# What tunings do you guys play mostly?



## vejichan (Feb 20, 2019)

What tunings do u guys play in mostly


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## broj15 (Feb 20, 2019)

DADAC#E - Usually use this for twinkly/jazzy mathrock with lots of noodly & tappy riffs & post hardcore
AEAEFF# - great for plebeian grandstand-esque & mathgrind style riffing (being able to bar the 3 highest strings to make a dissonant chord makes it incredibly easy to do those daughters style riffs and danza-ish tappy parts)
AEAEG#B - like the first tuning, but lower. Using this to write some "epic" blackened hardcore. Good for sludgy caveman riffs, but also allows for lots of pretty chords and postrock-y melodies.

Tfw playing math rock ruined you as a musician so now you have a hard time playing in "normal" tunings, but dammit are you good at wacky time signatures.


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## Curt (Feb 20, 2019)

AEADF#BE
DADGAD
F#C#F#BD#G#C#
AGCFAD
CGCFAD


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## chopeth (Feb 20, 2019)

6 strings
Standard E
Standard D

7 strings
Standard B
Standard A


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## GatherTheArsenal (Feb 20, 2019)

Nothing special. Pretty much standard tunings across the board, mainly because I just don't seem to enjoy how chords feel (or sound) when I play in drop tuning. 

6-string: D-standard (the true home of death metal)
7-string: E-standard + low B
8-string: Eb-standard + low Bb & low F

And as far as string gauge I try to go as thick as I can for the higher tension, I prefer that feel on the strings when it comes to playing chords and the more techy side of music.


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## Anquished (Feb 20, 2019)

6 String: E & C# Standard
7 String: B Standard & Drop Ab/G 
8 String: F Standard

I haven't started writing my own stuff yet so my tunings are all for learning other peoples material for now.


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## Lorcan Ward (Feb 20, 2019)

6 string - Eb and D standard
7 string - C, B and Bb standard

Not a fan of drop tuning but occasionally I use drop C.


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## littlebadboy (Feb 20, 2019)

I'm a 6 string player. All my guitars are Drop D tuned. I use my Digitech Drop to go further lower.


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## Catalyst Collide (Feb 20, 2019)

Currently:

6 String:
Open B Variation: B - F# - B - F# - B - F#

7 String: 
Drop B Variation: B - F# - B - E - G3 - C# - D# (still trying to figure out the high string)


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## vejichan (Feb 20, 2019)

What are recommended string gauges for standard d and drop d


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## JustinRhoads1980 (Feb 20, 2019)

So far only E standard and Eb standard. If i had more guitars i would have shit tons of tunings.

I plan on getting a 7 string for my 5 year anniversary over a year away soon. Plan 9n having the tuning be G# C# F# B E G# C# so i can play some cannibal corpse.

I also am gonna be having other guitars that go from as low a tuning as that up to E and everythin i between drop tunings. I will probably have 1 floyd guitar for every standard tuning and a hardtail in every tuning and if i need to go to a drop tuning all i have to do is downtune that string


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## Mathemagician (Feb 20, 2019)

7 B standard
6 E standard/drop-D

Also recently started playing in C# standard/drop-B on a 6.


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## budda (Feb 20, 2019)

Half step down and dropped.


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## gnoll (Feb 20, 2019)

Drop C#!


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## ThisBrokenMachine (Feb 20, 2019)

7 strings: GDCGFAD 
6 strings: CGCFAD


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## Dayn (Feb 20, 2019)

From top to bottom:
7-string: EBGDAEB
8-string: EBGDAEBE

Very imaginative, I know. They're my main instruments, the 7 has a floating bridge and the 8 has a fixed bridge. So they stay in the same standard tuning since I use them for everything.

I used to tune my 8-string to EBGDAEAC# at times, but the songs I was writing in that tuning were harder to play with the dropped A, so I tuned that up to B, and the scale length wasn't suited to C#, so I went back to E. Now I just play those songs with a capo on the first fret on the highest seven strings.

My classical 8-string is DAFCGDGD. So down a whole step, but the lowest two strings dropped. I wanted to play 'Para Mexer' but I liked the darker sound so much I never tuned it back up.

My 7-string electric violin is EADGCFBb. So it's tuned in fifths, but with that low Bb and F I can bow out some Meshuggah.


