61-448: New standard tuning (NST) is an alternative tuning for the guitar that approximates all-fifths tuning . The guitar's strings are assigned the notes C2-G2-D3-A3-E4-G4 (from lowest to highest); the five lowest open strings are each tuned to an interval of a perfect fifth {(C,G),(G,D),(D,A),(A,E)}; the two highest strings are a minor third apart (E,G). All-fifths tuning is typically used for mandolins, cellos, violas, and violins. On
122-565: A B ♭ -F-C-G-D-A-C-D tuning. Finnish musician Heikki Malmberg uses a 7-string guitar tuned in New Standard Tuning with an additional low F. Crowe, Ben. "Custom guitars from Crimson Guitars UK currently in stock" . Crimson Guitars . Retrieved 23 July 2012 . Guitar tunings#Alternative Guitar tunings are the assignment of pitches to the open strings of guitars , including classical guitars , acoustic guitars , and electric guitars . Tunings are described by
183-423: A common musical tradition often use the same or similar tuning styles. Standard tuning is the tuning most frequently used on a six-string guitar and musicians assume this tuning by default if a specific alternate (or scordatura ) is not mentioned. In scientific pitch notation , the guitar's standard tuning consists of the following notes : E 2 – A 2 – D 3 – G 3 – B 3 – E 4 . The guitar
244-556: A greater range than the standard tuning, a perfect fifth greater (a major third lower and a minor third higher). Asked whether NST facilitates "new intervals or harmonies that aren't readily available in standard tuning", Fripp responded, "Yes, that's part of it. It's more effective. It's a more rational system, but it's also better sounding—better for chords, better for single notes." To build chords, Fripp uses "perfect intervals in fourths, fifths and octaves", so avoiding minor and major thirds . Quartal and quintal harmony
305-478: A guitar string, which influences the overall sound and pitch of the guitar depending on the guitar string used. Some alternative tunings are difficult or even impossible to achieve with conventional guitars due to the sets of guitar strings, which have gauges optimized for standard tuning. With conventional sets of guitar strings, some higher tunings increase the string-tension until playing the guitar requires significantly more finger-strength and stamina, or even until
366-566: A guitar, tuning the strings in fifths would mean the first string would be a high B. NST provides a good approximation to all-fifths tuning. Like other regular tunings , NST allows chord fingerings to be shifted from one set of strings to another. NST's C-G range is wider, both lower and higher, than the E-E range of standard tuning in which the strings are tuned to the open notes E2-A2-D3-G3-B3-E4. The greater range allows NST guitars to play repertoire that would be impractical, if not impossible, on
427-468: A major third (M3) with its perfect fourths. Regular tunings that are based on either major thirds or perfect fourths are used, for example, in jazz. All fourths tuning E 2 –A 2 –D 3 –G 3 –C 4 –F 4 keeps the lowest four strings of standard tuning, changing the major third to a perfect fourth. Jazz musician Stanley Jordan stated that all-fourths tuning "simplifies the fingerboard, making it logical". Major-thirds tuning (M3 tuning)
488-481: A major third except in the top of the voicing. Close voicings (from a single guitar) in [NST] are possible thanks to the minor third between the first and second string, and this is often the only practical place where close voicings occur with any regularity". Modern quartal and quintal harmony revives the polyphonic traditions of medieval Europe. Before the common practice period , European polyphony emphasized unison intervals and octaves and also perfect fifths. From
549-494: A major third/sixth or a minor third/sixth—but not both. Don Helms of Hank Williams band favored C tuning; slack-key artist Henry Kaleialoha Allen uses a modified C (C tuning with a B ♭ on the bottom); Harmon Davis favored E tuning; David Gilmour has used an open G tuning. Modal tunings are open tunings in which the open strings of the guitar do not produce a tertian (i.e., major or minor, or variants thereof) chord. The strings may be tuned to exclusively present
610-589: A minor third, so giving a minor chord with open strings. Fretting the minor-third string at the first fret produces a major-third, so allowing a one-finger fretting of a major chord. By contrast, it is more difficult to fret a minor chord using an open major-chord tuning. Bukka White and Skip James are well known for using cross-note E-minor (E B E G B E) in their music, as in 'Hard Time Killin Floor Blues'. Some guitarists choose open tunings that use more complex chords, which gives them more available intervals on
