The optimal aspect of the higher 4-strings in the standard guitar tuning it is that it can play within 3 frets all the three inversions of major and minor triads (normal , 1st inversion, 2nd inversion) with roots on any of the 3 higher strings , and also the 7th of these chords, the diminished 7nth and the augmented too.
For tenor guitar see
.http://www.tenorguitar.com/
The 4 higher strings in the guitar (tuned from lower to higher D3G3B3E4 ) already shape a chord which is the E minor 7 Em7 chord or the G6 chord. Restricting the instrument on these 4 only strings has many advantages and great simplicity on chords which we will enlarge below. For example the open chords usually here have small only advantage to any other chord along the fretboard as the latter has only 4 notes to play. The DAE system (see post 3) is especially designed for this 4-string instruments which may be a ukulele (that it is tuned G3C4E4A4 from lower to higher ) or a Greek 4-string Bouzouki (that it is tuned C3F3A3D4 from lower to higher exactly as the Cuban Cuatro, while the 3-string Bouzouki is tuned D3 A3 D4 ) etc. The ukulele is like the 4 highest strings of the Guitar with a capo ta the 5 fret. Which of course means that from the 7th fret and higher in the ukulele fretboard we have the guitar from the 0th fret. Similarly the 4-string Bouzouki with a capo at the 2nd fret is as the guitar's 4 highest strings from the 0th fret ( 12 sting guitar actually...). We may also compare them with the tuning of the mandocello C2-G2-D3-A3 , and the tenor guitar and mandola (alto) (C3 G3 D4 A4) or the European Lute is (G3:G2 - C4:C3 - F3:F3 - A3:A3 - D4:D4 - G4). The scale length of a Greek lute is about that of the guitar. (see also http://tunings.pbworks.com/w/browse/#view=ViewAllObjects ) and it is tuned by 5ths (C2,G2,D3,A3) or (G2,D3,A3,E3) (Cretan),while the Constantinople Lute (lafta) is tuned by 4ths (A2,D3,G3,C4) . And also consider the classic 4-string bass, which is (E1, A1, D2, G2) or (D1, G1, C2, F2)
For tenor guitar see
.http://www.tenorguitar.com/
Ukulele chord-melody songs
The solos as chord-melody are based on the preference of the ear to give emphasis to a note of a chord when it is the highest. So chord-melodies are created by putting the note of the melody to be the highest note of its chord-voicing. This leads to that in ukulele the melodies of chord-melodies are usually played on the highest A-string and rarely on the second E-string or third C-string . The latter requires usually not playing the highest A-string. Notice though that the rule of highest note in the chord applies mainly when strumming or play all strings simultaneously. If we use more fingers and harping on the 4 or 3 strings, then we can separate, the note of a 3- or 4 notes chord that corresponds to the melody and make the audience notice it. . And as there are at least 3-shapes for each chord, with roots on the string 1st 2nd and 3rd or 4th, we can chose the chord to use the main notes of the melody in any string while the transient chords are played as intermediate solo between chords (See e.g. the song "Can't help falling in love below"). The limited number of strings (only 4) is an advantage here, as the chords use none or one only duplicate note. At the same time the way that the melody spans on the A-string or lower, suggests immediately the appropriate voicing of the background chord so as to contain or be very close to the note of the melody. Contrary to the chord-only playing of ukulele, that would prefer open chords at the first few frets, the chord-melody technique prefers chords along the fretboard of the ukulele. But the open chords usually here have small only advantage to any other chord along the fretboard as the latter has only 4 notes to play.
Notice also that because at the 9th fret the note as A on a C-string is the same as the free A-string, we may use the C-string and A-string together (skipping the E-string) for a solo so as to have with maximum number of notes per string when playing solos with butterflying and not chord-melodies..
Notice also that because at the 9th fret the note as A on a C-string is the same as the free A-string, we may use the C-string and A-string together (skipping the E-string) for a solo so as to have with maximum number of notes per string when playing solos with butterflying and not chord-melodies..
