asshat

....also if it's a half step or full step down you can you still play it in the regular position in standard tuning...if your just noodling around nobody can really tell the difference.

...but if you already committed yourself to learning a song the first time you might as well tune it to the record. Tune your e-string to the lowest note you hear on any given song.

....I think half-step below is the most frequent tuning used in classic hard rock.

....as far as steve vai and the virtuoso types go, they're probably more likely to have weird-ass tunings that you and I have never heard. For them you might have to buy their actual transcribed music, for it to sound accurate.

__________________
Rye Catcher II: Electric Boogaloo
http://oldhickory666.blogspot.com/