Figure  1 – The Fender PT-100 chromatic guitar tuner

I think i’ve found one of the most useful pieces of equipment any guitarist can own! Such statements shouldn’t be made lightly, but in this case I stand by it. If you need a new tuner you really should consider this one. In the PT-100, Fender have a solid, durable and, most importantly, easy to use tuner that works for guitar and bass. It does the job, and it does it well.

So what’s so special? Surely a tuner is a tuner? Well, yes and no. The first thing you notice about the PT-100 is its weight; this is a rugged, heavy-duty stage tuner. Its die-cast metal casing isn’t going to break, and the hinged battery cover is screwed down – this will survive a good gigging for sure. But the weight has another advantage for simple home-tuning. When you plug in to tune it stays where it is. How annoying is it to have a lightweight tuner that can’t bear the weight of the cable that plugs into it, and ends up on the floor, usually in two pieces with the battery hanging out?

Of course the floor is where this tuner is designed to be. The LEDs that tell you whether you are flat, sharp, or just right, are very bright indeed. You’ll be able to tune from standing in any lighting conditions…. and seeing as this is a chromatic tuner there are no switches to flip. Just lights to tell you which way to go!

 The PT-100 has two outputs, the second for muted tuning. Silent adjustments can be made mid-set, purely by stepping on the pedal. And when the input jack is removed no more power is drawn from the battery. Never again will you unpack for rehearsal to find a flat battery from when you left it on last time! And when it is time, the battery can be accessed by loosening the screw on the underside. Here again Fender have thought of everything; this simple large slot-head isn’t going to fall out, yet can be opened with a small coin or stiff plectrum.

 This is a great piece of equipment, and although more expensive than some lighter tuners, it really is worth every cent.

• Buy the
• See also Fender AG-6 guitar tuner

Figure 1 – When it comes to time based effects, don’t be surprised to see Boss pedals take the lead in most categories. (Pictured on the left)

The first type effect we will be looking at is the looping pedals. These types of pedals actually record a section of sound, with the purpose of playing them repeatedly. This is great for guitarists who don’t have a friend present to do rhythm guitar, or wants to use these loops in order to create special effects. It also lets guitarists listen to a song as whole, and not just one specific aspect. The Boss RC-2 and Digitech JamMan are good examples of pedals that will do this.

Figure 2- The Boss RC-2 and Digitech JamMan. 

The Boss RC-2 retails at around $180 (Listen to video sample), while the Digitech JamMan retails at around $300 (Listen to video sample). 

Next, we have the chorus effect. This is just as much fun as the looping effects in a sense, because there are so many sounds. A guitarist can create thick rich walls of sound (so it actually sounds like several guitars are playing at once), crazy tremolo effects, or just a light chorus to fill out a lead line slightly. Look out for the Boss CE-5, Line 6 Space Chorus, and Ibanez CF-7.

Figure 3 – The Boss CE-5, Line 6 Space Chorus, and Ibanez CF-7. 

The Boss CE-5 retails at around $80, the Line 6 Space Chorus goes for around $120, and the Ibanez CF-7 retails at about $60.

One of the more popular time delay effects is the echo. These pedals simply take incoming signal, and delay it to make a echo of the actual signal. The echo effect is amazing when added to other effects, creating amazing soundscapes – try it with a slide if you’ve got one. You can also make some very interesting rhythm effects. The most popular pedals to look out for in this category are the Boss DD-6, and the Line 6 Echo Park.

Figure 4 - The Boss DD-6 and the Line 6 Echo Park.  

The Boss DD-6 retails at around $160 (Listen to demo), while the Line 6 Echo Park is around $150 (Listen to demo).

Lastly, we come to the interesting effect of the flanger. Several types of the flanger pedal can be doubled over as a reverb pedal as well, which is a nice benefit. The flanger essentially takes the incoming signal, slows it down, and then speeds it back up to its original position. The unique sound that results has been popular among older rock, but also sees applications in newer playing styles. Add it to distortion and you’ll sound more like a jet engine at take off. Flangers are pretty good for bass too. The leaders of the flanger industry include the Boss BF-3, and the Line 6 Liqua Flange.

Figure 5 - The Boss BF-3 and Line 6 Liqua-Flange. 

The Boss BF-3 retails at around $120 (Listen to sample), while the Line 6 Liqua-Flange comes in at around at the same price of $120 (Liten to sample). 

