Black Metal Lesson #26 - Black Metal Tunings 

What tunings do you use? Which one is your favourite?

00:00 INTRODUCTION 00:08 E STANDARD 01:57 E b FLAT STANDARD 04:00 D STANDARD 06:35 C # SHARP STANDARD 09:05 C STANDARD 11:46 B STANDARD 14:01 DISCUSSION

The d standard riffs give immortal vibes

So much clarity and definition, you've clearly put in the work on your technique and it shows!

I’ve started my own black metal project and I’ve been taking tips from your videos, you are the only one who actually actively seriously focuses on teaching black metal, and boy am I thankful, thank you for being here!! I’ve started off playing riffs like kreator and devourment which are fun but really just that, fun in the moment, it gets boring real quick I feel like with black metal if someone knows how to play right and learns it’s way more diverse in it’s prevalent sound

After this video I am changing my strings and re tuning to C# , although I have been doing just fine with standard E , What You Presented is just Absolutely Amazing , Great Video , just Awesome.

"There isn't a right or wrong tuning." - Transcendental Wisdom I have my style and biases here, as such, I'm wholly committed to lower tunings. By and large seven string combinations that are at least standard A if not lower. I think the highest I'd be willing to go on compromise would be around C or C#/Db.

I tune up to F standard. It sounds clear and all the notes are easy to distinguish. When combined with high distortion and treble, it has a gnarly, vicious sounding buzzsaw sound.

These are my favorite kinds of videos where you are just riffing it out, good stuff man keep it up! 🤘🏻

I personally have written over a dozen if not more lyrics, all inspired by mayhem, dark funeral, forgotten tomb and my personal life. Instrumental I play bass some what guitar, drums and do vocals. It's hard to find people that share this type of music and not freak out about the lyrics. Some are deep thought and some are blood brutal. Thanks for the videos. I learned a few if not a whole new set of chords and styles.

Your trem picking is sick

I love D Standard for all kinds of Metal

I think E , Eb and D standard tonality are all good for black metal but C# is my favorite cuz its the sweet spot for black and a lil bit of death metal punchy sound, but going any lower than that is gonna sound more like death metal even if your execution is otherwise

Loving the sound of C Standard. It has the icy ness that is required in black metal, but is also Downtuned and brutal. I honestly wanna hear, like, more traditional 2nd wave black metal in C Standard.

Best video you've done in a while I can never fully decide what is my favorite tuning! Ha Cheers from Ireland

I like E, Eb and i recently got into C# with 10's strings!! The chords ring out with a menacing sound!! I like your 6 string deans!! I have seen to shape before but you make them look cool!!

I think you kicked major ass on that. Well played sir. Keep up the great work.

C SHARP sounds the best

Honestly I have a hard time going back to 6 after getting into 8 string. The range you have access to just inspires so much for me. One you get your amp eq’d to handle that low F#, you can get some brutal sounds while getting that icy clarity on the higher strings. But for 6 string C# standard for everything.

C# standard on the 6 string and A# standard on the 7

What’s nice about the B standard tuning… Is that from the E string over is standard tuning. So if you’d like, leave the B string alone and you can play with the E standard strings some of them anyway lol

Excellent demonstration!

yeah B Standard is a tricky tuning. my fast grind power chord slides just sound like a wall of noise in B, but in C Standard they are more clear and audible.

Best Channel on RU-vid amazing work as always

I myself really enjoy playing in Bb on a 7 string. As opposed to how people commonly tune their 7's though, i tune the G string on mine a half step down (in my case, down to F) which allows me to play my 7 string like i would a 6 string guitar with an extra high string. I've found that this allows me to play entire chords with all 7 strings ringing out simultaneously. I'm still trying to find my way around learning more chords with this tuning, but it feels so much more natural than if you just had your guitar tuned like a regular 6 string guitar with a low B string.

Inspiring and awesome as usual.

You should do one but with drop tunings (Drop D, Drop C, etc)

I'm thinking about writing some death metal material in the near future and can't decide between C or B tuning. I've been listening to music in those tunings to try and decide but after watching this demo I guess I'm just gonna have 2 different guitars set up for both

I use D standard if its a six string because I listen to a ton of shining. For my own material I use A standard on a 7 string.

I love the riff at 6:53

I usually go for E Standard, but E Flat sounds pretty evil! I wasn’t aware that the half step could make such a difference as i always dropped it to D Standard if i went lower. Definitely need to try E flat 🔥

Hi Man, thanks for another great video, very enlightening. One suggestion: it would be nicer that you always have a drum pattern when you play. Obviously you improvise and that would tie you to a tempo, but the effect of the music you transmit would be greater. Cheers !

My favourite is one of my 7 string guitars which are always tuned to drop A. But then I tend to gravitate towards just playing the top 6 strings which are in standard because the low A string don't stay in tune for very long unless I have relatively new strings. The drop tune aspect of it It's still nice for big bar chords or the add9 crap that sounds straight out of anime land.

Great lesson! As usual!

right now I play in Drop C I also suck either way...so it doesn't really matter if I suck in Drop C or E standard :D I'm just a sucker for heavy groovy sections in black metal songs so...there is that.

