Using alternate tunings and custom tunings
Here’s how to specify an instrument’s tablature tuning in the Soundslice editor.
Free accounts are limited to the tuning presets we provide. To create a custom tuning, you’ll need a paid plan.
Setting tuning when adding an instruments
When adding an instrument, make sure you’ve selected “Yes” in the “Tab?” section. Then you’ll see a tuning section:
Click “Use custom tuning” and you’ll see a new screen that lets you specify the tuning:
At the top, you can select from various presets. The presets are:
| Category | Number of strings | Tuning |
|---|---|---|
| Guitar | 6 | Standard (E A D G B E) |
| Guitar | 6 | 1/2 step down (Eb Ab Db Gb Bb Eb) |
| Guitar | 6 | 1 step down (D G C F A D) |
| Guitar | 6 | 2 steps down (C F A# D# G C) |
| Guitar | 6 | Fourths (E A D G C F) |
| Guitar | 6 | Dropped D (D A D G B E) |
| Guitar | 6 | Dropped D variant (D A D G A D) |
| Guitar | 6 | Double Dropped D (D A D G B D) |
| Guitar | 6 | Dropped C (C G C F A D) |
| Guitar | 6 | Open Dadd9 (D A D F# A E) |
| Guitar | 6 | Open G (D G D G B D) |
| Guitar | 6 | Dobro Open G (G B D G B D) |
| Guitar | 7 | Standard (B E A D G B E) |
| Guitar | 8 | Standard (F# B E A D G B E) |
| Guitar | 8 | Dropped E (E B E A D G B E) |
| Bass | 4 | Standard (E A D G) |
| Bass | 4 | 1 step down (D G C F) |
| Bass | 4 | Dropped D (D A D G) |
| Bass | 4 | Dropped C (C G C F) |
| Bass | 5 | Standard (B E A D G) |
| Bass | 5 | 1 step down (A D G C F) |
| Bass | 6 | Standard (B E A D G C) |
| Baritone | 6 | Fourth below (B E A D F# B) |
| Baritone | 6 | Fifth below (A D G C E A) |
| Banjo | 5 | Open G (G D G B D) |
| Banjo | 5 | Double D (A D A D E) |
| Banjo | 4 | Tenor (C G D A) |
| Banjo | 4 | Irish (G D A E) |
| Banjo | 4 | Chicago (D G B E) |
| Mandolin | 4 | Standard (G D A E) |
| Steel guitar | 8 | C6 (G A C E G A C E) |
| Steel guitar | 8 | A6 (F# A C# E F# A C# E) |
| Steel guitar | 8 | C6/A7 “Joaquin Murphey” (B A C# E G A C E) |
| Steel guitar | 8 | E13 “Jules Ah See” (E G# B D F# G# C# E) |
| Ukulele | 4 | C tuning (G C E A) |
| Ukulele | 4 | Baritone (D G B E) |
| Ukulele | 4 | D tuning (A D F# B) |
| Ukulele | 4 | Low G tuning (G C E A) |
| Other | 3 | (generic) |
| Other | 9 | (generic) |
| Other | 10 | (generic) |
If you can’t find your tuning in the presets, use the interface to change each string’s pitch to your liking. Click the “-” or “+” icon next to a string to move its pitch down or up. Each string has a Play button that lets you hear the chosen pitch.
The “Tuning name to display” field lets you specify how the tuning should be named in the first bar of the notation. If you leave this blank, we won’t display anything.
When you’re done, click “OK” and your instrument will have that tuning activated.
Changing tuning for an existing instrument
If you’ve already created an instrument — perhaps even with some music — it’s possible to change the instrument’s tuning. This works the same as explained above, with one difference: on the “Custom tuning” screen, you’ll see a “Recalculate tab for existing notes” checkbox:
Here’s what this checkbox does:
- If it’s checked, all existing notes’ tab information will be changed to preserve the way the music sounds. Notes might be moved to another fret or string.
- If it’s unchecked, all existing notes’ tab information will be unchanged. The standard notation (and sound) will be changed according to the new tuning.
Is it possible to change an instrument’s tuning midway through a piece?
No, this isn’t possible for now. One workaround: create two separate instruments (one for each tuning).