Ahem.... At the risk of being ridiculed any body got an ideas, opinions or comments about retuning a guitar to that of a mandolin. I know the Tenor guitar was made for this purpose but I have a good spare acoustic and was just wandering.....
As a keen mandolin played I am always looking for a different type of sound that does not involve me having to re-programme my muscle memory... Tenor Banjo o.k., fiddle painfull but getting their slowly... any others
New Standard Tuning, as it's called by practitioners like Robert Fripp (King Crimson) et al, is CGDAEG. All fifths except for the interval between the 2nd and 3rd strings. The middle four being an octave below regular mandolin tuning.
I like to use an octave G string (.008) from a 12 string set for the first, a light first for the second, a medium second for the third, a light fourth for the fourth, medium fifth for the fifth, and a medium or heavy sixth string. Using these guages I haven't had to adjust the saddle height, and just a tweak of the truss rod. Your milage may vary.
DGDAEA would be better for trad and if you want more chordy possibilities DGDADA. It's like a 6 course Bizzern. Would work well on a 12 string guitar i'd imagine.
Nothing wrong with tuning in fifths. Nothing wrong with tuning it any which way you want to do what want to achieve. The converse is also true. There's nothing wrong with tuning a mandolin in standard guitar tuning either, if that's what works for you.
Capo at the second fret for long scale, the seventh for short scale.
Do whatever makes you comfy and sounds good with the music. Why not?
Does that tuning limit your chording at all? What I dislike about backing in DADGAD is people tend to capo up the neck to make this key or that and the configurations sound the same only higher. I like dropped D because you don't need to do that.
iris
"New Standard Tuning, as it's called by practitioners like Robert Fripp (King Crimson) et al, is CGDAEG. All fifths except for the interval between the 2nd and 3rd strings."
Mooh, There's a mistake here. Those are all fifths, except 2nd to 1st is a minor third. Was the typo in the description of the fifths or in the tunings? Mark
The typo was my doing in the description, not the pitches. The tuning IS CGDAEG. Proof rweading ain't what it used to be! Must have temporarily been in standard tuning.
I'm getting a lot of utility out of one of the Open G tunings (DGDGBD). It only has that one third in it for the Key of G (with a 5th-string G drone possibility) and has plenty D's to be left droning for that Key as well. As with any tuning, it doesn't do everything well... the minors/dorians are a little weak. One bonus is that once you're familair with it, messing around with it can open up a world of possibilities for Delta Blues, if you're so inclined (it's a common tuning in that style). The downside of that is, you might find yourself shelling out for a resonator guitar (like I just did... someone needs to schedule an Intervention for me...).
DADEAE is a good bet for playing melody
the D A E on the 4th 2nd & 1st strings are same as mando and the E on the 3rd string saves you going past the 5th frewet ont the 4th
There are some great chords for all the main keys of D, A & AMin, and G, although G is best achieved using capo at the 5th fret
I find best way is some partial chords , but it is melody that really works well
There is a great book by Paul De Grae, called Traditional Irish Guitar, which is based on DADEAE and has everything you need to get into it
I rarely use any other tuning for Irish tunes on guitar, although I mostly play banjo nowadays
Book ref is OSSIAN OMB130 available from The Living Tradition, MacCurtain Street, Cork or Ossian direct at PO Box 84, Cork.
It's a great book in it's own right, with some nice tunes & interesting notes
Tuning an acoustic Guitar in 5ths
Tuning an acoustic Guitar in 5ths
Ahem.... At the risk of being ridiculed any body got an ideas, opinions or comments about retuning a guitar to that of a mandolin. I know the Tenor guitar was made for this purpose but I have a good spare acoustic and was just wandering.....
As a keen mandolin played I am always looking for a different type of sound that does not involve me having to re-programme my muscle memory... Tenor Banjo o.k., fiddle painfull but getting their slowly... any others
# Posted on January 21st 2006 by weebag
Re: Tuning an acoustic Guitar in 5ths
New Standard Tuning, as it's called by practitioners like Robert Fripp (King Crimson) et al, is CGDAEG. All fifths except for the interval between the 2nd and 3rd strings. The middle four being an octave below regular mandolin tuning.
I like to use an octave G string (.008) from a 12 string set for the first, a light first for the second, a medium second for the third, a light fourth for the fourth, medium fifth for the fifth, and a medium or heavy sixth string. Using these guages I haven't had to adjust the saddle height, and just a tweak of the truss rod. Your milage may vary.
Good luck.
Peace, Mooh.
# Posted on January 21st 2006 by Mooh
Re: Tuning an acoustic Guitar in 5ths
DGDAEA would be better for trad and if you want more chordy possibilities DGDADA. It's like a 6 course Bizzern. Would work well on a 12 string guitar i'd imagine.
