I was just thinking of this and wondering; are there any "duo" guitarists where each uses a different tuning? Like one plays in standard e and one may play in drop C or anything like that? ANy mix of tunings, not just specifically standard and drop tunings. Reason I'm asking is I'm thinking of writing some music with two different tuned guitar parts and I'm seeing if it would even work.

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Emperor on "Prometheus" used a 6-string and a 7 string, sounds awesome!

One of my fav albums ever.

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Were they in different tunings? A 6 and 7 string in E-standard is the same tuning, just one has one string more/an extra low note.

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Yeah, I see what you mean, same tuning but with the extra B for the 7, it's very classical, using the 7 sort-of bass-like. Not "different" tunnings though.

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I myself always wanted to try that(maybe make whole song in p.fifths) but i thought that would make it kinda boring

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The biggest advantage I would see with it is larger range. Plus, think of someone striking an E Power Chord and another person striking a low C power chord on a C-tuned guitar (Two steps down, of course). I think it could work if applied right. I'd just like to see about bands with guitarists who do that so I can see how they make it work.

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Jimmy Page was a master at this. Notes/pitches are notes/pitches no matter what the tuning, if it's in harmony, it works!

i think iron maiden might, i can remember Yanick Gers saying that he was playing in drop D for some songs whilst the other 2 guitarists are in E standard

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Spawn of Possession. One dude plays in B on a six string, the other(lead guy) plays a 7, so the tuning is a bit different. Trey Azagthoth from morbid angel plays all the 7-string guitar songs with a 7-string, but plays the leads on only 6-strings when recording, but given they're both at the same pitch(half step down).

2 different tunings at the same time? I don't know any bands that do that. Not very practical for anything outside of recording.

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Cradle Of Filth uses it now. James is in Drop C and Paul is in C Standard. Never really saw the point of it. But whatever.

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There's that old rumour that Terrence and Doug from Suffocation tune differently...

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I dunno about Terrence and Doug tuning differently, I have a live video of Suffocation from 1995 and they're basically on the same fret when they're playing unison parts.

The best example I can think of this 'two tunings' thing is in King Crimson. Adrian Belew is tuned to standard E while Robert Fripp is tuned (low to high) C-G-D-A-E-G.

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Or even STP, one guitar open-tuned, the other standard

I dunno I thought an old Suffocation album one guitarist was in C# standard and the other was in C standard

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Nah, even though there's a few effigy tabs here that claim it I think it's nonsense, because there are no songs where anyone plays a low C, the lowest note you ever hear on all of Suffo's recordings is a C#. It would be so impractical to play it a half note down, you'd have to shift your hand down to the first fret everytime you just wanna do a low C# chug or speedpick.

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So that's "the rumor"?
I remember you and Chris wondering if one was in C and the other in C sharp. Anyhow, good tabs for sure. You guys rule.

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Two of my mates were in a band some time ago where one used a 7-string tuned standard and the other tuned a 6-string to drop-C#. The goal was simply to provide texture to the guitar parts (where drop tuning can give you access to chord shapes that standard tuning can't).

This kind of thing isn't for your standard metal riffs. It's really pointless if you're just doing palm muted chugging and power chords. However, you can make some more interesting guitar parts in a metal sense say if you use the kind of tuning mentioned earlier where one part might be in C-standard while the other part is in drop-C.

I think it's Adrian Smith who plays/played in Drop D.

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Thanks, man!

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Yeah I read about that in guitar world. Good call.

It's gotta be harder than shit to make two different tunings like that work together, and it makes me wonder if STP's new shit is any better than the crap they used to come up with.

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STP?

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stone temple pilots i believe

I had an idea with a guy I've been jamming with recently, He has a 6 string with light gauge strings, they're almost floppy in std. so I made him tune UP to EBEAC#F# ("raised E" as I like to call it) and I tuned my 7 string to Drop A, so we were harmonized a perfect 5th. We played for a couple of minutes and then he stopped and said "this is retarded!" and tuned back to normal. Made me want to tune down to G to spite him

Haha, I can see why he was pissed. His guitar probably sounded gay as hell. That's really a pretty cool idea though, as far as the harmonizing.

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Damn that sounds like an intresting idea ... might try something like that with my seven string and the other guitarist in my band [and hope he dosen't think it sounds retarded ]. cheers.

it will suck for whoever is tuning theirs higher/lower

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It would be great for counterpoint for bands that aren't so concerned with creating using the open strings too much or are more interesting in creating more textured- or harmonic-sounding stuff.

I'm often tempted with similar ideas. I was tempted to make my bassist keep his 6-string in B E A D G B/C, while I'm in A D G C F A D on my 7-string, especially because one of my riffs sounds to octave-y and steals from the 'flightly' sound of the guitars with the bass playing an octave down, whereas with standard, he can play in the same octave.

Actually in my covers band, I tune to A D G C F A D while the other guitarist alternates between two guitars tuned to drop D and standard D, which he puts to drop C for a couple of songs.

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