r/LearnGuitar • u/linyrn • 7d ago
Advice
I just got my first guitar, a Yamaha EG112! I want to learn System of a Down songs right away, which needs Drop C tuning. Can I actually start with Drop C as a complete beginner, and do you know any good tuning apps for it?
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u/systemVIIN 7d ago
Can you? Sure, anyone can tune a guitar to whatever notes they want, so if you want to play SOAD songs the way they sound, that's what you need.
I'd still recommend putting it back to standard tuning to learn the fundamentals. You can switch to whatever tuning works for what you're trying to play. You could try playing them in Drop D too, which is easier to tune back to standard since it's just the low E string
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u/Intelligent-Tap717 7d ago
Learn the basics first and put a few months or so into them. You won't be playing anything without knowing them and what you're doing. Guitar isn't easy and the sooner you get some proper lessons and practice the better you'll be down the road.
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u/MJKCapeCod 7d ago
Felt the same way when I couldn't play like Hendrix after a few weeks! Slow down bud, learn the basics. Heck, you don't even have callouses yet. If you jump too far ahead, you'll get frustrated fast.
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u/Wonderful-Bug-5083 7d ago
id just buy a regular tuner from a music store or amazon, depending on your amp it also may come with a tuner built into it. depending on the app, it could require a sub for anything outside of standard and websites are sometimes funky and hard to read. A tuner from a music shop or Amazon will cost you a couple of bucks and unless you lose it (you'll probably lose it once or twice), its a one time purchase.
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u/PerspectiveFair5156 7d ago
If you think that's what you want to do, you'll have to invest time and/or money first.
Because you will want heavier strings. Which then again will probably necessitate adjusting the intonation.
And it will still take some months to get a SOAD song right.
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u/anobjectiveopinion 7d ago
Play in drop D, which is standard but with the low E string dropped down a whole step. Then you can use a transpose plugin or a pedal to get to drop C. Or transpose the tab/song up a whole step.
Don't get carried away with drop tuning as a complete beginner because it will not help you learn. Trust me because I did it and it was the reason I quit the first time.
Learn how the fretboard works - once you know the very basics of scales, intervals, and what makes a triad, you'll be able to apply that knowledge to a drop-tuned guitar.
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u/OtterWat 6d ago
I’ll go against the grain here as most commenters are pretty strict apparently what you can do with your own guitar. If it makes you happy and you pick up your guitar more often because you can play your favorite songs you can go for it.
Standard strings will be pretty loose on such a low tuning and you may encounter a lot of buzz. But that won’t negatively affects your guitar. You can just tune up again at any point.
I wouldn’t recommend immediately putting on much thicker strings, because going back to standard will be a pain in that case.
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u/linyrn 6d ago
Thanks!
I've heard that if I change the guitar's tuning, the strings will get loose or something, and it will become harder to bring it back to Standard.
Do you recommend any apps for drop C tuning,
or is a physical tuner much better?1
u/OtterWat 6d ago
No you can change back to Standard at any time, detuning has no effect on that. There are a lot of apps, I used the Fender Tuning app at the start. Obviously a tuner pedal will be better and more accurate, but that depends on if you want to spend more money on that right now. A good chromatic tuning app should be enough at the start.
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u/22_fret_fugue 4d ago
I’m a bit in the middle here… play what you enjoy, but also, learn some fundamentals because that will help you grow more than being a one band database. I change tunings all the time, but I don’t leave the guitar in whack tunings, I’ll take it back to standard. Several years in when I got bored I purchased a spider capo, lets you do all sorts of funky stuff without changing tuning… not exactly drop C but still a lot of fun.
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u/Daniele323 7d ago
I would recommend learning guitar basics before jumping right into learning a song in drop C….