671-414: A price. Chords cannot be shifted around the fretboard in the standard tuning E–A–D–G–B–E, which requires four chord-shapes for the major chords. There are separate chord-forms for chords having their root note on the third, fourth, fifth, and sixth strings. These are called inversions . In contrast, regular tunings have equal intervals between the strings, and so they have symmetrical scales all along
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#1733085664655732-461: A set from a manufacturer or purchased singly and assembled by the guitarist. In 2012, a 0.007 inch gauge was being evaluated by Fripp and other members of Guitar Circle, who are considering replacing the first string's G note with an A note, the better to approximate the B note of all-fifths tuning . The 0.007 inch gauge was produced by Octave4Plus of Gary Goodman. Robert Fripp uses lighter strings for electric guitar. Robert Fripp currently uses
793-485: A single interval (all fourths; all fifths; etc.) or they may be tuned to a non-tertian chord (unresolved suspensions such as E–A–B–E–A–E, for example). Modal open tunings may use only one or two pitch classes across all strings (as, for example, some metal guitarists who tune each string to either E or B, forming "power chords" of ambiguous major/minor tonality). Popular modal tunings include D Modal (D-G-D-G-B-E) and C Modal (C-G-D-G-B-D). Derived from standard EADGBE, all
854-488: A smaller range than standard tuning; with seven strings, the major-thirds tuning covers the range of standard tuning on six strings. Major-thirds tunings require less hand-stretching than other tunings, because each M3 tuning packs the octave's twelve notes into four consecutive frets. The major-third intervals let the guitarist play major chords and minor chords with two three consecutive fingers on two consecutive frets. Second (interval) Below
915-468: A standard-tuned guitar. NST was developed by Robert Fripp , the guitarist for King Crimson . Fripp taught the new standard tuning in Guitar Craft courses beginning in 1985, and thousands of Guitar Craft students continue to use the tuning. Like other alternative tunings for guitar, NST provides challenges and new opportunities to guitarists, who have developed music especially suited to NST. NST places
976-430: A string snaps or the guitar is warped. However, with lower tunings, the sets of guitar strings may be loose and buzz. The tone of the guitar strings is also negatively affected by using unsuitable string gauges on the guitar. Generally, alternative tunings benefit from re-stringing of the guitar with string gauges purposefully chosen to optimize particular tunings by using lighter strings for higher-pitched notes (to lower
1037-414: A week." It is a challenge to adapt conventional guitar chords to new standard tuning. NST has wider intervals between consecutive strings than standard tuning. "Most songs (that is music which has both words and instrumental accompaniments) written in the [NST] have a quality of walking on long stilts. There are rarely many intervals, harmonic or melodic, in these guitar accompaniments that are closer than
1098-403: A whole step (to D). The rest of the strings keep their original pitch. An open tuning allows the guitarist to play a chord by strumming the open strings (no strings fretted). Open tunings may be chordal or modal . In chordal open tunings, the open chord consists of at least three different pitch classes. In a given key , these are the root note, its 3rd and its 5th, and may include all
1159-425: Is a transposing instrument ; that is, music for guitars is notated one octave higher than the true pitch. This is to reduce the need for ledger lines in music written for the instrument, and thus simplify the reading of notes when playing the guitar. Standard tuning provides reasonably simple fingering ( fret -hand movement) for playing standard scales and basic chords in all major and minor keys. Separation of
1220-473: Is a regular tuning in which the musical intervals between successive strings are each major thirds , for example E 2 –G ♯ 2 –C 3 –E 3 –G ♯ 3 –C 4 . Unlike all-fourths and all-fifths tuning, M3 tuning repeats its octave after three strings, which simplifies the learning of chords and improvisation. This repetition provides the guitarist with many possibilities for fingering chords. With six strings, major-thirds tuning has
1281-485: Is another alternative. Each string is lowered by a whole tone (two semitones) resulting in D-G-C-F-A-D . It is used mostly by heavy metal bands to achieve a heavier, deeper sound, and by blues guitarists, who use it to accommodate string bending and by 12-string guitar players to reduce the mechanical load on their instrument. Among musicians, Elliott Smith was known to use D tuning as his main tuning for his music. It
