EEN STOOMCURSUS "OPEN EN ALTERNATE TUNINGS"
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For many generations, great guitarists have understood the power of alternate tunings and open tuningsalternate tunings being deviations from standard tuning's tried-and-true EADGBE, low string to high string; open tunings being any tuning which forms a full chord when all open strings are strummed together. To the uninitiated, however, these departures from standard tuning can be anywhere from slightly confusing to utterly baffling. It's easy to get into a mindset that says that standard is "normal" and anything else is "not quite right," and certainly it might seem that way to your fingers and ears when you first venture into uncharted musical waters. The truth is, however, using an alternate tuning will actually make it a lot easier to play many styles of music, and chances are you'll feel at home with the changes a lot quicker than you might expect after just a short time of dedicated practice. Check out these basic chords for some popular open and alternate tunings. Notice how they put melodic runs within easy reach, for certain types of fingerstyle playing in particular, by putting open strings within the key or scale of the song in question, and also how they make slide (bottleneck) playing much easier by creating chords that can be played on all open strings together or on any barred fret. Traditionally, one of the things that has discouraged many players from exploring alternate tunings thoroughly is the sheer work of changing the guitar from one tuning to another and back again. Professional performers who regularly use more than one tuning generally keep a number of different guitars on stage in different tunings, at arm's reach and ready to go, just to ease the work of all that tuner twisting. But all that is a thing of the past, and here's where one of the great beauties about the Robot Guitar comes into play: just rotate the Master Control Knob to the desired preset, strum, and you're ready to play in Open E, Dropped D, DADGAD, Open G, Hendrix Tuning, Double Dropped D, or any of your own custom tunings that you program into the system. When the song is through, twist the MCK knob, strum again, and you're back in standard tuning for the next number. Explore, play, create it couldn't be simpler, and you'll be amazed at how your musical horizons expand.  OPEN G  DADGAD  DROP D  DOUBLE DROP D  Great guitarists have often gotten themselves heard by busting out past the norms, and one way to do this involves looking past "standard tuning" (EADGBE) to explore alternate and open tunings. These tunings, which include some time-tested along with some more radical and original configurations, have helped plenty of great artists stand out from the crowd over the years, and can be a quick way for new players to catch the ears of their listeners too. Frequently, alternate tunings provide easier access to unusual melodic structures or self-accompanied parts that can be extremely difficult to achieve in standard tuning. As such they are real attention grabbers, and have contributed to making a number of major rock, blues, jazz, and country hits over the years-many of which you might not have realized were accomplished in anything other than good old standard tuning, until you tried to play them. Here are a few examples of the power and possibility of open and alternate tunings. Meer Guitar Headlines
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