Alright, this may be a dumb question, but how do you tune your guitar down 1/2 step using an electronic tuner? I have always used standard tuning. Can anyone help? Thanks.

Is your tuner a chromatic tuner?? Or does it just tune to whole notes?

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[This message has been edited by Brett (edited May 12, 2000 at 04:36 PM).]

Tune to just about any early Van Halen song. Esp VH1.

Screw that, I'll use tuner before I'll use my ear to tune down. http://216.71.70.54/vhlforum/smilies/smile.gif But yes if you have a good ear, just tune to any of the first six VH albums, they're all down a 1/2 step, except for most of "1984" and some of "Diver Down."

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Oh man Brett, I have no idea what kind of tuner it is. You just switch it over to whichever string you want and tune it to standard tuning. On the ear tuning thing, there's no way I'll do that right. Which is why I was wanting to know how to tune it down 1/2 step with an electronic tuner. I think it's just a whole note thing.

Hmmm...well unless I'm crazy, you can't do it unless you have a chromatic tuner which will allow you to tune to any note you want. Perhaps someone has a better solution??

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1/2 step? set your tuner to 430 and tune it like normal!

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Baluchitherium

My Korg tuner has a half step downtune switch. Makes it real easy.

I cant stand tuning to early VH, because they were never the same! Each song is a sliver different from the last one, and you always have to re-tune. In the early days, you can tell they always just tuned by ear, because of the minute differences in tunings. Eruption is a bit off from You Really Got Me, etc. The first few albums are the worst for this. With Sammy, they must have set it right at 440, because at least they are consistant.

DeanO's right. When I was learning their stuff I noticed that most of the tunes were slightly off from each other, even on the first few albums. I don't thing a tuner was a major part of Ed's needs.
I think a chromatic tuner is probably the best way to go.

as a matter of fact, a lot of the early VH stuff is 1/4 step down.
i remember reading that eddie would just pick up the guitar, tune it to itself, and go from there.
generally, the stuff is a 1/2 step down, but not on all the tracks.

a good deal of the sammy stuff is in standard tuning, except for Runaround, which i'm told is a whole step down...

be watchful for the songs with Dropped-D tuning, too.

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-VanEdge
1992 EBMM EVH
1999 Peavey Wolfgang

"Eddie Van Halen could fart into a microphone and make better music than anyone else." - VanEdge
"See, all I do is make music..." - EVH
"Look at all the people here tonight!" - DLR

you know, I used to tune to Jump if I wanted to be in standard tuning. I knew that song was in standard pitch, but it's hard to tune to old Van Halen songs, because like someone said earlier they aren't all a true half step down. I'm pretty good at tuning by ear, so I never had any problems dropping down a half step or whatever. In the studio though, I strobe tune the shit out of my guitar, because I don't want any flat notes to come back and haunt me. http://www.vhlinks.com/vhlforum/smilies/wink.gif

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"I won't go down in history, but I will go down on your sister!"...David Lee Roth

We've been recording the last two weeks, and I've been re-tuning after every song, before my solos...I hate when I hear those damn flat notes or chords that just sound don't sound right.

Most of "VH1" is a mess in terms of tuning, I was jamming to it the other day and I could hear things just didn't sound right. "Ain't Talkin' 'Bout Love" comes to mind, that thing is almost in standard pitch.

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Do you guys all tune to 440?

I've played for the last 5 years tuned to D with the D(E) string dropped to C.

Does anyone else play this low? My buddy's band tune to B!! That's nuts, it's like playing a wet noodle.

I do however tune the acustic to 440 to keep the paws stronghttp://www.vhlinks.com/vhlforum/smilies/biggrin.gif

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Baluchitherium

My band used to be at 440 a while back, we now drop everything down 1/2 step. It helps a lot vocally for our singer who doesn't have great range, and certainly helps me on the backups as I am not a good singer. Luckily our drummer and bass player are excellent on backups. Also the music does sound heavier too, but that wasn't the primary reason for the switch. At home I've got my guitars in a few configs, so I can play in all my possible scenarios. I've got one in standard tuning, one with standard tuning and Drop-D and my main axes are both down a 1/2 step, and they have EVH d-tunas.

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