tunning guitars down

[Dime-stealth]

ok well basically i wana know why people tunes their guitars down half a step and a full step ect..like i can understand why people drop d tune their guitars but why tunes half steps and stuff like that alot of metallica songs r like this and it buggs me not knowin...anyone know the reason for doing this is it just cause you like the sound or for the vocals or what??..any idea's would be great thanks people.

[trendkillah]

There can be different reasons for tuning down.

1) String tension (wich was more used in the past, cause they didn't really have the technology to make light gauge strings(correct me if I'm terribly wrong here))

2) To fit the vocal range of the singer.(for an example, check out Type-o-Negative ;))

3) Just because you can.(why limit yourself to E or drop-D?)


Greetz, TK


ps: nice nickname

[Joseph]

Three excellent points trendkillah, however I think the main reason why we do so is from mere boredom. After a while, (especially after years of perfecting the board left and right), it's refreshing to be able to change the sound of our guitars, and to express our emotions in any way possible.

The guitar is an amazing instrument, but also, for a lot of us, we are not blessed with such a high range (singing voice.) You'd be surprised how much easier it is to sing sometimes from just tuning the guitar down half a step.

Alot of people feel it's unncessary, but for the most part, for most people it's a defensive reaction. Try it for a couple of weeks, experiment with different settings, just see where it takes you.

-Joseph

[Lordathestrings]

I tune my 12-string in D to reduce the tension. It must work: I bought it in '77 and it stills plays well. I keep a capo on the 2nd fret to restore the open string pitch to E.

[Bardsley]

Another reason why people have done it is if they are playing with bands that have horn players in it. Because a sax is tuned to Eb, it is a lot easier to tune the guitar down than to get the sax player to play things in keys like C#. Someone like Hendrix, who used Eb tuning almost all the time grew up listening to jazz and soul music that had lots of horn parts, usually playing in keys like Eb, so it would make sense for him to always be tuning his guitar to Eb too. It's very often that case that when a guitarist tunes his/her guitar down, it is because their are lots of other instruments in the band.
The othe reason is that a lot of rock players want to keep getting a lowere and lower sound, which is also why things like the seven string guitar become so popular. That semitone down does actually make a difference.

[Joseph]

A very good example Bardsley, we sometimes forget how we have to go to such far lengths to tie our music together, creating a healthy atmosphere for everyone else involved. Most people forget how much jazz music influenced Jimi henbdrix, and how he added certain key elements of this music into his overall sound. I swear would kill just to go back in time and witness one of this man's concerts, (live in full effect.)

-Joseph

[Led Zeppelin]

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