Re: Alternate Guitar Tunings (OT)

[Toby G <carpet8@mac.com>]

Well if you adjust the tension of the 38 gauge strings so it's no 
higher(or 
not much lower) than what would regularly be there, it should be ok.  One 
of 
the physics guys on the list might be able to calculate that for you.

t
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Rick Walker" <looppool@cruzio.com>
To: "LOOPERS DELIGHT (posting)" <Loopers-Delight@loopers-delight.com>
Sent: Sunday, December 14, 2008 7:53 PM
Subject: Re: Alternate Guitar Tunings (OT)


> Marc Marshall wrote about his alteration of Sonic Youth's altered tuning 
> setup:
>                  "I use the following set up low to high. 
> 38-38-28-28-18-18 but for the record
>                            SY uses slightly lighter strings in 
> 36-36-26-26-17-17"
>
> Thanks for sharing that tuning, Marc.  I can't wait to try it out.
>
> I always wondered if it would be okay to use all 38s   or equivalent and 
> then tune the guitar down
> so that it wouldn't be bad for the neck.
>
> I always thought it would be really cool to have guitar tuned C C C C C 
>C, 
> just for the sake of
> overtone manipulation only.
>
> Anyone have thoughts on this?    would I seriously screw up my strat to 
>do 
> that?
>
> Additionally,  I wanted to try something like C C C C Eb Eb.
>
> In this way you'd have open tuned barr minor chords with a very simple 
> double bar up one fret for
> major chords.
>
> Distortion and Feedback just love simple open tunings.
>
> I even thought if you set the action hi that you could use a normal 
>slide 
> on the first finger and a pinky slide
> on the pinky for moeveable simple diadic chords.
>
> I like the idea of using really heavy gauged strings just for their 
> resonance value but , again,
> am not sure if I"d screw my guitar up attempting it.
>
> I'm just a drummer  (frater ritmacorum  as Rainer so cleverly puts it)  
>so 
> I await your collective guitar player wisdom).
> There's a ton of young musicians in my town who are fascinated by the 
> whole noise scene so I'm trying to put on a little mini
> noise festival at Meta Music and mostly play guitar into it  (with maybe 
> some Shenai, Zurna and Euphonium).
>
> Towards that end, I just went and checked out the Steve Vai distortion 
> pedal to possibly add to my
> small arsenal of distortion pedals.............it looks really nice 
> <salivate>.
>