Topic: Even vs. natural temperament in cgcgce

[jrn]

Hi everybody

I've been playing in open c a lot lately. While surfing around today I came across this info on cgcgce. I found it at guys site by the name of Dan Evans.


"open C guitar tuning CGCGCE
Dan?s principal guitar tuning is Open C.
Rather than the even temperament of a chromatic tuner, Dan tunes his guitar using a natural temperament. The result is a powerful sound with sweet, natural intonation.
The combination of Open C tuning and natural temperament give Dan?s guitar a beautifully resonant sustaining sound."


Can anybody help me understand this? I've gat a basic understanding of even temperament. I also know that c-g is a perfect fifth. Past that I'm kinda lost. I've got the clear tune chromatic tuner app on my phone. It's got a ton of different temperament options, just not sure which one to use to achieve this.

Would this really make much of a difference in the sound of the guitar? I'm curious to try.

Thanks, Jason

[jrn]

Hello

Out of curiousity I contacted Mr. Evans. This is how he described it........



How I tune my guitars to Open C tuning CGCGCE
 
"To tune to CGCGCE, I use a G tuning fork to tune the 3rd/G string by playing the 12th fret harmonic on the string and holding the tuning fork near to my ear ? I listen for the beats and when they subside, the G string is in tune. I always tune up to the note to ensure that there is no slack at the machine head.
 
Then the 4th/C string is tuned by matching it?s 7th fret harmonic to the 12th fret harmonic of the 3rd/G, similarly the 6th /C string and the 2nd/C string.  The 5th/G string is tuned by matching it with the 3rd string, both at the 12th fret. Lastly, the top E is tuned by fretting it at the 3rd fret and matching it with to the 12th fret harmonic of the 3rd/G.
 
I generally flatten the top E, as it sounds sweeter and I may make allowances for how hard the bottom C will be played by flattening it a little.
 
I then check for any rogue resonances by playing all the strings open but with the top E fretted at the 3rd fret and letting the chord sustain a while ? it should sound rich and sparking without any pulses."


This is pretty much what I was already doing. I'd just never heard it referred to as natural temperament.

Jason