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#17330856646551342-721: Is referred to as the 1st string, and the lowest-pitched is the 6th string. Standard tuning defines the string pitches as E, A, D, G, B, and E, from the lowest pitch (low E 2 ) to the highest pitch (high E 4 ). Standard tuning is used by most guitarists, and frequently used tunings can be understood as variations on standard tuning. To aid in memorising these notes, mnemonics are used, for example, E ddie A te D ynamite G ood B ye E ddie. The term guitar tunings may refer to pitch sets other than standard tuning, also called nonstandard , alternative , or alternate . There are hundreds of these tunings, often with small variants of established tunings. Communities of guitarists who share
1403-403: Is simplified by regular intervals. On the other hand, five- and six-string open chords (" cowboy chords ") are more difficult to play in a regular tuning than in standard tuning. Instructional literature uses standard tuning. Traditionally a course begins with the hand in first position , that is, with the left-hand covering frets 1–4. Beginning players first learn open chords belonging to
1464-410: Is tuned down one whole step (to D) and the rest of the strings remain in standard tuning. This creates an "open power chord " (three-note fifth ) with the low three strings (DAD). Although the drop D tuning was introduced and developed by blues and classical guitarists, it is well known from its usage in contemporary heavy metal and hard rock bands. Early hard rock songs tuned in drop D include
1525-420: Is well known for using open tuning in his music is Ry Cooder , who uses open tunings when playing the slide guitar. Most modern music uses equal temperament because it facilitates the ability to play the guitar in any key—as compared to just intonation , which favors certain keys, and makes the other keys sound less in tune. Repetitive open tunings are used for two classical non-Spanish guitars. For
1586-529: The English guitar , the open chord is C major (C–E–G–C–E–G); for the Russian guitar , which has seven strings , it is G major (D–G–B–D–G–B–D). When the open strings constitute a minor chord, the open tuning may sometimes be called a cross-note tuning. Major open tunings give a major chord with the open strings. (often most popular) Open tunings often tune the lowest open note to C, D, or E and they often tune
1647-459: The harmonic sequence (overtones) for the note C. When the low open-note C-string is struck, its harmonic sequence begins with the notes To strengthen a given chord, Vincent Persichetti 's Twentieth-century harmony recommends adding perfect fifths above the initial overtones, rather than adding higher overtones, such as B ♭ and the higher C. Persichetti's book influenced Fripp. In new standard tuning Like all-fifths tuning, NST has
1708-402: The major keys C , G , and D . Guitarists who play mainly open chords in these three major-keys and their relative minor -keys ( Am , Em , Bm ) may prefer standard tuning over many regular tunings, On the other hand, minor-thirds tuning features many barre chords with repeated notes, properties that appeal to acoustic-guitarists and beginners. Standard tuning mixes
1769-513: The Beatles ' " Dear Prudence " (1968) and Led Zeppelin 's " Moby Dick " (1969). Tuning the lowest string one tone down, from E to D, allowed these musicians to acquire a heavier and darker sound than in standard tuning . Without needing to tune all strings (Standard D tuning), they could tune just one, in order to lower the key. Drop D is also a convenient tuning, because it expands the scale of an instrument by two semitones: D and D ♯ . In
1830-1125: The League of Crafty Guitarists have trained guitarists who went on to form new bands, such as the Trey Gunn and the California Guitar ;Trio ; Gunn and the California Guitar Trio have toured with Fripp as The Robert Fripp String Quintet . Other alumni of the League of Crafty Guitarists include members of Los Gauchos Alemanes, such as U.S. guitarist Steve Ball; Ball is associated with the Seattle Guitar ;Circle, along with League of Craft Guitarists alumnus Curt Golden. The collection A Plague of Crafty Guitarists features many NST players including Nigel Gavin . New Standard Tuning has been adapted for instruments besides guitar. Trey Gunn (Crimson's warr guitar player from 1994 to 2003) and Markus Reuter have adapted New Standard Tuning for their 8- and 10-string instruments; in 2007 Reuter used
