List of Pro Guitar songs with *Alternative Tunings*

[demonhellcat]

@Mega-Tallica: Yeah, I agree, 10 gauge strings are the best for playing a wide range of music and won't hurt any guitar. If 9's are the only string allowed to keep the warranty in tact then I'd stick with those, at least until the warranty period is up. Again, I'm just echoing an earlier comment, I don't actually have the RB fender, just my trusty old Les Paul Studio.

[KMO_2000]

Got my Squier today, so busy trying out some of these tunings.

More for the list:

Werewolves of London and Can't Get Enough are both EGDGBE according to the trainer (A string dropped a tone), and that's correct.

The Con is EGDGBE in the trainer, but I had to tune up a semitone to FAbEbAbCF (or you could use a 1st-fret capo).

And Rock Lobster should be CFxxFF, if we believe the trainer's "shape". I've tried it and that sounds okay to me.

The trainer tunings aren't "wrong", at least within the limitations of the engine.

The basic point is that, as far as I can see, it only distinguishes between tunings that affect the fingering of chords. It doesn't know/care about straightforward transpositions.

It needs to know the relative tuning of the strings for its chord system to work/make sense. So that, for example, "3 5" is a power chord in a standard tuning, or "3 3" is in a drop tuning. And it accepts different fingerings of the same chords, so it needs to know the relative tuning of the strings.

But in the trainer, and also with the chords indicated on the charts, it ignores transpositions. "3 3" on any Drop tuning will always be shown as F5.

If you see the trainer say the strings are DADGBE, then it will be a drop tuning, but not necessarily drop D. For example, Killling Loneliness is shown as that, but is actually drop C.

The recognised shapes I've spotted so far are:

Standard (EADGBE) - includes Eb, D, F, and all standard capo fittings
Low E string dropped a tone (DADGBE) - Drop D, Drop Db, Drop C
A string dropped a tone (EGDGBE) - Can't Get Enough, The Con etc
Weird (EADGAA) - Rock Lobster (really CFxxFF - transposed down 2 tones)

That covers everything in the initial post here.

So if you're checking tunings, I think you can rely on the trainer display to get the shape, but you may just need to transpose the whole lot up or down.

[mayhem117]

I also believe Stop Me if You Think You've Heard This One Before is played with a capo on the 3rd fret and standard tuning. I suggest making another list for songs with capo playing and then maybe another list of alternate tunings for songs with capo playing

[daveyvandy]

I've set up a spreadsheet if people want:

http://tinyurl.com/4k7s2fg

Anyone can edit it, even not signed in. It'll automagically tell you what the note names are for the six strings, all you have to do is give it the name of the tuning and the capo/downtune (negative numbers for tuning down and positive numbers for capoing). I've got a couple sample songs in there right now. (Rock Lobster is entered but I have no idea what its tuning should actually be)

If a tuning you need isn't in the list just add it and it'll work.

It always shows the flat-names for b/# notes, I don't know any way around this, but the note names aren't "wrong" (even if sometimes the sharp name is more desirable).

Thanks for setting this site up, I couldn't keep up with the updates in my awful format

[KMO_2000]

Um, daveyvandy - maybe you could have populated the spreadsheet with the info from the post before you wiped it?

Edit: Maybe most of the info was in the first sheet, but I'm not sure. I've now populated the "proper" automated sheet, based on what I could glean from this thread, and the first sheet.

The first sheet (now renamed to "old data" and shoved right) can probably go now, but maybe someone should double-check the automated sheet first.

[daveyvandy]

Um, daveyvandy - maybe you could have populated the spreadsheet with the info from the post before you wiped it?

Edit: Maybe most of the info was in the first sheet, but I'm not sure. I've now populated the "proper" automated sheet, based on what I could glean from this thread, and the first sheet.

The first sheet (now renamed to "old data" and shoved right) can probably go now, but maybe someone should double-check the automated sheet first.

Yeah, I made a new sheet (that is now called Old data). This was a compilation of all the tunings I had. I actually went through and added all the bass tunings that are there too - no one seemed to care too much about bass

[rrwoods]

Glad I could be of help :-)

No One Knows is listed as EGDGBE down 4 steps, but it sounds like it's in Standard down 4 steps? At least the chord names seem to indicate that (with 7998xx being called "B", for example).

[scambot]

Got my Squier today, so busy trying out some of these tunings.

More for the list:

(awesomeness omitted)

So if you're checking tunings, I think you can rely on the trainer display to get the shape, but you may just need to transpose the whole lot up or down.

Sir, thank you for figuring out how Rock Band 3 handles alternative tunings, it makes perfect sense now. I wish some at Harmonix could have put that explanation in the game, or just come here and posted it.

So, what's the one exception where the trainer displayed tuning is wrong?

[KMO_2000]

Thanks, scambot. It appears rrheard got there first though with his spreadsheet - I just missed it

There isn't an exception - I just missed that when editing the post. I figured out whatever it was - probably Rock Lobster.

[polkanuns]

Blessed be those who edited the spreadsheet!

An alt tuning chart a 3-month old guitar n00b can understand! Joy!
Thank you!