C tuning is a type of tuning for guitars. The C standard tunes the strings of the guitar to produce a low tone. This tuning is commonly used by metal and hard rock artists as it is 2 whole steps below standard tuning. This tuning can be written as either C-F-A#-D#-G-C or more often C-F-Bb-Eb-G-C. Despite being two whole steps lower than standard E-A-D-G-B-E tuning the intervals between the strings remain the same. In music, tuning is the process of producing or preparing to produce a certain pitch in relation to another, usually at the unison but often at some other interval. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with Parts of the guitar. ... In music theory, an interval is the relationship between two notes or pitches, the lower and higher members of the interval. ...

Tuning to C

If a singer has a low vocal range C tuning allows the singer to sing in the tone set of the guitar, C tuning may be used if you want a heavier sound without sacrificing clarity to as large a degree as is common in other slack tunings and lastly C tuning may be used in order to make it easier for the musician to bend notes. In guitar playing, an altered or slack tuning is one in which the intervals between the strings are unchanged, but all the strings are lowered in pitch by a given interval. ...

Transposing: How to play a song written in standard tuning in a lower tuning

• When in a tuning 1 whole step below E you should play each note two frets higher than written.
• When in a tuning 2 whole steps below E you should play each note four frets higher than written.

Use of C tuning

Generally, the tuning is used by heavy metal artists. Tony Iommi tuned his guitar 1 1/2 steps down to C# on most of the tracks featured upon the Black Sabbath album Master of Reality. While he did so primarily for physical reasons (Iommi's fretting fingers were damaged in an industrial accident in his youth), This is the sound coveted by many stoner metal bands. Several, notably Kyuss and Sleep, took it a further half a step down, to end up with the resulting C tuning, which they used almost exclusively. Josh Homme from the aforementioned Kyuss and also of Queens of the Stone Age said of the tuning "We just did it in the beginning because I didn't have a tuner...we got to like it and it never came back up. It just sounded a little heavier than tuning in E."[1] Billy Corgan of the Smashing Pumpkins also had a prototype Reverend guitar built for him that was specially designed to be tuned in C, which was used in the songs "The Everlasting Gaze" and "Heavy Metal Machine".[2] Tony Iommi (born Frank Anthony Iommi, February 19, 1948, in Aston, Birmingham, England) is a guitarist who is best known as a member of the heavy metal band Black Sabbath. ... It has been suggested that Polka Tulk be merged into this article or section. ... Master of Reality is an album by heavy metal band Black Sabbath, released in 1971 (see 1971 in music). ... Stoner music, stoner metal and stoner rock are interchangeable terms describing a sub-genre of rock music. ... This article is about the band Kyuss. ... Sleep is a 1990s stoner metal band from San Jose, California. ... Joshua (Josh) Homme (born May 17, 1973) is a United States musician from Palm Desert, California. ... This article is about the band Kyuss. ... Queens of the Stone Age (QOTSA) are a hard rock band[4][1][2] from Palm Desert, California, United States, formed in 1997. ... William Patrick Billy Corgan, Jr. ... The Smashing Pumpkins (circa 1995) left to right: James Iha, DArcy, Billy Corgan and Jimmy Chamberlin. ... Reverend Musical Instruments, launched in 1996 by Joe Naylor. ...

List of Bands using C Tuning

• Metallica/St.Anger
• Akercocke
• Alvinella Pompejana
• Arch Enemy (band)
• Cathedral
• Cold
• Cradle of Filth
• Deftones
• Dethklok
• Disillusion
• Disturbed
• Dream Theater (In particular, the song "As I am")
• Dying Fetus
• Entombed (band) (As heard on their album Wolverine Blues)
• In Flames
• Jimi Hendrix (Used on "Hear My Train A-Comin")
• Kyuss
• P.O.D
• Queens of the Stone Age
• Sleep
• Static-X
• Smashing Pumpkins
• System of a Down
• Leo Kottke (Used in "The Last of the Arkansas Greyhounds")
• The Black Dahlia Murder

Metallica is an American heavy metal band, formed on October 28, 1981. ... St. ... Akercocke is a British heavy metal band that, according to Allmusic, infuses black metal with some light electronic touches. They are famous for dressing in suits during concerts, their Satanic beliefs and having an extremely fast drummer. ... Arch Enemy is a Swedish melodic death metal band, formed in 1995 by ex Carcass guitarist Michael Amott. ... Cathedral are a heavy metal/doom metal band from Coventry, England founded in 1990 by Lee Dorrian (a former member of Napalm Death), Mark Griff Griffiths (a former Carcass roadie) and Garry Gaz Jennings (formerly of Acid Reign). ... Cold is a hard rock band from Jacksonville, Florida, USA. With the release of its self-titled debut, Cold, in 1998, the band quickly became known for its angsty lyrics and the singers distinctive voice. ... Cradle of Filth is a heavy metal band formed in Suffolk, England in 1991. ... Deftones are a Grammy award-winning experimental rock band from Sacramento, California. ... Dethklok is an animated show airing in 2006 on Adult Swim. ... Disillusion is a German Metal-Band with an own combination of Black-, Death-, Progressive- and Thrash Metal. ... Disturbed is an American alternative metal band from Chicago, Illinois. ... Dream Theater is a progressive metal band formed by three students at the Berklee College of Music in 1985. ... Cover of Stop at Nothing by Dying Fetus Dying Fetus is a death/grind/hardcore band formed in 1991 in Maryland, United States. ... Entombed is a Swedish metal band which formed in 1987 (see 1987 in music) under the name of Nihilist. ... Wolverine Blues is the third album by Entombed released in 1993 on Earache Records. ... In Flames is a Swedish loser/pussy band from the city of Gothenburg. ... This article or section is not written in the formal tone expected of an encyclopedia article. ... This article is about the band Kyuss. ... This article is about the Californian rock band. ... Queens of the Stone Age (QOTSA) are a hard rock band[4][1][2] from Palm Desert, California, United States, formed in 1997. ... Sleep is a 1990s stoner metal band from San Jose, California. ... Static-X is an American Industrial Metal band. ... The Smashing Pumpkins (circa 1995) left to right: James Iha, DArcy, Billy Corgan and Jimmy Chamberlin. ... System of a Down (also referred to as SOAD or System) is a four-piece Grammy-award winning Alternative metal band, formed in 1995 in Los Angeles, California. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... The Black Dahlia Murder is a melodic death metal / metalcore band from Detroit, Michigan named after the unsolved murder of actress Elizabeth Short, often referred to as The Black Dahlia. ...

Problems with the Tuning

• Heavier gauge strings are recommended in order to maintain tension in the strings. It is possible to play without them, but difficulty can be experienced as it becomes quite easy to unintentionally bend notes and chords out of tune. (However, the ease of bends can be desirable, depending on playing style of the musician.)

• It is difficult to tune down to C by ear, so a chromatic tuner is highly recommended.

• Difficulty can be experienced when tuning an electric guitar with a floating bridge. It is recommended that in order to save frustration, such guitars are left in the lower tuning and a capo placed upon the 4th fret if standard tuning is required.

References