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Thread: Tenor Guitar Tuning for more Contemporary Music?

  1. #1

    Default Tenor Guitar Tuning for more Contemporary Music?

    I just lucked into a Fender Tenor Tele as a six-string player. I'd like to diversify into fifths but the learning curve has been a little sharp. Transposing guitar tabs to fifths tuning is especially painful. I'm thinking of tuning down the more standard tenor Irish/Fiddle tuning of GDAE to EBF#C#, which would make it a lot easier to run guitar tab power chords and others off the familiar E string.

    I've also considered Open E. I'm just tired of being one of what feels like a million six string players in my area. I know a few people do octave bass (EADG) but that doesn't really give any distinct sound other than removing the high pitched B and E strings.

    I see tenor guitar players talk a lot about songs in the key of [A/B/C etc] and certain tunings being best for certain music. I play a lot of pop punk, grunge, and alternative music as the main guitar player in a band and want to still be able to carry those familiar tunes in fifths or open tuning. I do want to diversify further into Mandolin and tenor banjo once I've got the tenor more down, but playing as the main [tenor] guitar player and vocalist in a three-piece is the priority, so I'm thinking open E may be the move. Is that tuning overly limiting for playing lead lines etc?

    Any advice is appreciated.

  2. #2

    Default Re: Tenor Guitar Tuning for more Contemporary Music?

    I'd go for GDAe. Not only is it suitable for Irish tradtional music, old-time music and any fiddle tunes, it's also the same tuning as a mandolin, octave mandolin, tenor banjo (in Irish tuning). bouzouki (or at least nearly as it's usually in GDAD) and the four-string domra so it opens the door to a lot of other instruments.

    A tuning in fifths is a great thing to discover but approach it as its own thing and not as a variant of a six-string guitar.

    Good luck!

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