Tuning a full step down: Am I a bitch, or is that ok?

[mbgreen]

In learning a bunch of Ben Harper tunes, Ive tuned a full step down the past week, and I love it. Ive been playing a bunch of regular songs in the tuning as well. Its not as bright, but I can sing so much better...it feels comfortable. Is that a total and complete copout or what? Anyone else do it?

[Thomas]

I've never gone a whole step down before, just half a step


but i've heard that tuning your guitar too low for extended periods of time can really hurt it. I don't remember how much was too much though

[filmdude100cms]

i turn down further some, have a song i wrote thats 1 and a half step down, i like it allot, kinda a nice sound.

[jeffro]

It's fine, I do it all the time to play Keller Williams songs. But I don't really do it with Ben Harper, most of his sound fine in standard.

[Matty Boom]

In learning a bunch of Ben Harper tunes, Ive tuned a full step down the past week, and I love it. Ive been playing a bunch of regular songs in the tuning as well. Its not as bright, but I can sing so much better...it feels comfortable. Is that a total and complete copout or what? Anyone else do it?

it definitely makes it easier to sing

but, playing in standard, you're still training your voice to get those high notes

maybe practice in standard play your gigs down

[something cool]

Nothing wrong with it at all - you're just finding your comfortable key.

STP's Plush is a full step down.

[MWR]

Singing out of your range is bad so I don't see anything wrong with it.
Most popular artists are tenors and you might be a baritone or even a bass. You have to know what your range is.

[something cool]

Daddy sang bass...Momma sang tenor...and the rest just joined right in there.

[Ranting Thespian]

Actualy, somg guitarists say that to get the real full sound of the guitar it's best to tune it a whole step down. That standard tuning only uses so much of the sound you can get, and you can get it more a whole step down. I have to say when I do tune it down and play, it is so much fuller and richer.

Oh yeah, now that you have it tuned a whole step down, try this song:

Code: Select all

-------------------------
 Yesterday - the Beatles
-------------------------

Verse

*For the first time on the G chord, strum down 4 times, the rest, strum
up then down (sometimes down twice), but he varies a little sometimes,
and somtimes when he plays the G chord again, he does it like the first
time he plays it*

d--3--3-- -*2-*2---2--2---0--0---0--0--0--0----------3--3---3--3--0--0-
A-----0-- -----2------0------0------------1---3--3------0------------0-
F-----0-- -----2------2------0------------0------2------0------------0-
C-----0-- -----4------1------2---2--0-----2------0------0------------2-
G-----2-- -----4---2--2---2--2---------3--3---0--0------2---------2--2-
D--3--3-- --2--2-------------0------------0----------3--3---3--2-----0-
* = this might be played open

d--0--0------3--3--3---------------------------------------------------
A-----2---1--------0---------------------------------------------------
F-----0------------0---------------------------------------------------
C--2--2------------0---------------------------------------------------
G-----0---3--------2---------------------------------------------------
D-----0------3--3--3---------------------------------------------------

Chorus

*Same situation as the Verse*

d--*2-*2---2--2---0--0--0--3--0--0----------3--3-----------------------
A------2------0------------------1---3--3------0-----------------------
F------2------2------------------2------2------0-----------------------
C------4------1---2--0--------2--2------0------0-----------------------
G------4---2--2---------3--2-----0---0--0------2-----------------------
D---2--2-------------------------0----------3--3-----------------------

Ending

*Just strum*

d--3----0----0----3----------------------------------------------------
A--0----2----1----0----------------------------------------------------
F--0----0----0----0----------------------------------------------------
C--0----2----2----0----------------------------------------------------
G--2----0----3----2----------------------------------------------------
D--3----0----0----3----------------------------------------------------

I studied two videos of Paul playing it to get this. One from 1964 (I think 64, maybe 65) and on the Back In the US dvd.

[Mykoal]

Playing half a step down? Learn the whole show that Kurt Cobain did at his unplugged. First off, the whole show is fucking awesome. His progressions arent that hard and the alubm just fucking rules. Tuning down matches his dark voice...and the album is fucking awesome.

[c_tietze]

In learning a bunch of Ben Harper tunes, Ive tuned a full step down the past week, and I love it. Ive been playing a bunch of regular songs in the tuning as well. Its not as bright, but I can sing so much better...it feels comfortable. Is that a total and complete copout or what? Anyone else do it?

You're NOT a bitch, that's crazy talk. I like the way the guitar sounds when you lower it a full step.

And, if you wanted to go quickly back to standard tuning all you have to do is clamp on your trusty capo.

[Macht]

In learning a bunch of Ben Harper tunes, Ive tuned a full step down the past week, and I love it. Ive been playing a bunch of regular songs in the tuning as well. Its not as bright, but I can sing so much better...it feels comfortable. Is that a total and complete copout or what? Anyone else do it?

You're NOT a bitch, that's crazy talk. I like the way the guitar sounds when you lower it a full step.

And, if you wanted to go quickly back to standard tuning all you have to do is clamp on your trusty capo.

if you like to keep your guitar on standard, and do like one song in a setlist or something tha's a full step dpown. after the performance/song you should tune it back up before your guitar lowers it's tension standards. a capo may be fine at a performance, and defiantely a lot more conveinent though

[juineaux]

I have a friend who plays a whole step down and his guitar sounds great and he has perfect intonation(he's had it like this for a few years). If you like that low tuning I would keep it there because tuning back and forth between standard and that low tuning is likely to cause more problems than leaving it in the low tuning.

My friend even plays lower than a whole step, "FFCFAC", that low F is almost a full octave below the normal low E, and still sounds great.

[Brock]

You're definitely a bitch.

Oh, and about your question - ya, it's cool.

[Carl_SWE]

So how dangerous is it to tune the guitar down quite a bit?

Tuning up is quite obvious, more tension might bend the neck a bit. But down?