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Se5w7Kio2w
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VYqtQ_MXtnw
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sWhhw__mdwM
L.O.V.E.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cZ4TfRt1NK0
Can't help falling love
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=23x62LQt5p0
Imagine
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OpL_4LxrLtA
Let it be
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LoVvrLPX4eQ
Halleluya
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XzOdXhywIbo
Over the rainbow
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1PiscVZSuEE
No woman no cry
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yzPro7mIS9g&list=PLCD6F28C13A0A9AC2&index=9
https://www.youtube.com/user/ukuleleunderground
The next instruments with double-strings are very interesting relatives to this concept
1) The Puerto Rican Cuarto , which started with 4 (double) strings tuned by pure 4ths (B3 B2♢E4 E3♢A3 A3♢D4 D4♢G4 G4). (A Baritone Cuatro would have to utilize re-entrance tuning on the 5th pair of strings, to keep the chords sounding nice e.g. (B3 B2♢E2 E3♢A2 A3♢D3 D4♢G3 G4) , in which case would have range with same lower bound as that of the guitar.) Obviously the all-4ths tuning is better for solos compared to the ukulele tuning which is better for chords. Usual scale length of 50-52 cm . Because it is not as small as the violin (32,7 cm) or the mandolin (33 cm) tuning by pure 4ths is more convenient for the size of the human hand than tuning by pure 5ths. (we may compare it to the the tenor ukulele scale length 43 cm , the standard ukulele 34,6 cm , mandolin 33 cm, Portuguese guitar with scale length 44-47 cm, alto octave mandolin 50 cm, tenor octave mandolin (or tenor mandola) 58 cm, tenor guitar 53-58 cm, Greek Tzuras of 60 cm scale length, and the baritone ukullele with scale length of 50 cm , while the 12-string Guitar has scale length 66 cm , the Greek Buzuki 68 cm. All of them are double-string instruments. The violin has scale length of 32,7 cm )
Chords sound better when they are in the 3rd 4th and 5th octaves of the piano , while when they are in the 2nd and 1st octave of the piano do not sound very good. So when one has a bass instrument it is better to tune it to be optimal for melodies rather than chords, and the opposite for a high pitch instrument. So I have bought a 4-double strings ukulele and tune it as usually from lower to higher by (G4G3, C5C4 , E4E4, A4A4), which is best for chords (see DAE system post 3 ) but I have bought also a 4 string acoustic bass and I have tune is in all 4ths in about the range of a cello (guitarocello) , that is A1, D2, G2, C3, which is best for melodies as it is symmetric in strings transitions. We may compare them with the tuning of the mandocello C2-G2-D3-A3. When putting the capo in this bass to the 7th fret it becomes like the upper 4 strings of a guitar in other words E2 A2, D3, G3. It could also be tuned as B1, E2, A2, D3, and then a capo at the 5th fret would sound like the upper 4 strings of the guitar E2 A2, D3, G3. The latter range is close to the range of the cello and mandocello which is tuned by C2-G2-D3-A3.
