# All fifths tuning guys - do you play chords?



## Hollowway

Ok, so I'm wondering how guys that tune in all 5ths play chords. I did a little reading on it, and on Fripp's NST, and it talks a lot about quartal and quintal harmony, and an avoidance of tertian harmony. I don't have nearly enough experience with non-tertian harmony, but it would seem that A) it would sound weird to avoid 3rds, and B) be very difficult, if not impossible, to play traditional rock/metal/pop songs on an all fifths instrument. 
So...anyone got any insight to edumacate me?


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## ittoa666

Schecterwhore!


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## K4RM4

Unless i'm mistaking something else as "tuning in 5ths", guitars are already tuned in 5ths with the exception of the B string which is tuned to a 4th....wait for it...i just wiki'd it, i was way off.From Wiki (mentions chords in "New standard tuning", so there you go): 
All-fifths tuning has been approximated by the New Standard Tuning (NST) of King Crimson's Robert Fripp, which NST replaces all-fifth's high b' with a g'. To build chords, Fripp uses "perfect intervals in fourths, fifths and octaves", so avoiding minor thirds and especially major thirds,[52] which are sharp in equal temperament tuning (in comparison to thirds in just intonation). It is a challenge to adapt conventional guitar-chords to new standard tuning, which is based on all-fifths tuning.[53] Some closely voiced jazz chords become impractical in NST and all-fifths tuning.[54]

Probably doesn't help at all because i think you are asking specifically about All 5ths and NOT NST.


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## Mr. Big Noodles

I don't play all fifths, but my opinion is that it's not really a direct way to avoid tertian harmony. After all, violini, viole, and violoncelli (trying to be consistent with the Italian pluralization) all precede the guitar in Western classical literature (where tertian harmony was comfortable for hundreds of years), and all of those instruments have perfect fifth intervals between each successive string. Here is what one voicing for a major triad looks like in all-fifths tuning, using the lowest string as the root of the chord:



Code:


B-1
E-0
A-3
D-2
G-0
C-0


Compare to the fingering for an equivalent open major chord in standard tuning:



Code:


e-0
b-0
G-1
D-2
A-2
E-0


You need three fingers in either case to get those voicings, and both are easily transposed (as bar chords), though it might be mechanically easier to get to the triads in standard tuning.

My point with this is that all-fifths tunings do not necessarily encourage quintal harmony or whatever any more than standard "mostly fourths" tunings encourage quartal harmony. Either can work in many tonal systems. There is one thing that comes with all-fifths tuning, by nature of necessity: four-note-per-string scales. If you've ever played violin, viola, or cello, you know that this is how it works. When you play the double bass, however, the distance between one note and the next is massive, so the fourths tuning helps the player by making scales three-notes-per-string. The physical size of the instrument has a huge effect on tuning preference, in this case. The guitar is kinda, big compared to the violin, and it doesn't have the same range of motion that you would get on the cello (try putting your thumb on the fretboard some time), so the fourths thing came about so that we wouldn't all be suffering from hyperextension in our joints, and the third was probably added to facilitate the harmonic language. With the way that instruments are built today, and the way that harmony has evolved, it's not that big of a deal to have whatever weird little tuning your heart desires. You can play chords on any instrument with two or more strings, but the question is which chords those are.


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## Schizo Sapiens

I was all-fifths tuning guy for a couple of weeks (strung and set up my spare six-string to FCGDAE). And the point of trying it was all those wide-voicing chords (this tuning is not very scale-friendly) so of course, I played them. I didn't try to avoid tertian harmony, though sometimes I played some quintal stuff.

As for traditional music, yes, it's mostly unplayable if you try to replicate it exactly, note-for note. If there's just chords, then you may play them, just with different voicings, but most riffs will be all over the place when you transpose them to all-fifths tuning.


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## meambobbo

i was reading about NST the other day. As SW writes, it's not necessarily built to nudge towards non-tertian harmony. What it does nudge towards is wider chord voicings on the 3-6 strings.

