There the strings are tuned as E-A-D-G-B-E, from the lowest (and thickest) string to the highest one. When playing a song or learning how to play a new tune, it’s a safe bet that you’ll be using the standard guitar tuning. Standard tuning (E-A-D-G-B-E)īefore trying your hand at using alternate tunings it’s good to be familiar with the standard guitar tuning first. However, some alternate tunings are so different from the standard guitar tuning that playing the song the same way using the standard tuning will no longer sound good. In other words, playing the same song in a different tuning will make it sound quite different. For example, if a guitarist wants to create a darker and heavier sound, this can be achieved with a dropped tuning, or tuning the strings of a guitar lower than usual. Alternate tunings change the way your guitar sounds and they can be used for a variety of purposes. How to tune your guitar to an alternate tuning?Īlternate guitar tunings are simply a way of tuning your guitar differently than the standard E-A-D-G-B-E tuning.Do I need special guitar strings for alternate tunings?.Hungry to hear more? Keep reading and we’ll introduce you to the world of alternate guitar tunings and list a few of the most common alternate tunings for guitar.īefore you start learning alternate guitar tunings, first make sure that you are familiar with the strings of your instrument and you’re able to tune your guitar to the standard tuning. These are alternate tunings that are required for you to play a song as it’s intended. Some well-known guitarists who have varied their sound with alternate tunings include Joni Mitchell, Keith Richards, Jimmy Page, Tom Morello and Nick Drake just to name a few.Īs you learn to play and add more and more songs to your arsenal, you might run into things like drop D, drop C, open E and many others.

Another widely used tactic to change the sound of your guitar is with alternate tunings. One way to do this is with a guitar capo.

However, sometimes you might want to change things up a bit and expand the possibilities your guitar has to offer. This is true for both electric and acoustic guitar. Whether it’s blues, heavy metal or acoustic folk music you like to play, there are seemingly endless selection of songs that use the standard guitar tuning. The guitar is a versatile instrument and the familiar standard tuning gets you far.

E flat guitar tuning