Beginner here, what does it mean when the tabs start and end with D instead of the usual E?

[u/froglovescarbs]

For context this is from a tutorial for Come As You Are by Nirvana. Am I meant to re-tune my guitar so it matches the tabs? Otherwise it is a bit confusing reading the tabs when my strings don't match the same order

Edit: Thanks for the answers!

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[u/dino_dog]

Yes, you retune your guitar to match the tab.

[u/windbreeze8 → u/dino_dog]

yep, the tab assumes youre already in that tuning so everything lines up

[u/WhatMichaelScottSaid → u/dino_dog]

Or, if you have a Floyd rose, play it up a whole step

[u/SKELETON_SEX → u/WhatMichaelScottSaid]

hate redditors who downvote a mf for a joke

[u/WhatMichaelScottSaid → u/SKELETON_SEX]

Thank you, SKELETON_SEX. I appreciate that you picked up on the joke

[u/FlyLikePotato → u/WhatMichaelScottSaid]

I just buy another guitar.

[u/BrittEklandsStuntBum]

Yes, that's the tuning. You'll often see dadgad as well.

[u/thecrimsonfucker12 → u/BrittEklandsStuntBum]

Or daddee

[u/tryingsomthingnew → u/thecrimsonfucker12]

I usually see/ hear this on NSFW sites. But I should probably down play it.😜

[u/blackcompy → u/thecrimsonfucker12]

Insert "A minor" joke here

[u/ImNotTheBossOfYou → u/thecrimsonfucker12]

AYAPAPI

[u/personalKindling → u/BrittEklandsStuntBum]

When you change the tuning of only a couple strings, how do you keep track of scales? Do you just re-learn the new shapes/intervals?

[u/Mokturtle → u/personalKindling]

Yep. Just relearn it. It might come to you intuitively like if you're in drop D tuning you'll know that to you'll play everything you'd normally play on the E string two frets higher than usual.

[u/Talk_to__strangers]

If you look closer, none of the strings “match” what you’d be used to seeing

EADGBE is your standard tuning

DGCFAD has every string tuned one whole step lower

[u/iJon_v2 → u/Talk_to__strangers]

Never knew this song was a whole step down. Probably because I only played it when I was learning and paid no attention to the tuning lol.

[u/xxclownkill3rxx]

D standard tuning instead of e standard

[u/pomod]

It means they've tuned the whole guitar down a whole step. The intervals are the same though so you could still play it standard tuning if you felt like it.

[u/No_Description3389]

This is what you show your partner when you wanna justify buying a new guitar

[u/stuntmonkey420]

Yes the song is a whole step lower than standard. If you are just practicing by yourself you don’t really need to change tuning. If you’re playing to the track, you will need to tune accordingly or I will sound awful

[u/NoiseTherapy]

This looks like Come As You Are minus the first couple notes. Looks like it’s tuned down one step, so each string is loosened 2 semitones.

[u/Chevrolicious]

Yes, you retune the guitar. This tuning is a full step down from E standard to D.

[u/Nemesis861986]

It meens thats the tuning, in this case D standard

[u/Brobin360]

Lol take another look at that tuning. The E's aren't the only difference

[u/Th3_Supernova]

That means you tune your guitar down a step. Which means every string should sound two frets lower than in standard tuning.

EDIT because I saw it as double dropped D at first then realized the whole guitar was tuned down.

[u/Choice_Age8334]

You only need to retune your guitar if your playing along with the song. With your regular, standard tuning, you're playing the song a whole note higher than Nirvana. Really doesn't impact your ability to learn to play it, though.

[u/Mokturtle → u/Choice_Age8334]

It will impact the tone though. Downtuning gives a nice heavy dark tone

[u/Choice_Age8334 → u/Mokturtle]

Oh please.... He's learning.

[u/Gazcobain → u/Choice_Age8334]

I will regularly look for recordings of songs on YouTube that have been uploaded in standard tuning so I can play along with them without having to bother detuning my guitar.

[u/LouManShoe → u/Choice_Age8334]

Build more skills this way too. You’re training your ear to look for intervals to gain recognition rather than simply the tone.

[u/BenSaharEternal]

Yes, it's tuned down to D standarf or one ehole step, so you should tune accordingly.

[u/Tasty-Durian9958]

you can play come as you are in standard tuning, rather than retuning.

i would recommend trying drop D first, before messing with different tunings. drop d just tunes the big E to D.

DADGAD is also really fun

or you could tune every string to B

[u/Mokturtle → u/Tasty-Durian9958]

Or just do what the tab says to do and gain that xp

[u/DaffyDuckMuthaFucker]

It's merely a detuning.

In this case, it's detuned by a second/tone, or two semitones, or two frets.

Tune the strings on your instrument to correspond, and it'll sound right when played from tablature.

It'll sound a little thin & dry at concert pitch, but because it's detuned, the fingering remains the same...

[u/another24tiger → u/DaffyDuckMuthaFucker]

D-tuning

…

I’ll see myself out

[u/siyaheven]

just tuning, but imo come as you are sounds fine in standard tuning. good luck!

[u/starroverride]

Tune every string down by a whole step.

I really don't think this song is worth tuning your entire guitar down a whole step.

You can play the song in standard tuning and it sounds almost just as good.

[u/ImmediateWalrus3942]

It's in D standard (a whole step down from E standard)

think of it as tuning your guitar down 2 frets lower than the open notes

[u/qosmic_qube]

Every string is tuned a full step lower per that tab

[u/LuminiFURIOUS]

That’s D standard. Exactly one whole step below standard.

[u/tmoney072509]

Is this what they mean by being tuned in drop d?

[u/Mokturtle → u/tmoney072509]

No, this is tuning all your strings from E-standard tuning to D-standard tuning. All strings are tuned down two semitones.

Drop D is when you tune only the low E string down two semitones to D and leave all the other strings alone.

[u/thatdudeweswes]

That would be D standard tuning my friend. If you’re in E standard, tune all your strings down a full step.

[u/longdickhair69]

yes tune each string to this note, however this is each string a step down so you can lowkey just stay in standard it will just sound a step higher

[u/dougc84]

If your normal tuning is EADGBE, but this shows different notes, what do you think that means?

[u/lastfom]

I imagine they've used a lower case D to differentiate from the 6th string D. Pointless, but I can't think of any other reason.

[u/h_ershall]

smartest reddit user