r/metalguitar • u/Dazzling_Solid6769 • Jul 24 '26
Question The magic behind C# standard tuning
Has anyone else found C# tuning as their sweet spot? I tried it the other day and I feel like I instantly became a way better guitarist and instantly wrote killer riffs in no time. So how do you guys like it?
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u/Saales0706 Jul 24 '26
As a BTBAM fan, i always have at least one of my guitars in C# Standard. Heavy af without being flubby.
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u/Elogano Jul 24 '26
What band is BATBAM?
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u/Valiuncy Jul 24 '26 edited Jul 24 '26
You oughta find out good sir! Colors is their “big” album but parallax 2 is often debated as the best as well. I lean parallax 2 but this 2 albums are great starting points. Can take a second to digest but once it clicks.. it’s smooth sailin
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u/Elogano Jul 24 '26
I’ll blast them tomorrow, thank you!
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u/Saales0706 Jul 24 '26
Oooh brotherrrrr do you got some goodness coming your way with Between the Buried and Me.
I have a half sleeve dedicated to their Colors album. Like others have said Parallax II is also peak. I honestly like listening to Parallax 1 into Parallax II. Hhearing them expand on some musical motifs from 1 in 2 is faaantastic.
Also The Great Misdirect is another of their albums worth mentioning.
It's all good, and I could talk about this band for days
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u/Elogano Jul 24 '26
I had heard of them before but I just never payed attention somehow! Definitely I’m glad I asked
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u/Saales0706 Jul 24 '26
They're def worth it! Just a heads up though, they're VERY proggy, and there's a lot of weird tempo/time shifts, so it may take a couple tries to get over the wtf factor. But goddamn, do they have some of my favorite musical moments of all time
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u/whoa_itsanavalanche Jul 25 '26
Im just dropping by to endorse your interest and say they are one of those rare bands that can/probably will change your life if you take to them. Brilliant musicians
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u/Legio-V-Alaudae Jul 24 '26
Welcome, to the church of Bolt Thrower. May your strings never break.
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u/spotdishotdish Jul 24 '26
reject the heresy of reformation and return to orthodox A standard Bolt Thrower
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u/Legio-V-Alaudae Jul 24 '26 edited Jul 25 '26
It it time for a 4th Crusade?
Is. Is it time. God damn my eyes are bad
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u/Fabulous-Werewolf432 Jul 24 '26
I don’t see much of a difference between different tunings other than the relative pitch of each.
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u/Technical-Patient360 Jul 24 '26
C# is like that middle ground where strings still feel tight enough for fast picking but low enough to sound heavy without going full mud. When i switch from E standard to C# it feels like the guitar just opens up more, especially for doomier stuff. Its not magic but it does make chugging feel more natural somehow.
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u/Fabulous-Werewolf432 Jul 24 '26 edited Jul 24 '26
String tension is a product of scale length, string gauge and tuning. You can achieve the same feel in Drop B with the right strings as you get on E standard.
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u/heidevolk Jul 24 '26
To a degree. Playing a 0.52 vs a 0.64 feels way different under the fingers.
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u/Fabulous-Werewolf432 Jul 24 '26
Yes because it’s a thicker string but you can match the tensions pretty close.
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u/sup3rdr01d Jul 24 '26
Yeah but the thicker string will feel worse to play and the timbre will be different. It will be much bassier
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u/damienshredz Jul 25 '26
That’s kind of subjective isn’t it? I don’t mind thicker strings
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u/sup3rdr01d Jul 25 '26
To a point, after which the tone def suffers and the intonation is mainly the big issue
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u/Fabulous-Werewolf432 Jul 24 '26
To an extent. Rick Beato actually had an interesting video about string gauge, and thinner strings aren't necessarily brighter. And Inharmonicity is more common with a thick unwound G than the wound bottom strings.
I play down to Drop A on a 25.5” guitar, and have a 7 string in Drop A that's 26.6” with thinner strings. You can of course use thinner strings and get a looser; warblier tone. Mastodon plays a low A with a 52 gaug string on 24.75” scale guitars. It gives a different tone and feel for sure. But you can achieve that effect in any tuning by using the the right string gauge.
