How to Invent Guitar Tunings

Stringed instruments have been with us since ancient times, evolving in many cultures all over the world. Spain's contribution to this noble lineage was the guitar, which eventually became the engine of Western culture's pop music. It seems as if almost everyone plays guitar. Yet most guitar players are happy to keep their six strings in what's called standard tuning: low E, A, D, G, B, high E. Why not give those tuning pegs a few twists and see what else you can do?

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Things You’ll Need:

• Six-string guitar
• Tuning device (optional)
• Pencil & paper and/or recording device

1. You know how those six strings are supposed to sound. What happens if you change the tuning of one string? If you don't like dissonant or atonal music, you'll find more satisfaction working with the half and whole steps of Western scales.
2. Let your fingers do the walking for a while. Play familiar chord forms and melodic patterns in this new tuning. Does it sound good, bad or a little of both? Are there ways to modify what you're doing to tilt it more toward the good?
3. If you like what happened in Step 2, and if you achieve something that might be hard, impossible or unimaginable in standard tuning, this tuning is probably a keeper. Write down or record your favorite parts of the experiment if you'd like to come back to them.
4. Repeat Steps 1-3 with a different string. Do this as often as you want. You'll be surprised where it can take you.
5. If you'd rather not experiment randomly, tune your guitar to a specific chord. The result would be hitting all strings open to play that chord. This technique is favored by slide guitarists (such as Duane Allman and Leo Kottke) and guitarists creating Indian or Celtic drones (such as John McLaughlin or John Butler). This might also make it easier for other musicians to understand what you're doing.
6. What can you do with this? Better yet, what can't you do with this? Composers and arrangers will be amazed at the new possibilities opened up by alternate tunings. Even if you don't know music theory and just want to jam, retuning your guitar can be liberating.

Tips & Warnings

• Think this is fun with a six-string guitar? Try it with a 12-string!
• Consider tuning down (loosening your strings) rather than up (tightening). Depending on the thickness and age of a guitar string, too much tension could break it.