Question for GDAE tenor gtr players

[Michael Eck]

After seeing how many folks tune their tenors GDAE in my Tenor Tuning Survey, I decided to try it for myself. I restrung a GoldTone TG-18 with heavier gauges appropriate for GDAE, but within an hour so I was changing them back to standard CGDA.

Yes, it sounded bigger and more robust. And I really liked the rumble of the low G. But ultimately it sounded more like a guitar to my ears and less like a tenor.

Sooooo...here's my question.

If you're a GDAE player, do you also play guitar or only other mando family instruments.

I can see where the lower tuning would be very attractive to folks who primarily play higher-voiced instruments.

[Handy Hummingbird]

As a GDAE tuned tenor guitar player I spend the majority of my time playing mandolin, so definitely benefit from the lower sound when switching over. Part of the reason for not playing six string is laziness, but I also perform with a button accordionist and I personally find the chord shapes and rhythmic options of tenor guitar to match the accordions bass end better. My tenor also has a larger body than most after a conversion that was done to an old Martin tenor neck; I think the standard higher CGDA tuning would be wasted on it.

[John Kelly]

Interesting question, Michael. I do play guitar and it was my main instrument for a very long time. My tuning in GDAE of the tenor is so that when I play the mando family instruments or tenor banjo I can play them all without having to rethink fingering or positions for the key of the tune. I too play a lot with accordion and concertina players, as HH mentions above, and I agree that the chords suit the styles of music we generally play - the 2-fingered A chord can be either major or minor as we are leaving out the C# and playing only AEAE across the strings.

[danb]

I change mine a lot.. GDAE GDGD DDAD are the most common.

My first Tenor guitar was a national style 1.. I got that after some years of mucking about with tenor banjo, irish bouzoukis/citterns, mandolin, and generally mucking around with tuning.

Nowadays I play a lot of mandola.. but I've never even once had my reso tenor in CGDA.

Here's a little bit of Irish on it..

[Martin Jonas]

If you're a GDAE player, do you also play guitar or only other mando family instruments.

I can see where the lower tuning would be very attractive to folks who primarily play higher-voiced instruments.

There may be something to that -- I don't play guitar, so I do use the tenor to cover times when others may reach for the guitar, such as rhythm playing. However, I also appreciate the ease of playing fiddle tunes/melody on the GDAE-tuned tenor with my mando-wired brain. The final tone and range may be the similar to a guitar, but the ease of fingering for fiddle tunes and the advantages of tuning in fifths are not. The tenor guitar was originally developed as a tool to allow tenor banjo players and mandolinists to play guitar without having to relearn fingering, and this is still one of its main strengths.

Martin

[Seonachan]

Yes, it sounded bigger and more robust. And I really liked the rumble of the low G. But ultimately it sounded more like a guitar to my ears and less like a tenor.

That's why I prefer GDAE (/GDAD). I played guitar for years but don't have one anymore. This is strictly my personal preference, but I find that unless you're an accomplished guitarist, you don't need all 6 strings. For what the majority of folks (myself included) do - strumming chords while singing, etc. - I like the clarity of 4 strings over the clutter of 6. Again, just my taste, what sounds good to my ear - and obviously doesn't apply to people who can really master all 6 strings.

So for me the tenor is a replacement for a regular guitar, not a complement, and the GDAE tuning gives the range I prefer and am familiar with. I like the brightness of CGDA too, but without any other instrumentation, it lacks oomph to my ears.

[pglasse]

I do like the depth of the GDAE tuning on tenor guitar, especially for solo vocal accompaniment. If I want the higher, brighter sound, or need to play something that calls for more athletic left-hand stretches or dexterity then I can always capo to the 5th fret. It's in some ways the best of both worlds.

[Michael Eck]

This is great, please keep the answers coming.

I am looking at tenor as a complement and solo instrument, and playing it almost exclusively in small combos. That's certainly one fo the reasons I lean towards CGDA, is because it offers a different voice among the other instruments.

Dan, your reso sounds great. My 1930 Triolian really roars in CGDA, and the timbre of the steel body actually gives a real warmth to the low end of the C.

