Johnny Reznick, Kieth Richards, and David Crowder…what do they all have in common? They are all musicians who employ alternate tunings.Alternate tunings, to be put simply, are any tuning that is not standard tuning. If it isn’t E,A,D,G,B,E…then it is an alternate tuning. Alternate tunings can be a good way to get different tones and/or provide easier playing techniques for a particular song. Let’s take a look at some common alternate tunings.

One of the most common alternate tunings is called “Drop D”. Drop D is used by countless rock and punk bands. Guitarists looking for that  extra low note employ it also. Drop D is standard tuning with a lowered E string in the bass. (D, A, G, D, B, E). A few examples of songs in this tuning would be “Kamera” by Wilco and “Never Again" by Nickelback. Here is what drop D looks like played.

C      D     E    D    A

Another common tuning is called “DADGAD”. DADGAD is appropriately named because that’s exactly what it is. It very similar to Drop D in that the lowest E is dropped a whole step but here we also drop the B string a whole step. DADGAD is very popular in Celtic music but is probably most famous in the song “Kasmir” by Led Zepplin. Here is what DADGAD sounds like.

D    A    Bm      G

There are many alternate tunings you can choose from. Slide players often use “Open” Tunings, like Open G which is DGDGBD. With this tuning the open strings produce a G chord. This works well for slide players who are limited by their slide. You can even come up with your own tunings. Remember that sometimes alternate tunings only make playing more complicated. Other times they can be just what you were looking for. Here is one of my favorite tunings that David Crowder commonly uses. “EAEEBE”

E