Also, NST isn't all-fifths tuning...the 2nd to 1st string is a minor third interval. It promote more space between notes in a chord, particularly the lowered pitch notes, but still allow for close-voiced intervals on the treble strings. Playing a triad on your 4-6 strings on standard tuned guitar is easy. On NST, it is very difficult. In NST, only the 1-3 strings would be likely to contain a close-voiced triad.

Seems like a pretty smart concept to me - you're almost always going to have a root and fifth at the base of your chord.

As for scales, your 2nd string would only have 2 notes in the pattern, since the 1st string is only a minor third above. Which is kind of awkward, but would allow working in playing intervals easier. as for the other strings, the low E would now be the 4th fret, so that would help alleviate the greater stretching required for the 4 notes per string patterns. I would shorten further and try to play around 8th position. The fifths tuning gives you a wider range per position. Of course, trying to move from this to open chords could be a bit awkward.

I don't have any guitars tuned this way, but my curiosity is heightened.


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## tedtan

I don't play in fifths on guitar, but I do play mandolin which is tuned in fifths. Based on my limited experience (I only started playing mando at the end of last month), I can say that all chords are just as playable in fifths tuning, but the specific voicing will need to be changed in many cases. Also, as SW pointed out, scales will be 4 notes per string, which would involve quite a bit of jumping around on guitar (its not bad on shorter scale instruments). For example, on instruments tuned in fifths, first position covers everything form the open string to the 7th fret.


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## ElRay

Added the 5ths Tuning tag. There's a bunch of stuff that pulls-up. A couple of OT threads:
http://www.sevenstring.org/forum/mu...45-chord-charts-instruments-tuned-fifths.html
http://www.sevenstring.org/forum/ex...-5ths-tuning-vs-8-string-standard-tuning.html

If you can find a Mandolin chord/arpeggio book and/or a Cello/Violin scale/arpeggio book, that might be a good starting point.

One of Fripp's big push for NST/Crafty/C-Pentatonic tuning was that it made many existing habits tough and forced folks into different territory.

Please follow-up. I'm currently in the "Steve Tibbetts" tuning (CGDGBE) because it gives me 5ths in the bass, some easy root-5th-octave, and I can play the exact same fingerings my daughter is using with her lessons. I'm planning on going full 5ths, or NST this summer (assuming I'll be able to finally build the guitar I've been planning for years.).

Ray


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## ElRay

I've swapped some emails/PM's with Todd Keehn from TK-Instruments. He's also a big All 5ths fan. IIRC, he tunes G-D-A-E-B-F#. I know this is him playing in the background of the videos about these two builds: 
​
and
​
but I don't know if its a 5ths tuned guitar or not.

PM him and see if he'll give some details in this thread.

Ray


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## ElRay

SchecterWhore said:


> ... it doesn't have the same range of motion that you would get on the cello (try putting your thumb on the fretboard some time)...


Well, if I ever get the theorbo-stick that's been rattling around in my head built, I just might have a need to. 


Ray


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## ixlramp

I've experimented with basses tuned in fifths on and off since 1996. You don't have to avoid thirds, just play them in a different position or octave. I find fifths easier for triads than fourths, just play the third an octave higher (which creates a clearer chord) ...
Minor triad TAB
1
0
0

Major triad TAB
2
0
0

Also sevenths line up nicely on a fourth string ...
Minor seventh TAB
1
1
0
0

Major seventh TAB
2
2
0
0

Because the fifth is the fundamental building block of our scales and chords a fifths tuning actually has more intuitive patterns.

It's more difficult to play traditional pop/rock but if you want to do that use a traditional tuning


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## elq

^ 

5ths tuning is really nice for chords and arpeggios, it's a bitch for scales though - fretting elbow with get a good workout if you play lots of scaler run


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## Stealthdjentstic

^ I tried messing around with it for a bit and that's why I went back to normal after a few days. I'm too much of a n00b.


