Exploring Alternative Tunings: Open Tunings and Beyond

Musicians often look beyond standard tunings to unlock new sounds and creative possibilities. Alternative tunings, including open tunings, drop tunings, and more experimental methods, provide unique tonalities and facilitate innovative approaches to composition and performance.

It’s important not to confuse alternative tunings with the act of tuning itself or with tuning systems like equal temperament or just intonation. These are broader theoretical frameworks for organizing pitch, as explained in What’s the Difference Between Tuning and Tuning Systems. This article focuses on practical methods of adjusting the pitch of instruments to explore alternative sound possibilities, extending beyond just guitars.

What Are Alternative Tunings?

Alternative tunings involve adjusting the standard pitch of an instrument’s strings (or other pitch-producing elements) to create new harmonic possibilities, enhance playability, or accommodate specific musical styles.

Instruments Using Alternative Tunings

While alternative tunings are most commonly associated with guitars, they are also widely used in other stringed instruments and beyond:

1. Stringed Instruments:

a. Guitars: Acoustic, electric, and classical guitars frequently use open and drop tunings.

b. Ukuleles: Often re-tuned for different tonal ranges or chord shapes.

c. Banjos: Commonly re-tuned in folk and bluegrass styles.

d. Mandolins: Employ alternative tunings in Celtic, folk, and experimental music.

e. Violins, Violas, and Cellos: Use scordatura (alternate string tunings) for specific compositions or effects.

2. Keyboard Instruments:

a. While pianos cannot easily switch tunings on the fly, experimental and microtonal music often requires them to be re-tuned for new scales or tonalities.

3. World Instruments:

a. Sitars and Tanpuras: Adjust strings for specific ragas.

b. Kotos and Guzhengs: Tuned to fit traditional or contemporary scales.

c. Ouds: Commonly re-tuned for maqamat in Middle Eastern music.

4. Harp-like Instruments:

a. Harps can have their strings tuned to different scales or modes for tonal variety.

Why Use Alternative Tunings?

Alternative tunings offer benefits that extend to many instruments:

· Enhanced Harmonics: Create resonant chords and drones not achievable in standard tuning.

· Simplified Fingerings: Facilitate easier chord shapes or single-finger barre chords.

· Creative Freedom: Inspire unique compositions or improvisations.

· Genre-Specific Needs: Adapt to styles like folk, blues, rock, metal, classical, or world music.

Open Tunings

Open tunings are among the most popular alternative tunings. These tunings adjust the strings so that strumming the open strings produces a full chord. While commonly associated with guitars, they also feature in other stringed instruments like banjos, ukuleles, and mandolins.

Common Open Tunings

1. Open D (D - A - D - F# - A - D): Produces a D major chord when strummed open. Favored in blues and slide guitar but also used on banjos and ukuleles.

a. Notable Uses: Songs by Joni Mitchell, Neil Young, and traditional folk music.

2. Open G (D - G - D - G - B - D): Creates a G major chord. Popular in Delta blues, roots music, and mandolin playing.

a. Notable Uses: Frequently used by The Rolling Stones and Keith Richards.

3. Open C (C - G - C - G - C - E): Produces a C major chord. Known for its rich, resonant sound and used on acoustic guitars and traditional harps.

a. Notable Uses: John Fahey and progressive rock artists.

Drop Tunings

Drop tunings lower the pitch of one or more strings, often to accommodate specific genres or extend the instrument’s range. Drop tunings are primarily used on guitars, but they are also popular with bass guitars and even violins in experimental settings.

Common Drop Tunings

· Drop D (D - A - D - G - B - E): Extends the range for heavier, deeper sounds.

o Notable Uses: Nirvana’s Heart-Shaped Box, Rage Against the Machine.

·  Drop C (C - G - C - F - A - D): Popular in metal for its dark, aggressive sound.

o Notable Uses: Bands like Bullet for My Valentine and System of a Down.

DADGAD Tuning

DADGAD (D - A - D - G - A - D) is a hybrid tuning often associated with Celtic music. While most common on guitars, this tuning is also applied to mandolins and other folk instruments.

Features of DADGAD

· Creates a Dsus4 chord when strummed open, leaving space for tonal ambiguity.

· Great for fingerstyle playing and rich harmonic progressions.

· Notable Uses: Led Zeppelin’s Kashmir and numerous Celtic folk tunes.

Microtonal Tunings

For those venturing into experimental or world music, microtonal tunings open new frontiers. These tunings divide the octave into more than the standard 12 semitones, allowing access to quarter-tones or other micro-intervals.

Applications of Microtonal Tunings

· World Instruments: Middle Eastern maqamat, Indian shruti systems.

· Experimental Music: Used in guitars, keyboards, and custom-built instruments.

· Notable Examples: Works by Harry Partch and Julián Carrillo.

Other Notable Alternative Tunings

· Nashville Tuning: Replaces standard guitar strings with high-pitched strings from a 12-string set, creating a chiming sound.

· Scordatura (String Instruments): Widely used in violins, violas, and cellos to adjust tonality for specific compositions.

· Double Drop D (D - A - D - G - B - D): Both E strings are dropped to D, often used for folk and rock songs.

o Notable Uses: Neil Young’s Cinnamon Girl.

How to Explore Alternative Tunings

1. Start Simple: Experiment with easy-to-tune alternatives like Drop D or Open G.

2. Use a Tuner: A good tuner app, like Perfect Tuner, offers over 250 different tunings and the ability to create custom tunings, ensuring accurate adjustments for any instrument.

3. Study Examples: Learn songs in alternative tunings to see their practical applications.

4. Experiment Broadly: Try alternative tunings on various instruments, not just guitars.

Conclusion

Alternative tunings like open, drop, and microtonal tunings expand the creative horizons of musicians across various instruments. From guitars and mandolins to sitars and violins, these tunings offer unique possibilities for tonal exploration and stylistic diversity. With tools like Perfect Tuner, which includes over 250 tunings and custom tuning options, musicians can experiment with endless possibilities. By understanding their applications and experimenting with them, musicians can unlock the full potential of their instruments and bring fresh creativity to their music.