Anyone here tune down a half-step?

[dmt]

Or regularly employ another alternate tuning?

With so many jazz songs either done in C, or in more horn-oriented keys like Bb, F, and Eb, it seems like it might be easiest to just tune down a half step to Eb. The key of C major would become less familiar sure, but Cm would be played as C#m, which is the same as good ol' E major, key-wise.

Anyway, I can guess the answer is "No" - that almost everyone plays in standard tuning and that while I can do whatever I want, I should probably just get used to playing in Eb or whatever. The thought keeps occurring to me though, and I'm just wondering if anyone here regularly plays like that.

[Butzmark]

I've done it for many years. I like what it does to my vibrato and bends.
Hendrix did it.

[markf]

I have played standards in the usual keys for a long time, and now,

since I almost never play with anyone except a bass player, I just decided to play most tunes in guitar friendly keys, G, C, A E, etc.

[mr. beaumont]

Not me.

I actually like that my open strings become some pretty hip stuff when I play in Bb, F, etc...

Ted Greene would often tune down a half step or more, but it was because he liked the way the guitar sounded that way, not to facilitate the ease of playing in any certain key.

[raylinds]

I used to when I played blues to try to get that Stevie Ray Vaughan sound, but not anymore.

[Dazz]

Louis Stewart recorded his "Louis the First" album, tuned down a half step

[dmt]

Okay, so it is done by some, certainly on occasion.

I'll probably just stick with standard tuning. Just seeing all those Eb's and F's and such drives me nuts, but i guess I'll get used to it...

[TruthHertz]

Mick Goodrick does, the tuned down thng. Combined with the really light strings, it's like there are no strings at all.
David

[jazzstrat]

Originally Posted by dmt

Or regularly employ another alternate tuning?

Hi guys, My first post here. I have my guitar tuned to the Pentatonic scale. My left arm isn't much good these days, & this tuning allows me to play melody. I use a capo to play in different keys. I only have one octave at a time but I can play some nice jazz.

[JakeAcci]

Originally Posted by TruthHertz

Mick Goodrick does, the tuned down thng. Combined with the really light strings, it's like there are no strings at all.
David

How often? All the time?

[TruthHertz]

Pretty much, as far as I know. How'd the audition go?
David

[onetruevibe]

Originally Posted by raylinds

I used to when I played blues to try to get that Stevie Ray Vaughan sound, but not anymore.

^This

[Stevebol]

Originally Posted by onetruevibe

^This

Same here. Fat strings=fat tone.

["Umm, fish?"]

I learned mandolin before guitar, so I play guitar tuned in fifths from the C below the guitar's low E (C-G-D-A-E-B).

[jazzstrat]

Originally Posted by "Umm, fish?"

I learned mandolin before guitar, so I play guitar tuned in fifths from the C below the guitar's low E (C-G-D-A-E-B).

"Umm, fish?" That's an interesting tuning. So do you play a single note at a time?
Or do you play chords, perhaps spreading them out arpeggio style? How does it sound?

[CarolM]

Originally Posted by dmt

Okay, so it is done by some, certainly on occasion.

I'll probably just stick with standard tuning. Just seeing all those Eb's and F's and such drives me nuts, but i guess I'll get used to it...

So what's the problem with Eb and F?

I have to tune down a half to play with my partner, whose piano is flat by *about* a half step. I can get sorta close.

["Umm, fish?"]

"Umm, fish?" That's an interesting tuning. So do you play a single note at a time?
Or do you play chords, perhaps spreading them out arpeggio style? How does it sound?

I do both. I tend to mostly use three or four note chords when comping that can then be moved onto any four strings as necessary. The second inversion major 7th is really spread out, so I can only hit that if I'm up the neck a bit. (I play on a short-scale neck, though.) Otherwise, the chords come straight over from mandolin without an issue.

The chords themselves are pretty spread out, sound-wise. The root-in-bass inversion (I can never keep the names of the inversions straight so I just think of them by what note's in the bass) would be root, 5th, 3rd, 7th (0-0-2-2-x-x for Cmaj7, 0-0-1-1-x-x for Cmin7, 0-0-2-1-x-x for C7 [although that dom voicing is pretty cheesy]). I like the sound of them. Lots of room in there. Almost like an Aaron Copland piece or something. (Check out the opening to Billy the Kid: Aaron Copland - Billy the Kid - YouTube)

[Jim Soloway]

I play primarily in standard tuning but I like tuning down anywhere from a semi-tone to a minor third. It has nothing to do with changing the key. I just like the sound. As for guitar-friendly keys, I prefer keys that layout well from the second or third up to to the eight fret, so Bb, F, and Eb all work pretty well for me.

["Umm, fish?"]

In case anyone's interested, it's certainly possible to play jazz on a mandolin (even chord melody ): Jazz Mandolin Chord Melody: Aaron Weinstein plays "It's Only a Paper Moon" - YouTube

That's certainly not me, by the way. I switched over to six string mainly because I needed more of a low end. The lack of low notes started bugging me.

[jazzstrat]

"Umm, fish?" Thanks for posting those videos. Jazz covers a wide range. I've only recently started playing jazz, coming from blues in the Muddy Waters, Jimmy Reed, Elmore James styles, as well as country music, but I needed to play some other stuff. Jazz opens up a whole new area of music to me. It's challenging again!

[SeedsOfMusic]

I bought a start that I had set up specifically for half-step tuning. It was because I made a pact with myself to dive into Hendrix's playing like a kid into the deep end of the pool. That was in December of 2010.

Since then, it's the only thing I use it for. I have taken the guitar to blues jams but then I think a half step up for every song and was kind of scayreewd when it came to play in E. Half step down tuning plus those standard light gauges they put on strats makes the guitar almost too easy to bend.