I used to hate standard tuning because I didn't know anything. But now it's quite nice.

it doesn't really matter to me what tuning i'm in.

I learned everything in standard tuning... So somtimes I'll even transpose SY songs into standard tuning... They're way harder to play that way... The beauty of alternate tunings is the sheer torrent of ideas they can unleash upon an unsuspecting musician. Your fingers will light up at all the new possibilites and combinations... ;) But of course, standard tuning is tuning. It's the way the guitar was meant to be played... And yes, Saturnine, making your own songs is much more fun, by far...

I rarely play others songs, if I do I usually forget them within a few weeks, or even days. I play instruments to create. I used to love when I was younger learning others songs and getting bits down that I'd be trying to get for days. But then you get to the point where you can play mostly anything by any band you own, and the bands you can't, you're beyond the stage of caring to play Hendrix solos. There's nothing much more rewarding than writing your own music, especially if people dig it.

the problem i've had with alternate tunings the couple of times i've tried them is that everything starts to sound the same after a few minutes.

especially if you're in something like GGDDEbEb like for Trilogy, you can only play the riff from hyperstation so many times before getting bored with it. it's more fun to forget playing and completely detune the guitar and play with a screwdriver or something but that completely rips up the fretboard after awhile.

i like using wire coathangers, or a blunt knife. or loosening all the strings till they are slack and using a violin bow. though violin bows are very unrock.

violin bows are very jimmy page. they make some very nice sounds.

My old bandmate uses a violin bow and glissando bar to great effect.

they make me thing of sigur ros or classical students trying to branch out

i saw sigur ros twice, and i was not particularly impressed either time.

The glissando thing makes me think of Gong or Acid Mothers.

I saw an ebow being used in an REM video once.... It gave a creepy, theremin-like effect... Ultra cool.

what is a glissando bar anyway?

Ebow:
I had one of those for a long time; it got lost at a show.
Fun things.

Glissando is just when you rub a thin metal bar on the neck to vibrate the string.

i've tried using ebows but i can't get to grips with them, but then i'm useless at playing music

i like playing bass, you don't have to think about those things.

The thing is, most of the techniques and tricks that guitar players use, can be replicated well enough, if you have a fair understanding of the use of effects and sound manipulation. A little delay and some tremolo can actually approximate the sound of an ebow fairly well...

if you have a line 6 pod, there's a swell/delay setting that replicates a violin bow pretty well for wires in a box.

Ouh I love that effect... You can use the volume knob on your guitar, if your hand-eye coordination is good enough... :) Just turn down and turn up, turn down and turn up...