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## troyguitar

I did the same thing, tuned one of my 6-strings to FCGDAE for a bit but decided I was too lazy to re-learn how to play the guitar. The idea of huge chords and the opportunity for more dynamic range in a given position seems great - in practice it is almost like trying to play a left handed guitar though


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## All_¥our_Bass

Yes, we play chords.
www.sevenstring.org/forum/music-the...45-chord-charts-instruments-tuned-fifths.html

Like many others have said, the voicings are different, I feel the fingerings for most chords are actually EASIER than standard or fourths, and it's as tonal or atonal as you want it to be.

I usually use only three and four note chords so I can move them all around the instrument with little problem.


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## Erazoender

ElRay said:


>




Sounds almost like serialism


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## All_¥our_Bass




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## tedtan

All_¥our_Bass brings up a good point - in a fifths tuning, chord shapes can be moved vertically (up and down the neck), but because the strings are tuned to the same interval, the chords can be moved across the string groups as well. This makes learning chords quicker and easier IMO, at least to get the basics down.


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## Hollowway

Cool. Thanks for the input, fellas. Yeah, I didn't know much about the quartal and quintal harmony - that was just from my Wikipedia readings.  Though. I did see that Fripp originally wanted literally ALL 5ths tuning, but couldn't find a string that would take him up to the 5th on the highest string, so that's why he settled with the 3rd. 

To me, the difference in interval between two strings is... stupid. I would so much like to go back in time and retrain the entire guitar community to play in straight 4ths because it is SO much easier to move stuff around on the neck. I get that certain voicings work better with that G-B change from the 3rd to 2nd string, but I hate having to learn my way around for scales, etc. 

Anyway, anyone on here have a strong argument for why 5ths would be a superior tuning to either the standard tuning or straight 4ths? Sounds like everyone is saying there is no advantage, other than being able to experiment. But there is the disadvantage of having to make pretty huge stretches for scales.


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## meambobbo

The advantage is that you are forced to space lower notes out more, so that chords are less muddy in their voicing, as far as I can tell. You also have a larger range per position.


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## ixlramp

There are many advantages, for example acheiving the same range on less strings, meaning a cheaper instrument that is more comfortable to play, and string sets cost less. The only disadvantage is more hand shifting for certain riffs.


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## All_¥our_Bass

Hollowway said:


> To me, the difference in interval between two strings is... stupid. I would so much like to go back in time and retrain the entire guitar community to play in straight 4ths because it is SO much easier to move stuff around on the neck. I get that certain voicings work better with that G-B change from the 3rd to 2nd string, but I hate having to learn my way around for scales, etc.


I started on bass, in all fourths. So I carried that over to guitar, so I can use the same fingering everywhere-assuming enough adjacent strings/frets, plus since I'm not into huge barre chords, the ability to easily move smaller chords and melodies/motifs/sequences around so easily is a plus.



Hollowway said:


> Anyway, anyone on here have a strong argument for why 5ths would be a superior tuning to either the standard tuning or straight 4ths? Sounds like everyone is saying there is no advantage, other than being able to experiment. But there is the disadvantage of having to make pretty huge stretches for scales.


More range with less strings-6 in fifths is the same range as an 8 in fourths, and 5 string in fifths is one semitone less than a 7 in fourths.
A good choice for 4 and 5 string bassists looking for extra range but don't want wider necks or simply can't, or don't want to, buy another instrument.

I find the fingerings for chords easier-but others may not.
But one of my favorite things is many basic AND extended arpeggios are VERY easy to play.


Code:


   Cmaj13#11
   C E G B D F#A C A F#D B G E C
E|-------------5-8-5-------------|
A|---------5-9-------9-5---------|
D|-----5-9---------------9-5-----|
G|-5-9-----------------------9-5-|
C|-------------------------------|
F|-------------------------------|

   Am11
   A C E G B D B G E C A
E|-----------------------|
A|---------2-5-2---------|
D|-----2-5-------5-2-----|
G|-2-5---------------5-2-|
C|-----------------------|
F|-----------------------|

Playing either of these in fourths or standard would require significant position shifting.

It's also good if one is interested in playing music written for the violin, viola, or cello.


