When I first started composing instrumental music I felt hindered by standard tuning. There were these melodies in my head that I couldn’t play physically due to the fingerings of the chords in standard tuning. I found alternate tunings gave me the ability to play rich complex chord voicings and bass-like sounds at the same time. The first tuning I experimented with was DADF#AD (tuned low to high). I wrote my first piece titled ‘Barefoot’, in this tuning.

    Some have asked about where the inspiration comes from when writing in an unfamiliar tuning. I found myself taking conventional chord shapes and trying them in other tunings. Not every note sounded good and you might have to change one here or there, but it was a process of trying new things and discovering new ways to play the instrument.

    I started to think more melodically by first charting out all the diatonic chord voicing for a particular tuning: majors, minors, dom7 fingerings, etc. This way I had a 'roadmap' ahead of me rather than 'go for it' and hope I would come up with some cool lick. I plan on writing another column that goes in depth about my ideas regarding composing in alternate tunings and tapping and slapping. Keep an eye open for it!

    Here’s a list of tunings I use and some original songs written in these tunings from my first release titled ‘Bill Dutcher - Solo Guitar’. All tunings are low to high.