Drop D tuning (not for metal...)

Chocklit_Thunda

So last night I was noodling around on some Biffy Clyro songs and tuned my Yorktown to drop D for the song Opposite (Simon Neil played it in a 335 so same same.) then I remembered killing in the name of and the one song in august rush were done in drop d as well. I don't usually play outside of e standard and also don't play very heavy songs. The most I've done was drop d and dadgad a few years back.

My question, are there any advantages to leaving your guitar in drop d? Especially if your style is not one geared to heavy metal or rock.
And any songs that are softer, more acoustic or alternative geared that use drop D tuning?

Never really stuck with alternate tunings before but I'm trying my hand at them once again.

GuitarDoge

All Billy Talent songs are in drop D, and while I think they use it for the heavier punk sound, many of their songs use alternative jazzy chords because of the different tuning. They also have some softer songs recorded with a clean tele bridge in drop D. Listen to their second album, it's the best. ?

peterleroux

Drop D gives you nice bass patterns and straight half barre powe chords on the thick strings, which is handy. It also gives you some cool voicings for acoustic, especially folky finger style stuff and using A shape barre chords over the open D drone string.

Alternate turnings in general are nice to play with, but MUCH nicer to play with if you have a guitar per tuning ?

Stoffeltoo

Hi Chocklit. If you have a spare guitar, by all means leave it in drop D. I find it a schlep to change tunings between alternative and standard. There are some veeery nice drop D songs in the country genre as well as open G tunings from http://www.tallstrom.com/free_tabs/ with free tabs.
Also try Sunga Jung tabs many songs in drop D tunings

Chocklit_Thunda

GuitarDoge wrote: All Billy Talent songs are in drop D, and while I think they use it for the heavier punk sound, many of their songs use alternative jazzy chords because of the different tuning. They also have some softer songs recorded with a clean tele bridge in drop D. Listen to their second album, it's the best. ?

Thanks! Never really got into Billy Talent all that much, perhaps I should give it another go!

peterleroux wrote: Alternate turnings in general are nice to play with, but MUCH nicer to play with if you have a guitar per tuning ?

Isn't this THE dream?? ?

Stoffeltoo wrote: Hi Chocklit. If you have a spare guitar, by all means leave it in drop D. I find it a schlep to change tunings between alternative and standard. There are some veeery nice drop D songs in the country genre as well as open G tunings from http://www.tallstrom.com/free_tabs/ with free tabs.
Also try Sunga Jung tabs many songs in drop D tunings

Thanks for this! Always liked Sunga Jung. Yeah I've got the strat, the X1, the Yorktown and the Tele so I'm thinking of changing up their tunings. Keep one in standard, switch the Tele to open G and fiddle with some other stuff on the X1.
At the moment, all of them are in E standard.

Any advantage to keeping a guit in Drop D as opposed to E?

Stoffeltoo

Can't think of many other than less tension on the E-bass string in drop D

Bob-Dubery

Certainly there are guys that play with a band and play in drop D. I've a John Hiatt DVD in which he comes on to the stage with his telecaster and plays one solo song before calling the band on, the song is "Icy Blue Heart" and he plays it in drop D (I learned how to play that song properly and the rudiments of drop D from watching that DVD). Then when the band comes on he does not retune, does not change guitars. So it can be done and it is done.

If you're playing in d, g or a then you have a nice fat bass note for the D chord. You also have a nice low F note you can play over the D before pulling off to the root note. I think this is swings and roundabouts: you get some things but you lose some too. If you fingerpick then you lose a couple of tricks with the open G chord.

Richard Thompson uses drop D quite a lot when he plays with his band. He seems to use it so that he can set up a drone on the two Ds and play his solo over that. He also likes low, twangy Duane Eddy style licks and the drop D gives him a couple of lower notes for those.

It may suit some genres better than others. Certainly it suits some keys better than others - unless you want to compound the iniquity by using a capo ?

Bob-Dubery

Chocklit_Thunda wrote: And any songs that are softer, more acoustic or alternative geared that use drop D tuning?

Yep, though being old enough to be your uncle I can't think of any currently on the radio.

