Part 2 of our recording studios sydney look at alternate tunings
Recording Studios Sydney: DADGAD tuning
One of the most popular tunings is the Dsus4, more commonly known as “DADGAD” in recording studios Sydney for the order of the tuning of the strings: low E down to D, A stays the same, D stays the same, G stays the same, the B is tuned down one step to A, and the high E is tuned down one step to D.
Playing in this tuning can be a bit intimidating at first, but with just a little work, you can play some of the most beautiful major and haunting minor chord voicings. Since the notes of the open strings played together form a Dsus4 chord, the best place to start is the key of D, because you can play any of the open strings at pretty much anytime, which makes for some really nice “drone chord” voicings. While this tuning lends itself to, and may have originated in Celtic music, it has become a favorite of folk musicians.
Joni Mitchell is famous for changing the tuning of her strings to a variety of tunings. She claims that she has played in over 50 tunings, and I believe her!
it can be challenging enough to learn to play guitar in its standard tuning. Learning to play in an alternate tuning can be a REAL challenge. Guitarists will have to completely re-learn how to play chords for each new tuning they undertake. For this reason, many guitarists tend to explore one alternate tuning for an extended period, before they turn their attention to another.
On the other hand, many recording studios sydney players find alternate tunings very liberating and put’s you in the “Beginner’s Mind” where the fretboard is wide open to your own creations.
If you decide you’re one of them, good luck!! The extra time and attention you give will be returned to you many times over in surprising, complex chords and progressions may never have considered before.
