Alternate tunings for Alternative Rock/Punk Rock.

[Patch2006]

I am a 7 year guitar player, but I was self taught for a long time, and this summer I am going back to lessons. I need some help with different tunings. I like E standard as a rock/punk rock tuning, but I need help with some things.
1)What are some good tunings, I have read in Guitar Player magazine that the G tuning is good. Drop D is also very popular, and I want to learn more on how to play in that. But when I tune my Ibanez GAX electric guitar down to drop D, it always sounds like too much of a blues metal sound. I want the chord sound of a rock type melody. I sing also, and have a very deep voice, but I can reach a decent range. I have never taken voice lessons. I am 25, but as a young person was always involved in music. So basically in a nutshell, are there other tunings that might be better than E?
thanks for reading.

-James-

[cyanogen]

Here's a list of Sonic Youth guitar tunings:

http://www.xnet2.com/neslon/music/faves/sy-tunin.html

[Patch2006]

thanks.
that will be a help.

[Toxikator]

The most common punk ones are drop tunings (drop D, drop A on a 7 string). All this does is lowers the lowest string by a whole step. The significance of these tunings is, unfretted, the first three strings form a power chord. In other words, you can play a power chord with one finger. This makes it very easy to do intricate riffs, especially if you're able to use three or all 4 to fret.

Open G I always thought of as a blues tuning since it works very well with slide... the others I know are DADGAD and sharp C (I don't know if that's what it's called, but you tune up your B to a C and your E to an F so that your chord playing is murdered but your scales stay uniform).

[Moe Shinola]

Try this one: first get a kyser one-hand capo, then cut part of the rubber out so that it only capos the middle 4 strings and leaves the outside 2 open. Then detune your B string to A. Apply the capo. Your tuning will be EBEABE. I've discovered a goldmine of very rich chords that can be done with this tuning. I use it with acoustic guitar but I'm sure it would sound cool with electric. Even better, take a 2nd capo(not tampered with) and capo 2 frets up, then take your prepared capo and put it 2 frets above that. Just a heavenly sound.

[Patch2006]

thank you guys.
I dont know im afraid to use a capo on my ibanez GAX electric. I know you can use a capo on an acoustic.

[rockstar_not]

Not much difference using a capo on electric vs. acoustic, other than fretboard radius may come into play. I seem to remember most Ibanez have pretty flat fretboard radii. As with capoing on acoustic, the key is to shorten the length of the string without deforming the string too much on the capo'ed fret.

What I usually do is rest the front edge of the capo rubber pad directly on top of the string/fretwire interface. this hardly bends the strings whatsoever, compared to capoing 1/2 way between fretwires, and allows the guitar to stay relatively in tune way up the fretboard.

I'm pretty sure Goo Goo Dolls use a whole host of alternative tunings. Yep, here's a web article: http://www.suite101.com/article.cfm/aco ... ired/18372

-Scott

[Patch2006]

thanks again!