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## Durero

Hollowway said:


> To me, the difference in interval between two strings is... stupid. I would so much like to go back in time and retrain the entire guitar community to play in straight 4ths because it is SO much easier to move stuff around on the neck. I get that certain voicings work better with that G-B change from the 3rd to 2nd string, but I hate having to learn my way around for scales, etc.



Couldn't agree more!


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## PasIvre

SchecterWhore said:


> ...it doesn't have the same range of motion that you would get on the cello (try putting your thumb on the fretboard some time)...


I dunno, I play pseudo-thumb position stuff on my bass (guitar) fairly often when I get up in the higher registers. It allows for really fast movement. I have yet to try it on regular electric guitar, but it'd probably be fairly doable. 
And besides, thumb position is mostly used on cello and upright bass as a means of playing past the point where the neck joins the body. Playing scales on cello is simply more difficult than on guitar, though the issue of reaching the notes is somewhat mitigated by the orientation of the neck compared to a guitar. It's not quite as bad as you're making it out to be, and for the short time I tuned my guitar (27 inch scale length, much like your average cello) to mostly-fifths tuning I had no trouble whatsoever playing basic scales near the nut. More exotic scales were more difficult, however. Now, tritone tuning...


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## All_¥our_Bass

Some of you folks are asking about how one plays thirds.

The answer is you generally don't play thirds immediately above a root.
In fifths/NST tuning, you generally play tenths (thirds moved up an octave).



Code:


 Fm dyad  Am dyad
E|-----|------|
A|-----|------|
D|-----|------|
G|--1--|------|
C|--5--|--12--|
F|-----|--16--|
(Not the most comfortable fingerings here)

 Fm dyad  Am dyad
E|-----|------|
A|-----|------|
D|--6--|--10--|
G|-----|------|
C|--5--|---9--|
F|-----|------|
(Much better)


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## Waelstrum

Hollowway said:


> To me, the difference in interval between two strings is... stupid. I would so much like to go back in time and retrain the entire guitar community to play in straight 4ths because it is SO much easier to move stuff around on the neck. I get that certain voicings work better with that G-B change from the 3rd to 2nd string, but I hate having to learn my way around for scales, etc.



If you've got an eight string in standard tuning, you already know how to play a six string in all fourths tuning. If you imagine the to B and E strings aren't there, you're left with F# B E A D G: six strings all a fourth from each other.



Hollowway said:


> Anyway, anyone on here have a strong argument for why 5ths would be a superior tuning to either the standard tuning or straight 4ths? Sounds like everyone is saying there is no advantage, other than being able to experiment. But there is the disadvantage of having to make pretty huge stretches for scales.



A fourth is an inverted fifth, any chord that you play on an all fourths guitar will be the same chord on a fifths tuned guitar if you finger the chord upside down. All that will change is the spacing of the notes will be upside down.


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## PasIvre

I'd add that it enables one to play large intervals easily and also makes for more range compared to straight fourths or standard tuning with the same number of strings.


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## Mr. Big Noodles

I don't know that "large" intervals is necessarily a huge advantage of fifths tuning. I mean, you can hit a fifteenth on the same fret in E standard with perfect ease. As I drunkenly clutch my instrument, I can finger a low F and a high B (an augmented eighteenth) without too many problems. Extending my reach a little more, the perfect nineteenth from the low F (on the E string) is about the limit of what I can do at that position. If I go for the highest fretted note (the high E at fret 24), a major 23rd is possible (D# on the low E string, 11th fret), though a perfect 22nd is a little more reasonable. Add another string or two, and these intervals become even wider. But those sorts of intervals are hardly realistic, unless you're arranging some gigantic orchestra piece for solo guitar. Even sixths aren't too bad, which is what both 5th's and 4th's tunings handle pretty well. Really, the smaller intervals are the ones that are more difficult on string instruments. If you go major thirds (or maybe even minor thirds, though this seems to me a waste of the fretboard, barring music that uses a lot of secundal harmony), then you get into territory that's fairly foreign.


