REVEALED: Are Alternate Tunings Bad For Your Guitar?

Some people might believe that alternate tunings are bad for your guitar, while others might find them beneficial.

Are alternate tunings bad for your guitar?

No, not at all.  Alternate tunings are not bad for your guitar. In fact, they can be rather beneficial to your guitar.

The main concern is tension on your guitar neck from the strings being tuned differently. If that is the only problem then there is not much to worry about. For example, you might be able to use a low E string tuning with a high A string tuning without too much tension on the neck.

What Are Alternate Tunings?

Alternate tunings are tuning your guitar to something other than the standard E-A-D-G-B-E tuning that most of us are accustomed to. Tuning the strings down one or two steps lower will make playing more difficult on occasion, but it also makes it easier to play some songs that would otherwise be far too high on the neck of your instrument.

Alternate tunings can enable musicians to create new songs and even new types of music. Utilizing an alternate tuning can also make playing particular chords or scales much easier than in the standard tuning. Alternate tunings give musicians the opportunity to play in keys that they otherwise wouldn’t be able to play without transposing the chords, which is often impractical for live performances.

Other Alternate Tuning Guitar FAQ’s

What Are The Benefits Of Alternate Tunings?

Alternate tunings give musicians the opportunity to play in keys they otherwise wouldn’t be able to play without transposing chords, which is often impractical for live performances.

Some alternate tunings are not as difficult as they first appear to be, but it doesn’t mean that playing in them is easy. Some alternate tunings still demand a fair amount of skill and practice.

Alternate tunings also allow for them to be used in different kinds of music, such as bluegrass and jazz.

Overall, there is no reason why we can’t use alternate tunings today, but we need to know various ways to tune our guitar so we don’t get confused. We also need to practice and learn how to play in different keys and using different chords.

Can You Over Tighten Guitar Strings?

Yes, there is a limit to how tightly you can put a string on a guitar. Once that limit is reached it could end up snapping the guitar strings.

Once a string breaks, tuning your guitar will be much more difficult until you replace the missing string. They may also break again in the near future if they are strung too tightly once more. Guitar strings only have so much tension they can take without snapping or breaking.

How High Can You Tune A Guitar?

How high you can tune a guitar depends on the type of guitar, how thick the strings are, and how strong the neck of the guitar is. If there are solid wood parts in the neck then they will have more flexibility or give to them. This is because solid wood isn’t as rigid as other types of woods used for making guitars.

The thinner your strings are, the less tension they will take before they break or snap.

Also check out – Can you over tighten guitar strings? – songs in e flat.

I always recommend using an electric or acoustic guitar tuner when tuning to make sure you don’t apply too much tension on the neck.

Can You Change Tunings On A Guitar Too Often?

Yes and no.  It probably isn’t going to cause problems with your guitar.  But, it can be inconvenient if every other song has a different tuning.

If you have the means, it’s better to have dedicated guitars for each tuning that you use.  That way, you just need to pick up that guitar to get that tuning you want.

Will Drop D Tuning Damage My Guitar?

No.  In this case, you are only tuning the low E string down by one step and leaving all the other guitar strings alone.  Drop D has plenty of string tension for most guitars.

Will Drop C Tuning Damage My Guitar?

Drop C tuning is a popular alternate tuning for many musicians because it gives them a lower octave to play, which makes it possible to play in certain keys they otherwise wouldn’t be able to. There are actually alternative tunings that are even lower. If you are trying out something new then it might be best to look into Drop A or Drop B, which are both extremely low tunings.

Is Low Tuning Bad For You Acoustic Or Electric Guitar?

No.  It’s not bad for your electric or acoustic guitar at all. Tensions are usually in the 5{0794a961920d97099aea99cac5a861228867c4461e5cf936a4873e99fb4a0da6} difference range for most alternate tunings so you should be fine.

Conclusion

Alternate tunings can be very useful to a guitarist. They allow for different types of music to be played and they make it possible to create unique songs. Alternate tunings also make certain chords and scales easier to play, but they require a little more skill when it comes time to play certain songs or chords with them.

Each person has their own opinion on alternate tunings, but in the end, all that matters is what works best for you.