Topic: Pink Anderson's Tuning

[GhostRider]

Hi:

I deleted mine because I think it was confusing (and wrong!). I think Barbeque John and Johnm are right. It just seems counterintuitive to me.

I think that Barbeque John's scheme of denoting tunings and positions is the way to go. Much clearer.

Alex

[wspeck]

Here's a question for you guys from someone who isn't real good at distinguishing the subtleties of sounds. I guess the best way to ask this is to relate the issue I have as it pertains to a specific song.  My teacher is currently working with me on Mance Lipscomb's Blues in G (off the Texas Songster CD).  To do the song we first tune our guitars to Mance, which means tuning down thencapoing up two frets!  In my mind I see this as tuning in standard but flat 1 whole step, then capoing back up two frets and the tune is in G! Here's where my problem is.  Since my ear isn't refined enough to retune to Mance when I listen and work on the song by myself, I use my old analog tuner (I know I really need to upgrade there).  But I don't know what a whole step is on the needle.  If I am tuning the low E and 440 (straight up and down) is "in tune" then where would the needle be if I want to tune down a half step or a whole step?  When I work on this at home I tend to tune my strings to around 420, that seems to approximate Mance enough for me.  So really I am asking this for the more general purpose of relating it to other songs, etc. Like when I see someone post something like, "well, so and so, tended to tune his guitar a half step flat..." Then I know what to do with my tuner if I want to work on something by that artist and it just doesn't sound right tuned to standard 440.


Thanks for your help folks.  This is my first post here but I've been lurking for quite some time and love this site.   I love the focus you guys have and your dedication to this wonderful genre.

Wes

[frankie]

I'm not totally sure that I understand your question, but one way to see where the needle on your analog tuner would be when you want to tune a half-step flat would be to:

1. tune to pitch
2. fret the 6th string at the 5th fret and observe where the needle is (should be right on the money - straight up & down)
3. fret the 6th string at the 4th fret and observe where the needle is now.

You might be able to tune approximately using that as a guide, methodically tuning so that the needle is equally flat for all strings.  This wouldn't necessarily work for tuning to recordings of early blues musicians, because they rarely tuned to an objective standard, unless with a piano or harmonica.

In my opinion, you'd probably get better results learning to tune by ear.  You could use a tuner to train your ear if you're unsure how to go about it from scratch.  Your guitar teacher should certainly be able to guide you in this.  Tuning by ear, you'll always be able to keep the guitar in tune relative to itself, regardless of whatever absolute pitch you're tuned to (A flat, C sharp, E - whatever).

[Johnm]

Hi all,
I've been transcribing a bunch of Pink Anderson's songs from his three solo Prestige albums recently, so it seemed an appropriate time to return to this thread, especially since it never ended up giving a procedure for tuning down a whole step without using a tuner.  If you want to tune down a whole step without a tuner, you could do it as follows:
   * Tune your sixth and first strings each down a whole step using the open fourth string (D) as a reference.  When you get there, you'll have three octave Ds on the sixth, fourth and first strings.
   * Tune your second string down a whole step using the open fifth string (A) as a reference.
   * Tune the fifth string down a whole step using the open third string (G) as a reference.  At this point, you are tuned DGDGAD.
   * Tune the fourth string down to match the fifth string fretted at the fifth fret, or just try to hear the interval of the open fourth.  You're now at DGCGAD.
   * Tune the third string down to match the fourth string fretted at the fifth fret, or just try to hear the interval of the open fourth between the two strings.  You are now tuned one whole step low, DGCFAD.
It's so much easier to figure out stuff from recordings if you are in tune with them.  I don't know how many of you routinely tune without using an electronic tuner, but it sure is good for developing your ear.  That having been said, electronic tuners are a huge boon in music camp situations, like at EBA Blues Week or Port Townsend.  Before tuners, it could easily take fifteen minutes to get a roomful of guitarists reasonably in tune with each other.  I don't know if I've ever seen an electronic tuner that tuned an instrument so that it didn't need some additional fine tuning, though.
All best,
Johnm