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12-01-2006, 03:06 PM
| | | | Tuning in tritones?
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I got myself a mandolin a couple of weeks ago. Fifths tuning took a "bored weekend" to get used to, and I like it quite a lot now. I got thinking of how the two most common tunings in stringed instruments are probably fourths and fifths.
My question is: What do you suppose it would be like to tune in tritones? Fourths and fifths are almost a half octave, so why not tune exactly half an octave between strings? Of course fourths and fifths offer good sounding transitions between open strings, but might tritone tuning have an advantage?
I know its a kind of stupid idea, I was just curious. |
12-01-2006, 04:21 PM
| | Purveyor of spalted bass porn. | | Join Date: Apr 2002 Location: Grand Rapids, MI | | one man's stupid idea is another's genius...
i'll have to give it a try and see what i can come up with  |
12-01-2006, 04:38 PM
| | Registered User | | Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Bristol, England | | | Supose it would make it a lot more comfortable to play in F# or B. If it was tuned: E, B flat, ... (can't be bothered to work out the rest) You can use the higher open string for the third, next for the sixth... Sounds like quite an interesting idea, will force you to think about all these fretboard shapes we take for granted. |
12-01-2006, 05:20 PM
| | | | i think the answer is no. |
12-01-2006, 05:30 PM
| | | I tuned my classical guitar to tritones once when i was bored. I quite liked it, ended writing a tune anyhows! Thing i like most was the natural harmonics, they sounded pretty evil.  I believe a bass tuned in tritones would just be E, Bflat, E, Bflat. I'm inspried, so I'm going to try it now! I'll tune Dflat, G, Dflat, G instead though! |
12-01-2006, 06:59 PM
| | Registered User | | Join Date: May 2004 Location: St. Louis, MO, U.S. | | | I suppose you'd lose the ability to barre in a lot of situations.
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12-01-2006, 09:32 PM
|  | Registered User | | Join Date: Oct 2001 Location: Niagara Falls, ON, Canada | | | It's less apparent on solidbody instruments, but for acoustic instruments (such as your mando, guitar, etc) and especially orchestral strings, 5ths tuning and to a lesser extent 4ths are most common for a reason. There is much reading available on the subject, but many people believe these tunings allow the instrument to resonate the most and therefore generate the best sound. |
12-01-2006, 10:32 PM
| | | Quote: |
Originally Posted by lemur821 I suppose you'd lose the ability to barre in a lot of situations. | Absolutely, chords probably wouldn't play along so nicely with tritone tuning. 
Oh yeah, Professor X. How'd it work out or you?
Last edited by sjleland : 12-01-2006 at 10:35 PM.
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12-02-2006, 12:26 AM
| | Registered User | | Join Date: Apr 2000 Location: Naushua, New Hampster, U S of | | Quote: |
Originally Posted by sjleland I got myself a mandolin a couple of weeks ago. Fifths tuning took a "bored weekend" to get used to, and I like it quite a lot now. I got thinking of how the two most common tunings in stringed instruments are probably fourths and fifths.
My question is: What do you suppose it would be like to tune in tritones? Fourths and fifths are almost a half octave, so why not tune exactly half an octave between strings? Of course fourths and fifths offer good sounding transitions between open strings, but might tritone tuning have an advantage?
I know its a kind of stupid idea, I was just curious. | I think you run the risk of being damned for eternity, or at least excommunicated… 
- Wil
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12-02-2006, 08:43 AM
| | Registered User | | Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Bristol, England | | Quote: |
Originally Posted by Pierre_Pontroli I tuned my classical guitar to tritones once when i was bored. I quite liked it, ended writing a tune anyhows! Thing i like most was the natural harmonics, they sounded pretty evil. I believe a bass tuned in tritones would just be E, Bflat, E, Bflat. I'm inspried, so I'm going to try it now! I'll tune Dflat, G, Dflat, G instead though! | I really should of figured that out when i posted.... seems so obvious now. Supose D, A flat, D, A flat might make more sense, (i can get a bit paranoid when tuning strings up - just doesn't seem right)
i've tried fifths tuning, thats very cool. You end up with a range a semitone bigger than an instrument with 1 more string than whatever you happen to use. |
12-02-2006, 01:22 PM
| | Registered User | | Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: Austin, Texas | | It would probably make it hard to play the standard repertoire. But if you write something specifically for that tuning then it would probably be very cool. Do it and you will be hailed a genius. Unless, of course, I beat you to it. 
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12-02-2006, 02:20 PM
| | Registered User | | Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: Nova Scotia, Canada | | Quote: |
Originally Posted by Mark Perry Supose it would make it a lot more comfortable to play in F# or B. If it was tuned: E, B flat, ... (can't be bothered to work out the rest) You can use the higher open string for the third, next for the sixth... Sounds like quite an interesting idea, will force you to think about all these fretboard shapes we take for granted. |
It would simply be E Bb E Bb 
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12-02-2006, 06:09 PM
| | | Quote: |
Originally Posted by fcleff It would probably make it hard to play the standard repertoire. But if you write something specifically for that tuning then it would probably be very cool. Do it and you will be hailed a genius. Unless, of course, I beat you to it. | I would sue you.....
somehow.....and for a tuning. Which would be funny. |
12-02-2006, 08:02 PM
| | | | Tune in min 6ths instead. That will show them. |
12-02-2006, 09:03 PM
| | Registered User | | Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: Austin, Texas | | Quote: |
Originally Posted by studentaccount1 Tune in min 6ths instead. That will show them. | Screw it, I'm tuning E - D# - E - Bb.
M7 m2 TT.
Back off, dude! 
There, I fixed it! The lesson here is don't attempt theory after a dinner party.
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Last edited by fcleff : 12-03-2006 at 09:02 AM.
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12-02-2006, 09:34 PM
| | | | Wouldn't M7 m2 M7 be:
E - D# - E - D#
M7 - M6 - M7 instead?
I'm backing. I'm backing. :P |
12-02-2006, 10:31 PM
| | | Where the hells Manring when it comes to this? He's probably done it before.  |
12-02-2006, 10:44 PM
|  | Ojo. | | Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Beaumont/Calimesa, CA | | mine's tuned A-A#-B-C.
minor 2nds, beeyatch!
not really... but i like the idea of tuning an acoustic guitar in tritones for some cool harmonic stuff...
hey, try it!
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12-03-2006, 05:36 AM
| | Registered User | | Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: NZ | | | im suprised no ones mentioned quartertones yet, that wud b rather odd... d#, halway between g sharp and a, d, halfway between g and g sharp, or something, try those harmonics ahaha |
12-03-2006, 09:04 AM
| | Registered User | | Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: Austin, Texas | | Quote: |
Originally Posted by slapslappopslap im suprised no ones mentioned quartertones yet, that wud b rather odd... d#, halway between g sharp and a, d, halfway between g and g sharp, or something, try those harmonics ahaha | John Corigliano has a duet for two pianos tuned a quarter step apart. I was performed at U.T. some years back. Very cool.
I think I'll try that on the bass.
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