The majority of time based distortion pedals will be used in solos or specific rhythm applications, and to provide contrast to a basic sound. You can have real fun with some of these sounds, but take care not to overdo it! Its hard I know. Nevertheless, they provide fantastic sounds that many bands from Rock and Roll’s past have taken advantage of- and they are just as popular today.

•  Choosing Between Basic Distortion Pedals

Figure 1 - They may resemble tennis rackets, but pop filters can mean the difference between a professional sound, and just another home-made recording.

A pop filter serves as the sole purpose to clean up vocals. It will eliminate the “pop” sound that vocalists make while pronounced words that start with a ldquo;p” or “b”. Words that give this undesired popping sound are called aspirated plosives.  Words that make a hissing sound, such as the word “seashell”, are called fricatives. Essentially, pop filters attenuate these undesired sounds before getting to the microphone. Small vocal blemishes must be removed to get a professional recording- but not everyone can afford to buy a professional pop filter.

Basically, a pop filter is just a piece of nylon stretched over a frame that goes between the vocalist and the microphone. The problem with most cheap pop filters is the simplicity- the attachment that aligns the pop filter with the microphone almost always breaks or becomes unreliable. Professional pop filters also seek to mask frequencies in which the microphone is not designed to pickup- which would otherwise lead to clipping.

Figure 2 - Here is another cheap home-made pop filter. They may not look the best, but they’ll often get the job done.

There are two solutions for avoiding the hassle of a cheap pop filter. The first is to fashion one by spare parts. Putting nylon over a tennis racket, for instance, is one of the more popular makeshift pop filters. Coat hangers work well, since they are bendable. Coat hangers also work well for attaching the pop filter to the microphone stand- although a little work might be required to get it perfect. While this is a cheap solution, it isn’t professional- but it depends on what the individual needs the pop filter for.

For professional pop filters, the price can go from $40 to $60. This may not seem like a lot, but keep in mind that a piece of nylon and a frame is being bought here. With this kind f price, the options are much more convenient than the average $15 pop filter. The gooseneck and clamp are one of the main problem areas that are fixed with professional pop filters. Some professional pop filters also accustom to special needs, such as double filters or a wider radius of coverage. The more expensive pop filters will even have metal filters- not nylon.

Figure 3 - This is a metal pop filter- it costs more money, but the results are much more favorable than that of nylon materials.

Not every cheap pop filter will fail- but on average, they don’t last as long as the more expensive ones. The most faulty part is the gooseneck and clamp, so be sure to either test one out at the local music store or get a good review of a pop filter before buying one. If all else fails, and a sense of professionalism isn’t needed, grab some spare parts from the garage or closet and see what you can come up with.

• Recording Options for Guitarists 

Alternate picking is an easy concept to grasp- but much harder to put into proper use. The idea behind alternate picking is to alternate picking directions with ech sounded note. This means that after every downs stroke of the pick, there is an up stroke as well. Beginners will find this to be a little hard to do at first, but it will eventually lead to an easier method to learn tremolo picking. It also makes most rhythms much easier to play, and faster. The downside to alternate picking is the arpeggio. An arpeggio incorporates multiple strings, so staying with the alternate picking pattern will also decrease speed.

The main argument between alternative and direct picking is speed. Direct picking pattern supporters claim that the shortest distance between two points is a straight line. This is true, but so is the fact that the guitar pick almost always surpasses the guitar string on a down stroke- so it is usually much faster to pluck the string again while returning to the original position. This lets speed be taken to the next level, but as stated before, it doesn’t work so well for multiple string arpeggios.

The majority of self-taught guitar players will of course use directional picking- as it is the natural way to play. Alternate picking does have its benefits for those who require speed, so it is usually learned after directional picking is picked up. Of course, there are guitar legends that stick to both picking styles- so neither group is necessarily right or wrong. In fact, the best way to go is to achieve a hybrid sense of picking. In a hybrid picking between alternate and direct picking, both picking styles are used for what they do best. Direct picking can allow guitar players to play arpeggios, and also play crtain rhythms faster. Alternate picking can allow amazing speeds to be achieved through practice- as long as the rhythm is based around only a few strings at most.

With the fusion of alternate and direct picking, comes the term economy picking. Economy picking is usually the best way to get the best speed from both picking methods. If the next note to be played lies on another string, it obviously shouldn’t incorporate alternative picking. Each change of string brings another direct pick technique. If there are a few notes located on one particular string, then alternte picking should be used if necessary.