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## Ginsu

SchecterWhore said:


> If I go for the highest fretted note (the high E at fret 24), a major 23rd is possible (D# on the low E string, 11th fret), though a perfect 22nd is a little more reasonable.


....
How...
Maybe I just have tiny hands. I don't know. But....HOW?


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## PasIvre

I more meant that you could easily play relatively larger intervals on say, two adjacent strings compared to standard tuning, e.g. an octave as a seven fret reach in standard on two adjacent strings while only a five fret reach in fifths. The entire point of alternate tunings is making certain movements between notes or chords easier than in other tunings, allowing you to play certain things without ridiculously difficult or downright physically impossible fretting hand acrobatics, so I'd consider that an "advantage" of all fifths tuning, though you can't really rate one tuning as better than another at everything, as they all have strengths and weaknesses.


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## Mr. Big Noodles

Ginsu said:


> ....
> How...
> Maybe I just have tiny hands. I don't know. But....HOW?



* minor 23rd.







Pardon me for all the abalone. And the starfish hand. So much nautical nonsense.



PasIvre said:


> I more meant that you could easily play relatively larger intervals on say, two adjacent strings compared to standard tuning, e.g. an octave as a seven fret reach in standard on two adjacent strings while only a five fret reach in fifths. The entire point of alternate tunings is making certain movements between notes or chords easier than in other tunings, allowing you to play certain things without ridiculously difficult or downright physically impossible fretting hand acrobatics, so I'd consider that an "advantage" of all fifths tuning, though you can't really rate one tuning as better than another at everything, as they all have strengths and weaknesses.



Aye, true this.


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## Waelstrum

^ If nautical nonsense be something ye wish,
the drop on the deck and flop like a fish.


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## PasIvre

I mean, I can do a 6, almost 7 fret (it would suffice were the instrument not fretless) reach from 1 to 7 on my 35 inch scale bass, but it's not practical for me to do it in actual playing. Changing the intervals between strings means that without skipping strings I can practically play a different highest and lowest note in a given position, though the actual number of notes one can play doesn't change, just which notes.


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## Mr. Big Noodles

Agreed. Having the wider interval between strings means wider intervals between strings are easier. Could probably learn the fingerings for "Every Breath You Take" in about two seconds.



Waelstrum said:


> ^ If nautical nonsense be something ye wish,
> the drop on the deck and flop like a fish.



My friends all agree that this is what selling chocolate to me would be like:


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## Hollowway

Waelstrum said:


> If you've got an eight string in standard tuning, you already know how to play a six string in all fourths tuning. If you imagine the to B and E strings aren't there, you're left with F# B E A D G: six strings all a fourth from each other.
> 
> 
> 
> A fourth is an inverted fifth, any chord that you play on an all fourths guitar will be the same chord on a fifths tuned guitar if you finger the chord upside down. All that will change is the spacing of the notes will be upside down.



Yeah, I know I could eliminate the major third tuning issue from G to B if I just eliminate the B and E strings.  But that doesn't help that I'd still have to relearn every song I know.

And I know that the fourths and fifths are inverted, but there's still the issue of the B and E strings on a six string, so the standard barre chords wouldn't work. If you were an all fourths player already, you could flip whatever chords you did for that, but there's still a longer stretch converting the BE up to CF. 

Sounds like there's not a substantial advantage to going to fifths, other than extending the range of the instrument. I'd love to get into straight 4ths, but I have so much to work on musically, I can't rationalize adding that to the mix and relearning songs. But be cool to experiment with, though!


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## PasIvre

Alternate tunings are really only good for experimenting or for playing pieces not composed for spanish tuning guitar, really. I myself went on a long journey of weird tunings before settling on drop A (I know, boring), with everything from re-entrant tunings to every regular tuning between augmented fourths to minor thirds to an extended new standard tuning to open tunings, and each was fun, but generally didn't do enough for me to justify the cost of making special string sets.


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## meambobbo

so if i play an open F on my 8th string and get a +2 octave artificial harmonic on the 24 fret of my 1st string, i am king of intervals?! That's a 48th?