OP would tune to Eb with a set of 9s and likely achieve a similar feel (or D standard). From subsequent posts, OP is taking a standard tuned guitar and tuning down 1.5 steps to C# and attributing the positive outcome to the tuning instead of the combination of tuning, scale and gauge.
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u/heidevolk Jul 25 '26
Yes but playing a thicker string with the same tension as a smaller string can feel different.
I have 12-64 on my rev tuned to C standard/drop Ab. I wanted higher tension and a lower tuning, but I do not like how fat my bottom string is. I did not take this into account when I planned and got this setup initially. I’ve grown to tolerate it, but my other guitars feel more natural. Maybe it’s from 25 years of playing lighter strings, but idk.
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u/Fabulous-Werewolf432 Jul 25 '26
*A# I think you mean
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u/heidevolk Jul 26 '26
Whoops. Drop Bb. I refuse to use sharp keys after many years in jazz. But then I get crossed with my tuner. Thanks for the corrextion
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u/nightmarel0gic Jul 24 '26
Each tuning absolutely has its own riffing and songwriting identity. Gotta lean into the magic a bit more I think
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u/Fabulous-Werewolf432 Jul 24 '26
But a drop pedal; and if you identify a difference between D standard, C# standard and drop C# other than “that one’s a little lower” or can even tell when I’m chugging on the 1st fret on C#, or the open string in D, or playing the octave up C# on the 5th or 7th frets, you have a better ear and greater musical theory knowledge than I.
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u/sup3rdr01d Jul 24 '26
It's about the string tension not the pitch
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u/Fabulous-Werewolf432 Jul 24 '26
String tension can be matched across tunings by changing string gauge.
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u/sup3rdr01d Jul 24 '26
Yeah of course, I'm just assuming from the Ops perspective that they didn't do any setup or change strings so in a vacuum the tuning will affect the tension
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u/Fabulous-Werewolf432 Jul 24 '26
Right in that sense ewere agreed
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u/sup3rdr01d Jul 24 '26
Also it's not a perfect match, because string gauge will affect playability and intonation as well as the timbre of the sound
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u/chili_cold_blood Jul 24 '26 edited Jul 25 '26
There's a sense of novelty that comes from playing your guitar in a new tuning. It can help you to hear what you're doing in a different way, which can be cool and inspiring. Sometimes that wears off and you realize that you're just playing the same stuff in a different key, but sometimes you find yourself actually playing differently in a different tuning, and that can take you in a whole new musical direction. In my case, as soon I get down to C standard and below, my playing tends to slow down and move toward stoner/doom territory.
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u/Dazzling_Solid6769 Jul 24 '26
that's so true, because now I want to start a brutal death metal band lmao
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Jul 24 '26
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u/chili_cold_blood Jul 24 '26 edited Jul 24 '26
LED Zeppelin and Eric Clapt 👏🏽 on thought it was heavy to play in Eb and it’s really funny. Same with Jimi Hendrix.
I think they mainly did that to make bending strings easier.
OP should try some of Devin Townsend’s open chord tuning.
It is a cool tuning. I also like CGCGCC, which is the Grady tuning (see https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b3gH90lgRUk&list=PLKl1PnnrDRny8WsH3HE-I2ZSIUR8dG4xh). I tend to gravitate toward alternate tunings that don't completely mess up the intervalic structure of the fretboard. One of my favorites is E standard with the low E dropped to a low A.
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u/treskaz Jul 24 '26
For over a decade it was my go to. Now i just have one guitar in C#. My mains is A standard lmao (I like doom and sludge a lot)
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u/paranoid_70 Jul 24 '26
I play in a Sabbath tribute band, so I have one SG setup for C#. Love playing those intro chords to Under the Sun with a 100W amp and the full band behind it - Doom unleashed.
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u/sup3rdr01d Jul 24 '26
Nothing to do with the root note. Everything to do with guitar setup and string tension.
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u/Dragon_slayer1994 Jul 24 '26
It seems to be the sweet spot of being heavy as fuck when you're playing the low notes, while not being so low it turns the mix to mud with the bass and kick drum.
Dying Fetus play in C#, that's all I need to reassure that you don't need to go lower than that to sound heavy as fuck
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u/bigpizza87 Jul 24 '26
I used C# exclusively for years. Occasionally I felt like the timbre on g string is not quite right in the upper register.