2) About the 12-string guitar (6 double strings, tuned E3:E2, A3:A2, D4:D3, G4:G3, B3:B3, E4:E4) I have bought a 12-string guitar and I discovered that but it is misunderstood about what is its strong advantage! Most people think that its about more rich sound of the chords in pop, country or new age music. But playing for many hours only chords requires double the muscular strength in the left hand that a usual 6-string guitar which is making it tiring. The strong point of the 6-double string guitar (or 12-string guitar) is playing solos only on the 4 lower strings of it! The reason is that it is not titing, the sound is indeed richer and the all pure 4ths tuning of the lower 4 strings make it simpler to play for melodies. It should be used more than 80% to play melodies on the 4 lower strings and less than 20% to play chords on its 4 higher strings! These strong points of the 12-string guitar for melodies rather than chords is apparent by the popularity of the Greek (4-double string) Bouzouki, the Portuguese (6-double string guitar, scale length usually 44-47 cm, as the scale length of mandola, but with natural tuning C4:C3, E4:E3, G4:G3, C4:C4, E4:E4, G4G4, Lisbon tuning: D4:D3, A4:A3, B4:B3, E4:E4, A4:A4, B4:B4 ) see e.g. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6vat6Y0Vua0 ) , the mandolin (4-double strings) the mandocello with tuning C2-G2-D3-A3, and the Puerto Rican Cuatro (5-double strings tuning B3:B2,E4:E3,A3:A3,D4:D4,G4:G4) where all these 4 instruments have double strings and are used mainly for melodies rather than chords! Among them only the Puerto Rican Cuatro has tuning for all strings by pure 4th which gives to it an additional advantage of simplicity in playing melodies (and disadvantage compared to the modern 12-string guitar, to play chords).
Here is an excellent application of this idea with Bach of the 12-string guitar as solo instrument
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S5exrAPgEtY
3) So a modern 12-string it is as if two different instruments: It is like a Puerto Rican Cuatro on the 4 lower strings (good for solos), and like 4-double strings ukulele or 4-double strings (good for chords)! I often use a plastic clip to tie and mute either the lower 2 strings of the guitar, when I want to use the higher 4 strings mainly for chords, or the higher 2 strings when I want to use its lower 4 strings for solos! Similar things can be said for the 6-string guitar! The lower 4 strings of the guitar are poor for chords as they support only the shapes A, and E as movable (not open chords) in the fretboard (and possibly Cmajor-shape Cminor-shape that both are requiring 4 frets though!). While the 4 higher strings support all the 3 shapes D,A,E major or minor as movable (not open chords) on the fretboard in a more convenient way for the fingers requiring only 3 frets! This is a bit strange of course, as we are used to play solos on higher strings and chords lower pitch than the solo! This suggests also an alternative tuning to the guitar so as to have the lower 4-strings chord-optimal and the higher 4-strings solo-optimal. Such a tuning would have the 5th and 4 the strings tuned on a major 3rd interval (4 semitones) E.g.
(D3:D2, G3:G2, B3:B2, E4:E3, A3:A3, D4:D4 or C3:C2, F3:F2, A3:A2, D4:D3, G3:G3, C4:C4 which is closer to the range of mandocello or ) thus a bit lower or higher range than the standard tuning. To play this guitar which is more optimal , we prefer to mute either the 2 higher strings (when playing chords) or the 2 lower strings when playing solos, and we do that either with a plastic clip or with the left hand. For the same reasons a Greek or an Irish Bouzouki if tuned by all pure 4ths as (B3:B2 E4:E3 A3:A3 D4:D4) would be optimal for solos (rather than chords). For a 12-string (6 double strings) guitar tuned with all 4ths ( E3:E2, A3:A2, D4:D3, G4:G3, C3:C3, F4:F4 or if we want it closer to the range of mandocello B2:B1, E3:E2, A3:A2, D4:D3, G3:G3, C4:C4 ), as far as chords is concerned holds the next interesting fact: If you know how to play the chords in a standard tuned guitar, then you know also how to play the chords in an all 4ths tuned guitar, but not he opposite! All chords shapes in such an all 4ths tuned guitar is only the E-shape , its 3 cyclic permutations (normal position, 1st inversion 2nd inversion) and its translations vertically and horizontally! Chords and other useful fact about it can be found in http://www.musicopedia.com/, under the selection 6-string bass (a small shift up in the pitch is required). Such an all 4ths tuned guitar is by far better to use for musical compositions. And I have one such tuned exactly for this purpose. In some aspects, it is even more compact and symmetric than the classical piano keyboard in visualizing harmonies and melodic patterns!
