Guitar tuning, all strings down one full step

Rocker

This video popped into my inbox recently.  As I always liked CCR, I gave it a whirl.



It is clear to see that the left sided guitar player and the bassist are playing in the key of D major.  Yet John Fogerty on the right is playing using the E major chord shapes.  He tuned his guitar down a whole step, from EADGBE to DGCFAD.

I tuned my Tele to this DGCFAD tuning and it goes very well with a guitar tuned EADGBE, especially so when playing in the key of D major.  You get a full six string D major chord without the thumb over the fretboard malarkey of standard tuning.  This tuning works for other keys of course, but some on the hoof transposing is required.  Definitely worth giving it a go in a two guitar band or as an additional guitar on a recording.

I would love to try it in a band situation but I play bass in the band........

Hoof

In a former band I would tune to drop C (CGCFAD) and the other guitarist tuned C standard (CFBbEbGC).
It forced us to come up with different parts, especially when riffs were based around open strings.