# Tunings you use the most?



## vejichan (Feb 19, 2017)

Other than e and eb what other tunings do u use the most?


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## JustMac (Feb 19, 2017)

I use 4th-tuning (EADGCF) mostly for writing etc., I got sick of/wasn't clever enough to get over that hump of having the bastard B string at a different interval all the time (the maj.3rd between G and B in standard) when learning jazz standards, where you should know all the weird inversions and substitutions without thinking. I just can't do it, so tried perfect 4ths tuning and found that I never get "lost" anymore. 


It means you can apply theory in a flat manner rather than constantly readjusting a fret up when moving to the "(would-be)B" string. It has its drawbacks; chord melodies and poppier stuff with the open chords and traditional bar chords etc. are no longer possible, at least in their original forms, but I like it a lot. 

I also like a drop tuned low string, so on my 7 I have a best-of-both worlds thing going on where it's AEADGCF, so like 4ths tuning but with a dropped A.


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## Dayn (Feb 20, 2017)

On my 8-string, I keep it in standard, but for the 7th and 8th strings I keep them at B and E (most of the time), or A and C#. Largest amount of freedom, and the latter tuning gives me the range of a standard 9 but with different phrasing (plus the convenience of drop A).

Am looking forward to getting a 7-string to tune to open Dm with a high F.


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## amonb (Feb 20, 2017)

Boring ol' D standard. I used to be a drop-tuning whore on six strings until I bought a baritone tuned to B standard, which (for better or worse) seems to have relegated my two seven strings to the closet and means D standard is about as low as my other six strings go these days...


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## Anquished (Feb 20, 2017)

Drop D for my six strings and B standard for my seven. 

Drop D has always been very comfortable for me, plus I like to learn Lamb of God songs so I stick with that.

B standard for the seven as I'm trying to learn Dark Eternal Night by DT. Although I usually leave it in this tuning anyway.


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## Harry (Feb 20, 2017)

I haven't used E standard on a 6 in AGES, and also been a while since I've done Eb too.

As of late :
Drop C
Drop B
Bb standard on 7 string
F# standard on 8 
Not so much lately but I sometimes will keep a 6er in C# standard for a good month or so


I rarely, if ever, use drop tunings on 7 strings. Had one in Drop A a few weeks ago, lasted 2 days in that tuning. Have toyed with some open tuning stuff, but again it always a very short phase.
I think it's just that thing where I feel it already has plenty of range, so I don't need to extend it further, while OTOH I really like drop tunings on a 6er.


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## gnoll (Feb 20, 2017)

Drop C#!

It's been my favorite for a while now. I really like drop tunings, because they seem to open up to much more interesting riffs and ideas than standard tuning for me. For a long time I'd only play standard tunings and when I tried drop I just fell in love unexpectedly. And C# just seems to be the perfect low string for me. D is a little high, C is a little low, C# is perfect!


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## vejichan (Feb 20, 2017)

gnoll said:


> Drop C#!
> 
> It's been my favorite for a while now. I really like drop tunings, because they seem to open up to much more interesting riffs and ideas than standard tuning for me. For a long time I'd only play standard tunings and when I tried drop I just fell in love unexpectedly. And C# just seems to be the perfect low string for me. D is a little high, C is a little low, C# is perfect!



what string gauge are you using with that?


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## chopeth (Feb 21, 2017)

Posted it in another thread:

My favourites in order:

6 strings:
*D st tuning
E st tuning*
Drop D
*C# st tuning*

7 strings:
*A st tuning
B st tuning*
Drop A 

The ones in bold are those I use permanently


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## gnoll (Feb 21, 2017)

vejichan said:


> what string gauge are you using with that?



11-52 set with the 52 swapped out for a 62 (25.5 scale). But from what I hear that would be too tight for most other people.


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## Rachmaninoff (Feb 21, 2017)

amonb said:


> Boring ol' D standard.



It's not boring man, it's awesome!


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## akinari (Feb 21, 2017)

C# standard and drop A for the Gibson and Fender scale 6s, G# standard on my 7 and PRS baritone, drop C#1 on a 30" scale Agile.


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## Clebby (Mar 9, 2017)

Before I traded away my 8, I was using a tuning that a friend reccomended which was rather than added a lower string below the B, I added a higher string above the high E. You need to mess around with string gauges, and dropping the whole thing down a step was needed because of string tension, but it was interesting and gave access to a whole new set of chord voicings. Definitely worth trying if you have an 8 but don't use the lowest string.


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## bostjan (Mar 9, 2017)

19-EDO


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## CapnForsaggio (Mar 9, 2017)

bostjan said:


> 19-EDO


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## Winspear (Mar 10, 2017)

JustMac said:


> I use 4th-tuning (EADGCF) mostly for writing etc., I got sick of/wasn't clever enough to get over that hump of having the bastard B string at a different interval all the time (the maj.3rd between G and B in standard) when learning jazz standards, where you should know all the weird inversions and substitutions without thinking. I just can't do it, so tried perfect 4ths tuning and found that I never get "lost" anymore.
> 
> 
> It means you can apply theory in a flat manner rather than constantly readjusting a fret up when moving to the "(would-be)B" string. It has its drawbacks; chord melodies and poppier stuff with the open chords and traditional bar chords etc. are no longer possible, at least in their original forms, but I like it a lot.



 So glad I switched to perfect 4ths. Not that I couldn't or didn't want to learn more shapes, but just that it doesn't really make any sense for me to use standard tuning when the only disadvantage of perfect 4ths is the loss of open chords/barre chords (there are still many 5+ string fingerings, mind!). Those voicings are crappy anyway in my opinion unless you are just strumming accompaniment. 
Guitar makes much more sense now. Especially playing varying amounts of strings and sometimes with added treble strings, I no longer have to think about what direction the strings are added in or where that odd interval is. The guitar is just an endless line of notes now.