1891-683: The New Standard Tuning, beginning in 1984. Fripp has taught New Standard Tuning in his Guitar-Craft courses. In Guitar Craft and in the 2010 successor Guitar Circles , students use only New Standard Tuning. Having to use a new tuning challenges students to approach their playing with greater mindfulness and to explore new ways of musical expression. As of 2011 there have been three-thousand graduates from Guitar-Craft. Alumni who continue to practice New Standard Tuning are called "crafty guitarists" or "crafties". Some crafty guitarists formed The League of Crafty Guitarists , which toured with Robert Fripp and have released multiple albums. Guitar-Craft and
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1952-576: The Renaissance to 1900, Western symphonic music was diatonic , emphasizing the tertian harmony of major and minor scales, keys, and chords. Much popular music, especially rock, retains diatonic harmony. With traditional guitar strings, the low C may be loose and the high G may be too tight. Special gauges are therefore more suitable for NST. For steel-stringed acoustic-guitars, many Guitar-Craft participants use either an .011–.058 inch set or an .011–.059 inch set; string-sets may be purchased as
2013-582: The band King Crimson in September 1983. "I was in the Apple Health Spa on Bleecker and Thompson back in September 1983, in the sauna at half past 10 in the morning, almost asleep, and the tuning flew over my head. At the time I couldn’t understand what it was for. I was asked to give a guitar seminar at Claymont Court in December 1984, to raise funds for the running of the estate and the children’s school. There
2074-558: The demo of "Can't Get Enough". Open-G tuning usually refers to D–G–D–G–B–D. The open G tuning variant G–G–D–G–B–D was used by Joni Mitchell for "Electricity", "For the Roses" and "Hunter (The Good Samaritan)". Truncating this tuning to G–D–G–B–D for his five-string guitar, Keith Richards uses this overtones-tuning on the Rolling Stones 's " Honky Tonk Women ", " Brown Sugar " and " Start Me Up ". The seven-string Russian guitar uses
2135-461: The experiment could lead to "the NST 1.2", C2G2D3A3E4-A4, according to Fripp. In 2010, Fripp suggested renaming the tuning as " Guitar Craft Standard Tuning or C Pentatonic tuning ". The lowest five strings are tuned in perfect fifths from a low C. The first string is a minor third up from the E to a G. Since the lowest five strings are tuned in fifths, guitars with NST can be played with
2196-402: The fingerings for chords and scales used on the violin , cello, and mandolin . The first five strings of NST have all-fifths tuning , and so its all-fifths chords are movable around the fretboard. In contrast, standard tuning has an irregular major-third interjected among its perfect fourths, which complicates the learning of chords by beginners. The distinct open - notes {C,G,D,A,E} are
2257-428: The following categories: Joni Mitchell developed a shorthand to specify guitar tunings: one letter naming the note of the open lowest string, followed by the relative fret (half-step) offsets between adjacent strings; in this format, the standard tuning is E55545. This scheme highlights pitch relationships and simplifies comparisons among different tuning schemes. String gauge refers to the thickness and diameter of
2318-525: The fretboard. This makes it simpler to translate chords. For the regular tunings, chords may be moved diagonally around the fretboard. The diagonal movement of chords is especially simple for the regular tunings that are repetitive, in which case chords can be moved vertically: Chords can be moved three strings up (or down) in major-thirds tuning, and chords can be moved two strings up (or down) in augmented -fourths tuning. Regular tunings thus appeal to new guitarists and also to jazz-guitarists, whose improvisation
2379-470: The fundamental, and, in addition to the root note, other notes are generated: these are the harmonic series.... As one fundamental note contains within it other notes in the octave, two fundamentals produce a remarkable array of harmonics, and the number of possible combinations between all the notes increases phenomenally. With a triad, affairs stand a good chance of getting severely out of hand." New standard tuning lists four notes (C,G,E,G) from
2440-410: The guitar strings under greater tension than standard tuning. Standard sets of guitar strings do not work well with the tuning as the lowest strings are too loose and the highest string may snap under the increased tension. Special sets of NST strings have been available for decades, and some guitarists assemble NST sets from individual strings. New standard tuning (NST) was invented by Robert Fripp of
