Play along
 

i like to put on a disc of whatever, somethin' i like and play along.
i suppose everyone does this to some degree, yes?

here is the thing. when i put in satriani, i tune the guitar to the cd because it doesn't match the tuner. then if i switch to say, runs and goses, i need to change again. then if i switch to ted nugent again it doesn't match. sometimes i find ones that do, but why is that so far, i haven't found a single solitary one that will allow me to tune to a 440? every disc is either down a step or maybe more. i have tried this with several disc players and several different file types. what is up with that?

....some guitarists tune a half-step down, others don't. Pretty much all hendrix songs are a half-step below standard tuning. I think a itunes/winamp application exists were you can change the pitch, it would be convienient if your trying to learn all those songs at the same time. Other times they might be using open tuning or something like that.

it's like asshat said... most of those bands are using different tunings. 'appetite for destruction' is a half step lower than standard. the first hendrix experience album is standard, bold as love is an even mix between standard and half step down, electric ladyland is about 75/25 mix of half down / standard, even voodoo chile (the long version) is tuned a full step down. if you try playing queens of the stone age you'll be dropping two full steps to C.

at the same time not all tuners are made equal. your current device might be saying you're 'in tune' but whatever nugent was using 35 years ago (probably drunken ears) would likely disagree.

whatever you use to play the discs or the file types will not affect this issue.

....also if it's a half step or full step down you can you still play it in the regular position in standard tuning...if your just noodling around nobody can really tell the difference.

...but if you already committed yourself to learning a song the first time you might as well tune it to the record. Tune your e-string to the lowest note you hear on any given song.

....I think half-step below is the most frequent tuning used in classic hard rock.

....as far as steve vai and the virtuoso types go, they're probably more likely to have weird-ass tunings that you and I have never heard. For them you might have to buy their actual transcribed music, for it to sound accurate.

actually i found soundgarden to be the worse for odd tunings. any vai / satriani tab i've seen has always been pretty standard. the oddest tuning being a combo of half step down and dropped D. which may seem a little odd but is nothing compared to EEEEEE for SG's 'mind riot', or EEEEBB for 'my wave'. mid 70s led zep is also notorious for wacko tunings.

while inaccurate, online tabs usually provide a decent idea of what sort of alternate tuning you're going to be looking at, or at least a good starting point on how to twiddle the tuning pegs.

so, tuning down and what not, how do these guys jam alongside of a keyboard or a horn section or some other instrument that has a fixed tuning?
wouldn't they not match up?

just because it doesn't match on paper doesn't mean it can't match to the ear hehe

I remember I was really into soundgarden when I started and their tunings were a bitch to figure out.


...to cheezy:with an instrument with a fixed tuning like pianos and horns you can pretty much adapt to whatever tuning the guitarist might be playing: I can't quite explain why, probably because with the piano you have pretty every musical note at your disposal: keith richards always changed his guitar tuning, but I'm pretty sure nicky hopkins/ian stewart always played the piano tuned the same way.

that's why i bought the tab books for their last 3 albums hehehe

Well when playing a piano, you can do key changes in the blink of an eye, whereas with a guitar in standard tuning there are only a certain amount of keys available to you without altering the tuning. Pianos are a hassle to tune (if you change 1 string you need to change all 87 others) so generally they will not stray away from regular tuning.

A pianist has the ability to adapt to whatever wacky tuning the guitarist is using. Also, many bands who have a pianist will generally tune to the piano (whether or not the piano is perfectly in tune, it is usually in tune with itself).

As for playing along to a track, I agree with what has already been said here. Not everybody has perfect pitch (meaning that you can already tell what is being played before trying it yourself) so getting a songbook or even a basic internet tab is the best way to go about learning a song on any instrument.