Quote:
Originally Posted by Rockin Mike  Tuning in 4ths is convenient because you can play a scale easily without changing left hand positions.
Guitarists modify this a little bit to enable barre chords. They want the 1st and 6th strings to be the same note (E) and the 2nd string should really be a 4th under that E (i.e. B) so they can lay one finger across the neck and catch the root, 5th and higher root easily, and other chord tones easily with the other 3 fingers. |
Then there's the Keith Richards Method. Remove the low E string and tune the rest to Open G. Most of the songs you write after that will be in G or A (with a capo for the tunes in A) and play all of your progressions with one finger bar chords.
It's interesting that in Reggae most of the time the guitarist is playing first inversion minor triads on the high 3 strings because that is what you get with the 3 high strings on a guitar (G-B-E is a first inversion minor triad).
Then there are some guitarists who tune their high E string down a whole step to D so they have the familiarity advantages of standard tuning on the low strings with the advantages of open tunings on the high strings.
So you see there are so many tuning options and so many advantages and disadvantages that the decision is yours.
Personally I'll stick with my 6er in standard B-E-A-D-G-C tuning as Anthony Jackson intended it.
C/S,
Rev J
