Jump to content

Tuning help please gents.


satmanjf@gmail.com

Recommended Posts

  • Members
I want to tune from 6string down. Without a tuner can you help. Currently in standard. Im trying to get FFCCC for a chris cornell song called seasons from the singles soundtrack. But i cant figure how to do it without tuner. Stepped on it and cracked it to s---

Okay, wait, I'm confused. You're tuning six strings but you only gave five notes. Are you going for FFFCCC? FFCCCC? Leaving one string unplayed? Plus, dropping from E to C or A to F isn't a problem and going up from E to F or even D to F should be okay if you have fairly light strings but G to C is a bit of a stretch. You either have a string that's very floppy or in acoustic territory and could affect playability.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

Are you listing the strings from lowest to highest? Are the F's and C's tuned to the same note or octaves apart? Is the low F tuned up from standard E2 or below (ie is it 43.65 or 87.31 hz?)? You've only listed five strings - what is the sixth tuned to or is it removed? What gauge of strings are you planning to use?

 

It would be much more helpful if you gave the notes in the standard notation, for example F1 F2 C4 C5 C6 where middle C is C4 and is 261.6 hz.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

OK, this is from some YouTube about the song

 

 

Tuning is Open F5, which is FFCCCC instead of the standard EADGBE. Sting 6 - tune up a half step to F String 5 - tune down 2 whole steps to F String 4 - tune down a whole step to C String 3 - tune down 3 and a half steps to get to C String 2 - tune up a half step to C String 1 - tune down 2 whole steps to C. If you do this right, strings 6 and 5 should sound the same, strings 4 and 3 should sound the same, and strings 2 and 1 should sound the same.

 

Google is your friend.

 

btw - you'll have some very low tension in some of the strings

 

 

 

 

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

And do it by ear. Unisons are easy. Compare the beating. There shouldn't be any. You can find this spot by tuning upwards toward the reference pitch, when they match, the sound will "light up". This is due to the phases becoming coherent. Octaves are the same. The only other interval you have there is the P5th F to C. This one is the same as well except you may or may not have to fudge on this depending on the temperament of the guitar and tune.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

Good advice. Those tunings that have unisons or octaves I always tune by ear - open G or D or E or whatever, my twelve strings and mandolin.

 

This is simply an F5 power chord using all six strings with three sets of unisons.

 

I didn't run the tension calculator but in my humble these are going to be totally floppy and you'll probably have intonation and playability issues. You may want to consider a custom set with the same gauge on 1 and 2 (something like a 10 or 11), the same on 3 and 4 (maybe a 26 or so) and the same on 5 and 6 (44 or 46). If you want I'll do the calcs but first try your standard set and see if you like it. One problem with a custom set is you are kind of committed to that tuning (I have a custom set on the guitar that stays in open C - it would be hard to play in standard).

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

Breaking news

 

I worked on a nice little Epi Les Paul today and as part of all of my work, I get to take the guitars from the shop to my music room and make sure they are OK. I said to myself, "self, lets try out this F5 tuning that Sat has been futzing with". So, with the aid of a chromatic tuner (and my not so chromatic ears) I tuned as per the above.

 

First comment - the string tension is terrible. This guitar has 10 - 46 on it, its going to be even worse with 9's.

 

Second comment - my wife walked into the music room and said "that sounds like hell". Actually I was thinking the same thing. I noodled around with it a bit, even tried a slide on it and very quickly decided that this was one tuning that wouldn't become part of my arsenal.

 

Good luck with it Satmanjf, maybe I'll take a listen to the song that inspired it but for now I'm going back to standard.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members
Good cLl on strings. Going to GC today and pi k some up. I will be using an acoustic. Definately check out the video chris cornell singing seasons from the singles soundtrack

 

 

Hold on, did you say acoustic? Then rub out everything I said about string gauges. You said before that you were going to use 9 to 46 on your guitar, I just naturally assumed that since those are electric gauges and this is an electric forum, that you were playing an electric guitar. If you are going to do this on an acoustic, you'll be starting with normal light or medium acoustic strings (12 or 13 to 54 or 56). You will want to bump up gauges from that and figure out the unisons.

 

So, back to the beginning. Your original question was how to get into this tuning, I've answered that. Take your acoustic strung with whatever you have on it, try the tuning that I linked, see which strings feel too floppy and decide what you want to do with them. I could go thru the work of calculating this for you and I will if you really want it, but since its a fair bit of work I'd rathe not

 

Here is vid of someone teaching this song -

 

he seems to just retune but doesn't say anything about the gauges he is using. And fwiw, his guitar work is quite different from the vid that you linked

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

When I watch your movie I see two acoustic guitars. The non-cutaway is just playing the same chord in the background - don't know what it is but I don't hear it change. The guy on the cut is playing some single string stuff up the neck, again, I can't hear enough of it to tell what he is doing. The guy in my vid is playing more or less what I would expect a solo singer/guitarist to be playing to back himself.

 

Here is a tab that sorta follows what the guy in my vid is doing. At least its in the same tuning

 

https://www.guitartabsexplorer.com/c...easons-tab.php

 

Here is another one, it is in an open F but totally different inversion than the one above. Note however that the tab has the 5th string tuned to a G (if that was a G# it would be Fminor but I don't know what it is)

 

https://tabs.ultimate-guitar.com/c/c...easons_tab.htm

 

I'm guessing that his tuning in this does not involve the unison strings but is basically your standard tuning with each string altered (1, 2 and 6 go up, 3, 4, 5 down a semi tone or two). The nice thing about that one is that you could get by with your 12's and not changing any strings (overall tension will remain about the same)

 

They also have a second version in standard tuning

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

Ive got it now. I know its for a friends funeral but I havent played in front of a crowd since my 20s. Hopefully they will focus on my brothers vocals. Hes pretty good on cornell. Also playing seagull by bad co. Which is my brothers fave singer and has him down to a T. Its at the reception so I hope everybodys tanked. Its monday and Im nervous as crap. Not like drinking beer and playing with friends. Oh boy !

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

×
×
  • Create New...