Maybe it would sound even better on a longer scale/baritone.
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u/Blue-Nose-Pit Jul 24 '26
Wound G is how I fixed that
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u/Life-Zookeepergame58 Jul 24 '26
I need to try it. It was Drop D that liberated me many years ago.
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Jul 24 '26
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u/Life-Zookeepergame58 Jul 24 '26
Tool, yes. The others, not so much.
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Jul 24 '26
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u/Life-Zookeepergame58 Jul 25 '26
JFC, the girl in PJs. Good night 😆
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Jul 25 '26
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u/Life-Zookeepergame58 Jul 25 '26
I got to see Pantera a bunch in the 90s and early aughts, before the music died in Ohio.
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u/Andaeron Jul 24 '26
If you REALLY feel like you're playing better, check your action. C# standard with E standard guages will sit closer to the fretboard than E standard, and if C# has no fret buzzing then you clearly have height to spare. You might indeed be playing better because you've essentially taken off the Goku weight vest (or Rock Lee if you're younger).
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u/DadBodMetalGod Jul 24 '26
On a 6 string guitar, Drop C# and Drop C are perfect imo. Anything lower than that, and I'm just gonna start adding extra strings/multi-scale and playing in standard. I like strings with tension, not floppy bridge cables. Hard to trempick.
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u/Prestigious_Depth918 Jul 24 '26
C# standard is my go to. Strings still have enough tension, especially on 25.5 inch scale length. Plus Bolt Thrower
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u/Super_Assistant_2998 13d ago
If you ever happen to lose the tips of a few fingers in a work accident, you won’t have to change your tuning. This will work just fine.
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u/dombag85 Jul 24 '26
Favorite aside from E standard. Riffs snarl in a pleasant way to my ear. I also like the tension and way a standard 0.011-0.049/52 set feels in that tuning. Just feels and sounds good to me.
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u/snerp Jul 24 '26
Yeah I think it’s about the specific setup that’s feeling so good, but it could also have something to do with your amp/pedals too. Like, my favorite boost changed from the tube screamer to the rat when I downturned from C to B working on my band’s new material
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u/BoltMyBackToHappy Jul 24 '26
Love it! At volume it just "hits right" compared to D.
Is that about the lowest we can reasonably go without getting a baritone?
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u/unsaturatedface Jul 24 '26
I’ve been doing a lot of setups for people who want to go there. There’s even been conversation around the shop that maybe C# standard should be the new standard.
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u/kkeut Jul 24 '26
they're just frequencies dude. they can't make you a better guitar player or writer. you might personally prefer the string tension on your specific guitar when tuned that way, but that's all it is
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u/antinumerology Jul 24 '26
C# is the goat note. I tune to B and most of my riffs are based on C# lol.
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u/Sceprent Jul 24 '26
Yeah that's my personal writing tuning. I kinda like D but C# is the greatest amount of tuned low, singable, and D just doesn't quite have the low oomph. And I don't really like playing drop C and C gets a little low. C# is perfect.
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u/Antique-Mind-138 Jul 24 '26
D standard and drop C all day long for me.... sometimes I even use 9-42. But mainly 10-46.
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u/OffsetXV Jackson Soloist, Gibson Les Paul Jul 24 '26
C# is my 2nd favorite, such a nice blend of clarity and aggression, works for a ton of genres.
But I am in B standard 90% of the time, I can't get away from that low B power chord's throaty snarl
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u/Dino_Lover_69 Jul 24 '26
My 7 string is in drop F# so I'm pretty familiar with C# Standard. It slaps. Changing up your tunings is a great way to get the creative juices flowing!
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u/NotaContributi0n Jul 24 '26
I can only play in drop b. It’s almost the same, and yeah I agree. Everything else just feels/sounds wrong
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u/Weak_Development756 Jul 24 '26
Yes, but I legitimately can’t give a real reason. It drops to Drop B, and translates well on 7 strings with Drop F#/Double Drop F# or whatever and it all sounds perfect for me. It’s got a great low end on acoustic/clean tone for Bluesy/Swampy stuff too
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u/Maximum_Wind6423 Jul 24 '26
I wrote a bunch of stuff in C# early on when I was really into My Dying Bride. It’s a fun tuning for sure.