Listen to the Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young album Deja Vú. Specifically listen to the track "4+20". Try that in regular tuning. Then try drop D and it gets easier (Stephen Stills actually played it with his guitar tuned EEEEBE, but you can bet close in drop D).

I can think of others, but they may not be on your musical radar and thus may not make good examples...
"Natural Forces" - Lyle Lovett (there's a great YouTube clip of him doing this on Elvis Costello's chat show)
"Icy Blue Heart" - John Hiatt
"Meet On The Ledge" - Fairport Convention

And there must be loads more.

giggsy

I know Jimmy Eat World and Manchester Orchestra use drop d quite a lot, Feeder too, some Foo Fighters (nice acoustic version of Everlong). Will let you know if I can remember any others!

Chocklit_Thunda

Thanks Bob and Giggsy! Some nice info there! I actually remembered everlong yesterday and had a nice jam.

If there's not that much of a difference going with Drop D, do you guys think I'd be better off in DADGAD? A lot of guys use this and it's a bit more of a change than just Drop D

Psean

Chocklit_Thunda wrote: If there's not that much of a difference going with Drop D, do you guys think I'd be better off in DADGAD? A lot of guys use this and it's a bit more of a change than just Drop D

Maybe try D Modal (recently found out that this is what it's called. Always knew it as "double dropped D") as well. Drop both high and low E's to D. Neil Young uses that on some of his songs. It's pretty cool.

Squonk

DADGAD is very easy to get to from standard tuning! and vice versa!

Ist E and 6th E down to D (from the 4th D) and then tune 2nd B down to A (from 5th A)

The trap you can fall into, is to find chord diagrams for all the chords used in this tuning and then try and transpose songs from standard tuning!

The best is to treat this like a new thing, a new palette just full of colours that need mixing to create a new painting!

Widdle away until things start to make sense....

Squonk

Bob-Dubery

Chocklit_Thunda wrote: Thanks Bob and Giggsy! Some nice info there! I actually remembered everlong yesterday and had a nice jam.

If there's not that much of a difference going with Drop D, do you guys think I'd be better off in DADGAD? A lot of guys use this and it's a bit more of a change than just Drop D

I have no advice as to how you should proceed with this, other than to say that each tuning opens up possibilities. I have a book The Tao Of Tunings by Mark Shark (ISBN 978-1-4234-3087-2) which suggests a methodology for exploring different tunings. Shark suggests drop D as the port of call, followed by the two drop Ds already mentioned, then open G (DGDGBD) which Keith Richards used on some of his signature guitar parts ("Tumbling Dice ", "Gimme Shelter", "Honky Tonk Women"...). Open G is suggested because the unaltered 2, 3 and 4 strings give you some familiar triads and Aldo fragments of the barre chords you already know.

But there's a whole world of tunings to explore, and they can be great fun.

You might also consider partial capos as a way of altering the tuning of a guitar. The two common partial capos are the 5 string (sort of like drop D, though you can fit it the other way around) and the three string which depending on which way you fit it gives you approximations of DADGAD or of open G. Note that there are differences between altered tunings and partial capos - with the capos you still get all the barre chords you are used to in standard tuning.

There is nothing wrong with standard tuning - it's just that it's not the only game in town.

Some players who made good use of alternate tunings...
Keith Richards (already mentioned)
Jimmy Page (listen to "Rain Song" DGCGCD - DSUS2, but that's not the only time he uses non standard tunings)
Nick Drake (several alternate tunings. Google for details)
Ry Cooder (usually open G - he taught Richards that tuning, so when you think Cooder is pinching a Keef lick it's probably vice versa)
John Martyn (mostly DADGAD)
Martin Simpson (multiple)
Pierre Bensusan (king of DADGAD)
Stephen Stills (two drop Ds, EEEEBE)

Listen to them to hear how alternate tunings enrich the vocabulary of the guitar.

Bob-Dubery

Rich Robinson is another player who made good use of alternate tunings - mostly, but not exclusively, open G

Arno-West

Check out Pink Floyd - Run like hell from the Pulse live DVD. David Gilmour - Clean Tele - BIG Delays -Drop D heaven.