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## KnightBrolaire (Feb 20, 2019)

6 string:
DGCFAD
AGCFAD (mastodon/neurosis tuning)
BEADF#B (at the gates tuning)

8 string:
F#BEADGBE
EAEADGBE
D#G#FA#D#G#CF (basically an 8 string take on karnivool's tuning)


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## NoodleFace (Feb 21, 2019)

Standard tunings for 6's - just varying dropped steps, but always in 'standard'

7 string I do B standard or Drop A


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## Konfyouzd (Feb 21, 2019)

7 Strings - Standard
8 Strings - Drop E


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## Strobe (Feb 21, 2019)

In a previous metalcore / death / prog metal band I played mostly Drop C with one song in D standard. Nowadays I am mostly writing in either Drop C on a 6, a half step down on a 7 (A# standard), or C / Drop A# on a baritone.

That said, the main reason for my having too many guitars is that I like variety, so I have guitars set up to standard (E / Eb / D). My 8 string is set to standard because anything lower feels too damn floppy (hell even standard feels too damn floppy at 26.5" to me).

When I was younger it was all standard, a half step down, and drop D baby, because I started playing in the 90's.


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## BornToLooze (Feb 21, 2019)

KnightBrolaire said:


> AGCFAD (mastodon/neurosis tuning)



I've used that tuning a half step up to play 7 string stuff on my 6 string.

I usually stay around standard or a half step down, and I have an old Ibanez I keep in like drop A or B for when I want to play stuff like Slipknot.

I haven't had a playable 7 in years, but when I did I kept it a half step down since that's what I'm used to on my sixes.


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## Miek (Feb 21, 2019)

drop c#, Eb, drop c, double g#


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## KJGaruda (Feb 23, 2019)

I'm pretty much locked into D Standard when writing my own stuff, but I'll occasionally tune down to Drop C if I can figure a use for it. Drop tunings don't 'feel' as right to play anymore, to me.


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## Inferno90 (Dec 15, 2019)

vejichan said:


> What tunings do u guys play in mostly


Drop G#. I love the way it sounds.


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## sleewell (Dec 15, 2019)

E standard, drop c, drop a


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## Metropolis (Dec 20, 2019)

6-string; drop C, standard D and E. With seven standard B and drop A.


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## Humanoid (Dec 24, 2019)

6-strings:
Standard, Drop-D, Drop-B

7-strings:
BEADGBE, AEADGBE, ADADGBE


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## c7spheres (Dec 24, 2019)

Bb Standard on 7 string.


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## Drew (Dec 27, 2019)

Almost entirely standard - one less thing to have to worry about. Drop D is fun and DADGAD (dropping both Ds) sounds pretty cool too, but most of my guitars have floating bridges so it's just one less thing to bother with.


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## Winspear (Dec 27, 2019)

a1 .066 
e2 .044 
b2 .029
f3# .017 
c3# .025
g3# .015 

f1# .076
c2# .054 
g2# .035
d3# .022 
a3# .013
f3 .020
c4 .012 

Don't do drugs kids


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## HungryGuitarStudent (Dec 28, 2019)

I mostly play 7-string in the following tunings:

- standard and drop A for my trem guitars;
- BDADGBE and ADADGBE for my fixed bridge ones.

I have no rationale behind that split, I just like those tunings.


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## inflicted (Jan 14, 2020)

C Standard. I play grindcore and death metal and this tuning is perfect for me. 
I used to have an obsession with extremely low-tuning, but got rid of it when I found out that the tuning doesn't impact the tone as much as I believed. It's all about the way you tweak your amp and the strenght you provide while playing. Some bands are tuned in G# Standard and sound precise, tight and sharp. Some are in Eb and sound muddy and fat.


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## akinari (Jan 15, 2020)

6s in E/D#/D/C#/C/B/Bb/A standard and their drop tuning equivalents (drop D, C#, and so on) baritones in drop G, drop F and drop D#, 7s in ADADGBE/ADADGAD, A standard / drop G, and a 34" scale 7 in A0 standard. On the 6s, I sometimes drop the high E a whole tone too.


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## ixlramp (Jan 19, 2020)

All-fifths, a mixture of fifths and thirds, or all-thirds (but Just Intonation thirds).
Never fourths.


