Down One Step

[{JM}]

Alright whats the formula one tuning down one step I know there is an F and C involved with the string setup.

Thanks

[Eddie Sheehy]

Put a capo on the 2nd fret and tune normally. Then remove the capo.

[CES]

What Eddie said...

GDAE (low to high) becomes FCGD, one step lower than the GDAE tuning...I'm typing in a decaffeinated state, so if I'm thinking incorrectly someone please fix it, but that should be it...either way, what Eddie said.

Just curious...why? Playing a song that calls for it, action too high to comfortably play at full tension? Structural issues? There's an awesome guitarist named Keller Williams (kind of out there at times, but, man, that guy can mash on it) who tunes down a full step on most of his songs unless he's using a guitar that just won't tolerate the lower tension. He started tuning down a 1/2 step on a guitar that had a crack/bridge issues, then decided he kind of liked it but wanted heavier strings, so went heavy but tuned down the full step, again trying to save the guitar...decided it was easier for him to sing with that tuning and gave him better bass lines (which is a big part of his groove), and so he just sort of kept doing it.

Just curious...

[mandroid]

Keep in your mind the piano keyboard,
no black key between B and C, [no B#]
2 black keys ,
no black key between E and F, [no E#]
3 black keys . 7 white keys 5 black keys =12 that is one octave .. there..
your 12th fret is also an octave above the open one, string is vibrating only half of its length..

Now back to the cunning plan..

if you finger the G note on th D string, that's the 5th fret. the F is the 3rd fret

tune the G string down, to be an octave lower than the fretted F on the D string,
just like the G string was an octave below the fingered G, on that same D string.

then on the 7th fret of the lowered to F string is the C, to tune the D string down to,
and you have the fretted 3rd fret , the C on the A string an octave up to match to also..

etcetera.

[{JM}]

What Eddie said...

GDAE (low to high) becomes FCGD, one step lower than the GDAE tuning...I'm typing in a decaffeinated state, so if I'm thinking incorrectly someone please fix it, but that should be it...either way, what Eddie said.

Just curious...why? Playing a song that calls for it, action too high to comfortably play at full tension? Structural issues? There's an awesome guitarist named Keller Williams (kind of out there at times, but, man, that guy can mash on it) who tunes down a full step on most of his songs unless he's using a guitar that just won't tolerate the lower tension. He started tuning down a 1/2 step on a guitar that had a crack/bridge issues, then decided he kind of liked it but wanted heavier strings, so went heavy but tuned down the full step, again trying to save the guitar...decided it was easier for him to sing with that tuning and gave him better bass lines (which is a big part of his groove), and so he just sort of kept doing it.

Just curious...

well at first I wast playing mccartney's dance tonight in a normal tuning but I decided I wanted the music part of my cover to sound closer to the original done by paul and that song is in one step down tuning ;)

Thanks Dudes.

[CES]

Cool--that's why I started fooling around with it also...haven't played it out yet, but my wife sings along beautifully, though come to think of it I've played it more on a capo'd guitar of late...may have to revisit it!!

[JeffD]

Put a capo on the 2nd fret and tune normally. Then remove the capo.


That'll work.

[Mike Bunting]

Why is this a problem? Tune each string down one step.