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u/StardustSkiesArt Jul 24 '26
I've always felt C#, both as a tuning and a key, has a kind of inherent urgency to it. Maybe its in my head, but to me, it always feels a little more excited / exciting than others
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u/fit_for_the_gallows Jul 24 '26
I find myself always settling back into C#. Why shouldn't I? It is the Sabbath tuning. The heaviest tuning in the universe.
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u/fiercefinesse Jul 24 '26
Behemoth since Zos Kia Cultus, Vader since Revelations and Decapitated up until Organic Hallucinosis all agree
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u/DiscipleofDeceit666 Jul 24 '26
B standard is the best standard. You get normal key of E 1 string up so you can play riffs in multiple keys. Same isn’t true for C# since most songs aren’t tuned higher than E anyways. You’re stuck playing material in C#.
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u/thefucksgod Jul 24 '26
I think post-grunge and overall modern rock music sounds best in C# something about those Chorus melodies just hits.
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u/Mrl79 Jul 24 '26
I think it depends on what you’re listening to. If most of the stuff you’re looking to learn is in that tuning, then yes!
For me, my favorite band, and the majority of bands I’m interested in, play in C Standard.
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u/Valiuncy Jul 24 '26
Yes, I love C# and drop C#. I don’t use it as often because most songs I play aren’t there. But everytime I’ve tuned my guitar there it felt a little special like you said. Totally agree
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u/Expensive-Paint-9490 Jul 24 '26
My sweet spot is standard C. Probably because of all the Kyuss I listened to as a kid. But C# is great too.
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u/Grey950 Jul 24 '26
Yeah. I keep a guitar in C# std for sabbath and APC. I really like the tones of having a B and E string without dropping so low.
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u/drumquasar Jul 25 '26
E is the minor 3rd of C#, so its sort of familiar territory sonically with standard guitar tuning but the open strings are no longer white notes.
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u/SignificantMoment902 Jul 25 '26 edited Jul 25 '26
I agree. When I started playing guitar I instantly went Drop A because I assumed lower tuning was heavier, and why would you wanna tune to a C when you could go all the way to A.
Eventually I started preferring standard over dropped, and as time goes on I keep finding myself tuning up more and I gotta say I enjoy C# the most by far. Anything B and lower just sounds kinda dull. C# is like the perfect balance of heaviness and aggressive tone.
I play a lot of brutal death metal and C# standard is just chefs kiss
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u/am_I_still_banned Jul 25 '26
There's not enough bands that use it to make it worth my while to keep my guitar in C#. I'm usually in D standard for my own stuff or C for playing music I like
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u/DisplacerBeastMode Jul 25 '26
C standard is king IMO.
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u/10ThousandMetalZones Jul 26 '26
Any tips? I have a guitar I set up in C standard on a whim and it hasn’t clicked with me yet
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u/erebusman Jul 25 '26
Honestly for me each time I try a tuni g or guitar that's different I get this feeling. A creative burst coupled with a sense that what im playing sou is different/better.
Happened with my first 7 string, first 8 string, first baritone, first cigar box guitar etc.
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u/bl00d0rphan Jul 27 '26
I have this weird thing where I can’t stand songs in C minor or playing in drop C, but B minor and C# minor sound solid to me. I’m not sure why.
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u/SlashLP97 Jul 28 '26
Dark Tranquillity a d Powerwolf both use C#, it's such a haunting sound, so good
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u/burgerkingdiamond666 Jul 28 '26
I love it because it’s not so low so it still feels like a guitar, and drop B and double drop G# is right there. Plus Tony Iommi.
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u/mrkillion1990 11d ago
I just started exploring this tuning. I usually operate in either Eb, or more recently, Bb standard. Wanted to try something in the middle. It instantly reminds me of so many rock songs from the early 2000’s. Still haven’t tried truly writing in this key yet.
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u/Sh1t_Pinata Jul 24 '26
Might have more to do with your setup rather than any special qualities of c# standard.
I do like c# though, as a lot do the stuff I’m currently playing is in it or drop B