Alternate tuning question

[Folk_guy]

I've always tried to stay in standard tuning, and figure out what I want to play in standard tuning. This has worked for me so far, but a lot of the transcriptions I see in guitar magazines are in DADGAD or some other tuning system. The idea of learning the fret board all over again with a different tuning scares me a little. What are the benifits of learning alternate tunings and is it really worth the effort.

[anthonyc007]

ALternate tunings are when some comes up with some strange/unique chords that would otherwise be impossible (or at least very difficult) to play in standard tuning.

That's the short answer, anyway.

[Kap'n]

Some things just don't sound right in standard tuning, even if you have the voicings right. Stones, for example, doesn't sound right unless you're in open G. Sometimes I'll do that to cover RS tunes, but then I have to dedicate a guitar to it.

Right now the band is working on Love Spreads by the Stone Roses. In order to play the song right, you need to play the entire guitar down 1 full step (DAFCGD) with a few slide parts in open D (DADF#AD). We've got one guitar, me.

I just drop the low E do a D and try to fake it as best I can.

[Franklin]

The big benefit for me was always that the chords that you find by ear, and the way you out them together with other chords, by ear. It's like when you didn't know a whole lot of standard tuing chords and you made up chords by ear, you know what I mean -some creative stuff happening there. The other great reason is all the crazy alternate chord voicing, lots of cool drone-ish stuff.

[chuckocaster]

tbb nails it. i use altered tunings from time to time because you can make up some wacky chords real easy. and like anthony said, sometimes it is to get an easier grip on a chord. but there are other songs that i've written that without an altered tuning, it just wouldn't sound quite right. sure you could play it in standard, but try covering a stones song with two standard tuned guitars (it sounds like ass), good luck kap'n. have no clue how you do it.

take the plunge, i'm sure altering the tuning on your guitar is going to open up many doors for ideas for just a different way of doing things.