Alternate tunings

Putting music theory into practice
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jps
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Alternate tunings

Post by jps »

Here is a website with a few choices:

http://www.howtotuneaguitar.org/tuning/ ... ing-chart/
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Kiddwad57
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Re: Alternate tunings

Post by Kiddwad57 »

Wrapping my mind around standard tuning can be crazy-making enough! I can almost deal with the drop D on a hipshot. Getting into the B string on a fiver is fine just jamming, but reading on it can still throw me, although that is changing quickly since I've gotten a five string double bass. The idea of the A string being in the middle often strikes me as downright amusing.
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jps
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Re: Alternate tunings

Post by jps »

Here is some more food for thought:
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Ontario_RIC_fan
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Re: Alternate tunings

Post by Ontario_RIC_fan »

I use DADGAD and "open G" DGDGBD all the time myself. The guitar came to life again for me when I discovered open tunings around 1993.

Joni Mitchell is the queen of open tuning... Dozens of songs in tunings completely unique to her.
Brian Morton
A Rickenbacker Fan
in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
=========================
67 FG 625
74 JG 4000
76 JG 430
77 JG 620
77 JG 320
79 JG 4001
80 FG 620/12
81 BG 480
91 JG 610
02 BG 620
78 TR7
83 TR25
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rikk
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Re: Alternate tunings

Post by rikk »

Not my Ric but I also play a 4 string tenor guitar tuned in 5ths like a mandolin or mandola. CGDA, or GDAE.
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Kiddwad57
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Re: Alternate tunings

Post by Kiddwad57 »

God I love Joni Mitchell! Not that I have a bunch of albums or anything, but her harmonic sensibility is gorgeous and the songwriting on Hejira provided some of the best vehicles for Jaco ever. There's an English vid of her singing and playing dulcimer on the song California in which her time is so absolutely rock solid, just amazing.
Don't let democracy end democracy.
xpitt
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Re: Alternate tunings

Post by xpitt »

Kiddwad57 wrote:God I love Joni Mitchell! Not that I have a bunch of albums or anything, but her harmonic sensibility is gorgeous and the songwriting on Hejira provided some of the best vehicles for Jaco ever. There's an English vid of her singing and playing dulcimer on the song California in which her time is so absolutely rock solid, just amazing.
Absolutely right! She is a class on her own. Brian, do you as fellow Canadian know if she is alright again? I read that she had serious health problems.
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jps
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Re: Alternate tunings

Post by jps »

Kiddwad57 wrote:There's an English vid of her singing and playing dulcimer on the song California in which her time is so absolutely rock solid, just amazing.
When I was doing folk music in the '70s I played some of Joni's dulcimer songs; California, Carey, and A Case Of You. I wish I still had the dulcimer, they are quite pricy these day for a decent one.
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jps
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Re: Alternate tunings

Post by jps »

I started using alternate tuning in the early '70s; the first song I ever composed was with both Es dropped to D, in 1973.

I usually keep the Martin OM/000 Custom in DADGAD, and the Yamamoto MS-12 in a cool tuning I learned from working on Joni's A Woman Of Heart And Mind, the version on Miles Of Aisles.
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jimk
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Re: Alternate tunings

Post by jimk »

I went down to the Kerrville (TX) Folk Festival a couple of summers ago, and got turned on to partial capos. The one I bought covers three strings. Turn it one way placed at the second fret, and you get EBEABE (like DADGAD two frets higher), or EAEAC#E turned 'round the other way. Nice thing about partial capos is that if you choose to, you can use standard chord positions because you really haven't changed the standard relationship of the strings.

Another thing is to use a banjo capo which will cover five strings. Used jointly, two partial capos can really give you some pretty spacey sounding tunings, all without touching a key. (OK, you might have to adjust for intonation....But that's the nature of a capo anyhow.)
JimK
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jps
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Re: Alternate tunings

Post by jps »

The partial capo concept is a very good one although I only use full capos at the moment. I do a lot of playing in altered tunings and capo'd up, sometimes up to the 9th fret plus I loved the down tuned tonality when not capo'd (that is part of the draw for me). I have contemplated cutting the rubber down in areas on my NS capos to provide partial capo capabilities. These NS capos are great as they are very lightweight, and easy to adjust the tension on them, more so than on the original Shubb capo I have.
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jimk
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Re: Alternate tunings

Post by jimk »

Shubb does make a partial capo. It covers three strings. On a 12 string guitar, I think a partial capo is the way to go. Saves a lot of time messing around on stage between numbers. :mrgreen:
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Ontario_RIC_fan
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Re: Alternate tunings

Post by Ontario_RIC_fan »

xpitt wrote: Brian, do you as fellow Canadian know if she is alright again? I read that she had serious health problems.
She actually lives in Los Angeles - so some of you are much closer to her then I am!

I only know what was posted in the news... She was hospitalized a few months back.

My friend Bill Dillon has recorded with her. He shared a story about her fondness for Red Rose Tea (which you can only get in Canada).


PITY! LOL
Brian Morton
A Rickenbacker Fan
in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
=========================
67 FG 625
74 JG 4000
76 JG 430
77 JG 620
77 JG 320
79 JG 4001
80 FG 620/12
81 BG 480
91 JG 610
02 BG 620
78 TR7
83 TR25
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