do you agree that when someone sings while playing a guitar tuned down half step will be slightly below standard pitch (like the guitar tuning)?
i had a dispute in this topic in another guitar forum, i like to listen what members of the Fender forum has to say, thanks.

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It only makes sense that if a person tunes down a half step or full step for that matter that they'll sing in the key that they're tuned to unless they are tone deaf.

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If they didn't, they would be singing a half-step sharp.

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Yeah, if you tune down a half step and play the same chords and sing along you will be singing a half step lower than when in standard tuning. Makes perfect sense, and anyone disputing that clearly knows nothing about music.

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Eddie with Van Halen did to accomodate the voice of DLR, then tuned up 1/2 step to pitch with Van Hagar.

"do you agree that when someone sings while playing a guitar tuned down half step will be slightly below standard pitch (like the guitar tuning)?"

People in the other forums may have been arguing semantics, because you're mixing and misusing words.

"Standard pitch" and "standard tuning" aren't the same thing. Standard pitch is A = 440Hz. When you drop-tune your guitar you're still tuned to standard pitch. The note A still equals 440 (or 55, 110, 220, 880, 1760) -- it's just that A is found on different frets than on standard tuning. Finger a barre F chord and it's exactly the same as an open E chord on a standard tuned guitar.

Standard tuning is an instrument-specific thing. Banjo standard tuning is D B G D G. Violin/mandolin standard tuning is G D A E. Bouzouki tuning is G D A D. Tenor ukelele tuning is G C E A. But they're all tuned to standard pitch.

If you drop-tune your guitar a half step and play an open E chord, the singer will sing an E flat to be in the same key as you. But that E flat is the same E flat as on a piano or tuning fork. He's still singing in standard pitch, just different notes, and you're both performing the song in the key of E flat (you're just fingering the strings like it's in E in standard tuning).

People do deviate from standard pitch. Many orchestras tune to A = 442 or A = 443. Many "historically correct" classical musicians tune to A = 415 or A = 435 for Baroque pieces. If a singer performs with an orchestra tuned to 443, then the singer would have to sing a little higher than standard pitch. If a singer performed with a string quartet that tuned to 435, then the singer would sing a little lower than standard pitch.

People are often sloppy about musical terms. "Standard Pitch", "Concert Standard" and "Concert Tuning" are the same thing (A = 440), so some people assume that since those terms include the words "standard" and "tuning", the term "standard tuning" also means the same thing.

And guitarists are often particularly sloppy with words and music theory. They'll finger an open E chord shape and call it an "E chord" whether they're tuned to standard tuning or drop tuning -- but it's only an E chord in standard tuning. If you're tuned a half step low, it's really an E flat chord. If you tuned your guitar to a standard reference (i.e. electronic tuner calibrated for A = 440) it's in standard pitch even if you're using an alternate tuning (drop D, open G, open E, dropped a half step, raised a step -- they're all standard pitch if the A is tuned to 440 ).

My main band Cross Eyed Mary plays half a step down (comes from us all bein GN'R fans) and then my acoustic jam band Buckfat At Tiffany's plays at concert/standard tuning and I sing for both. I'm not the best singer in the world at all but I do find I have to adjust my voice for each and singing the same song for both bands can sound very different as my whole voice changes tone when I adjust but I'm sure thats just me.

Hope this helps!

CC

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