Modern Metal Academy lessons are designed to be as accessible as possible regardless of your tuning. Most exercises focus on developing technique, timing, and musical control—not on playing specific riffs tied to a tuning.
This article explains which lessons require specific tunings, how to adapt exercises to your preferred tuning, and how Masters members can pitch-shift backing tracks and synced tabs.
Most Exercises Work in ANY Tuning
Around 90% of Modern Metal Academy exercises are designed to work in any guitar tuning.
This is because they focus on the Five Core Pillars of Guitar Excellence:
Endurance
Precision
Control
Stamina
Strength
These pillar-based exercises develop:
Fretting-hand coordination
Picking-hand accuracy
Left/right-hand synchronisation
Speed foundations
Timing and rhythmic tightness
Since these concepts do not depend on pitch layout, your tuning won’t affect your ability to complete the exercise.
Whether you play in:
Standard
Drop D
D Standard
C Standard
Drop C
DADGAD
Or any custom tuning
…you can follow the majority of technique-focused drills without needing to retune.
When Specific Tunings ARE Required
Some lessons, including case studies in the Learning Pathways, song tutorials, and specific riff breakdowns, do require your guitar to be in the correct tuning.
For Modern Metal Academy, most song-based examples and certain pathway sections use:
Required tuning: DADGAD or lower variation
This is because:
The riffs were written in this tuning
Chord shapes depend on DADGAD voicing
Fingerings, intervals, and open-string shapes will not translate the same way in other tunings
If you're working through:
Pathway case studies
Song-learning lessons
Riff breakdowns
…you will need to retune to DADGAD for accurate results.
Changing Tuning for Exercises with Downloadable Tabs
All exercises that include downloadable tabs can be played in any tuning.
You simply follow the fret numbers relative to your own tuning.
For example:
If a 5th-fret shape sounds different because your tuning is lower or higher, that's fine
The goal is technique, not matching pitch
This makes the exercises accessible for players with different tuning preferences.
Masters Members: Using Pitch-Shifted Backing Tracks
Masters members have additional flexibility using the advanced video player.
Masters can:
Pitch-shift backing tracks
Adjust transposition in the video tab player
Use Synth-Only Mode to hear the tab in their tuning
Flip between pitch variations to match their setup
This allows you to practise riffs, pathways, and technique exercises without retuning your guitar if you prefer not to.
Summary: When You Need to Retune vs. When You Don’t
No Retuning Required (Any Tuning Works):
Technique exercises
Fundamentals
Daily Guitar Hacks
Picking drills
Synchronisation drills
Stamina/endurance exercises
Control and accuracy exercises
Most pathway technique stages
Retuning Required:
Case studies in Learning Pathways
Song-learning lessons
Riff breakdowns
Certain composition examples
Chord-voicing lessons tied to DADGAD shapes
Need Help Understanding Tuning Requirements?
If you're unsure whether a lesson requires a specific tuning:
Check the lesson description
Look at the tab header for tuning instructions
Ask in the Members Lounge:
https://app.modernmetalacademy.com/spaces/11273548/discoveryOr send us a supprt ticket
https://www.modernmetalacademy.com/support