Question about blues tunings... - Printable Version
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Question about blues tunings... - rocketsan22 - 03-08-2006
Read this: Standard blues form: e/e/a/e/b/a
Am I to assume they are talking about what tuning it's in? And for someone who's a lefty and always gets them messed up, is it
e/e/a/e/b/a as in
e/a/d/g/b/e
anyone seen that tuning? from standard tuning can someone assist in helping me tune up or down on each of these strings?
Re: Question about blues tunings... - robert goulet - 03-08-2006
rocketsan22 Wrote:Read this: Standard blues form: e/e/a/e/b/a
Am I to assume they are talking about what tuning it's in? And for someone who's a lefty and always gets them messed up, is it
e/e/a/e/b/a as in
e/a/d/g/b/e
anyone seen that tuning? from standard tuning can someone assist in helping me tune up or down on each of these strings?
Do you have an electronic tuner? If so...then just select the note to tune into and wait for the 2 lights to show up...and voila.
If not...then I will walk you through it the old fashioned way
Keep your 1st string (low E) the same.
Next, tune your 2nd string so that it gives you the same sound as the 1st string
Next, hold down your 2nd string at the 5th fret, then tune your 3rd string so that it sounds the same
Next hold down your 3rd string at the 7th fret, then tune your 4th string so that it sounds the same
Next, leave your 5th string alone, it will be the same as in standard tuning (B note)
Lastly, hold down the 4th string at the 5th fret, this will give you an A note, tune your 6th string so that they sound the same.
I'm not sure what tuning this is, but it sure does produce a different sound...barre your fingers across all the strings across the various major notes to get the sound you're looking for.
If you've got a slide try it out...I don't have one but I bet it would sound cool.
RG
Re: Question about blues tunings... - skippy the wonder dog - 03-09-2006
Quote:Read this: Standard blues form: e/e/a/e/b/a
Am I to assume they are talking about what tuning it's in?
No, I think that's an attempt to describe a standard 12-bar I IV V blues progression. In the real world, that isn't "standard" at all, of course.
That's the "standard" form that blues songs take. Three phrases of four bars, the first on the I chord, the second on IV resolving back to I, and the third on V, IV, then back to I before jumping up to V again for the turnaround. In E, that's E, A, and B.
Quote:Keep your 1st string (low E) the same.
Next, tune your 2nd string so that it gives you the same sound as the 1st string
Next, hold down your 2nd string at the 5th fret, then tune your 3rd string so that it sounds the same...
If you're tuning your A string up to E and your D string up to A, and so on, and you're using an acoustic, you want to undo that ASAP. Not good for the guitar at all.
- rocketsan22 - 03-09-2006
Skippy, do you have the insight to explain a standard 12-bar I IV V blues progression? I'm trying to learn about blues guitar. Hoping to take some lessons.
- skippy the wonder dog - 03-09-2006
The 12-bar blues is the cliché blues progression. Essentially, you have 12 bars and three chords.
From basics, the I chord is the root chord of your key, the IV chord is the fourth scale degree and the V chord is the fifth. In E, that's I = E, IV = A, and V = B. These are major chords, although in blues they are often played as dominant 7ths i.e. E7, A7, B7.
The 12 bars are divided into three musical phrases, each 4 bars long. This corresponds to three lines of lyrics (the lyrics themselves typically only cover 2 bars of the 4):
There's a red house over yonder, that's where my baby stays,
There's a red house over yonder baby, that's where my baby stays,
Ain't been home to see my baby in 99 and one half days.
Throughout the first line, you're playing the I chord. On the second line, you go up to the IV for two bars and then back to the I. In the third line, you play one bar on the V, one on the IV, and then back to the I for the rest.
The last bar of the whole thing may hop back up to the V chord. This is the "turnaround."
This is easier to hear than to explain. Well known 12-bar blues include Red House (Hendrix) and Crossroads (Cream/Robert Johnson).
For more detail (including downloadable backing tracks so you can hear how this sounds), check out Olav Torvund's guitar pages under blues guitar lessons: http://www.torvund.net/guitar/BluesGuitar/index.asp
This is the absolute stereotype of the blues. The 12-bar is really just a starting point -- there are many more songs that don't fit into this well-defined box.
- schaggs - 03-09-2006
there is such a thing as "Open E" Tuning, often used with slides and in blues music. From lowest pitch to highest,
E/B/E/G#/B/E.
and this tuning has no danger of damaging your neck with excessive tension.
Re: Question about blues tunings... - robert goulet - 03-09-2006
skippy the wonder dog Wrote:If you're tuning your A string up to E and your D string up to A, and so on, and you're using an acoustic, you want to undo that ASAP. Not good for the guitar at all.
Skip...when I wrote out the directions i wasn't tuning the guitar up to an E and an A...I was actually tuning it DOWN to an E and an A...thus it should not place any unwanted stresses on the guitar...regardless, you were right in noticing that it wasn't a tuning sequence but a chord progression in the first place.
If you get a chance try out that tuning and let me know what you think of it.
RG
Re: Question about blues tunings... - skippy the wonder dog - 03-09-2006
robert goulet Wrote:skippy the wonder dog Wrote:If you're tuning your A string up to E and your D string up to A, and so on, and you're using an acoustic, you want to undo that ASAP. Not good for the guitar at all.
Skip...when I wrote out the directions i wasn't tuning the guitar up to an E and an A...I was actually tuning it DOWN to an E and an A...thus it should not place any unwanted stresses on the guitar..
Ooh, right. My mistake. :oops:
My immediate reaction was
hock: which may have impaired my brain function 
- rocketsan22 - 03-10-2006
Maybe I should clarify what this is all in reference to, the song Ball and Biscuit by White Stripes, I dig that sort of song and would like to learn to play something like that mashed together with a Jon Spencer sort of feel...one day, when I learn how to play...
Re: Question about blues tunings... - soquester - 03-11-2006
robert goulet Wrote:Either way, I feel the need to point out that the 1st string on a guitar is NOT the low E, but the HIGH E. The numbering goes from thinnest to thickest. It makes sense when you look at tablature, or lay the guitar flat. When you're holding it, however, it's backwards.skippy the wonder dog Wrote:If you're tuning your A string up to E and your D string up to A, and so on, and you're using an acoustic, you want to undo that ASAP. Not good for the guitar at all.
Skip...when I wrote out the directions i wasn't tuning the guitar up to an E and an A...I was actually tuning it DOWN to an E and an A...thus it should not place any unwanted stresses on the guitar...regardless, you were right in noticing that it wasn't a tuning sequence but a chord progression in the first place.
If you get a chance try out that tuning and let me know what you think of it.
RG
- skippy the wonder dog - 05-24-2006
rocketsan22 Wrote:Maybe I should clarify what this is all in reference to, the song Ball and Biscuit by White Stripes, I dig that sort of song and would like to learn to play something like that mashed together with a Jon Spencer sort of feel...one day, when I learn how to play...
You might want to check out this site, which I just ran across today:
http://brokenbricks.com/
And lookee here:
http://brokenbricks.com/cgi-bin/tab.cgi?/tabs/Elephant/Ball%20And%20Biscuit.txt
That's tabbed out in standard tuning.