posted 03-22-2002 12:31 PM               

Hmmmmm . . . thank God I can always edit this out later.

Shelley has a friend who actually calls it Missionary Tuning. Great term!

posted 03-22-2002 02:04 PM               

what i would suggest is to take a simple melody that is familiar to you, and experiment with building chords around it that fit in nicely (aurally and kinetically) around the melody. you will probably end up coming up with some chord voicings that are unfamiliar to you through this type of experimentation.

posted 03-23-2002 07:02 AM               

quote:

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Originally posted by bkg:
billh-- i think it's innacurate to characterize working in open tunings as "cheating." at the start, when you experiment with open tunings, it may be easier to come up with stuff that sounds unique or unusual. but it takes an equal degree of competance to come up with something in open tunings that is completely musical.

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Sir, I must protest your quote of me, which I find partial and paraphrased. What I typed above, precisely, is that "it's almost like cheating sometimes, how easily the gorgeous sounds can be achieved." Note the words "almost" and "sometimes," which to my mind preclude sweeping oversimplification. It might not have been your experience at any time, but I have certainly enjoyed numerous moments where easy fingerings have produced gorgeous sounds in alternate tunings, thanks to the miracle of unusual voicings, suspensions and the like. That's all I was saying. And the truth is that the same thing can happen in standard tuning, if you get out of first position and use open strings a little bit.
Of course it takes competEnce to make something musical out of those powerful tonal shapes once you have discovered them. My point was merely that for someone who has played exclusively in standard and drop-D, venturing into many alternate tunings is likely to generate some wonderful moments where simple fingerings produce rich, complex, haunting harmonies that will hit the ear as fresh, profound, interesting, what have you. Where you go with them is another story entirely.

Respectfully, bh

posted 03-23-2002 08:16 PM               

I relish the opportunity to talk guitars with you guys that are out on the front lines, so to speak. My typical audience is a bunch of grateful fourth graders, and my typical encore is "Puff, the Magic Dragon" (the classics never die. I don't even know what "Freebird" sounds like, but I have woken up in a cold sweat after having my peaceful sleep invaded by a large crying dragon.)

My first 'alt. tuning' project will probably be putting "The Marveous Toy" into DAGNABIT.

I am very happy to be here, and I really appreciate the input of experienced players.

posted 03-24-2002 10:04 AM               

..open tunings have provided me a chance to get into my body and my heart a bit more, without my overly active brain intruding. the analysis i have learned to apply is as a result more fully in the service of the intuition and emotion -- which is kind of what's important to me anyway in music.

i think the open tuning newbie should take advantage of the unintimidating aspects of open tunings-- not to think and just to float with things you discover on them through coincidence at first. there's alot of good stuff that can come from that...

...at some point you become motivated to analyse what you've come up with. when you think "beyond the fretboard", you usually discover the need to bring in something that doesn't necessarily fall so easily under the fingers in order to make the expression more articulate or complete...

..this is when you begin to acquire a sense of the "logic" of open tunings. because, the process helps you learn to take advantage of the benefits you reap from them, while also mediating what makes them challenging...

rick/bh-- let's also not forget our beloved nick drake, bruce cockburn, david wilcox, or ani difranco for that matter-- who are all making vital contributions to the legacy of open tunings. clearly, it is equally inaccurate to say that open tunings lead us to solo pieces, as is evident in ensemble collaborations of degrassi and bensusan (just for example).

posted 03-24-2002 12:02 PM               

quote:

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Originally posted by bkg:
rick/bh-- let's also not forget our beloved nick drake, bruce cockburn, david wilcox, or ani difranco for that matter-- who are all making vital contributions to the legacy of open tunings. clearly, it is equally inaccurate to say that open tunings lead us to solo pieces, as is evident in ensemble collaborations of degrassi and bensusan (just for example).

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posted 03-25-2002 06:36 AM               

It has been my experience that I still have a lot of music unexplored in standard tuning. Specifically, I have not fully explored the keys of A, E and D in which "open tuning" techniques (drones, etc.) can be exploited.

However, what I am getting out the DADGAD/CGDGAD tunings is a more intuitive, musical experience in listening and playing. I have to really hear each note as the hand positions are not intuitive. As such, I am exploring these new "fretboards" in a different, more musical way. Instead of learning tab, scales, patterns or notation, I play by ear and feel. It's good for the soul and good for the repetoire.

Having recognized that, I go back to standard tuning and try to apply the same intuition (play with my ears and hands - no tab/notation) -- I think with some good results. Perhaps standard tuning is an open tuning and the way we were taught in standard limits out ability to see/hear the possibilities.

Finally, my only criticism (which really sin't) of DADGAD & other altered tunings is a focus on solo/solitary playing. It just seems the DADGAD/alt. tuning tabs I have seen are designed for solo work while there's a wealth of guitar playing out there in standard in which the guitar is a part of a band/group. Standard tuning, with its closed chord shapes and horizontal scale patterns provide the player with access to other players -- e.g. you can jam in any key. You can join a jazz band, you play a classical piece, you can learn to sight read.. all of this seems important to me and giving up on this standard tuning is awfully hard.

Nonetheless, as I have dabbled in DADGAD/CGDGAD, I am so pleased with the ease that I can make play simple melody, make it sound lush with interesting accompaniment and minimal fret hand effort, while retaining all the right hand fingerstyle techniques I've used for years.

I guess I'm the proverbial chicken in a bacon and eggs breakfast. The pig is committed but the chicken is just "involved."

[This message has been edited by Camalex (edited 03-25-2002).]