What are your favorite weirdo tunings that you use?

[PietrOo]

I'll go first

Lately I've been writing some stuff in DADGAD, EAEG#BE and DADEAC#

 

[Loomer]

I have been on/off messing with New Standard Tuning down to A for a while and I'm loving it.

(Tuning is A E B F# C# E btw)

 

[BenSolace]

I don't know how weird this would be considered, but I've fully adopted a tuning which is basically open C major but the highest string is a D instead of an E. If my theory is correct this makes it Sus2 rather than major.

I'm also using what is essentially drop B but with the lowest string down to Ab - again, not too uncommon a tuning as far as string intervals go, but most people do this down from E standard I think (resulting in a low B).

 

[TheDandy]

Recently started using A F# B E G# C#. Super fun. Basically C# standard with the lowest string dropped to A.

 

[T_Gobbs]

DADFAE

 

[MFB]

I'm also using what is essentially drop B but with the lowest string down to Ab - again, not too uncommon a tuning as far as string intervals go, but most people do this down from E standard I think (resulting in a low B).

You mean like the Neurosis/Mastodon tuning where the low strong is two steps down, except you're in Db vs. E standard since your low string is an Ab vs. B?

 

[tedtan]

I don't know how weird this would be considered, but I've fully adopted a tuning which is basically open C major but the highest string is a D instead of an E. If my theory is correct this makes it Sus2 rather than major.

I'm also using what is essentially drop B but with the lowest string down to Ab - again, not too uncommon a tuning as far as string intervals go, but most people do this down from E standard I think (resulting in a low B).

Do you have any string tuned to E? If so, I’d call it a “C Major 9 no 7” tuning (assuming there is no string tuned to B).

If no string is tuned to E, then yes, I’d call it a “C Add 9” tuning.

 

[nightflameauto]

Minor thirds on an eight string. You get a lot less range, but you can do some really, REALLY gross sounding, tight-voiced chords. Plus, when you're "in tune" a single fret chord gives you the "spooky movie background arpeggio." Which is great when you're so out of it you don't feel like being creative but still want to play.

 

[Ralyks]

Normally the weirdest I ever got was ADADGBe. Now I recently got a Whammy DT and think it's time to try some crazy shit out.

 

[HeHasTheJazzHands]

I like to sometimes drop the low E string down low, relative to the current tuning. So like...

A-G-C-F-A-D (also tuned sharp)
G#-F#-B-E-G#-C#

So the lowest string is 1 step away from an octave from the next string.

Thanks to Mastodon and Alter Bridge for showing me that.

 

[KnightBrolaire]

F#EADF#B - basically Neurosis/Mastodon tuning but lower lol


I used to use some variations on Karnivool's BF#BGBE but it's kind of a pain in the ass to write in for me

 

[BenjaminW]

I'm mainly in standard or D#, but the only alternate tunings I've used are DADGAD or DGCGCD (The Rain Song tuning).

I always tell myself I wanna mess around with tunings, but I just forget how to play guitar if I'm in a crazy different tuning, so that's why I don't end up messing with them as much as I probably should.

 

[BenSolace]

You mean like the Neurosis/Mastodon tuning where the low strong is two steps down, except you're in Db vs. E standard since your low string is an Ab vs. B?

Yes - not familiar with Neurosis but Mastodon used it (well, the low B version) on Leviathan for a few songs at the very least AFAIK.

Do you have any string tuned to E? If so, I’d call it a “C Major 9 no 7” tuning (assuming there is no string tuned to B).

If no string is tuned to E, then yes, I’d call it a “C Add 9” tuning.

It's just C G C G C d, so I guess the latter.

 

[tedtan]

Yes - not familiar with Neurosis but Mastodon used it (well, the low B version) on Leviathan for a few songs at the very least AFAIK.


It's just C G C G C d, so I guess the latter.

Actually seeing that it’s just the root and fifth with the 9 on top, I’d probably think of that as a Csus2 tuning.

 

[CM_X5]

 

[BenSolace]

Actually seeing that it’s just the root and fifth with the 9 on top, I’d probably think of that as a Csus2 tuning.

Ah, so my theory not as far off as I thought, nice!

 

[Winspear]

Do you have any string tuned to E? If so, I’d call it a “C Major 9 no 7” tuning (assuming there is no string tuned to B).

If no string is tuned to E, then yes, I’d call it a “C Add 9” tuning.

C Add 9 has an E, no need for that long name. Add is used to expand the triad with 9,11, or 13, without implying a 7 Csus2 is correct for no E.

A good tuning! Much prefer open Sus2 to minor or major, because adding a m or M finger is easy and then you have the option of all three. Open minor is good too - really don't like how open major makes minor chords very hard.

 

[Winspear]

Long time user (nearly a decade) of Perfect 4ths in place of standard, for the consistent intervals on top.
I also tried perfect fifths - fun for a lot of range but can be impractical. I do however very much like its chord shapes.
I now heavily use a reentrant version of fifths that was inspired by Pat Metheny and Frank Gambales half-nashville tunings.

Essentially fifths with the highest two strings taken back down an octave - condensing the four top strings into a single octave and restoring fifths usual extended range span to that of a standard tuned six string. For example C2 G2 D3 A3 E3 B3. Gets me the nice powerchord+major third bass voicings of fifths tunings, plus a ton of options for condensed cluster voicings and hybrid picked let-ring lead lines. A fun thing about those DA EB string pairs being a tone apart, is that any specific voicing I find that is awkward to play, probably has an extremely easy to play alternate fingering by reshuffling the strings.

 

[Anant Naag]

B F B F b f

Though I have gone from perfect fourths to B E B E b e to this.
Chords are easy, major scale is easy , symmertric shapes etc.

 

[GuyB]

I played a 7 string tuned in fourths with a high treble A# for more than 12 years.

E-A-D-G-C-F-A#

But, the high treble string was always breaking.

I've never seen this tuning before, I am not surprised too.