wafflehead Posted November 23, 2017 Share Posted November 23, 2017 Singer here influenced by Axl What tuning do Guns typically play live in? I always thought they played in standard tuning (E) but I don’t know lol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AxlRoseCDII Posted November 23, 2017 Share Posted November 23, 2017 Guns songs are in Eb, which is half a step down from standard tuning. They play live like this as well. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DizzyReed63 Posted November 23, 2017 Share Posted November 23, 2017 Yep, every song is a half-step down, except for Madagascar on the album. It's standard tuning, for some reason. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
James Bond Posted November 23, 2017 Share Posted November 23, 2017 Every single "classic Guns" song is in E-flat tuning, otherwise known as a half-step down from Standard. The lone exception is The Garden which is in Drop C# tuning (which is just Drop D tuning but a half-step down). The Chinese Democracy songs vary a little bit with some alternate tunings. The title track is standard Drop D, for example, while TWAT is in Standard. Shackler's is in the mighty Drop B tuning although Bumble and Tommy readapted their respective parts for Drop C#. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AxlRoseCDII Posted November 23, 2017 Share Posted November 23, 2017 1 hour ago, James Bond said: Every single "classic Guns" song is in E-flat tuning, otherwise known as a half-step down from Standard. The lone exception is The Garden which is in Drop C# tuning (which is just Drop D tuning but a half-step down). The Chinese Democracy songs vary a little bit with some alternate tunings. The title track is standard Drop D, for example, while TWAT is in Standard. Shackler's is in the mighty Drop B tuning although Bumble and Tommy readapted their respective parts for Drop C#. Gave you a like since you being at 3,499 was giving me OCD. I believe that Better was in some weird tuning as well, no? Don’t know if the tab was accurate but when I was trying to learn Better it told me Drop C# as well. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeez Posted November 23, 2017 Share Posted November 23, 2017 16 minutes ago, AxlRoseCDII said: Gave you a like since you being at 3,499 was giving me OCD. I believe that Better was in some weird tuning as well, no? Don’t know if the tab was accurate but when I was trying to learn Better it told me Drop C# as well. Better is Drop D. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eric Cantona Posted November 23, 2017 Share Posted November 23, 2017 46 minutes ago, Jeez said: Better is Drop D. Drop C# 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeez Posted November 23, 2017 Share Posted November 23, 2017 (edited) 4 hours ago, AslatIE said: Drop C# Well, according to Richard Fortus it's Drop D. 08:45 Edited November 23, 2017 by Jeez Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eric Cantona Posted November 23, 2017 Share Posted November 23, 2017 9 minutes ago, Jeez said: Well, according to Richard Fortus it's Drop D. 08:45 Drop C#. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeez Posted November 23, 2017 Share Posted November 23, 2017 1 minute ago, AslatIE said: Drop C#. Yea I'm sure you know 'better' than the guy who wrote parts of it and plays it live every night Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eric Cantona Posted November 23, 2017 Share Posted November 23, 2017 7 minutes ago, Jeez said: Yea I'm sure you know 'better' than the guy who wrote parts of it and plays it live every night You play guitar? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeez Posted November 23, 2017 Share Posted November 23, 2017 2 minutes ago, AslatIE said: You play guitar? Lol I know what you're trying to say (drop D transposed a whole step down), but you're wrong. It's not how they play it live. I don't really care if you believe me or not. But for the sake of the thread, here's a rig rundown where Richard specifies Better is played in standard drop D live. @ 7:23 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5xN2UuwUk8g Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eric Cantona Posted November 23, 2017 Share Posted November 23, 2017 (edited) 37 minutes ago, Jeez said: Lol I know what you're trying to say (drop D transposed a whole step down), but you're wrong. It's not how they play it live. I don't really care if you believe me or not. But for the sake of the thread, here's a rig rundown where Richard specifies Better is played in standard drop D live. @ 7:23 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5xN2UuwUk8g Is it still a half step up then? Edited November 23, 2017 by AslatIE Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
