by on

Swervedriver – Guitar tuning guide

*Note from Adam: I have to say before you read this, I have absolutely no idea where some of these tunings come from! But I’m gonna leave them here because they must have worked for someone at some time and the DGDGBB looks kinda interesting, though I’ve never used it.

The most definitive word on tunings is that every single song is played in standard EADGBE with the exception of:

Kill the Superheroes – FADADE

She’s beside Herself – EADGAE

Pile Up (Jim) / Lead Me Where You Dare (Adam) – DADGBE

Duel / You Find It Everywhere – FCDGCD

Blowin’ Cool / Girl On A Motorbike / Duress (Jim) / Planes Over The Skyline / Year of the Girl / 99th Dream / For A Day Like Tomorrow / English Subtitles  – GCDGCD

Duress (Adam) / Behind the Scenes of the Sounds & the Times – GABABC#

MM Abduction / A Change Is Gonna Come – EADGBD

The Other Jesus – DGCFAD

Deep Wound – EADFBE

There are probably a few others that I don’t quite recall now – usually one or two note bends on the odd string on a standard tuning just to make certain parts easier to play or more interesting tonally. There are some lovely new ones on the forthcoming album but in the meantime read on and thanks to everyone that attempted to tab out a song.

Adam, July 2018

Alright, these tunings were submitted on Ajay’s site YEARS ago, and for some reason 
I had printed them at the time. Pretty glad I did. They were typed up originally by 
a guy called James Anderson and were culled from a guitar mag article in December 
’92. Anyway without further ado…

General Notes:

Article quote: “Sometimes he drops his B string down to A and keeps everything else 
in conventional tuning. ‘It lets you double the A in octaves,’ Adam explains. ‘You 
can get a droning effect which is quite nice.”

Mustang Ford, Rave Down, Laze it up, Zedhead, Afterglow
E A D F# B E

Mustang Ford, Rave Down
F A D A D E

Kill the Superheroes, She’s Beside Herself
F A D G C E
F A D A D E

Flawed, Never lose that Feeling
D G D G B B (open G)

Barring your finger across the D G D G gives you a rather full sound,
which can be made into an even fuller sound by following the lower diagram

D G D G B B
2 2 2 4 5 5

Duress
G A B A B C# : Adam
G C D G C D  : Jimmy

Girl on a Motorbike, Blowin’ Cool 
G C D G C D

Duel
F C D G C D