With the addition of this week’s Radiohead DLC, Ubisoft SF have revealed that there is an option available to them to use Custom Tunings. As a result of this we have true tunings for both Optimistic and My Iron Lung by Radiohead. Now that the cat is out of the bag, what are some other bands with alternate tunings that could appear in future downloadable content for Rocksmith 2014?
I had some fun with this list!
Sonic Youth “Titanium Expose” (EGDGED)
I first heard this song in a skateboard video called “Welcome to Hell” (google that and you might see a familiar name) I always thought it sounded almost “alien,” would love to play it.
Pavement “Type Slowly” (Open D)
Pavement is a pretty underrated 90s Alternative band, if you might recall Paul had one of their CDs on his desk when I visited Ubisoft SF in 2011. Maybe he was waiting for the tuning options? Pavement has had one song in a music game, in case you missed it.
Goo Goo Dolls “Iris” (B-D-D-D-d-d)
Did the Goo Goo Dolls use weird tunings because they were bad at playing guitar? Or were they just looking for that distinct sound to differentiate them from the other decaffeinated post-grunge bands they were surrounded by? Either way, Iris is definitely a song that would be fun to learn.
Soundgarden “Rusty Cage” (Drop B in standard variation Tuning – B-A-D-G-B-E)
We need more Soundgarden, all the Soundgarden preferably.
Opeth “Reverie/Harlequin Forest” (Open Dm)
Opeth is definitely up there with some of my favourite bands, I was surprised to learn that the entire Ghost Reveries album was played in Open Dm. This is one of my favourite songs on the album, but really any Opeth would be great, and most of it is in standard.
Nile “Sarcophaus” (Drop A – AADGBE)
Let’s get a bit heavier since we are talking about odd tunings, Nile fulfils that for sure. Could the game pick up Drop A though? I guess we have to wait and find out.
Neil Young “Cinnamon Girl” (Double Drop D)
I actually had no idea this song was in Double Drop D until I looked into it… Ok, I’ll be honest I had no idea “Double Drop D” was a thing. The more you know right? Neil Young was actually rumoured to be in the first Rocksmith, not sure what happened but let’s fix that soon.
Type O Negative “Christian Woman” (B Tuning)
Vampire music! I assume that the tuning went that low to match Peter Steele’s hauntingly low vocals, RIP.
The Melvins “Boris” (Drop A – AADGBE)
We already had a Drop A band, but you can’t talk about drop tunings without giving some love to The Melvins. This song actually inspired the name of the Japanese experimental rock band, Boris.
There’s some variety for you, can you think of other bands that use off tunings that would be welcome additions to the Rocksmith 2014 catalog?
Besides Led Zeppelin of course…