James Bond Posted November 23, 2017 Share Posted November 23, 2017 Better is most definitely in Drop C#. Most people who play a half-step down just refer to chords as they appear and not as they sound, if that makes sense. I guess theoretically Richard could have transposed his parts to Standard Drop D but I don't see why he would for this particular song. The bridge riff under "I never wanted you to be so full of anger..." wouldn't work in Standard Drop D because the lowest note is, in fact, a C#. Heck, the chorus and parts of the verse wouldnt even work because the low C# note continues to crop up. The home key of the song is also C# minor. Now, I don't know "better" than Richard but Robin and Bumble both most definitely played it in Drop C#. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
James Bond Posted November 23, 2017 Share Posted November 23, 2017 24 minutes ago, Jeez said: Lol I know what you're trying to say (drop D transposed a whole step down), but you're wrong. It's not how they play it live. I don't really care if you believe me or not. But for the sake of the thread, here's a rig rundown where Richard specifies Better is played in standard drop D live. @ 7:23 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5xN2UuwUk8g That may have been a typo on your part but just to clarify for others - Drop D tuning transposed a whole step would be Drop C. Drop C# is just a half-step down. It's typically not referred to as its enharmonic twin "Drop D-flat" because that's what the masters of music theory once decided I guess. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Izzymacbeth Posted November 23, 2017 Share Posted November 23, 2017 Better is drop C#. Even my own band plays in Eb and we still call the G shape a G even though its actually F# we hear and likewise with drop D even though its drop C#. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eric Cantona Posted November 23, 2017 Share Posted November 23, 2017 @Jeez haha fuck you I won Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Russel Nash Posted November 23, 2017 Share Posted November 23, 2017 8 hours ago, James Bond said: Every single "classic Guns" song is in E-flat tuning, otherwise known as a half-step down from Standard. The lone exception is The Garden which is in Drop C# tuning (which is just Drop D tuning but a half-step down). The Chinese Democracy songs vary a little bit with some alternate tunings. The title track is standard Drop D, for example, while TWAT is in Standard. Shackler's is in the mighty Drop B tuning although Bumble and Tommy readapted their respective parts for Drop C#. TWAT is in Eb to my ears. At least i played in that tuning. Everything else i agree. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SoundOfAGun Posted November 23, 2017 Share Posted November 23, 2017 2 hours ago, Izzymacbeth said: Better is drop C#. Even my own band plays in Eb and we still call the G shape a G even though its actually F# we hear and likewise with drop D even though its drop C#. Eb is my tuning choice as well, it would be a twat to call each chord it's "real" name just because you're half a step down. 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RussTCB Posted November 23, 2017 Share Posted November 23, 2017 I watched @ZoSoRose play Better in standard tuning recently I think, but I think it's supposed to be drop c#, no? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
James Bond Posted November 23, 2017 Share Posted November 23, 2017 1 hour ago, Russel Nash said: TWAT is in Eb to my ears. At least i played in that tuning. Everything else i agree. I mean TWAT is easy enough to transpose to E-flat tuning by just shifting everything up a fret but based on the chord shapes on the acoustic guitar track I'm pretty sure it was recorded in standard. Then everything is just your usual B minor chord shapes. It could go either way since it's possible to play it with ease in both tunings. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Izzymacbeth Posted November 23, 2017 Share Posted November 23, 2017 7 minutes ago, SoundOfAGun said: Eb is my tuning choice as well, it would be a twat to call each chord it's "real" name just because you're half a step down. Exactly. Its just easier cos we isually play while teaching etc and in other bands in standard. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DizzyReed63 Posted November 23, 2017 Share Posted November 23, 2017 FWIW - I think they mix up the tunings of the guitars on Better to give it some depth and diversity. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
t-p-d-a Posted November 23, 2017 Share Posted November 23, 2017 They played in 1985 - 1986 in standard tuning! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slim1023 Posted November 27, 2017 Share Posted November 27, 2017 In that long equipment rundown posted a few days ago, Slash's tech says they use 4 tunings. E, Eb, Drop D, DropC#. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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