Velvet Underground tunings (Video)

[nomdeplum]

At the start of last year, I made this video and threw it up on YouTube on a whim.
So far, I've had some nice responses.

https://youtu.be/E_wYhyprmpQ

At the start of this year, Bloxsy published his video which features 15 songs.

I'd like to think my research on tunings has informed his content.
But it really doesn't matter, as long as folks get exposure to the idea.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NCviyq43Ihw

[simonm]

Thanks Brian - i have seen and enjoyed your vids, and was very happy to be able to play Venus In Furs properly at last!

[Sheila Klein]

I got somewhat confused by what aspect of "Ostrich guitar" you claim is a myth: that it's used on every song on the Banana album? that it's used there at all? I'm a non-player and so some of your presentation is sure to be lost on me, but I'm very eager to hear your thoughts on this particular matter.

[nomdeplum]

Thanks for those questions.

To be clear, I made the video on the fly and put it up on YouTube as an experiment.

But for non players –

Common belief:

Songs like Venus in Furs were recorded using ‘Ostrich tuning. Ostrich tuning, otherwise known as trivial tuning, is where the guitar strings are all tuned to one string.

In this case, that would be (D, D, D, D, D, D,)

The counter argument:

Venus in Furs is played in standard tuning (E, A, D, G, E).
Except there are two important differences.

1. The top string of Lou’s guitar is tuned to one whole step down. So instead of it being (E, A, D, G, E) you get (E, A, D, G, D).

2. His guitar is also tuned a half step down. What this means is that instead of it being (E, A, D, G, D), you have (Eb Ab Db Gb Bb Db).

This may not hold as much interest for non players but as research goes, I believe this to be a novel discovery and sheds light on how two other songs on that record get their sound. Those being: Run Run Run and European Son

[Sheila Klein]

Venus in Furs is played in standard tuning (E, A, D, G, E).
Except there are two important differences.

Are you suggesting that John Cale and Tony Conrad were wrong when they stated (separately) that Reed tuned all the strings to the same note for "The Ostrich"?

[nomdeplum]

No, I’m suggesting the only song on the first VU album that uses the Ostrich tuning is All Tomorrow’s Parties.

[sm7609]

That is correct. Ostrich guitar tuning is featured on All Tomorrow's Parties only. Most of the other songs are standard tuning dropped down a whole step. Actually, that downtuning was standard for the VU up until the 1970 Max's run.