Change
Your
Tuning
Change The Game
By Nick Rambo
Two years ago I wrote an article on best
practices for busting out of a playing slump.
Perhaps it’s fitting then, that upon recently
finding myself in a bit of a funk, I took some
of my own advice. First, I focused on the idea
that playing the guitar is supposed to be fun.
Then I started twisting the tuning pegs on my
guitar.
Alternate tunings are the easiest way—
at least for me—to change the way
one approaches the fretboard. When
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conventional voicings and familiar structures
aren’t there to fall back on, the challenge
becomes finding new combinations that
sound good, which in turn provides a new
source of inspiration.
If such a challenge sounds interesting to
you, here’s a quick primer on the several
types of alternate tunings and a few songs to
familiarize yourself with how each one sounds
in real time.
Change Your Tuning, Change The Game
DROP D
This is arguably the most basic of alternate
tunings. And if you are (or have ever been)
a fan of ‘90s and 2000s nü-metal, you’re
probably a fan of drop D. Pretty much every
band from that era—from Adema to Korn
and from Linkin Park to TrustCompany—
relied heavily on drop D tuning.
SIDE NOTE:
Rather than break out a separate section on
the many drop D variants that exist, let’s just
say that if you’re into heavy music, the notion
of drop C#, C, B or even drop A shouldn’t be
unfamiliar to you. Of course, lower tunings
aren’t exclusive to heavy music—as exhibited
by John Mayer’s drop C “Neon”—but it is
more common in the land of djent.
By lowering the bottom string a step from
standard tuning (D-A-D-G-B-E), you get a
one-finger, three-string power chord that
sounds awesome with distortion. And
you get it by merely extending a finger
across the bottom three strings. Now,
it’s certainly expandable beyond those
strings, but speedy single-finger riffage
potential is what makes drop D so popular.
Tom Morello is the author of many solid
drop D riffs, but the main hook from
“Killing in the Name” by Rage Against
the Machine is still one of my all-time
favorites, as is the theme from “Echo” by
Incubus. “Everlong” by the Foo Fighters is
up there, too, and a solid strummer. And
all of them are in drop D.
Of course, there are plenty of classic
examples of drop D tuning, too. Check out
Pink Floyd’s “Run Like Hell”, Queen’s “Fat
Bottomed Girls” and Led Zeppelin’s “Moby
Dick” if old-school rock is what gets your
motor running.
Or, if acoustic pop is more your
speed, check out John Mayer’s
“Your Body is a Wonderland”
which is also in drop D.
D-A-D-G-B-E
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