Here are a few generic ones - also alternet tunings info.
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C SHUFFLE RHYTHM
This rhythm in the key of C has
a moving bass line supporting two-note inversions of C and C7. Hybrid
picking should be applied. Play the single notes with the pick and
doublestops with the middle and ring fingers. Transpose this pattern
up a whole step to play it in D. Combine the previous tip in G with C
and D to play the following 12-bar blues shuffle:
/G/G/G/G/C/C/G/G/D/C/G/G/. In the tab notation, (s) indicates a slide
and (h) indicates a hammer-on.
E----------------------------------------------
B---------------------------------5------------
G-----3-------------5------------3-----------5-
D-----2-------------5---3(h)5---------------5--
A-3-------5(s)7---------------------5(s)7------
E----------------------------------------------
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G SHUFFLE RHYTHM
This rhythm in the key of G, reminiscent of Jerry Reed, is great for a
blues shuffle. It has a moving bass line supporting two-note
inversions of G and G7. Hybrid picking should be applied. Play the
single notes with the pick and doublestops with the middle and ring
fingers. In the tab notation, (s) indicates a slide and (h) indicates
a hammer-on.
E----------------------------------------------------
B----------------------------------------------------
G----------------------------------5-----------------
D-----3--------------5---------------3--------------5
A-----2--------------5------3(h)5------------------5-
E-3----------5(s)7------------------------5(s)7------
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JAMES BURTON LICK IN A
Here's another lick in the style of James Burton. He's got a million
of 'em. This one's in the key of A. Left-hand fingering:
2-4-3-3-1-3-3-1-2-2-0. In the tab notation, (r) means to release the
bend and (p) indicates a pull-off.
E---3----------------------------------------------
B-------5------------------------------------------
G-----------6(r)4(p)2----------------------------
D-----------------------5(r)4(p)2----------------
A-----------------------------------3(r)2(p)0----
E--------------------------------------------------
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It is usually not useful to tune your instrument into some odd tuning just to see what it will sound like, though some players love to do this. Most guitarists need a reason to try a tuning. For me it has been that I hear someone playing a tune and I would like to play the tune badly enough to switch to the required tuning to learn it. Sometimes I have found this to lead me almost nowhere. One tuning = one tune is not a very productive use of my resources. In some cases though, I have found that my hands fall very naturally into chord patterns, and my mind comes up with all kinds of new ideas. I found this to be true with the tuning EADEAE. I first picked up the tuning in order to play Davey Graham's arrangement of the Irish tune "Lord Mayo". (Note: Davey Graham calls EADEAE a "pipe tuning" and says it was taught to him by Martin Carthy) While fooling around with the tuning I found that I was drawn to a set ot chords and patterns that were great for country and bluegrass. My first experiments yielded a novel arrangement of "Old Joe Clark". I found that I could come up with arrangements for tunes that usually weren't done on fingerstyle guitar which fit perfectly into this tuning. My arrangements for "Sixteen Tons", "Steel Guitar Rag", and "Ghost Riders in the Sky" came from experimentation in EADEAE. I now have over 25 tunes to play in that tuning, including many that I have written. For me the break with standard tuning has been a creative experience and not frustrating at all.
The criteria I have developed to determine if a tuning is worthwhile is to find out whether I can use it to arrange or create a significant range of tunes (or arrangements), in different styles and various keys. I look for comfortable chords and I always experiment with finding fingerings for familiar simple chords. If I don't get workable results from this prospecting, then I will probably abandon the tuning. I don't know how many tunings a guitar player can remember how to play in, but for me the limit seems to be 4 or 5. Beyond that point I begin to forget things. I have forgotten many tunings completely and others have literally become part of me.
Taking It From Here...
If you look at the accompanying table of deviations from standard tuning, you will notice that most of the tunings do not deviate from standard by more than one whole step in pitch. It is amazing that these small changes in tuning can make the guitar seem so radically different. Also notice what the tunings have in common as well as how they differ; almost all of them have E, D, or C as the lowest note, and have an interval of a 4th or 5th between strings 5 and 6. Also notice that some tunings, such as EADEAE require changing the tuning of only 2 strings from standard.
It is easier than you think to begin to use alternate tunings, and it could be the start of a guitar adventure.
Current Players Who Play Primarily In Non-Standard Tunings and the Tunings They Use
Dan Ar Bras--DADGAD, others
Pierre Bensusan--DADGAD, DGDGCD
Martin Carthy--DADGAD, EADEAE
David Crosby--DADGBE, EBDGAD, DADDAD, DADDGC, DGDDAD, AADGBE, CGDDAE, DADGBD, AAEGBD, STANDARD
Alex DeGrassi--EBEF#BE, EBEGAD, EBEG#BD#, EBEF#BD, DADGCF
Dave Evans--CGDGAD
Peter Finger--EBEGAD, DAEGAD, DADGAD
Davey Graham--DADGAD, EADEAE
Michael Hedges--DADGAD, DADEAB, BbFCEbFBb, BbFCEbEbBb, DADGCC, CC'DGAD, DACGCE, STANDARD
El McMeen--CGDGAD, Standard
Brad Jones--DADGBE, EBF#BEbAb (using 2 capos), DGDGBD, STANDARD
Stanley Jordan--EADGCF (all 4th intervals)Pat Kilbride--DADGAD, DADGBE
Pat Kirtley--EADEAE, DADGAD, DADEAD, DADDAD, DGDGBD, DADGBD, STANDARD
Leo Kottke--DGDGBD, DADGBE, STANDARD
Adrian Legg--Several, with numerous tuning changes while playing via Scruggs banjo tuners
John McCormick--DADGAD, EADEAE, DGDGbBD
Preston Reed--DADECD, CGDGBE, CGDGAD, DADGCD, AEDGBE, DGDGCD, DADGBE, STANDARD
John Renbourn--DADGAD, DADEAD, DGDGbBD, DGDGBD, CGCGCF, CBbCFBbF, EAEF#AD, DADGBD, STANDARD
Martin Simpson--DADGBE, GDGCEA(!), CGCGCD, CFCGCD, DGDGCD
Quick Methods For Some Popular Tunings
DADGAD: Tune the 1st string down one step, 2nd string down one step, 6th string down one step
DADEAD: Tune the 1st string down one step, 2nd string down one step, 3rd string down 1½ steps, 6th string down one step
EADEAE: Tune the 2nd string down one step, 3rd string down 1½ steps
DGDGBD: Tune the 1st string down one step, 5th string down one step, 6th string down one step
CGDGAD: Tune the 1st string down one step, 2nd string down one step, 5th string down one step, 6th string down 2 steps.