A half step down...

[Bradley STP]

So I have been playing guitar and singing now for about 5-6 years... I have been working on my voice and I have gotten a lot better, but I am still just not there IMO...

I have been trying not to play a half step down, because I never wanted to take the easy way out. But one of the songs that I am trying to learn called for this tuning, so I finally gave it a try...

Immediately I could hear the difference in my voice.. So I started trying other songs that I had shied away from over the years.. Everything from a vocal stand point sounded significantly better. I mean my wife came in the room and told me that I sounded great, but didn't notice the difference in tuning.

So my question is, should I go forward with playing a half step down, or is it just too cheesy?


Thoughts?

[JohnK86]

Ofcourse you should. The audience doesn´t care what the fuck your tuning is, they want you to sound good. What´s cheesy about it anyway? It´s WHAT you play that matters. Shoud Joni Mitchell not have tuned her guitar a million different ways to suit her playing and her voice? Ofcourse not. You can´t get a guitar sound like that with standard tuning. Play whatever sounds best and what you can handle. Hendrix tuned down. SRV tuned down. So did Slash. So what?

[tdowe99]

Well said, JohnK. Just do what you want to sound your best.

[Bradley STP]

Ofcourse you should. The audience doesn´t care what the fuck your tuning is, they want you to sound good. What´s cheesy about it anyway? It´s WHAT you play that matters. Shoud Joni Mitchell not have tuned her guitar a million different ways to suit her playing and her voice? Ofcourse not. You can´t get a guitar sound like that with standard tuning. Play whatever sounds best and what you can handle. Hendrix tuned down. SRV tuned down. So did Slash. So what?

Thanks a lot...


I was just afraid that it would be obvious to the audience.. I mean you can tell a difference with certain cover songs...

Really, this is gonig to boost my confidence ten fold...I really appreciate it..

[JohnK86]

A famous song that you´re covering might sound a little different transposed down a semi-tone, but hey, DMB plays Watchtower in a completely different key and they own it. Should they play it in the original key? No, Dave couldn´t sing it like that if they were to play it in a higher key. It would ruin the performance. One of the most important things for a singer is too choose the correct key. Just watch American Idol. Some singers there try to perform songs in original keys and fuck it up because it doesn´t match their range. You can always tell. A confident performance is what the people want. Most people are almost tone-deaf anyway.

[MGH4007]

How would I go about finding the right tuning for my voice?

[MGH4007]

A famous song that you´re covering might sound a little different transposed down a semi-tone, but hey, DMB plays Watchtower in a completely different key and they own it. Should they play it in the original key? No, Dave couldn´t sing it like that if they were to play it in a higher key. It would ruin the performance. One of the most important things for a singer is too choose the correct key. Just watch American Idol. Some singers there try to perform songs in original keys and fuck it up because it doesn´t match their range. You can always tell. A confident performance is what the people want. Most people are almost tone-deaf anyway.


they dont play it in the same key?

[JohnK86]

they dont play it in the same key?
Compared to Hendrix who recorded the most famous version. Dylan played it in the same key originally, I think. But most people know the Hendrix version.

[JohnK86]

How would I go about finding the right tuning for my voice?

Do you know what are the lowest and highest notes that you can sing cleanly and comfortably? Figure it out, then compare the melody you want to sing to your range. Obviously, if it exceeds it, lower/raise it so that all of the notes fit within your boundaries and are easy enough for you. If you know any basic music theory and transposition it will be easy and fast to find the correct key.

[Robby~C]

Hendrix' version is in Am, it actually might be just a half step down.
Dylan = Am (sometimes live it will change, he does this ALOT! but say... "MTV unplugged" thats Am too, actually kinda played the same way as dave.)

[JohnK86]

Hendrix' version is in Am.
The hell it is.

[MacGuyver]

:lol

[Crazy#41]

Staind, Smashing Pumpkins, Matthew Good band and countless others normally always user Half Step down for all songs.

[GSUdawg521]

The songs I know that I play tuned down half a step are "Hands Down" (Dashboard Confessional), "Another Lonely Day" (Ben Harper), and "Say It Ain't So" (Weezer), and Lightning Crashes (Live)

[tdowe99]

Hendrix' version is in Am

No. Do you have the song? It's Cm.

EDIT: I just did a little research (the Internet is a good thing), and Dylan's original version is C#m.

[purplehaze18]

When dylan originally did it he had such a high voice lol, he had a capo way up on the fretboard, I wouldnt be able to sing it like he did if my life depended on it.

[chr35919]

this is why a lot of people play with a capo on 1 or 2...their voice

[purplehaze18]

I play it open, I just like the way it sounds a lot better that way

[chr35919]

I play it open, I just like the way it sounds a lot better that way
oh i didn't mean watchtower...just playing in general

[GuitarGuy305]

The audience won't notice half step down, full step down, capo on I, capo on V... I use a capo for a lot of songs as well as tuning down for a few.

I played a brunch at 10:00AM in Indianapolis and I tuned down for the entire gig, because it was early for me and it was easier on my voice in the morning. No one said peep and I guarantee you no one noticed.

People in the audience at a coffee shop, bar, wherever you're playing, probably don't care what key you're playing in and if it's the same as the original artist.

So, retune away!