# Question about baritone tuning



## Bobby (May 27, 2010)

hi there,im new here,so if i posted this in the wrong place,or if theres allready a thread about this,my apologies.

i had recently been in a bit of what you might call a guitar rut. i always practice alot,but i was looking for something new,maybe more,or a different range musically. in my search,i looked at 7 and 8 string guitars alot,as well as the chapman stick and possibly switching to playing bass.

but my hands arent particularly big,so 7 or 8 strings are kind of a problem. the chapman stick i found......is not for me,im way too blues based in style for that thing. and playing bass well,again,average size hands,and im a lead guitarist,so that is kind of a non-starter.

all that to arrive at tunings. i decided to tune down to B,which as far as i know is usually reffered to as baritone tuning on a 6 string(if im wrong,feel free to correct me). 

i immediately thought it was awesome. of course,i had to bump up my string gauges,but the lowering in tension makes all this stuff possible that i couldnt do before,while i can still play all the same licks transposed. the lowering gives a distinct sound,i can hit pinch harmonics way easier,bend them up as if i was doing a van halen type bar thing just with my fingers(i never use a bar,have a floating bridge). bend chords, hit pinch harmonics on more then one string at once,put much more,and more nuanced vibrato on notes.these are all things i couldnt,or had alot of difficulty doing before. it also seems to make legato, weird interval sax imitating licks sound way cooler,to me anyway.

so.....the question is,and yes,im finally arriving at it,lol,why dont more players play in lower tunings? of course there are alot of guys in metal bands who play really low on the bottom strings,but i mean playing all over the neck. i looked all over on youtube and found only 1 or 2 examples of guys who do it.is it because its harder to keep the guitar in tune?because its easier to overbend? because its just easier (if youve got the money,i dont,at the moment,obviously) to just get a 7 or 8 string,or a custom baritone guitar? i mean everything is transposable up or down anyway,so its not like you cant play with other people.just dont step on the bass player's toes and i dont see a problem.

and if there are like hundreds of examples of guys who do this that im just not aware of,well im just out of touch,lol.

look forward to reading any opinions.

Bobby


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## Mooh (Mar 7, 2007)

Don Ross. Google/YouTube him.

Peace, Mooh.


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## Bobby (May 27, 2010)

Thanks Mooh. jaysus,that guy can sure play!!

i was talking more in the line of electric/lead guitar. theres this cat named cesar huesca on youtube(if you put in "baritone tuning guitar" ,his video is like the second that comes up). hes playing an electric six string tuned to B ,thats more what i meant, as its more my style,was wondering why more people in that style dont tune down.

thx for the suggestion about Ross though,i appreciate it.listening to more of his stuff now,hes a monster!

Bobby


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## Budda (May 29, 2007)

You can play 7's and 8's with smaller hands


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## Bobby (May 27, 2010)

well yeah,your right of course. there are people who do who have smaller hands. i just find it uncomfortable,and as i said,i find advantages to playing a B tuned 6 string that sound original to me,so was just wondering why more people dont do it.

i mean,im no musical genius by any stretch,i know i'm not the first person to of thought of it or have done it,im not trying to make it sound like that at all. it just feels and sounds so much more "fluid",for lack of a better term,to me,tuned that way. so i just wanted to know what other people thought about the pros and cons of the idea.

Bobby

p.s: while im here,im wondering how i get a signature under my posts? i looked through all the options,but i cant figure out how.


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## bw66 (Dec 17, 2009)

I while ago I did a similar thing - only in the opposite direction. I took a recently retired guitar and restrung it to tune it up a fourth to ADGCEA. It a great guitar for those jams where you have twelve guitarists all playing essentially the same thing. I also wondered why more people don't do the same. After some thought I realized that almost all resources - sheet music, TAB, instructional methods, etc. - are geared to standard tuning. So, as a result, it takes some effort to reprogram your brain to other tunings. There are lots of interesting tunings out there that open up new possibilities but most people don't understand music well enough to make the leap.

If you liked Don Ross, you should also check out Andy McKee, Antoine Dufour, and Lucas Michailidis to name a few. They all make great use of alternate tunings.

You need to become a "supporting member" to get a signature. I think its twenty bucks for a full membership. The link is at the top of the page. I thought it was good value. There is a thread here somewhere on membership if you are interested.


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## Bobby (May 27, 2010)

Hey Brian,i agree with you on the "standing out" part. its one of the positives i see (or hear) in it. obviously theres always going to be more lead guitarists then bassists,drummers,rhythm oriented guitarists,and other more "supporting role" type musicians. im not trying to bash those musicians at all by the way,they are essential. but its human nature right? more people want to be the star. i suppose thats normal. id like to think im fairly good,but if i can find something that gives me a more distinct sound and makes me stand out more,why not right?

your theory about music being written,and also tab and all that being adapted to standard tuning does make a lot of sense.that probably is one of the reasons it isnt more widespread. but i dont read,or bother with tab anymore,so i do everything by ear anyway. so it doesnt really change anything for me. i just need to find the root and get a feel for what we're playing if im in a jam type of setting,or practice on it if im getting ready for an audition or to record something or whatever.

your tuning up was a pretty neat idea,i have to admit i never thought of going that way. ill have to try that out at some point.

thanks for the suggestions of other players who use alternate tunings,ill defenitely check them out. and for the info on the supporting member/signature thing,i appreciate it 

Bobby


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