My main is a 9 string in E A D G C F Bb Eb Ab 
Other guitars take segments of that. I like being a step down because;
High Ab is easy enough, high Bb not so!
6 string D standard is a nice pitch
7 string A is a nice pitch, just low enough but not too low for chords
8 string E is great 
I was very comfortable with note names on EADG already
I can tune my bass to E an octave down which is about the practical limit of bass 



bostjan said:


> 19-EDO



Quickly becoming a convert though I don't have a guitar for it yet


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## stevexc (Mar 10, 2017)

D tuning best tuning.


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## Nick4764 (Mar 10, 2017)

With 7 and 8 string guitars, I usually keep them tuned one step down. With my 6s, I tune them either to C# Standard or C Standard. I have a couple songs written in drop C, but I prefer to play in more standard tunings since the chord shapes on the lower strings make sense to me. I will never play a guitar in standard tuning unless it has 7 strings or more as I have always felt that standard tuning is too high and I personally need a bit more low end, even then I usually prefer to de-tune


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## EverDream (Mar 11, 2017)

I actually don't have any tunings that stand out in my head that I use the most, I've used everything at some point it seems! 

Here are what all of my guitars are currently tuned to at the moment (in order of shortest to longest scale length):

6-string Samick Silvertone SIK1 Guitar (25.5") is tuned: A#1 F2 A#2 D#3 G3 C4 (6th string is missing right now, because it broke)
7-string Ibanez AJ307CE NT Acoustic (25.5") is tuned: E1 E2 A2 D3 G3 B3 E4
7-string Schecter C7 Blackjack Guitar (26.5") is tuned: D#1 A#1 D#2 G#2 C#3 F#3 A#3
8-string Agile Intrepid Pro 828 Guitar (28.625") is tuned: F#1 B1 E2 A2 D3 F#3 A3 D4 (1st string is missing right now, because it broke)
6-string OLP MM5 Baritone (30") is tuned: C1 G1 C2 F2 A2 D3
8-string Galveston Bass (34.5") is tuned: ?? F#0 C#1 F#1 B1 E2 A2 D3 (I still haven't found a string thick enough for the 8th that will fit through the body)
5-string Brice HXB2-40537 Bass (37") is tuned: F#0 D#1 G#1 C#2 F#2


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## primitiverebelworld (Mar 11, 2017)

D-standard is the best(sixer255) but I would like to play in B. Must try 26,5 scale!!!
It is beyond me how In Flames and Soilwork sounded that good in B and C on 24,75 scale....The latter had D. Townsend production though


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## 8_8-88-8_8_88_8_88_8_8-8_ (Mar 11, 2017)

Capo. Spider Capo. Spider Capo. More frets, longer scales. I'm even trying to get custom pins made for the spider capos, have a guy here that wants to fabricate a bunch for me out of something else. 

Just in case someone from the spider capo company sees this, stop fking charging $30 for a stick you can get from asia for $5. Everybody should just get spider capo alternatives from aliexpress. Just make a good stick and charge people for exotic pins, they will have different tones and you can get return customers instead of having to charge people $30 for something that clearly doesn't need to cost $30. More people using them would make them realize that they're actually one of the best things ever and then you'd start making pins and I wouldn't have to CALL PEOPLE TO CUSTOM FABRICATE OBSCURE PINS FOR A TOOL THEYVE NEVER HEARD BEFORE


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## MrBouleDeBowling (Mar 11, 2017)

C# standard is the magic tuning for me.


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## cwhitey2 (Mar 11, 2017)

Good old drop c and b for me.

I do a lot of writing in b but band practice is mostly in c. I play everything the same in both tunings, no transposing. Things generally sound better that half step up in the band.


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## ThePhilosopher (Mar 12, 2017)

Open C, Open Bb, Open G (GDGDGB), and fifths (F-e).


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## Eptaceros (Mar 12, 2017)

gnoll said:


> 11-52 set with the 52 swapped out for a 62 (25.5 scale). But from what I hear that would be too tight for most other people.





I use 11-64 for standard tuning on a 7. I love the higher tension and resonance of thicker gauge strings. The band I play in has a lot of huge chords and arpeggiation and this setup makes everything sound huge. 

I'm receiving my first fanned fret guitar in a couple days (there's a blizzard warning on the day it's supposed to arrive ). Can't wait to feel the extra tension on the low strings.


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## lewis (Mar 14, 2017)

I use Drop G# (ab) for everything on my 8 string. 
Sometimes I drop the 7th string down to make it a drop pattern and primarily use that key for songs and othertimes I drop the G# low down to an F instead and use that Key


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## bostjan (Mar 14, 2017)

lewis said:


> I use Drop G# (ab) for everything on my 8 string.
> Sometimes I drop the 7th string down to make it a drop pattern and primarily use that key for songs and othertimes I drop the G# low down to an F instead and use that Key



So, the low string up a full step and then the rest up two full steps from the factory tuning (low to high) F#BEADGBE? 

So... (low to high) G#C#F#BEAC#F#

That's a cool idea.


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## lewis (Mar 16, 2017)

bostjan said:


> So, the low string up a full step and then the rest up two full steps from the factory tuning (low to high) F#BEADGBE?
> 
> So... (low to high) G#C#F#BEAC#F#
> 
> That's a cool idea.



yes  or you can also make it an open tuning too which sounds great aswell so throw a few more G#'s in there 
all of which work and sound great. And mixes up different keys a little easier for people who rely solely on open lows for the songs which is a habbit Im trying to break atm

EDIT: depending on guitar scale, the low has to be quite thin to avoid snapping under tension if using an open tuning. I just picked up a fanned fret so I should be finally sorted in that regard.


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