I'm writing a piece that needs to have a drop D tuning- how do I mark the guitar's tuning at the top of the score? Is there a standard? Something like "E = D" or just "DADGBE"? Maybe a chord fingering chart type thing with the letters at the nut of the guitar?
I'm fine with "Tuning = DADGBE", but if there's a standard, I'm interested in what it is.
I just got some rep with exactly that tuning. It says:
6 = D
at the top, but with the 6 inside a circle.
You don’t have to specify the other strings are in standard tuning. Just that the sixth string is D.
In Behind Bars, Elaine Gould writes that "scordatura" is indicated as "<string number> to pitch", with <string number> circled (pp. 388–89).
Indicate the different tunings above the first staff.
See the image below for her example, from Walton's Five Bagatelles, No. 3.
I agree with all the answers above. An alternate way, in case you ever get crazy tuning schemes, is to notate your alternate tuning with the staff. The advantage with this method is that you don't get confusions over which octaves the alternative tuning notes are in.
An example from Carlo Domeniconi's Koyunbaba:
I've seen your last sentence written way more than anything else. It makes immediate sense, and is unequivocal.
Tab may be different, in that the 6 strings would be notated DADGBE on the start of the tab.