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## meambobbo

if you tune in straight 4ths rather than use a maj third for the 2nd/3rd strings, i think you're going to have a difficult time making chords, at least the most basic ones. the whole idea behind that tuning was that you could barre a fret and get a fifth and/or octave in the highest strings if you used the 6th or 5th string as a root. So your barre for those would change to augmented fiths and minor 9ths - much less common usage that fifth/octave


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## Mr. Big Noodles

meambobbo said:


> so if i play an open F on my 8th string and get a +2 octave artificial harmonic on the 24 fret of my 1st string, i am king of intervals?! That's a 48th?



You're tuned down a half step? F-E&#9837; is a minor seventh. Here is the conversion table:






So that touch 4 harmonic would get you a minor 49th between your low F and the stupidly high E&#9837;. Although you might as well try for the touch minor 3rd, which would yield the B&#9837; above that, making the harmonic interval a perfect 53rd*.

* It's no longer a tempered interval, however.



meambobbo said:


> if you tune in straight 4ths rather than use a maj third for the 2nd/3rd strings, i think you're going to have a difficult time making chords, at least the most basic ones. the whole idea behind that tuning was that you could barre a fret and get a fifth and/or octave in the highest strings if you used the 6th or 5th string as a root. So your barre for those would change to augmented fiths and minor 9ths - much less common usage that fifth/octave



You get a few consistent shapes that involve less strings all across the fretboard. Lighter voicings, and all that.


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## tedtan

For those looking to build chords in a straight fifths tuning, here is something I ran across this morning on another site. I haven't gone through it yet, but from a quick skim, it looks like it could be useful in understanding how the various chords lay out in a fifths tuning.



http://www.calgaryuke.com/ukerichard/tenor/Chord%20Builder%20For%20Fifths%20Tuned%20Instruments.pdf


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## Hollowway

Leave it SchecterWhore to be throwing gang signs. Reprezentin' musical theory, yo!


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## Mr. Big Noodles




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## ElRay

My youngest said I should learn these because her music teacher at school uses them and then I can sign the note to play if she forgets.  So she's re-invented Fixed-Do Solfege. 

Ray


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## All_¥our_Bass

meambobbo said:


> if you tune in straight 4ths rather than use a maj third for the 2nd/3rd strings, i think you're going to have a difficult time making chords, at least the most basic ones. the whole idea behind that tuning was that you could barre a fret and get a fifth and/or octave in the highest strings if you used the 6th or 5th string as a root. So your barre for those would change to augmented fiths and minor 9ths - much less common usage that fifth/octave


You can play all kinds of chords just fine, it's just not really for big barre chords.


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## Waelstrum

I play barre chords on an all fourths tuned six string all the time all the time. I can manage some seven string barres on my eight, but can't manage eight string barre chords.

If you barre the E and A strings at the fifth fret (for example) with the top section of your index finger, mute the D and G strings with the middle bit, and fret the barre the fourth fret of the high C and F strings, that's a workable barre. the middle strings are usually fretted with the other three fingers, but if the need arises you can use the middle section of your index finger to fret the fifth fret of the D string and mute the G, or fret the fourth fret of the G string and mute the D. (It seems much more complicated than it is.) Using this I can play any standard triad (and most seventh chords) in any inversion over six strings.


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## All_¥our_Bass

You can move these shapes all over the neck to build them on different roots.
There's lots more that are possible but I decided to show a sampling of 4 and 5 note versions. If you want a _*RIDICULOUSLY*_ in-depth list go ***HERE***


Code:


   Gmaj
E|----------10-(5)-
A|-5-(5)----10-(R)-
D|-5-(R)----9--(3)-
G|-4-(3)----7--(5)-
C|-2-(5)----7--(R)-
F|-2-(R)-----------


   Am
E|----------12-(5)-
A|-7-(5)----12-(R)-
D|-7-(R)----10-(3)-
G|-5-(3)----9--(5)-
C|-4-(5)----9--(R)-
F|-4-(R)-----------