Those who are new to the guitar shouldn’t be afraid to learn the alternate picking technique- it is usually what fast types of music such as metal rely on. Learning it can be tough especially without a teacher to act as a guide, but guitar legends such as John Petrucci can attest to the fact that alternate picking is just as important as direct picking, although it will take some time to master.

To start off, every song is divided into measures. Measures are small segments separated by bar lines, or vertical slashes. Different types of bar lines mean different things. A single vertical slash simply means the measure is complete, while a double bar line indicaes the section of measures is at an end. Lastly, a terminal bar line indicates the end of a piece of music.

Measures are composed of beats, or counts per measure. Right next to the treble clef is a pair of numbers, which looks like a fraction. The most common is 4/4 time, which simply means there are 4 beats per measure, and each quarter note is a whole beat. This is also seen sparingly as the capital C, which means common time, or 4/4 time. Other timing signatures that are less common may be somewhat harder to play. Essentially, the top number determinesthe beats per measure, and the bottom number indicates the type of note receiving each beat. ¾ timing is defined by 3 beats per measure, with Quarter notes receiving each beat. Likewise, a 6/8 time signature means that each measure is 6 beats, and that the Eighth note receives each beat.

A guitar player will notice that each bottom number can indicate a different duration- but do not be discouraged there are only 5 basic durations to remember. A Whole note is 4 beats, a Half note is 2 beats, a Quarter note is 1 beat, an Eighth note is ½ a beat, and a Sixteenth note is ¼ of a beat. Notice that each step, the timing is halved. This makes learning the systm very easy. Practicing each note with a metronome will give a guitar player the skills necessary to play each note’s duration correctly. In 4/4 time, 4 quarter notes will each take a second to play- this is a nice exercise to practice to get perfect timing.

Of course, guitar players won’t always be pumping out notes and sounds- rests are needed too. The common 5 rests are just like the common note durations, only with different symbols. One thing that can complicate things is the dotted note. A dot placed immediately after the note head increases the duration of th note or rest by one half. Why complicate things? The answer lies in accurate timing. If every note was 1, 2, or 4 beats long, there would be nothing in between each note’s duration. A note with a duration of 3 beats may be needed- and to get this, you add a Half note with a dot (2 beats + one half of two beats = 3 beats).

Ever wonder why some groups of notes have big black beams across them? This is to make reading music much more legible. For instance, say that eight ¼ notes were in succession with each other. It would be tough reading each note, while playing, and keeping track of which note you were on, wouldn’t it? Thi is why notes that are alike or similar are grouped together. These same eight ½ notes can be combines into a group of 4 beamed notes. This can also be done with similar notes, such as one Quarter note and two Eighth notes.

At the end of this lesson, it’s time to bust out the metronome and get to work. Practice timing until it comes as second nature to tell the difference between a whole note and half note is. When timing is perfected, a piece of sheet music can be gazed at, and recreating the song’s exact timing should be no trouble at all. If timing isn’t a strong point in a guitar player’s qualities, then a good metronome will do a world of good.

• An Introduction to Music Theory 

There are several ways to g about recording. For guitar players with 1-2 band members, or soloists, the easiest and cheapest way is to go through a computer or laptop. A cheap connector can be bought at most tech stores, such as Radio Shack- that lets the guitar player plug in right into the audio-in line on a laptop or computer. This method usually requires software that allows the player to distort, mix, or alter the incoming signal. This is by far the cheapest method, but only suitable for extremely small bands and soloists.

A less economical yet more efficient wy of recording for small bands is via recording interfaces. These interfaces often will cost anywhere from $100-$400, depending on the quality and options. They are usually fairly small boxes that enable input of microphones, instrument lines, and offer volume/distortion controls. This usually eliminates the need for buying extra guitar recording software, as it is included with most interfaces. This method is far more stable than simply hooking into an audio-in line, as it allows for more control and will support smaller bands easier.

Multi-track ecorders are usually needed for larger bands. These recorders often come in packages that include microphones, monitors, and the necessary cables and accessories. Most multi-track recorders will have a feature to burn the music onto a CD or cassette, or otherwise will let a user port data onto a computer for further editing. Multi-track recorders are a step above recording interfaces, since they offer even more control over tones, volumes, and sound effects of instruments or vocals that are being recorded. Most multi-track recorders will cost $400-$2,000, and usually are the only choice for larger bands looking to record music. They also make very portable solutions, since they do not require a computer to function.