I've been more inspired by Eb tuning and also listening to lots of Artificial Brain, Charnel Grounds, Emperor, ihsahn, Ibaraki and revocation make me like blacked death metal style stuff😂

C# mostly and sometime C . I feel away from B standard. And all that drop A and lower… just sounds like mud to me no matter who’s playing it. This is a great video and I am no longer undecided with the tuning I’ve been using is just fine which is C-sharp and sometimes from lazy. I pick up my sharp guitar and it’s a little flat now it’s in C. I’ll keep it. I’ll roll with it C and C sharp in my opinion of the best tuning you have to have one guitar and E flat in order to play all of the old slayer and iron maidenstuff

i find open B minor fares better then b standard.... B F# B F# B D you get some mayhem sounding chords on the F# B D in particular

E flat is my favorite. For pretty much everything. C sharp (the sabbath tuning) is second for my personal taste. On a different note the guitar you used for d standard sounds incredible to my ears. Great definition and just all around tone. Definitely keep that guitar, especially if it plays as nice as It sounds.

For 6 string E standard is my favorite. My second favorite is drop D. For my 7 string B flat standard. When I use my drop pedal on my 6 string I like going down to D standard

DADFAE Brutality, complexity, clarity.

That's exactly what I'm looking for. Thanks! And I hope one day you may cover Psalm 7:77 by 1349!

Love c# tuning but that’s where it starts to sound like blackened death shit like Belphegor. I think D is the lowest for that traditional BM sound. C# is awesome. C standard is one of my all time favorite tunings but usually for other styles of metal.

1:29 onward that is one dark and haunting riff. Can you please do a lesson on it in the near future?

1:17 relaxing. Deftones style riff.

idk why but b standard was just so good

On my 7 i go to a# and it gives me Eb for blackend riffs with the low end to really get low and dirty. But ive always been fond of both death metal and black metal played evenly together

Awesome!

E flat can sound cold and wormy.

I use E Standard. Somehow just think it fits best for black metal, at least for me.

I find myself using e flat standard(which I view kinda cold for me) a lot. Love using standard e and c# standard too(c sharp feels cold too but gives off like an autumn/fall kind of vibe for some songs)Drop d feels war metal enough for me

Do you have 'certain guitar' selection for tunings? How do you favor certain electronics to produce sound? Love your work!

E,Eb & D standard🤘🏼🔥

He aprendido mucho con tus videos,gracias,eres un gran guitarrista.Podrias tocar algo del último álbum de Seth,ese álbum está brutal!

Killing as usual Dev!

🤘😈🤘For B metal, I think I like E the most, maybe E flat. It sounds like Immortal; by far my favorite B metal band I know of.

My favourite are: E standard, D standard, Drop D

someone likes Dean guitars :D rly awesome!

I prefer B standard for the added low end ideally on a 7 string, but if on a 6 string you can still play like 95% of all metal songs written in E standard with no problem.

But ya, sick playin dude! You're playin at a level I want to be at one day

E Standard for old school, tremolo picked, evil black metal. D Standard for DSBM. I also really like to play clean chord arpeggios in C standard for some reason.

Question: Do you do a set up every time you change to a heavier string guage with a new guitar. I want to put my Dimebag Dean in C# using a 7 string set but Guitar Center in the states is backed up due to Holidays.

No need for multiple guitars, just get a Digitech Drop pedal, you can instantly lower the tuning, even by 7 half steps.

C sharp standard forsure

Excellent!!! What strings gauge do you prefer for those low tunings? Thanks and regards from Mexico?

would you do a video on drop tunings, or even open tunings in black metal? because Cminoradd9 tuning in black metal sounds sick

Muito bom esses estilos y formas de palbetadas...👏👏👏👏 Obs: Que banda é essa na sua camisa???

I have a schecter 7 string with lundgren black heavens in B standard, and every note sings with clarity. The EMG's always felt muddy to me.

B standard for blackened death metal

Hi Dev. What tunings would you recommend for atmospheric black metal? Also I'm looking to switch my pickups and was looking into buying SD Black Winters. Would you recommend this or is there something that's better? Thanks.

Great video 😁 what string gauges are you using? Do you use different ones for different tunings?

More BASS VIDEOS PLEASE

I've noticed that both death and black metal don't use drop tunings, is there a clear reason?

Awesome playing dude. Your collection of Dean Vs is drool-worthy haha

i think dstandard is best for bm

Personally I feel the least inspired when coming up with something if Im in E standard none of my axes are in that tuning currently. It just bores me to death and feels like beating a dead horse when playing. I cant deal with lighter gauge strings anymore either which are used for that tuning. Sure I listen to lots of bands that play in that tuning most second wave is standard tuned. I just prefer E flat, C#, D standard for my own black metal playing. B standard is a favourite of mine for death metal writing tho. Sounds so cavernous and open chords hit hard.

what about open tunings? any particular dyads or triads that pop out easier?

For whatever reason a long time ago I decided I liked c standard since it still gave me standard intervals between the strings and two whole steps down was more than down tuned enough. I noticed you skipped it here any particular reason?

You my friend are a dam good guitar player...it's funny thinking how bad some Big band guitar players actually are...{Kurt from Metallica} especially when comparing to a very talented shredding machine like yourself..this is what practice does for your playing!

on 6s i use dropped C and on my 7s i use dropped A, but I combine all kinda shit from power to thrash in my playing so lol XD

Inquisition vibes @ 11:33

E flat rules👹

D and C sounds very evil for black metal

i think b is too low

Drop a

Eb, C# and C are the best tuning for guitars and im willing to throw hands with whoever disagrees.

I use D standard for most things, ever since the we recorded the Forneus EP "In The Name Of Khaos".

B standard because Bethlehem is life.