Learning how to play guitar involves passion and enjoyment, and if you aren’t enjoying your lessons then you simply won’t push through and learn the instrument.
The same is true for drums, bass, or any other musical instrument that requires passion and determination. Learning to play guitar has never been easier thanks to resources on the internet like YouTube and hundreds of websites.
Getting started with guitar normally requires basic lessons with traditional EADGBE tuning, but for those that want a less traditional approach to music then rather learn from the bands that you want to learn how to play.
What are guitar tunings all about?
Learning to play guitar has never been easier thanks to resources on the internet like YouTube and hundreds of websites. Getting started with guitar normally requires basic lessons with traditional EADGBE tuning.
But what if you aren’t interested in learning standard tuning songs? What if you enjoy rock or heavy metal that uses novel tuning?
We will look at some different tunings that you can use when learning your favorite band’s songs without needing to get frustrated with chords and scales that you won’t need just yet.
Traditional Guitar Tunings – Standard
Learning how to tune your instrument is essential when starting in music because it ensures you’re playing correctly and will be able to get things done quickly. The same is true of guitar, whether electric or acoustic.
If you have a specific band in mind that you want to learn from, then you can search for the tuning and effects that they use for the guitars. Standard tuning will be useful for 99% of your online lessons and videos online, but if you want to learn how to play something more unique then the following section should help.
Standard Tunings: EADGBE (6 String) and BEADGBE (7 String)
The most common guitar tunings are known as Standard, and these two tunings are taught by instructors all over the internet. The 2 main types of standard tuning for a 6 string guitar are EADGBE and BEADGBE for a 7 string.
If you’re a beginner, it’s important to learn these tunings first as they’re what 90% of your lessons will use. As you gain more experience with the beginner lessons then you should look at the music that you want to learn.
Drop D Tuning
If you are like most people that are learning how to play guitar, then you probably enjoy rock and metal. To play these genres you need to master the most commonly used chord, the power chord! When you drop tune your guitar, you make it easy to make power chords with a single finger.
You would be surprised how much drop tuning has appeared in your favorite rock and metal tracks. DADGBE, CDADGBE are examples of drop tunings that are really fun to play. These are just a few of the most common ones but there are tons more, so look them up on YouTube or your favorite search engine!
Open Tunings
Open tunings are a popular way to play your guitar. They make it so that you can produce the triad of any major chord when all strings have been plucked at once, as well as many other sounds!
An open tuning usually follows these pitches: Open A (for example), D-G, E Flat 9th, Open G (with no 7th), etc.
Open tunings are very useful as they can produce a lot of new chords, you’re going to find some on this list that will simply not be possible in standard tuning!
Another good thing about open tunings is that it makes it a whole lot easier to play slide guitar and barre chords (the chord with 6-7 notes). Standard tuning has too many of the strings ringing open, making it ring out in a slightly unsettling way.
Open tuning makes it fun to experiment with different sounds and effects while still playing easy chords!
Drop Db Tuning
This is the same as drop D but one full step lower. If you are into heavy metal that makes use of power chords, this is the tuning you will want to know about first! If that isn’t quite heavy enough for you but you still want to maintain the convenience of drop tuning then drop C tuning is for you! Drop C is tuned at CGCFAD.
Open C Tuning
Extremely open sounding make this a great option for playing slide guitar because it doesn’t have any required finger positions to play a complete sound. You can make some really interesting tracks and samples with a slide and this tuning and a few effects.
Open G Tuning
Everything is good about open D tuning, but with an extra string available to pluck! This is great for those interested in learning how to play folk music as well as slide guitar! The R-3-4-5 chord pattern makes up the backbone of many songs that people learn
This open tuning is used in bluegrass and folk music and it’s a lot of fun to play. It’s good for playing slide guitar as well as having the option to make some interesting backup melodies! Open D Tuning
In this open tuning, you can play a major chord by simply strumming your guitar! This is a great tuning for beginners that are just learning chords or want to switch it up.
Open E Tuning
Much like open D tuning, but this one has the added benefit of being able to play some major chords by simply strumming your guitar. It’s another good option if you’d rather have more options without having to sacrifice much in terms of time or difficulty for playing!
Open A Tuning
Lots of fun to play when your goal is playing blues. There are some major chords that you can make by simply strumming your guitar, it’s also easier to play slide guitar compared to other open tunings because the strings are not as loose!
Final thoughts on tuning
Learning a new instrument is fun and exciting, and the guitar is the perfect example. Exploring new tuning is a good way to try out new things without spending any money, and if you find something that you like then you can add it it your growing guitar knowledge.