For capturing live sound, a separate device is usually needed. These are called field recorders, and are usually fairly advanced- as the price tag shows. These devices can easily reach a thousand or couple of thousand dollars. Field recorders usually incorporate condenser microphones into a very small package, of which is very sensitive to sound, but won’t capture background noise. There are of course field recorders that are somewhat cheap, but it isn’t recommended to invest in them. The cheaper versions will almost always offer poor quality sound, and will heavily lack features necessary to get CD quality sound.

Choosing the recording method for the correct situation is ideal. Of course, setting up a cheap microphone next to an amplifier will give the worst loss of sound quality- as most guitar players will find out. Investing in a cheap connector and a software package should be the absolute least that any serious guitar player should do. When things start to get more serious, there are a lot of areas to improve before moving onto the next piece of recording hardware- microphones, monitors, stands, mixers, compressors, and much more should all be considered before taking the next step to buying a more expensive recording interface.

• Are Pop Filters Necessary for Recording? 

Figure 1 - There are several basic types of distortion that guitar players should explore. Fuzz crunch, overdrive, and high-gain will be the most common.

Overdriven distortion is much like the name implies- the signal is cut off at a certain frequency to distort the signal.  This is the most basic and common of the four main basic distortion types. These types of edals almost always use solid-state design, although some pedals can be found to incorporate tubes for and edgier sound. The most popular pedals in this class of distortion come from Digitech, Boss, Line 6, and Marshall.

Figure 2 - (From left to right) The Boss DS-1, the Digitech Hot Head, the Marshall Guv’Nor, and the Line 6 Dr. Distorto.

The Boss DS-1 offers a sturdy solution for around $40-listen to sample.

The Digitech Hot Head offers a competitive price at around $40- listen to sample.

The Marshall Guv’nor is a bit higher priced at around $70-listen to sample.

The Line 6 Dr. Distorto offers a more expensive price at $99-listen to sample.

Fuzz distortion pedals also sound like the name implies- a fuzzy type of raunchy distortion that became popular in the 1960s. Guaranteed to turn the weakest solo into a monster! As usual Boss and Electro-Harmonix make great fuzz pedals, but look out for the Keeley Fuzz head which has incredible versatility.

Figure 3 - The Boss FZ-5 Fuzz, Electro-Harmonix Little Big Muff, and the Keeley Fuzz Head. 

The Boss FZ-5 Fuzz pedal comes in at $120, but offers great tone control- listen to sample.

The Electro-Harmonix Big Muff is a more modest $70, which is considerably cheaper- listen to sample.

The Keeley Fuzz Head can easily cost a couple of hundred dollars, but is worth every cent! listen to samples.

Metal fans will undoubtedly flock to the high-gain distortions that offer high-crunch, grit, and head banging worthy tones that bring new life to a guitar. Digitech and Boss have almost a complete monopoly on this section of distortion, and choosingbetween the two can be somewhat difficult- both are competitively priced and of great quality.

Figure 4 - The Boss Metal Zone, and the Digitech MetalMaster.

The Boss Metal Zone will offer a great metal sound at around $90- listen to sample.

The Digitech MetalMaster even has an optional control for morphing, and costs just a bit cheaper than the Boss Metal Zone- listen to sample.

Last but not least, the crunch distortion that is popular among grunge and older rock bands is almost a guaranteed hit with guitar players. Boss, Digitech, and Ibanez dominate the market with their crunchy distortion pedals.

Figure 5 - The Boss SD-1, Digitech Bad Monkey, and Ibanez Tube Screamer. 

The Boss SD-1 is just $50, and is sure to please- listen to sample.  

The Digitech Bad Monkey is a little cheaper at $40- listen to sample.

Lastly, the Ibanez Vintage Tube Screamer is a bit pricier at around $170, but it is considered to be the best in a few respects- there is no better sample of this distortion pedal than to listen to Metallica’s “Nothing Else Matters.” While the Ibanez Tube Screamer is actually best for Blues and older Rock, it is commonly used in grunge bands to get a very unique crunch sound in modern day society.

