Alternate Tuning: Most Common Examples

alternate tuning

Do you ever feel as though everything you write feels and sounds the same? Or are you bored of the progressions and chords you always play? Then you should try playing in an alternate tuning.

There are countless stories online about guitarists who found themselves in a rut that they just couldn’t escape. After searching for something new, they found some form of alternate tuning method, and that sparked a new wave of creativity.

All you need to start playing in an alternative tuning is a guitar tuner and a few tuning examples. If you don’t have a tuner, check out this article which discusses a smartphone guitar tuner that you can download for free.

What do we mean by alternate tuning?

Standard tuning for a guitar is E-A-D-G-B-E (going from the thickest string to the thinnest string). A vast majority of all guitar music is played in standard tuning. (It is after all the standard).

When we deviate from this standard tuning, we get an alternate tuning. Some methods of alternate tuning only require that you change the tuning of one string, while others might have you change all of the strings. Alternate Tunings are only limited to your imagination, so while there are many that you could try out, we’re only listing the most common examples of alternative tuning.

Common Drop Tuning Examples

The most common alternative tuning is Drop D. To tune your guitar to drop D, simple tune the thickest string on your guitar to a D instead of an E. Drop D is used in a lot of metal music but is not exclusive to metal.

D-A-D-G-B-E

If you want to go a little deeper, and sound more aggressive, you can drop tune all your strings to get to Drop C tuning. For Drop C, each of your strings is detuned a full tone, and then the thickest string is detuned another full tone to C. Bands like CydeDish, Deftones, and System of a Down are all known to use Drop C.

C-G-C-F-A-D

Common Open Tuning Examples

An “Open Tuning” is when you tune the strings of your guitar to play a chord when you are not playing any frets. Most Open Tunings consist of only the primary triad of a chord. Open tunings are commonly used in folk music and some country music.

Open A: E-A-C#-E-A-E
Open C: C-G-C-G-C-E
Open D: D-A-D-F#-A-D

If you want to try your hand at slide guitar, you can also use an open tuning. The most common of the slide tunings is:

“Slide” Open A: E-A-E-A-C#-E

Other Types of Alternate Tunings

DADGAD (pronounced as a word – DAD-gag) is one of the most versatile of alternative tunings. And since it’s named after how it’s tuned, DADGAD is also one of the easiest alternative tunings to remember.

D-A-D-G-A-D

If you find yourself in a creative rut, try these tunings out and see if that improves your situation. If you want more music theory lessons like this one, subscribe to our newsletter.

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