On alternate guitar tunings

But one thing I know is that Joni Mitchell made a lot of her own, and its purpose, I think, is to have a really unique sound and not just to make some stuff easier to play.

That's really all I got to say, though, haha.

This.

Some of the most wonderful guitarists (in my opinion) use tons of non-standard tunings. Mark Kozelek (one of my favourite ever guitarists) almost always uses alternate tunings.

I myself almost always play in FACGCE these days, since I love those wide, open chords you can get/it makes fingerpicking patterns really fun. Also really fun for tapping stuff (not that I'm any good) if you use a capo (or not).

I'd recommend trying a few - you might have fun and/or learn something new. At the very worst, you'll be able to say you've tried alternate tunings ;)

I didn't know about the sauna bit, warms my sauna-loving Finnish heart 

1) in order to play different sets of open chords up and down the neck.

2) to get extended range out of the insturment.

3) tuning to a chord for using slides, a common technique

4) for tapping, used in a similar way as i do for slides

5) to force myself to think outside of the scales and chord progressions i fall back on

6) yes, sometimes to make hard stuff easy

 

Forget the cheaters and ask them to go stay at a motel. Popol Vuh , Jade Warrior, Michael Hedges, and even Jimmy Page all used alternate tunings. China, Japan, Ireland, or even the hills of West Virginia where the dulcimer and guitar are purposely tuned to a chord producing a distinctive style. The same goes for the early alternate tunings in the Blues during the 1930's. With Classical guitar it is requested for the guitarist to tune sometimes 3 to 4 strings differently from standard. Due to the fact that guitar as an instrument is limited and piano is not. Certain pieces from Paganini, J.S.Bach, and something more modern like Erik Satie must be in an alternate tuning due to that limitation of your instrument. Those who transcribe the pieces will indicate the special tuning in the far upper right hand corner of the sheet music. You are correct when you say some players are utilizing the concept for an easy way out. However alternate tunings derive from intense complex music and the tuning itself or the idea for that tuning was originally created for a big sound. A sound that one can easily obtain from a piano and yet must cut-corners for the guitar.