What's the deal with flat tuning?

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DOSW
DOSW Posts: 2,014
edited November 2006 in Musicians and Gearheads
You know, Eb Bb Gb Db Ab Eb. What's the advantage of it? Can't everything just be played 1 fret differently in standard tuning and be exactly the same?

I have almost no understanding of music theory, so help me out on this.
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Post edited by Unknown User on

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  • keeponrockin
    keeponrockin Posts: 7,446
    It's basically so the singer doesn't have to sing as high, as well as having a little more slack on the strings. Plus, play an open D in standard. Tune down a whole step and play it in the normal E position. What sounds heavier?
    Believe me, when I was growin up, I thought the worst thing you could turn out to be was normal, So I say freaks in the most complementary way. Here's a song by a fellow freak - E.V
  • nailz100
    nailz100 Posts: 1,176
    My opinion is that it gives you a deeper/ darker tone (which appeals to some...me included). Sure you could play some chords a fret lower but the feel/ sound wouldn't be the same (I personally don't think) plus you wouldn't be able to play open strings in A440 when they are supposed to be a step down.

    My band tunes a half step down, and yes your strings will lose some tension in them....but I solved that problem by upping my gauge to 11's and now I have pretty much the same tension as I had with the 10's...plus a beefier sounding guitar in my opinion.
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  • xtremehardy388
    xtremehardy388 Posts: 2,759
    With less tension on the strings, soling is so much better. Bending is amazing when tuned down and the heavy and dark sounding stuff with heavy bass and distortion can blow you away
    Grand Rapids '04, Detroit '06
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  • xtremehardy388
    xtremehardy388 Posts: 2,759
    soloing* (sorry, keys are sticking)
    Grand Rapids '04, Detroit '06
    JEFF HARDY AND JEFF AMENT USED TO LOOK THE SAME
    "Pearl Jam always eases my mind and fires me up at the same time.”-Jeff Hardy
  • Pearl Jam and toast
    Pearl Jam and toast Posts: 4,475
    nailz100 wrote:
    My opinion is that it gives you a deeper/ darker tone (which appeals to some...me included). Sure you could play some chords a fret lower but the feel/ sound wouldn't be the same (I personally don't think) plus you wouldn't be able to play open strings in A440 when they are supposed to be a step down.
    I agree. Sure it could be used so the singer doesn't have to sing as high, but that's usually not an issue as it's just a half step lower.

    Smashing Pumpkins use it a lot and the effect is just beautiful for some reason. I can't pinpoint it but a lot of their songs (Disarm being one in particular) just sound better flat.
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  • seanw1010
    seanw1010 Posts: 1,205
    im pretty sure hendrix tuned a step down or something too
    they call them fingers, but i never see them fing. oh, there they go
  • harrisonmerwin
    harrisonmerwin Posts: 766
    seanw1010 wrote:
    im pretty sure hendrix tuned a step down or something too
    yeah he did. for a few reasons, made it easier for all his bends and what not, and when you ben on a tighter tremelo system everything goes out ouf tune, a half step down, not so much. My band plays everything 1/2 down just so i can sing easier in the common keys. every alice in chains song is 1/2 with the excpetion of one jerry sang.
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  • Leo86
    Leo86 Posts: 165
    AIC & Guns N' Roses used it. I'm sure GNR was because they wanted less tension on the strings. AIC probably to make it heavier. Personally, I think it sounds great.
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  • exhausted
    exhausted Posts: 6,638
    i think acoustic 1/2 down or even a whole down sounds great. my acoustics are all a whole down right now.
  • keeponrockin
    keeponrockin Posts: 7,446
    The bes example I can think of is 'Here Comes The Flood' by Peter Gabriel. It sounds SOOOO much better down half a step.
    Believe me, when I was growin up, I thought the worst thing you could turn out to be was normal, So I say freaks in the most complementary way. Here's a song by a fellow freak - E.V
  • DOSW
    DOSW Posts: 2,014
    So why doesn't everything sound flat when you tune it that way?

    Also, how do you tune to Eb without a tuner that supports flat notes?
    It's a town full of losers and I'm pulling out of here to win
  • keeponrockin
    keeponrockin Posts: 7,446
    Tune the 6th fret of the E string to the A, and then go from there.
    Believe me, when I was growin up, I thought the worst thing you could turn out to be was normal, So I say freaks in the most complementary way. Here's a song by a fellow freak - E.V
  • who's_pearljam?
    who's_pearljam? Posts: 2,104
    keeponrockin wrote:
    Tune the 6th fret of the E string to the A, and then go from there.

    :cool:




    A lot of guitarists used E-Flat tuning when they played in big bands who tend to play in Eb and Bb keys. Before most of you were born,,,,,, but,,, ha ha,,,, I guess I was here then!

    Some use it partially for their or the lead singer's voice, which Hendrix and Stevie Ray Vaughn both once said.
    It also sounds great and gives you the opportunity to use heavier gauge strings and bend like all get out. (Stevie Ray and Jimi)
    There's less tension on the strings when you tune down even just a half step like that, so you can bump up the string gauge for more powerful sound and it's less stree on your fingers,,,and you get more pitch change for the distance that you bend, too.
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  • MLC2006
    MLC2006 Posts: 861
    DOSW wrote:
    Also, how do you tune to Eb without a tuner that supports flat notes?

    if you want to use a tuner for standard tuning, you pick the strings open, correct?

    then if you want it tuned a half step down, you tune to standard tuning with your finger on the first fret of each string rather than open. that's how I tune.


    half step down was used pretty much exclusively by Hendrix, Stevie Ray Vaughan, and Alice in Chains. that's good enough for me. plus, it DOES sound better than standard tuning, imo.
  • Triloco
    Triloco Posts: 95
    Flat tune=Metallica, Alice in Chains, Sound Garden, Guns, and more....
    Drop D and Flat tune = Nirvana, Rage against the machine....

    Flat tune gives me POWER !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
  • Triloco
    Triloco Posts: 95
    MLC2006 wrote:
    if you want to use a tuner for standard tuning, you pick the strings open, correct?

    then if you want it tuned a half step down, you tune to standard tuning with your finger on the first fret of each string rather than open. that's how I tune.


    half step down was used pretty much exclusively by Hendrix, Stevie Ray Vaughan, and Alice in Chains. that's good enough for me. plus, it DOES sound better than standard tuning, imo.


    You can tune all strings in 430 Hz.

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