1/2 Step Down

[treekiller]

I have a Squier tuned down a 1/2 step so I can play along with Hendrix & SRV, etc. songs to learn how to play 'em. My band plays in standard, although one of the guitards tunes E A D G Bb Eb(very weird)!!!

 

[rockstarbassist]

My current band is in drop C.

But nowadays even when playing with people who are in standard I like playing in Eb. My ears are much more used to alternate tunings nowadays than plain 'ol E.

Eb is great b/c you can then just drop to C# and I prefer that even to drop D.

 

[Vic Winters]

For those who don't think a half step makes that big of a difference for a vocalist try singing "Gone Away", "The Kids Aren't Alright" or just about any other Offspring song in the original key. Then try it a half step lower.

 

[lunarpollen]

Half-step detuning really only helps string players because (a) it can perceptably reduce string tension (although switching to lighter strings would help this too) and (b) because some songs they might want to cover were originally recorded slightly detuned, so it helps them play them more like the original recordings. For vocalists, lowering everything by a half-step has an effect that is largely psychological, as it's only a freakin' half-step. And different songs have different melodies, vocal ranges, etc. Playing a *specific* song a half-step lower might help a vocalist if that paricular song's vocal line lingers at the limit of his/her normal range. But detuning *everything* a half-step would only affect the vocalist if every freakin' song you play is in the same key and has the same vocal note range.

 

[Floyd Eye]

We drop tune for a song ( AIC for example), but not for the singer. We mostly write 1/2 step down though.