Why you should invent your own guitar tuning.

Over the years, I've experimented with many scales and ragas. My favorite scale sounds like a fusion of raga Desh and Malhar. (I'll link a recording of me playing something very soon.) I've also tried many tunings.

Yesterday, I had a dream where someone handed me a guitar. As I was about to tune, they asked, simply curious: do you also make your own tuning?

That question was so unexpected it actually woke me up.

We learn EADGBE. We learn tunings like drop D, DADGAD, open D. But we never learn how to invent one- or if we should.

We inherit tunings

Standard pitch is 440Hz, standard tuning on guitar is EADGBE. It's fourths with one major third (G-B). Everybody uses it. It's like English in a way.

We start out learning open chords, then barres and common shapes, and whatever chord shapes our favorite bands use.

I think of named tunings as shared languages. We have names for things like open C and open G. I think, part of the reason is because tunings are social. You need to know what your jam buddy is talking about. Even if you're playing in DADGAD and your bassist uses EADG (standard on bass), you can still communicate because you're both working under a shared music theory.

But, I think designing (and experimenting with, and knowing what you want out of ) a tuning isn't about joining a tradition- it's more about building a DIY layout that gives you the sound you want.

Robert Fripp (one of the pioneers of looping; he used analogue tape reels long before looper pedals were a thing), as an example, uses something he calls new standard tuning (CGDAEG). It tunes the guitar mostly in fifths (and places more tension) just like a cello (CGDA) or violin (GDAE).

The case against your own (and alternate) tunings

I think alternate tunings offer beautiful possibilities. Shapes, voicings, experiences. Let's see if I can make this quick.

• If you've learned CAGED and 3-nps shapes for scales and modes in standard, it takes time to learn CGDAEG and retune. Duh.

• You'll need custom strings. Not every place has these.

• More tension on the neck.

The case for making your own tuning.

• It's your own.

• New tuning breaks your habits and friction might lead to something new.

• This experiment eats into your scroll time. Worst case - you wasted a couple days and decide you don't see why others use it.

What I'm doing.

I don't like the hassle of retuning to a different tuning every time I play a new song. I keep my main guitar in standard, and the other in whatever I'm experimenting with (drop C, DADGAD, open F, new standard, my own..).

That said, I do experiment with ragas a lot, so I tend to tune strings to fit the notes I want to ring.

At the moment, I'm experimenting with CGCFGC for a fusion sound between raga Malhar and Desh. This way, I can hit drone notes very easily. It also works well for mixolydian jams (in C, of course).

What about a custom tuning? How do I start?

I think, for instruments to be usable, they need to have at least two octaves. I'd be super happy with three, but two is fine for most things. And four or more strings. Just two and chords sound thin, too many- and you're in a djent cult.

It boils down to - how low you want, whether you want to tune to intervals or open chords (like a sus2/ sus4).

• Pick a key and sounds you want. "I can sing in F#. I want a low F# drone with fifths above it"
• Pick pitches. Sticking to fourths or fifths is a good idea.
• Check tension, get appropriate string gauges.
• Hear how it sounds open. Mess around.
• See if something could be changed. Maybe a voicing would be easier to play if a string were tuned lower or higher.
• Write it down, seriously. I'm guilty of forgetting tunings that have worked for me.
• Learn the fretboard and see what chords/ patterns work.

Thoughts

Back to the question from my dream, do I make my own tunings? Honestly, most of the time, nope. Should I do it more often? Probably.

I think it's a great tool in songwriting. If you're bored, it's a great use of your time to feel inspired.

FAQs

Should every song have its own tuning?

Depends. If you have a reason to, sure. If you're supposed to play 5 songs in different tunings for a set, probably not.

Standard vs new standard tuning?

Standard is EADGBE- thirds except the G to B. New standard is CGDAEG - all fifths except E to G.