CGDGAD Tuning

elmcmeen · #1 03-15-2019, 04:45 PM

Having played in this tuning almost exclusively for 30 years, I am curious how many people play tunes in this tuning, either regularly or periodically.
I've uploaded a ton of tunes recently, and I have done most in this tuning, but also have, in the last 12 years, translated many into Drop D tuning. The latter captures, IMHO, 90% of the atmosphere but not 100%.

Just curious.

Wistah · #2 03-15-2019, 04:50 PM

Sounds like an interesting tuning. I've not experimented with that one before. I did have a guitar set up in CGCGCG for a while. That was fun, maybe I'll do that again.

mondoslug · #3 03-15-2019, 05:05 PM

I came across this tuning because of you...and wrote one tune which I'm pretty happy with but I've never been able to get past that one. I need to just leave a guitar laying around in that tuning and get more of a handle on it.

Still, thanks for turning me on to it!

rick-slo · #4 03-15-2019, 05:38 PM

Mostly standard tuning for me but occasionally I have tuned to some random low pitch tuning and composed something.
Harmonics as part of the melody line have worked easily and well in some more open tunings.

TBman · #5 03-15-2019, 05:38 PM

I'm learning some of Stephen Wake's music which is mostly either in cgdgad or cgdgcd with a couple of things in dadgad. I just recently purchased his CD/tab package. I started playing primarily in DADGAD and the C tunings back in December and I enjoy it. I wrote a few of my own tunes, mostly in dadgad, which are a continuing work in progress.

Eucatastrophe · #6 03-15-2019, 09:35 PM

After almost 20 years of playing I just started learning DADGAD. I started with Jim Tozier’s book Celtic Guitar solos. But I quickly gravitated to his arrangement of SLANE in CGDGAD. It was the first song I learned from his book.

I immediately found this tuning to be so much more intuitive and inspiring than DADGAD. I have rearranged a bunch of my favorite hymns in this lovely tuning over the past few months. Funny enough I had to force myself to tune back to DADGAD to keep plowing through Jim’s book. Honestly I’m puzzled why CGDGAD isn’t more popular?

I have been following your videos and have been very inspired! Just noticed your Celtic Treasures book. Can’t wait to dig into it.

Thanks!!

TBman · #7 03-15-2019, 09:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Eucatastrophe

After almost 20 years of playing I just started learning DADGAD. I started with Jim Tozier’s book Celtic Guitar solos. But I quickly gravitated to his arrangement of SLANE in CGDGAD. It was the first song I learned from his book.

I immediately found this tuning to be so much more intuitive and inspiring than DADGAD. I have rearranged a bunch of my favorite hymns in this lovely tuning over the past few months. Funny enough I had to force myself to tune back to DADGAD to keep plowing through Jim’s book. Honestly I’m puzzled why CGDGAD isn’t more popular?

I have been following your videos and have been very inspired! Just noticed your Celtic Treasures book. Can’t wait to dig into it.

Thanks!!

The Celtic Treasures book looks interesting, but what is an "e book?" Is it a PDF or do you need a special reader for it?

elmcmeen · #8 03-16-2019, 01:39 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Wistah

Sounds like an interesting tuning. I've not experimented with that one before. I did have a guitar set up in CGCGCG for a while. That was fun, maybe I'll do that again.

I think the late Tony Cuffe of the group Ossian played in that Open C tuning. I heard him play Coilsfield House in a concert once, and couldn't figure out what the heck he was doing, and then read later he was in open C tuning! 25 or so years later I did that tune in CGDGAD: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rSuqm-ABSwM

elmcmeen · #9 03-16-2019, 01:44 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rick-slo

Mostly standard tuning for me but occasionally I have tuned to some random low pitch tuning and composed something.
Harmonics as part of the melody line have worked easily and well in some more open tunings.

Great point, Derek! My problem, in translating my CGDGAD music to Drop D, is that the natural harmonics aren't where I want them to be in Drop D, for the keys that I gravitate to. In CGDGAD they are wonderfully available to weave into the melody line.

elmcmeen · #10 03-16-2019, 01:47 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mondoslug

I came across this tuning because of you...and wrote one tune which I'm pretty happy with but I've never been able to get past that one. I need to just leave a guitar laying around in that tuning and get more of a handle on it.

