
> 
> What do you guys like to use?





Yo_Wattup said:


> Came here to say this



Ditto. Ghost Reveries is my favorite Opeth album.


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## lemniscate (Feb 16, 2014)

After Blackwater Park.


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## rikomaru (Feb 17, 2014)

My favorite is just standard with the high e dropped to D. Pretty handy for slide work as it's open G across the high 4, yet is very comfortable for standard chord work.

On a sidenote: I'm pretty sure standard tuning is actually an alternate tuning on this forum. lol


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## Zalbu (Feb 17, 2014)

Scarlet tuning, CGCEGD.


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## swedishfish (Feb 17, 2014)

Right now I'm playing around with A E A E A C E.


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## Konfyouzd (Feb 18, 2014)

^Whoa... What is that? Might have to give it a go...


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## thrsher (Feb 18, 2014)

for 8s E B E B E F# B E


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## blaaargh (Feb 18, 2014)

marshallH said:


> Mine is probably open Dmadd9 (a la opeth) or one I came up with myself that is a variation of some tuning I found somewhere: C# G# C# G# A E (on seven string low b is tuned to G#)
> 
> If you didn't know ioen Dmadd9 is D A D F A E (A D A D F A E on seven string)
> 
> What do you guys like to use?


http://www.sevenstring.org/forum/sevenstring-guitars/183186-weird-open-tuning-vid.html
p sure that second one is something I've been messing around with for a few years, just raised a half step.


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## JEngelking (Feb 18, 2014)

CGCEGD

CGCGCE

and lastly GGCFAD or AGCFAD


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## PureImagination (Feb 22, 2014)

I've been screwing around with CGCGCG (Bottom to top).


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## Steinmetzify (Feb 23, 2014)

Open C
Drop C
Drop D 
Standard tuning for lessons, old thrash, etc

The open C and drop C stuff sounds great and heavy as .... and that's mostly what I write in; had to laugh at the guy that said standard tuning is an alternate on this forum. Pretty true. 

Got a 7 incoming and looking forward to messing with drop A; if I don't dig it it'll go into open C or open B.


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## All_¥our_Bass (Feb 25, 2014)

'Mirror' tunings are interesting if you are really into pianistic two-hand tapping.
This is the same tuning scheme the Chapman Stick uses.

Tunings like

EADGDAE - all fourths on the bottom, and all fifths on top, or
FCGDGCF - fifths in the bass, treble has fourths


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## Devyn Eclipse Nav (Feb 25, 2014)

swedishfish said:


> Right now I'm playing around with A E A E A C E.





Konfyouzd said:


> ^Whoa... What is that? Might have to give it a go...



It's open A Major - I recently switched to that, but a half step down, on my 7. For a while it was Drop Dd with a low Ab, sometimes down to Gb though. It never really felt right, however, it felt sorta like two separate instruments, between the Db2 and Ab1 strings. Open Ab feels more natural to me, since I've also played in Open C, and have a 6'er tuned to open B (B-F#-B-F#-B-D#) right now. As you have probably guessed, I'm a devy fanboy 

Other than that, I've found that just plain old standard and drop D work for me, though Open B and Open Ab are so much more fun. I've got a guitar set up for D Standard right now, but all I really do with that one is Gojira chugging, weirdly enough. I plan on modding the .... outta it and perhaps setting it up for a second standard tuned guitar, using either that one or my SA, depending on the gig. I do really want to give Josh Travis's whacky F-C-G-C-F-G-A-E tuning a try, however.


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## All_¥our_Bass (Feb 25, 2014)

Zeno said:


> It's open A Major


Correction, it's open A minor.

A E A E A *C#* E is open A major.

Still a very cool tuning.


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## Devyn Eclipse Nav (Feb 26, 2014)

Oh shit, you're right, my bad. I'm just used to seeing the C, since I play in Ab Major and all.

I do sometimes use Ab minor, but mostly just major.


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## Pat_tct (Feb 26, 2014)

i really enjoy the following lately.

drop c - then drop the c further to a g so you have an octave on the lowest strings

g - g - c - f - a - d


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## Caelumamittendum (Feb 26, 2014)

I've got my strat tuned C G C Eb C D. Quite interesting tuning I've found, which can get you some cool chords and sounds easily.


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