Deciding on which distortion pedal to go for can be hard, the best solution is to ask friends or local music stores if you can test a few out to see what is best for a particular playing style. Basic distortion such as fuzz, overdrive, crunch, and high-gain are just the start; more flashier effects achieved through delays and filters are available to guitar players too. If you are a rock guitarist, these distortion pedals are almost completely necessary. Try out a few istortion pedals, and have fun!.

• Choosing Between Between Time-Based Distortion Pedals

Figure 1 - The top shows standard notation, while the bottom shows tablature. Notice how there is no rhythm or timing for tablature, as compared to standard notation. 

Tablature works on the simple principle of telling guitar players where to place fingers, and can even signal special effects sch as a vibrato or hammer-on. The guitar community usually shortens the word tablature to tab, to save time and effort. To start out, Figure 2 shows a standard tablature measure:

There are six lines in this example- one for every string on the standard guitar. You may have noticed the e, B, G, D, A, and E next to each line. This labels which string the tablature is referencing on the guitar. The top, or string “e”, will always be the smallest string on the guitar. The bottom, or string “E”, will always be the thickest string on the guitar. The rest of the letters represent the strings in between. To avoid confusion, the “e” string is called &lquo;little e”, and the “E” string is called “big E.”

The numbers on figure 2 represent where the finger should be placed on the fretboard. Notice how string E has the number 0 on it. This means that you play the string “open”, which means just pluck the string without holding any frets down. The next number is a 1, and it is on the A string. This means that the second string should be held down at fret 1, which is at the top of the guitar neck. It is fairly simple, as you have found out, to play music this way.

While playing this example of “Mary had a Little Lamb”, take it slow. Learning tablature is simple, but may take some growing accustomed to. Also try and see if you can figure out any flaws in the tablature system while playing:

 Mary had a Little Lamb

 

While playing the example, it is more than likely that you noticed there are some timing and rhythm problems with tablature. Tablature has no way of telling the player when to play a note, and can only poorly, if at all, indicate a musical “rest.” This is certainly no problem for “Mary had a Little Lamb” tab, but compositions in genres such as classical music are impossible to play in tablature. Most songs will be completely fine, as the song is usually already heard before trying to play it.

Every example so far has used single nots- something most songs do not abide by. Instead, chords are used to give a healthier sound to the music. A chord is simply two or more notes sounded together at the same time.  Look at the below example of the same song above, only played with chords. (As a hint, try playing the third note with the index and pinky finger. The “0”, or open string, means to strum the string without holding a fret down.)

Mary had a Little Lamb Verse 1 (With chords) :

The song now sounds much more “full”, and gives a healthier sound. For more advanced techniques, special characters are used to inicate a hammer-ons, pull-offs, and much more.  Often, different tabs will have different letters or symbols indicating a special technique.

A slide usually uses the format of “fret number / fret number” or “fret number s fretnumber”, which would look like a “4/6” and “4s6” using the fourth and sixth fret. The “/” usually indicates an ascending slide, while the “\” indicates a descending slide.

A hammer-on or pull-off usually takes the form of “fret number H fret number”, which would look like a “4h6” in a real world example (“4p6” for a pul-off). Hammer-ons are simply pressing down a string at the given fret number without plucking. This won’t make a big difference in sound, as nothing is plucked, but it will provide a feint sound. A Pull-off is more common, and is accomplished by pressing down on the fret number given, and then quickly releasing. It gives a nice reverberating sound after the note, and is usually more common than a hammer-on. 

A vibrato is simply “wiggling” a string up and down (usually fast), to give an interesting change in pitch for the note. This is usually done by the “v” letter or the “~”.  (9~, 9v) 

A string mute, also known as a rake, gives a harmonic and percussive sound to guitars. It is simple to do- hold down a string with the right palm, where you would pluck it. Now pick the string- and notice the change in sound. Muting can also be down with the left hand- both ways give different sounds. This is almost always shown as an “X” or “x”.

With these basics learned, reading tablature is the first step to learning new and exciting material. By all means, learn something with a little more excitement than “Mary had a Little Lamb”- there is a wide range of music to choose from. Keep in mind that learning a new song usually requires correct timing information- and this is where tablature books come in. Tablature books, also known as sheet music, will give standard notation and tablature- so timing and rhythm aren’t a problem (a little music theory will be necessary most likely). Programs, such as GuitarPro, will also let users read, write, and play tablature with incredible ease. It isn’t free- but it has an amazing amount of tabs written for it, and the ability to play what the tabs should sound like is invaluable. Finding tablature may be hard, as it has recently become an issue with legal concerns- but a little searching will no doubt get you started on the pathway to a long and exciting hobby orcareer with guitar playing.