2501-561: The hand is in the first position. The open notes of the second (B) and third (G) strings are separated by four semitones (a major third ). This tuning pattern of (low) fourths, one major third, and one fourth was inherited by the guitar from its predecessor instrument, the viol . The irregular major third breaks the fingering patterns of scales and chords, so that guitarists have to memorize multiple chord shapes for each chord. Scales and chords are simplified by major thirds tuning and all-fourths tuning , which are regular tunings maintaining
New standard tuning - Misplaced Pages Continue
2562-477: The highest open note to D or E; tuning down the open string from E to D or C avoids the risk of breaking strings, which is associated with tuning up strings. The open D tuning (D–A–D–F ♯ –A–D), also called "Vestapol" tuning, is a common open tuning used by European and American/Western guitarists working with alternative tunings. The Allman Brothers Band instrumental " Little Martha " used an open D tuning raised one half step, giving an open E♭ tuning with
2623-647: The mid-1980s, three alternative rock bands, King's X , Soundgarden and Melvins , influenced by Led Zeppelin and Black Sabbath , made extensive use of drop D tuning. While playing power chords (a chord that includes the prime, fifth and octave) in standard tuning requires a player to use two or three fingers, drop D tuning needs just one, similar in technique to playing barre chords . This allowed them to use different methods of articulating power chords ( legato for example) and more importantly, it allowed guitarists to change chords faster. This new technique of playing power chords introduced by these early grunge bands
2684-479: The note C. This overtone-series tuning was modified by Mick Ralphs , who used a high C note rather than the high G note for " Can't Get Enough " on Bad Company . Ralphs said, "It needs the open C to have that ring," and "it never really sounds right in standard tuning". Mick Ralphs' open C tuning was originally an open G tuning , which listed the initial six overtones of the G note, namely G–G–D–G–B–D; Ralphs used this open G tuning for "Hey Hey" and while writing
2745-458: The notes of the major pentatonic scale on C, which contains only consonant intervals. The C-pentatonic scale omits the open B of standard tuning and all-fifths tuning, which forms a dissonant second-interval with C. With the 1980s King Crimson, Fripp had used pentatonic harmony in " Discipline ", " Thela Hun Ginjeet ", and " Sartori in Tangier ". "With a note of music, one strikes
2806-405: The open G tuning D–G–B–D–G–B–D, which contains mostly major and minor thirds. Any kind of chordal tuning can be achieved, simply by using the notes in the chord and tuning the strings to those notes. For example, A sus4 has the notes A, D, E. By tuning the strings to only those notes, it creates a chordal A tuning. Bass players may omit the last two strings. Cross-note tunings include
2867-537: The open strings. C , E , E , E and other such tunings are common among lap-steel players such as Hawaiian slack-key guitarists and country guitarists, and are also sometimes applied to the regular guitar by bottleneck (a slide repurposed from a glass bottle) players striving to emulate these styles. A common C tuning, for example, is C–E–G–A–C–E, which provides open major and minor thirds, open major and minor sixths, fifths, and octaves. By contrast, most open major or open minor tunings provide only octaves, fifths, and either
2928-454: The particular pitches that are made by notes in Western music . By convention, the notes are ordered and arranged from the lowest-pitched string (i.e., the deepest bass-sounding note) to the highest-pitched string (i.e., the highest sounding note), or the thickest string to thinnest, or the lowest frequency to the highest. This sometimes confuses beginner guitarists, since the highest-pitched string
2989-503: The playing of certain chords while simultaneously increase the difficulty of playing other chords. Some tunings are used for particular songs and may be named after the song's title. There are hundreds of these tunings, although many are slight variations of other alternate tunings. Several alternative tunings are used regularly by communities of guitarists who share a common musical tradition, such as American folk or Celtic folk music. The various alternative tunings have been grouped into
3050-470: The same intervallic relationships as open D. The English guitar used a repetitive open C tuning (with distinct open notes C–E–G–C–E–G) that approximated a major-thirds tuning . This tuning is evident in William Ackerman 's song "Townsend Shuffle", as well as by John Fahey for his tribute to Mississippi John Hurt . The C–C–G–C–E–G tuning uses some of the harmonic sequence (overtones) of