[Martin Jonas]

Nowadays I play a lot of mandola.. but I've never even once had my reso tenor in CGDA.

Here's a little bit of Irish on it..

Great playing, Dan, as usual. It looks to me like you're playing mainly in closed third position, with open chords/stops thrown in. That is pretty much like playing in both tunings at the same time -- the lead playing is the same pitch as playing in CGDA with a fifth fret capo, while making use of the low G and D for the harmonies. Very nifty if one has the chops to do it!

Martin

[Ed Goist]

That's why I prefer GDAE (/GDAD). I played guitar for years but don't have one anymore. This is strictly my personal preference, but I find that unless you're an accomplished guitarist, you don't need all 6 strings. For what the majority of folks (myself included) do - strumming chords while singing, etc. - I like the clarity of 4 strings over the clutter of 6. Again, just my taste, what sounds good to my ear - and obviously doesn't apply to people who can really master all 6 strings.

So for me the tenor is a replacement for a regular guitar, not a complement, and the GDAE tuning gives the range I prefer and am familiar with. I like the brightness of CGDA too, but without any other instrumentation, it lacks oomph to my ears.

The above would be my answer...Almost word for word!

I'd add that since discovering fifth tuned instruments the world of musical theory and concepts has completely opened-up for me, so there is now no going back to the 6-string guitar.

Oh, one other thing to add (because we don't hear much about tenors in Rock). I absolutely LOVE the tone of an electric GDAE tenor guitar playing Rock, and think it is often superior to that of a 6-string. The oft-used open D, G, C, Am and Em, and barred E, A, F, and B all sound better to my ears on an electric tenor. Also, all the folks with whom I play have commented on the beneficial compliment that my chord voicings bring to our jams.

[Avi Ziv]

I've never played guitar but I do play mandolin, tenor banjo and tenor guitar. The similar fingering helps a lot although I use one-finger-per-fret on the banjo and tenor guitar. Still it's easy for me to move from the mandolin to the larger instruments and I switch around a lot at a (Irish traditional) session. If the tenor guitar sounds more like a guitar because of this gdae tuning, I don't know; but I actually enjoy having some guitar sounds to compliment the banjo and mandolin so it wouldn't be a bad thing in my case. Mind you I play melodies on the tenor guitar and not backup chords so the experience might be different.

Cheers

[dorenac]

If I may jump in here. I'm planning to buy a tenor guitar and also was going to tune it GDAE. What gauges strings are good for this on a tenor; an archtop in my case?

[Ed Goist]

If I may jump in here. I'm planning to buy a tenor guitar and also was going to tune it GDAE. What gauges strings are good for this on a tenor; an archtop in my case?

I use 42W-30W-20-13 (on 23" scale). I really like the sound and feel of these gauges.
Some other options can be found here.

[GKWilson]

Michael. As Mr. Kelly, I tune GDAE so I can go from mandolin, to octave, to tenor and I don't have to think too much.
My tenor was made to be played GDAE. Hence, it has a longer scale and larger body [for tenor].
A very big guitar sound.
So like Seonachan, I use it to replace the guitar and backfill vocals.
Gary

[danb]

Great playing, Dan, as usual. It looks to me like you're playing mainly in closed third position, with open chords/stops thrown in. That is pretty much like playing in both tunings at the same time -- the lead playing is the same pitch as playing in CGDA with a fifth fret capo, while making use of the low G and D for the harmonies. Very nifty if one has the chops to do it!

Thanks Martin. It's actually a hair easier to mix the best parts of the 2 tunings that way, it works out like a 3-course instrument with a drone. That trick is also great on 5-course instruments, I used it extensively on my 10-string Sobell. I learned that that by way of Roger Landes- not sure if he cooked it up on his own or someone else showed him, but that's been in my bag of tricks ever since.

This clip is "Straight" gdae, on the old national. Takes me back to my bay area days and the "Shatter the Calm" CD release gig at the Plough & Stars. My friends Kyle Thayer and Kris Willits contributing guitar & bodhran. This is more what I'd call "playing a tenor guitar like an irish tenor banjo"