   Cmaj7
E|-------------------7-(7)-
A|----------2-(7)----7-(3)-
D|-9-(7)----2-(3)----5-(5)-
G|-9-(3)----0-(5)----5-(R)-
C|-7-(5)----0-(R)----------
F|-7-(R)-------------------


   Am7
E|--------------------3-(7)-
A|----------10-(7)----3-(3)-
D|-5-(7)----10-(3)----2-(5)-
G|-5-(3)----9--(5)----2-(R)-
C|-4-(5)----9--(R)----------
F|-4-(R)--------------------


   G7
E|-------------------1-(7)----13-(7)-
A|----------8-(7)----2-(3)----14-(3)-
D|-3-(7)----9-(3)----0-(5)----12-(5)-
G|-4-(3)----7-(5)----0-(R)----12-(R)-
C|-2-(5)----7-(R)--------------------
F|-2-(R)-----------------------------


   Cmaj add9
E|--------------------10-(9)-
A|-5-(9)--------------10-(5)-
D|-5-(5)----12-(9)----10-(R)-
G|-5-(R)----12-(5)----9--(3)-
C|-4-(3)----12-(R)-----------
F|----------11-(3)-----------


   Am add9
E|-------------------7-(9)-
A|-2-(9)-------------7-(5)-
D|-2-(5)----8-(9)----7-(R)-
G|-2-(R)----8-(5)----5-(3)-
C|-0-(3)----8-(R)----------
F|----------7-(3)----------

   F aug
E|-------------------13-(R)-
A|----------8-(R)----12-(3)-
D|-3-(R)----7-(3)----11-(5)-
G|-2-(3)----6-(5)----10-(R)-
C|-1-(5)----5-(R)-----------
F|-0-(R)--------------------


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## Kiefer

For the fifths-based *new standard tuning* C-G-D-A-E-_G_ (of Robert Fripp's Guitar Craft), the C-major scale and its harmonization in triads and seventh chords are illustrated (with staff, tablature, and chord diagrams) in this pdf file


New standard tuning (PDF),
which also appears in the Wikipedia article on New Standard Tuning. 

The chord-fingerings are almost as easy and systematic as in major thirds tuning:


 Major-seventh and minor-seventh chords R-5-3-7 feature two perfect-fifth intervals (power chords), R-5 and 3-7, so avoiding major-third and minor-third intervals (which differ in equal-temperament tuning from the just-intonation thirds).


 As noted above, triads can be played by choosing three (e.g. consecutive) strings from R-5-3-5-R.
NST eases scales and diagonal runs more than major-thirds tuning does. Its hand-stretches make it difficult for beginners, etc.


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## Kiefer

According to an EBay listing, Schecter built a five-string guitar for fifths-based tuning.


> The 5-String _C5-X_ was an extended scale (26.5") instrument that was designed to be tuned in 5ths.
> Can be strung and tuned as such:
> 11-19-36w-50w-74w / tune to A-E-B-F#-C# (low to high)
> 10-16-29w-43w-67w / tune to C-G-D-A-E (low to high)
> 
> The A5-X came factory tuned and strung for A,E,B,F#,C# tuning.
> 
> 
> 
> Featured specs: Bolt on maple neck / Ash body / 24 jumbo frets / Grover tuners / Custom 5-string hardtail bridge.
> The C5-X was armed with a Duncan Designed 'bar' magnet humbucker, that can be 'tapped' via the push-pull tone control.
> Several artists used this in the studio, including Ryan Shuck (ORGY), Reeves Gabrels (Tin Machine), Tommy Lee (Methods of Mayhem) and Robert Smith (The Cure)


The elimination of the sixth string eliminated the minor third (E,G) of NST.


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## ixlramp

Interesting to read on that Wiki page that Fripp has been handing out O4P .007 and .008 A4 strings to crafty guitarists to try, i guess they just don't want to tune lower than C, because that seems the obvious way to get all-fifths. Seems he really was after all fifths years ago, tried CGDAEA but the A4 broke too often, so settled on CGDAEG.


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