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I basically just play whatever sounds right. I transpose them sometimes to see if it sounds better, but I always end up going back to the original key.

I've been experimenting with changing keys during the song. Like from a minor key to the relative Major for the chorus or going up a step for the chorus etc..

I can relate to this topic though. There was this band that I was going to try out for & every single one of their songs on their album is in E minor. I think that they don't even realize it.

B flat is the preferred key for the Chemikill material

I used to lean heavily towards D, never intentionally, it just happened that way. My voice is best suited for A, but like Phil said (sort of), I'm a total capo whore, and I love to throw it on in some weird postion just to try something different...

Back in the day, I used to tune my guitar all the way down to A. How low can you go? Ha! METAL!!! I used a bass string on my guitar. Anyone else?

I went the other way, spaceman, with the Nashville tuning (also called "high strung guitar"). Try it out sometime on an old axe. It's pretty interesting, but also seems kinda limited in use...

I've heard a lot of folks play live.
And, to me, there is nothing more maddening than to hear someone mediocre play 3 songs in a row, not only starting in the same key, but using the same 3 - 4 chords.
I keep hoping for some variety, but if they start a 4th song that sounds anything like the 1st 2 or 3 - I get in my car and drive away.
I cannot be entertained by someone who has only 2 months' worth of music experience or theory.
If they want to entertain me, then they're going to have to demostrate that they have some sort of musical ability, beyond 3rd grade.
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Many folks who are performing should be taking lessons, instead.
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One should at least learn all the basic chords, and how to use them in a song.
And it's frustrating to be in an audience listening to someone 'performing' - and they only know 1 or 2 different rhythms.
I will not stay and be bored to desperation by someone whose songs all sound the same.
Many musicians who think they have 10 years experience - really only have 1 year's experience - 10 times . . .
After the 1st year, they stopped learning, and it shows.
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We should all learn something new during every practice, or our abilities will become passe`.
Sady, much of the general public has zero understanding of music, and so almost everything they hear sounds good to them.
So, I guess quite a few of us here are in the minority, eh?

Interesting. Never tried that one. When I was in college, I experimented with alternate tunings quite a bit. I had an old acoustic guitar that I put grommet screws into the neck with a drill to hold down the strings. Came up with some cool sh*t. The neck eventually split out and a fret popped out, but a small price to pay for the scientific discoveries I made. LOL!!!

im usually an e,a, or g guy but i have a couple in d,f, and c

if anyone has an interest in the sitar try tuning your guitar to F#,B,F#,B,F#,F# strum all the strings letting the e,a, b, and e strings drone and fingering the d and g strings. ive also been able to pick out some interesting blues type stuff in this tuning.

I just saw this. Whenever I pick up a guitar I immediately go to the key of E or E flat if Im tuned a half step down. Just where I go to start with.

I also love dropped D.

I think the topic was what key do you go to naturally, as far as writing I go all over the place. In my cover band whenever I do the set list I try to change the key of each song, say do one in A then go down to G, then F#, then E, then D. Just so it doesnt sound like the same thing over and over again, but as the night goes on and people request stuff sometimes it seems like a lot of our stuff is in E. Just an observation!

I can play in all keys.... but I tend to favor the 7th mode (locrian) half-diminished on any key. Sounds very dark and foreboding.

Rycky.
I find that very interesting thanks for posting that I've wanted one for as long as I can remember, in fact I may need something like that for a project upcoming. Many thanks indeed.

if anyone has an interest in the sitar try tuning your guitar to F#,B,F#,B,F#,F# strum all the strings letting the e,a, b, and e strings drone and fingering the d and g strings. ive also been able to pick out some interesting blues type stuff in this tuning.

Ooh my new favorite... dadgad..

We tend to write all in minor...C, D, and E.

WhisKEY!