# Posted on January 21st 2006 by ecidralla
Re: Tuning an acoustic Guitar in 5ths
or If you want a complete citternish tuning DADADA
# Posted on January 21st 2006 by ecidralla
Re: Tuning an acoustic Guitar in 5ths
EADDAE is a good hybrid tuning for tunes and chords
# Posted on January 21st 2006 by Bren
Re: Tuning an acoustic Guitar in 5ths
Nothing wrong with tuning in fifths. Nothing wrong with tuning it any which way you want to do what want to achieve. The converse is also true. There's nothing wrong with tuning a mandolin in standard guitar tuning either, if that's what works for you.
Capo at the second fret for long scale, the seventh for short scale.
KFG
# Posted on January 21st 2006 by KFG
Re: Tuning an acoustic Guitar in 5ths
Do whatever makes you comfy and sounds good with the music. Why not?
Does that tuning limit your chording at all? What I dislike about backing in DADGAD is people tend to capo up the neck to make this key or that and the configurations sound the same only higher. I like dropped D because you don't need to do that.
iris
# Posted on January 22nd 2006 by irisnevins
Re: Tuning an acoustic Guitar in 5ths
You don't necessarily have to use all 6 strings, remember.
I once had a guitar tuned ADae using the 5th and 4th as normal, the 3rd tuned up to A and a top E string where the 2nd B string should have been.
I didn't put anything where the top and bottom strings should have been. Just use 4 strings. If you tune the 5th A string down to G, you're all set.
Dagger
# Posted on January 22nd 2006 by CWGordon
Re: Tuning an acoustic Guitar in 5ths
In addition, I should mention it's very effective doing that with an electric guitar.
# Posted on January 22nd 2006 by CWGordon
Re: Tuning an acoustic Guitar in 5ths
"New Standard Tuning, as it's called by practitioners like Robert Fripp (King Crimson) et al, is CGDAEG. All fifths except for the interval between the 2nd and 3rd strings."
Mooh, There's a mistake here. Those are all fifths, except 2nd to 1st is a minor third. Was the typo in the description of the fifths or in the tunings? Mark
# Posted on January 23rd 2006 by markwilson
Re: Tuning an acoustic Guitar in 5ths
The typo was my doing in the description, not the pitches. The tuning IS CGDAEG. Proof rweading ain't what it used to be! Must have temporarily been in standard tuning.
Thanks for the save!
Peace, Mooh.
# Posted on January 23rd 2006 by Mooh
Re: Tuning an acoustic Guitar in 5ths
BAGDAD is good for Middle Eastern music.
# Posted on January 23rd 2006 by LastToFinish
Re: Tuning an acoustic Guitar in 5ths
"BAGDAD is good for Middle Eastern music."
I thought the phantom had a copyright on that joke
# Posted on January 23rd 2006 by Ron P
Re: Tuning an acoustic Guitar in 5ths
I'm getting a lot of utility out of one of the Open G tunings (DGDGBD). It only has that one third in it for the Key of G (with a 5th-string G drone possibility) and has plenty D's to be left droning for that Key as well. As with any tuning, it doesn't do everything well... the minors/dorians are a little weak. One bonus is that once you're familair with it, messing around with it can open up a world of possibilities for Delta Blues, if you're so inclined (it's a common tuning in that style). The downside of that is, you might find yourself shelling out for a resonator guitar (like I just did... someone needs to schedule an Intervention for me...).
Schy
# Posted on January 23rd 2006 by Schy
Re: Tuning an acoustic Guitar in 5ths
An idea would be two switch the middle D and G strings around
So you’d have EAGDBE
And then Drop the low E to D and B to A
Giving DAGDAE
# Posted on January 23rd 2006 by BegF
Re: Tuning an acoustic Guitar in 5ths
DADEAE is a good bet for playing melody
the D A E on the 4th 2nd & 1st strings are same as mando and the E on the 3rd string saves you going past the 5th frewet ont the 4th
There are some great chords for all the main keys of D, A & AMin, and G, although G is best achieved using capo at the 5th fret
I find best way is some partial chords , but it is melody that really works well
There is a great book by Paul De Grae, called Traditional Irish Guitar, which is based on DADEAE and has everything you need to get into it
I rarely use any other tuning for Irish tunes on guitar, although I mostly play banjo nowadays
Book ref is OSSIAN OMB130 available from The Living Tradition, MacCurtain Street, Cork or Ossian direct at PO Box 84, Cork.
It's a great book in it's own right, with some nice tunes & interesting notes
# Posted on January 24th 2006 by Enob
Re: Tuning an acoustic Guitar in 5ths
Thanks for the replys... I've already twanged 2 x strings..!!!
I will give a few of these ideas a try and report back..
# Posted on January 25th 2006 by weebag