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## Winspear (Jan 19, 2020)

ixlramp said:


> All-fifths, a mixture of fifths and thirds, or all-thirds (but Just Intonation thirds).
> Never fourths.


I've interest/experience in all of those tunings and think 5ths might become my go-to. I have not developed a disliking for fourths at all though. Have you?


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## Konfyouzd (Jan 19, 2020)

Standard


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## bostjan (Jan 19, 2020)

I'm a bit all over at the moment:

19edo: 6 string standard, 6 string drop d, 7 string drop a
12edo: 6 string standard, 6 string D standard, 7 string standard, 7 string D standard, 7 string drop G, 8 string with a high A.


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## Sanrek (Jan 20, 2020)

7 strings: A standard
6 strings: C standard


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## USMarine75 (Jan 20, 2020)

All of them. I have a lot of guitars. But, most used right now...

6-string regular - D to E, Standard or Drop
6-string low - A# to C, Standard or Drop
7-string - B Standard or Drop A
Slide - Open D


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## efiltsohg (Jan 20, 2020)

E standard
D standard
DGCFAD
GGCFAD


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## stevexc (Jan 20, 2020)

C, D, B, E, Drop A, Drop E, and Eb standard, mostly in that order of preference.


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## ixlramp (Jan 21, 2020)

Winspear said:


> I have not developed a disliking for fourths at all though. Have you?


It is perhaps not a 'dislike', just wanting to get away from tradition, from what is overly familiar, from the blues/rock sound.
Also, fifths and thirds make more sense to me in terms of possible guitar chords and their patterns.


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## ElRay (Jan 22, 2020)

ixlramp said:


> ... fifths and thirds make more sense to me in terms of possible guitar chords and their patterns.




That said, I have been tempted by Open-G lately because I've been listening to a lot of "Russian Guitar" Classical (7-string, DGBDGBD - P4-M3-m3-P4-M3-m3). It's got the denser, piano-like chords of an all-M3 tuning, but is more compatible with Solo Playing (vs playing solos) than all-M3.


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## PRS_Baritone_Vito (Feb 11, 2020)

The tunings I use/have used for 6 string baritones:
C Standard
Drop A#
Variations on Drop A#:
A#, D#, A#, D#, G#, C
A, F, A#, D#, G, C
G, F, A#, D#, G, C

The tunings I use/have used for 6 string standard scales:
E standard
D standard
Drop D
Drop C#


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## AndiKravljaca (Feb 11, 2020)

I have one six string in Standard Eb, one in drop C#. One seven string in Drop G# (Eb standard with the B string dropped a whole step) and one seven string in drop F# (C# standard with the seventh string dropped a whole step). 

This lets me play in 'C# mode' and in 'Eb mode' depending on which record I'm playing tracks from, with both a seven and a six string.


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## sterben (Feb 15, 2020)

I have a six string in E, one I usually keep in D standard/Drop C, and one that I go all over the place with.
Open C and AGCFAD are two others I enjoy.


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## Inferno90 (Feb 16, 2020)

vejichan said:


> What tunings do u guys play in mostly


I usually play 
D#,G#,D#,G#,C#,F#,A#,D#


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## Boofchuck (Mar 12, 2020)

A half step down on the 7 and 8 strings. Or drop d on the 6 string for Tool stuff.


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## natedog_approved (Mar 12, 2020)

Lately its been drop A# for me. I'd like to try some lower tunings, or the alternate ones with the extra low bottom string, like what Architects uses but I feel like my guitar is maxed out. But usually drop B or C. 

I tend to stay in one tuning for long periods of time. Single guitar life


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## gabito (Mar 12, 2020)

Main (non metal) guitar which I use with my band is in E standard. That would be an Epiphone Sheraton II.

A Washburn CS780 in Eb standard. It's usually used to play songs by Slayer, Pantera, etc. I'll change tuning a bit if needed (ie: Pantera). It'll go to E standard if I need it as a backup for my main guitar.

And then a Gibson Flying V which I tend to use with heavier strings and lower tunings like Db or C for my stuff, and once in a while it will go to B or Bb standard to play some Carcass / Entombed / etc.

Bass guitar is tuned like the Flying V, usually.


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