Members EightString Posted August 22, 2011 Members Posted August 22, 2011 If you play a 7, try tuning your low B down a step to an A, and if you play an 8, try tuning your low B down to an A, and your F# down to an E. All your drop-2 and drop-3 shapes, where the triads are on the B, G, and D strings, will work almost "as-is", but now you can freely choose to play the root on the original A/E strings, or the new lower A/E strings. Of course, this will mess up any scalar things you might do with those lowest strings, but if you're doing a lot of jazz chording, especially in a solo environment where you don't have a bass and/or piano filling up the bottom, being able to use the same triad shapes on the top and just dropping the root down two strings is an easy way to fatten things up. Edit: for an 8 string, this is a variation on (Charlie) Hunter tuning, as he tunes E-A-D-A-D-G-B-E. I like my E (6th) right where it is, so I'm using E-A-E-A-D-G-B-E.
Members 3shiftgtr Posted August 23, 2011 Members Posted August 23, 2011 Well doesn't that make sense! So on an 8 string it would be.....E A E A D G B E....interesting. I've been getting better at using the drop 2 voicings in a natural way, and not "let's start sticking in a buncha drop 2 voicings", and have been thinking about getting a 7 string box or an 8 string solidbody to get motivated to be better at chord melody and solo interpretations of real book stuff. My chord melody is weak.... Plus the 8 string solidbody would be an interesting thing for the fusion stuff I like so much.....Then I'd hafta get an Axe Efx or something.....LOL
Members EightString Posted August 23, 2011 Author Members Posted August 23, 2011 Well doesn't that make sense! So on an 8 string it would be.....E A E A D G B E....interesting. I've been getting better at using the drop 2 voicings in a natural way, and not "let's start sticking in a buncha drop 2 voicings", and have been thinking about getting a 7 string box or an 8 string solidbody to get motivated to be better at chord melody and solo interpretations of real book stuff. My chord melody is weak.... Plus the 8 string solidbody would be an interesting thing for the fusion stuff I like so much.....Then I'd hafta get an Axe Efx or something.....LOL Yeah, I have the muscle memory for my drop-2 and drop-3 grips, so I can comp away without much mental effort, which is critical for me as a singer. But I was getting frustrated trying to get those non-root triads worked out and ingrained for roots on the low F# or low B strings. That one-step (2 fret) offset relative to the E and A strings made for some bizarre contortions.Then I had that epiphany about tuning down the 7th and 8th strings, so that I could keep my non-root triads as-is. Of course, THEN I found out that Charlie Hunter tuned his 7th and 8th strings the same way. But in some settings, like with a piano and bass, I don't usually even touch the 7th and 8th because it would just muddy things up. I'm actually fascinated by Lenny Breau's style of two note voice leading, so sometimes I'll even drop the root and 5th, and just play the 3rd and 6th or 7th, just to give it some sparse color.It's funny because other musicians who first see me with my 8 think I'm going to overplay or go "chunk chunk chunk weedley weedley" all night. And other ERG players coming from a rock or metal background will often wonder why I DIDN'T use the lower strings on something, and I have to tell them that if I did, I'd be stepping on someone else's toes sonically, and that often, jazz guitar can be about the notes in a chord you DON'T play. Anyway, I'm rambling...My current 8 is a Schecter Hellraiser C8 LTD, which LOOKS like a metal beast, but I have found it to be one of the most versatile guitars I have ever owned in my many decades of playing, and have used it to GREAT effect for just about every style of music, from jazz standards, to country, to pop, rock, fusion, progressive rock, metal, r&b, whatever.In fact, the great Cornelius Grant of Motown (and The Temptations) fame, was so impressed with my sound that he cornered me after a gig and insisted on getting ALL the details of my guitar and where I got it so he could order the exact same make and model for himself. Anyway, the wonderful thing about ERGs is that you can expand your abilities at your own pace because you can STILL treat it like a 6-string, which I often do myself if the music calls for such restraint. There are a lot of great production model 8s out there now, so happy hunting!
Members 3shiftgtr Posted August 23, 2011 Members Posted August 23, 2011 It's funny....I do alot of elec bass gigs too...and when I first started to use the 5 string I looked at it as a 4 with 5 notes lower than E. Then, over time, it became easier to 'see' how to use it as a 5 string instrument..... How long have you been using it?
