Ostrich Guitar

The Ostrich guitar is a type of trivial tuning that assigns exactly one pitch class (D, or A#, F and B) to all guitar-strings. Among alternative tunings for the guitar, the trivial tuning is a regular and repetitive tuning. It assigns exactly one note to all strings, e.g. C-C-C-C-C-C.

The trivial tuning is a regular tuning based on the unison musical interval, which has zero semitones. It is its own left-handed tuning.

The term "ostrich guitar" was coined by The Velvet Underground's Lou Reed after the pre–Velvet Underground song "The Ostrich" by Lou Reed and The Primitives, on which this tuning was first used. Reed later applied it on the 1967 album The Velvet Underground & Nico on the songs "Venus in Furs" and "All Tomorrow's Parties".

1d ----- * downtuned to d (from e to d) 2d ----- * uptuned to d (from B to d) 3D ----- * downtuned to D (from G to D) 4D ----- * left at standard 5D ----- * uptuned to D (from A to D) 6D ----- * downtuned to D (from E to D)

According to an interview with drummer Maureen Tucker in What Goes On? No. 4, Reed's ostrich guitar was a guitar that had its frets removed, and was stolen shortly after the album sessions.

Soundgarden uses the trivial tuning E-E-E-E-E-E on the song "Mind Riot". Coldplay used the ostrich tuning F-F-F-f-f-f on the song "42"; this tuning was only used by one guitarist, Jonny Buckland, while Chris Martin played an acoustic guitar in standard tuning with a capo at the first fret.