Still, thanks for turning me on to it!

Thank you for trying it. This chord chart on my webpage might be helpful. http://elmcmeen.com/low-c-chart/

elmcmeen · #11 03-16-2019, 01:49 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TBman

I'm learning some of Stephen Wake's music which is mostly either in cgdgad or cgdgcd with a couple of things in dadgad. I just recently purchased his CD/tab package. I started playing primarily in DADGAD and the C tunings back in December and I enjoy it. I wrote a few of my own tunes, mostly in dadgad, which are a continuing work in progress.

I like Stephen's touch and music a lot, and didn't realize he played in CGDGAD. Thanks for sharing that.

elmcmeen · #12 03-16-2019, 01:53 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TBman

The Celtic Treasures book looks interesting, but what is an "e book?" Is it a PDF or do you need a special reader for it?

An eBook is for reading on an electronic device, as I understand it, like an iPad. Hard copies are imminent, and I will receive a few copies myself soon.
It's 144 pages long. In the last week, in a burst of crazy energy, I uploaded over 500 pages of mostly unpublished tab/music to the Sheet Music Plus site, with midi sound clips: http://www.tinyurl.com/mcmeenmusic I'm still recovering from that exercise.

elmcmeen · #13 03-16-2019, 02:01 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Eucatastrophe

After almost 20 years of playing I just started learning DADGAD. I started with Jim Tozier’s book Celtic Guitar solos. But I quickly gravitated to his arrangement of SLANE in CGDGAD. It was the first song I learned from his book.

I immediately found this tuning to be so much more intuitive and inspiring than DADGAD. I have rearranged a bunch of my favorite hymns in this lovely tuning over the past few months. Funny enough I had to force myself to tune back to DADGAD to keep plowing through Jim’s book. Honestly I’m puzzled why CGDGAD isn’t more popular?

I have been following your videos and have been very inspired! Just noticed your Celtic Treasures book. Can’t wait to dig into it.

Thanks!!

Jim Tozier came for a lesson once, years ago.
A good guy, with a very nice touch and sensitivity to phrasing. Slane, under the name of Be Thou My Vision, was the first spiritual song I ever arranged! One of my faves. I've tweaked my arrangement over the years, and still find voicings I hadn't thought of. You might enjoy listening to the audio clips on the stuff I just uploaded to SheetMusicPlus, scores (!) of which are in CGDGAD tuning, including a bunch of copyrighted tunes I was finally able to have published. http://www.tinyurl.com/mcmeenmusic You might like this little practice into a cellphone: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fji7wRiOxTE

Gitfiddlemann · #14 03-16-2019, 05:51 AM

Hi El,
It was through your music and arrangements that I was introduced to this particular tuning. You have a way of "exploiting" it to achieve very tasteful musical results, which is what it's all about.

There are a couple of Michael Hedges tunes that I play in very similar tunings:
CGDGBD, and CGDGAC.
It's always interesting to me to experience how even small changes in a tuning can impact the overall feel of the music. Similar to DADGAD and DADF#AD. Just a semitone, but a world of difference in where it takes you.
I'd like to take this opportunity to also thank you for your generous sharing of knowledge and music through the years. You've been a real asset to this community.

TBman · #15 03-16-2019, 06:43 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by elmcmeen

An eBook is for reading on an electronic device, as I understand it, like an iPad. Hard copies are imminent, and I will receive a few copies myself soon.
It's 144 pages long. In the last week, in a burst of crazy energy, I uploaded over 500 pages of mostly unpublished tab/music to the Sheet Music Plus site, with midi sound clips: http://www.tinyurl.com/mcmeenmusic I'm still recovering from that exercise.

Thanks! I'm looking forward to the book being available and I'll check out the tabs.

Jim Tozier is another favorite of mine. I have a couple of covers of his arrangements on my soundcloud page, Star of the County Down and The Flower of Magherally. Every once in a while I'll revisit his Celtic book and "relearn" many of the pieces.