tuning down

[MR W,AXL ROSE]

hay all.im learning guitar and i have the GNR anthology tab book.in it it says to TUNE DOWN HALF A STEP.how do i do this.i have a electronic tuner in my fx pedal which displays the notes with three lights which i presume the bottom one is flat,the middle one is in tune and the top light would be sharp(i think).please correct me if im wrong.cheers

[darkmonth]

Every string will be tuned flat.

So, E will be Eb (E flat) etc....

Half a step, flat, half a tone, or a semi-tone mean the same thing.

[jrs2001_99]

I love playing detuned by half a tone, but everytime I jam with someone else or with a band or whatever, they are always in standard.

I'm the only person I know that actually likes to regularly play outside of standard tuning 

[MR W,AXL ROSE]

so if e becomes eb then what will the rest be 

[darkmonth]

Eb
Ab
Db
Gb
Bb
Eb

fattest string at the top of that list.

[Genesis]

II'm the only person I know that actually likes to regularly play outside of standard tuning?

So do all guitarists who play GN'R.

[MR W,AXL ROSE]

a friend told me that slash used to tune down with gnr to go with the tone of axls voice

[darkmonth]

There are multiple reasons for tuning down... a) it sounds fatter... heavier.  b) it is easier for the singer's vocal if he's a higher vocal, since the high notes can be a semitone lower... to the normal ear, that's not really noticable, but helps the vocalists voice.  and c) it's much easier to bend the higher notes for lead guitar...

[Jesse James]

there's this little program called "Transcribe!"

u can find it here: http://www.seventhstring.com/

one of the many goodies it has its that it can change the pitch of an audio file so that u wont have to detune your guitar.

also it can change the speed of the song without changing the pitch (perfect for that fast part of the solo of sweet child o' mine which clocks at about 4:03 )