Figure 1 - It might not look like a fretboard, but it is! Don’t worry if it looks confusing- it’s actually quite simple. Learning music theory is vital to the avid guitarist!

To start off, the guitar is almost always a six string instrument, divided into 21 or 22 &ldqo;frets.”  The guitar is tuned low from high, represented by the letters E-A-D-G-B-E. Each letter represents a different string, with the first E being the thickest gauge wire, and the last E being the thinnest. The first E string is commonly referred to as the “low E string”, and the last one is referred to as the “high E string.”

You will notice that each letter, from A to G, has a seemingly complex ordering system. The notes are arranged by pitch up to the twelfth fret, and then the octave starts over. Anything twelve frets apart from one note can be said to be an octave higher or lower. Octaves are simply the same note in a separate pitch. See the below example:

Figure 2 - Notice how the highlighted “A” nte appears more than once! (Also keep in mind that the open “A” string counts too!) These are the same notes, just octaves apart!

The arrangement of pitch makes it easy to produce pleasing sounds in standard tuning with little effort. Separate tunings, such as Drop D tuning, reduce the low E string by a full octave. Can you guess what this would do to the fingerings of a simple chord in standard tuning? It would make it as easy as holding down the top three strings to form a chord! This is the standard for many rhythm guitarists, as it makes it even easier shift chords, not to mention doing so much faster.

Since all frets are arranged according to octaves, each fret is technically a half step increment, and is part of the chromatic scale. You may have become familiar with some music theory terms, and heard the term “flat” or “sharp.” This is simply a note that is a half step closer to the next note, but isn&rsquot quite either note. You could replace all the “#” symbols in Figure 1 with the “flat” symbol of the next letter. On the first string, the “F#” (F sharp) is also a “Gb” (G flat).

That concludes your first lesson in Music Theory! Now for some homework; you need to be able to memorize every note on the fretboard! Don’t worry, it isn’t as impossible as it seems, and knowing every pitch on the fretboard will payout in the long run many times over. Practice this same-note training exercise to train yourself, at least once a day with different notes until the entire fretboard is memorized:

Figure 3 - Notice that this is the same note, the “A” note. Just different octaves! You can download the GuitarPro 5 file here: Pitch Practice 

• Music Theory – The Importance of Rhythm 

Figure 1 - Drop D tuning is popular among many music types- such as grunge. Nirvana’s “Heart Shaped Box” used Drop D Tuning.

The only requirement necessary before starting is to tune the guitar in standard tuning. Once standard tuning is in check, we can get startd on going to Drop D. The easy part about Drop D tuning is that we are only modifying one string- the sixth to be exact (the thickest gauge string). The fourth string in standard tune is a D string, so it can be used as a reference. Simply pluck the fourth string, while plucking the sixth string. In standard tuning, this will make two distinct notes. Adjust the sixth string until these notes are virtually the same.

This can be done more quickly with a tuner, but when one isn’t handy this is a great solution. With this type of tuning, power chords are incredibly simple. Try holding down and strumming the bottom three strings- simple isn’t it? This position can be moved all the way up and down the fret board and still sound great. Normally, this would sound horrible in standard tuning- not to mention there is less strain on the hand- making Drop D tuning ideal for fast players.

Figure 2 - The lowered octave on the 6th string makes a perfect chord when strumming the three bottom strings in-line!

Reverting back to standard tuning is almost as simple. This usually requires ear training, or the help of a guitar tuner. Tuning to Drop D was simpler, because we could easily pluck the fourth string as a reference. Aside from the need of a little experience in tuning or the presence of a tuner, going back to standard tuning is just as simple- only one string needs to be modified.

Songs that are dependent upon power chords will most likely require Drop D tuning. A lot of rhythm guitarists in bands have this tuning, as it makes chord progression incredibly easy and less prone to error. The best part is, switching between Drop D and standard tuning is as easy as modifying one simple string. To test Drop D tuning out for the first time, it is recommended that you play “Spoonman” by Soundgarden with standard tuning, and then again in Drop D- to see just how easier it really is, and how great it sounds.