3111-424: The same musical interval between consecutive open string notes. Alternative ("alternate") tuning refers to any open string note arrangement other than standard tuning. These offer different kinds of deep or ringing sounds, chord voicings, and fingerings on the guitar. Alternative tunings are common in folk music . Alternative tunings change the fingering of common chords when playing the guitar, and this can ease
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#17330856646553172-424: The second (B) through fifth (A) strings being tuned in minor 3rds and second (e) following the low (E) string as the separation being tuned in 5ths, and creating as by a five- semitone interval (a perfect fourth ) allows the guitarist to play a chromatic scale with each of the four fingers of the fretting hand controlling one of the first four frets (index finger on fret 1, little finger on fret 4, etc.) only when
3233-602: The songs " Voodoo Child (Slight Return) " and " Little Wing ") occasionally tune all their strings down by one semitone to obtain E♭ tuning . This makes the strings easier to bend when playing and with standard fingering results in a lower key. It also facilitates E shape fingerings when playing with horn instruments. Grunge band Nirvana also used this tuning extensively throughout their career, most significantly in their albums Bleach and In Utero . D Tuning , also called One Step Lower , Whole Step Down , Full Step or D Standard ,
3294-441: The string's lifetime distribution was too short. Experimenting with a G string, Fripp succeeded. "Originally, seen in 5ths all the way, the top string would not go to B. so, as on a tenor banjo, I adopted an A on the first string. These kept breaking, so G was adopted." In 2012, Fripp suggested that Guitar Circle members experiment with an A string (0.007) from Octave4Plus of Gary Goodman; if successful,
3355-400: The strings are tuned lower by the same interval , thus providing the same chord positions transposed to a lower key. Lower tunings are popular among rock and heavy metal bands. The reason for tuning down below the standard pitch is usually either to accommodate a singer's vocal range or to get a deeper/heavier sound or pitch. Common examples include: Rock guitarists (such as Jimi Hendrix on
3416-412: The strings or a subset. The tuning is named for the base chord when played open, typically a major chord, and all similar chords in the chromatic scale are played by barring all strings across a single fret. Open tunings are common in blues and folk music . These tunings are frequently used in the playing of slide and lap-slide ("Hawaiian") guitars, and Hawaiian slack key music. A musician who
3477-442: The tension of the strings) and heavier strings for lower-pitched notes (to prevent string buzz and vibration). A dropped tuning is one of the categories of alternative tunings and the process starts with standard tuning and typically lowers the pitch of ("drops") one or more strings, almost always the lowest-pitched (E) string on the guitar. The drop D tuning is common in electric guitar and heavy metal music . The low E string
3538-419: Was a click and I realized the tuning was for the guitar class." Fripp began using the tuning in 1985 before beginning his Guitar Craft seminars, which have taught the tuning to three thousand guitarists. The tuning is (from low to high): C2-G2-D3-A3-E4-G4. The original version of NST was all-fifths tuning . However, in the 1980s, Fripp never attained the all-fifth's high B. While he could attain A,
3599-456: Was a great influence on many artists, such as Rage Against the Machine and Tool . The same drop D tuning then became common practice among alternative metal acts such as the band Helmet , who used the tuning a great deal throughout their career and would later influence much alternative metal and nu metal bands. There also exists double drop D tuning , in which both E strings are down-tuned
3660-504: Was also used for several songs on the Velvet Underground 's album The Velvet Underground & Nico . Metal band Megadeth has also been using this tuning since their album Dystopia to facilitate frontman Dave Mustaine 's age and voice after his battle with throat cancer. In standard tuning, there is an interval of a major third between the second and third strings, and all the other intervals are fourths. The irregularity has
3721-421: Was stressed from the beginning of Fripp's teaching of Guitar Craft . Fripp began a 1986 course with these directions: "Now, pick a note from the following series—[it was a series of fourths or fifths]. When you are ready —do not be in any hurry, but when you are ready play your note, then pick others and play them as the situation demands it. Your first note will be the first intentional note you have played in
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