Members EightString Posted August 23, 2011 Author Members Posted August 23, 2011 It's funny....I do alot of elec bass gigs too...and when I first started to use the 5 string I looked at it as a 4 with 5 notes lower than E. Then, over time, it became easier to 'see' how to use it as a 5 string instrument..... How long have you been using it? I've been playing 7s almost exclusively since 1990, and even have a Schecter Jazz-7 hollowbody. I picked up the 8 a couple of years ago.
Members polishpaul Posted August 23, 2011 Members Posted August 23, 2011 Please ramble on.....fascinating info for one who has never thought about this.
Members Alex Pareja Posted August 23, 2011 Members Posted August 23, 2011 Bucky Pizzarelli tunes his 7 archtop low B to an A. Which makes alot of sense for thickening up chords.I have 2 custom 7s but keep them at a low B mainly because it's a locked trem and don't want to mess with setups, however I find that I love dropping the B string note on any inversion.For solo playing it sounds very neat but in my band I have to be careful with what notes my bass player is on. It definitely gets muddy. Sometimes though we'll switch ranges and it gives an effect that challenges the ear.
Members jonfinn Posted August 24, 2011 Members Posted August 24, 2011 Please excuse the silly question: What's ERG?
Members 3shiftgtr Posted August 24, 2011 Members Posted August 24, 2011 Please excuse the silly question: What's ERG? Extended Range Guitar....7 and 8 strings.
Members c+t in b Posted August 24, 2011 Members Posted August 24, 2011 sorry for sounding rude, but if you're talking about seventh chord voicings, wont they sound like total mud in that register? they get pretty dark below the 5th fret of the ead strings on a guitar tuned to standard. im sure it's a useful effect, i just don't understand the point of 7 and 8 string guitars other than tapping. i would rather have an erg that had a high A string
Members jeremy_green Posted August 24, 2011 Members Posted August 24, 2011 Please excuse the silly question: What's ERG? Not silly at all... I was thinking the same thing!
Members mosiddiqi Posted August 24, 2011 Members Posted August 24, 2011 Not silly at all... I was thinking the same thing! +1 I read the thread title as "A tip for jazzers using EMG's"
Members jeremy_green Posted August 24, 2011 Members Posted August 24, 2011 Dude, I have enough trouble with 6 strings ... or jazz for that matter. Last thing I need is MORE : )
Members EightString Posted August 24, 2011 Author Members Posted August 24, 2011 sorry for sounding rude, but if you're talking about seventh chord voicings, wont they sound like total mud in that register? they get pretty dark below the 5th fret of the ead strings on a guitar tuned to standard. im sure it's a useful effect, i just don't understand the point of 7 and 8 string guitars other than tapping. i would rather have an erg that had a high A string I don't move the 5-7-3 or 7-3-5 part of the original chord to different strings. I only drop the root of the chord from being played on one A or E string to another. So by keeping the non-root parts of the chord in their original register, they're still nice and clean, with the added bonus of being able to easily "bass-up" the root if I feel like it, without having to learn new fingerings. Side note, here's another use for ERGs: twangy baritone guitar for some songs (Wichita Lineman comes to mind) without having to pick up a different instrument.
Members 3shiftgtr Posted August 24, 2011 Members Posted August 24, 2011 sorry for sounding rude, but if you're talking about seventh chord voicings, wont they sound like total mud in that register? they get pretty dark below the 5th fret of the ead strings on a guitar tuned to standard. im sure it's a useful effect, i just don't understand the point of 7 and 8 string guitars other than tapping. i would rather have an erg that had a high A string George Van Eps made it sound pretty cool and not muddy at all...... Might have to do with how you set your amp......
Members c+t in b Posted August 25, 2011 Members Posted August 25, 2011 I don't move the 5-7-3 or 7-3-5 part of the original chord to different strings. I only drop the root of the chord from being played on one A or E string to another. So by keeping the non-root parts of the chord in their original register, they're still nice and clean, with the added bonus of being able to easily "bass-up" the root if I feel like it, without having to learn new fingerings. Side note, here's another use for ERGs: twangy baritone guitar for some songs (Wichita Lineman comes to mind) without having to pick up a different instrument. ahh ok. yeah that makes more sense. i have small hands so erg's dont really work for me. i prefer a baritone
Members jonfinn Posted August 25, 2011 Members Posted August 25, 2011 Extended Range Guitar....7 and 8 strings. Ah! Thank you!
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