A "New" Tuning for Me!

[jseth]

Title says it... never heard of anyone using or touting this tuning in all my years of playing... doesn't mean I think I invented a "new" tuning; I figure the guitar has been around so long that everything has been tried by now!

One thing I like about it is that nothing gets tuned above standard pitch, and only one string is tuned a whole step lower... not a lot of wear and tear on the strings...

So, I was watching a movie about music (August Rush), and had this thought to try this tuning... probably while all that percussive open tuning playing was happening!

Here t'is, from low E to high E...

E - A - C# - F# - A - E... pretty much an A6th chord...

Some very nice sounds from this... fitting "chords' is challenging; not one I have found is "the same" as standard tuning chord shapes... I kind of like having to THINK about how to get to a particular chord "sound"; it's nice to have to stretch sometimes, good for the old brain!

Anyone every heard of this one used, or known someone who used it?

[frankmcr]

Originally Posted by jseth

from low E to high E...

E - A - C# - F# - A - E... pretty much a C6th chord...

You mean A6th, right? A C# E F#

Closest I know, sometimes dobros are tuned to a G6 - GBEGBD low-high - & then capoed up to get A6.

[jseth]

Silly typo... fixed it! OF COURSE it is an A maj6 tuning...

Such a fun, full sounding tuning... interesting how adding just one note can give you a chord (first fret 4th string gives you D major add9)... but there are lots of polychords happening as well.

So far, I have two separate pieces from this tuning; one slow one and one fast one. Haven't "translated" any actual songs to it, yet.

I figure I need at least 3 complete tunes with this to be able to "trot it out" on stage...

Really fun to find something "new", even after all these decades of playing the guitar!