multiple tunings, single album
- Thread starter egan.
- Start date
My band's album uses 3 tunings - drop C, D standard and drop B. I switch between standard and drop tunings fairly often, simply because some things play better in one than the other.
Soundgarden changed tunings all the time. I think there's about 4 or 5 on Superunknown - standard, dropped, dropping the E 2 steps and the A 1 step, open G and I think they used all E too (though I think that was just for a natural harmonics section), and that album sound consistent.
Steve
Soundgarden changed tunings all the time. I think there's about 4 or 5 on Superunknown - standard, dropped, dropping the E 2 steps and the A 1 step, open G and I think they used all E too (though I think that was just for a natural harmonics section), and that album sound consistent.
Steve
GarethSE
New Metal Member
- Jul 5, 2008
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Is consistensy to THIS level really a necessity? REALLY a necessity?
Part of what gives albums flow is things being sort of imperfect, constantly subject to change in tones and timbres and volumes and moods, tunings and keys are just another aspect of that.
Part of what gives albums flow is things being sort of imperfect, constantly subject to change in tones and timbres and volumes and moods, tunings and keys are just another aspect of that.
Melb_shredder
Orpheus: Melodic Death
I think tunings should be played around with. It may bring new life to a song. I know a song that nearly didn't make it on our album ended up staying put because the difference in feel and tone from drop B to A# actually made the song sound better. Everything went flat and it fit the songs riffs and chord structure much better. Experiment, isn't that what music is about? Doing it YOUR way for YOURSELF. Don't stress and just let the good times roll 
Oh! In Flames do it heaps (Did rather)
Oh! In Flames do it heaps
(Did rather)
MarcusGHedwig
Member
The biggest examples of this IMO would be bands that alternate between 7- and 6-string axes on different songs, e.g. Dream Theater (I know "Scenes from a Memory" and "Six Degrees..." have this, stopped giving a shit about the band after that :Spin: ) and Evergrey on "Recreation Day." And of course, some albums will have songs where the guitars are tuned to standard intervals, and others where the low string is dropped a whole step - hopefully those are concrete enough examples to allow me to say that I don't think it's a big deal
DanLights
Santa Hat Forever
Yeah dream theater does it well, on awake you can really feel the heaviness of the 7string when the mirror kicks in, it makes the album more "dynamic" (not as in volume changes, but mood changes) IMO
The Unavoidable
jättebög
Another pointless example but Cannibal Corpse go from Bb down to G# every now and then, and when they do it really hits you in the nuts with heavyness.
