I was wondering something

I started playing guitar seriously since September. Nothing really consistent lesson-wise though I did get a hold of some websites and pdf files and a chord book, which I have to admit is pretty complicated at a lot of points. While I can wing my way through some songs and have a pretty firm grip on at least the Am pentatonic scale, before coming here, I was wondering something.

For the longest time, I've been enamored with Tool, and they playi n Drop-D, which I actually like more because of the more soothing sound. Is it necessary to master standard tuning, and then Drop-D, or can you just go straight to alternate tunings without getting involved with standard?

For more information, I had started out with an acoustic, but the strings keep hitting frets something fierce past the tenth fret, so I am currently playing on a Peavy Predator my dad owns (and is it just me, or are the tone knobs on the Predator there for decoration, cause they haven't done anything but spin...)

Thanks for answering.

Hi golden,

I dont really have much to add to the drop-d tuning other than, when I first got my guitar and was chatting with an instructor at a local shop, he told me to not drop tune. Learn the guitar with it's natural tuning first. Makes since to me.

As far as the tone controls? I just replaced the pickups on my guitar and when I did, i completely removed the tone control and replaced it with another volume control. I never used the tone control, so for me it was useless. I'd rather be able to have independant volume controls for each pup.

Having said that though, there are probably lots of folks out there who do like having tone controls. If you're tone controls don't seem to be working perhaps there is something not wired up correctly or maybe the control itself is not working.

Good luck.

Drop D is fun to play around in and is fairly easy to tune in and out of as you're only tuning one string instead of three or four like most other alternate tunings. Don't try to learn any new chord shapes in Drop D just yet, but pop it in every now and again when you get bored to keep yourself interested.

Cool, thanks. To be honest, the shape thing was what had me wondering, as it sounds easy to just play two frets up on the sixth string, but after playing something for so long, you just don't want to change around as quickly. Or easily.

And thanks again, you guys.

I also have the Peavey Predator and like yours the tone controls seem to do nothing much at all. The bottom dial does alter the tone a little bit if I use the pickup nearest the saddle, but other than that it's completely useless. I use the tone on the amp to much better effect.

Yes. Learn playing in standard tuning. While I would be the last to talk about learning the wrong way since I became a serious player oh so long ago but chose to forego actual theory. It's easier in some ways to not go down the road of theory because it can be challenging to learn. I regretted it and still do. It's the reason I'm at Guitar Tricks. I can play pretty darn well. As my wife watched me pick it up again recently she was shocked that I played as well as I did and told her sister that 'really, he's like a real guitar player'. Rah, rah for me except that I am limited to only what I know and am finding that it absolutely limits me in what I want to play. That is, unless I stick my nose to it and understand how things are supposed to work.

Instructor Chris advised me that even if my ear and hands understand a bit of what works, actually understanding the stuff the right way opens up what an how you can play so much more (I'm paraphrasing).

Drop D is fun and I love that throaty vibe. Keep playing that because you dig but my thought is to do that along with the other stuff. It's gotta be fun to play so don't give up on what you like doing but look for other standard tuning stuff that turns your crank too and work on that. So much to learn on the guitar and the more you learn the more fun it gets.