In the next video it is surprising that there are even open chords in such an all 4ths tuning. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W73StQ7kP0A , https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kc2kNbnjKcY
If we want to keep the tuning of the guitar as it is, play the solos on the 4 lower strings but also utilize the high range of the E-string of the guitar, then we may use the trick mentioned at the end of the post 4 that conceives the guitar as if a 3-string instrument , and according to which we shift directly from the 1st E-string to the 3rd at the 9th fret of G-string, thus skipping entirely the 2nd B-string, and then continue with uniformity in the 6th,5th,4th, 3rd strings that are tuned by 4ths.
Notice about alternative tuning of the 4-string Bouzouki
The next best tuning for solos of the 4-string Bouzouki seem to be the symmetric (A3:A2 D4:D3 A3:A3 D4:D4) which makes by open strings the chord D5 in normal and inversion position, and can automatically accompany solos in D or Dm. As we mentioned above the chord-optimal tuning for 4-string Bouzouki is the ( C4:C3 , F4:F3 , A3:A3, D4:D4 ) which is already an the chord Dm7 or F6. An alternative tuning which sounds a bit lower is the ( C3:C3 , F3:F3 , A2:A3, D3:D4 ).And probably the other very much optimal for chords is from the natural tuning of the Portuguese guitar restricted for 4 strings rather than 6, in other words ( D4:D3 , F#4:F#3 , A3:A3, D4:D4 ) which is by open strings the chord D .
2) About the 12-string guitar (6 double strings, tuned E3:E2, A3:A2, D4:D3, G4:G3, B3:B3, E4:E4) I have bought a 12-string guitar and I discovered that but it is misunderstood about what is its strong advantage! Most people think that its about more rich sound of the chords in pop, country or new age music. But playing for many hours only chords requires double the muscular strength in the left hand that a usual 6-string guitar which is making it tiring. The strong point of the 6-double string guitar (or 12-string guitar) is playing solos only on the 4 lower strings of it! The reason is that it is not titing, the sound is indeed richer and the all pure 4ths tuning of the lower 4 strings make it simpler to play for melodies. It should be used more than 80% to play melodies on the 4 lower strings and less than 20% to play chords on its 4 higher strings! These strong points of the 12-string guitar for melodies rather than chords is apparent by the popularity of the Greek (4-double string) Bouzouki, the Portuguese (6-double string guitar, scale length usually 44-47 cm, as the scale length of mandola, but with natural tuning C4:C3, E4:E3, G4:G3, C4:C4, E4:E4, G4G4, Lisbon tuning: D4:D3, A4:A3, B4:B3, E4:E4, A4:A4, B4:B4 ) see e.g. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6vat6Y0Vua0 ) , the mandolin (4-double strings) the mandocello with tuning C2-G2-D3-A3, and the Puerto Rican Cuatro (5-double strings tuning B3:B2,E4:E3,A3:A3,D4:D4,G4:G4) where all these 4 instruments have double strings and are used mainly for melodies rather than chords! Among them only the Puerto Rican Cuatro has tuning for all strings by pure 4th which gives to it an additional advantage of simplicity in playing melodies (and disadvantage compared to the modern 12-string guitar, to play chords).
Here is an excellent application of this idea with Bach of the 12-string guitar as solo instrument
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S5exrAPgEtY
3) So a modern 12-string it is as if two different instruments: It is like a Puerto Rican Cuatro on the 4 lower strings (good for solos), and like 4-double strings ukulele or 4-double strings (good for chords)! I often use a plastic clip to tie and mute either the lower 2 strings of the guitar, when I want to use the higher 4 strings mainly for chords, or the higher 2 strings when I want to use its lower 4 strings for solos! Similar things can be said for the 6-string guitar! The lower 4 strings of the guitar are poor for chords as they support only the shapes A, and E as movable (not open chords) in the fretboard (and possibly Cmajor-shape Cminor-shape that both are requiring 4 frets though!). While the 4 higher strings support all the 3 shapes D,A,E major or minor as movable (not open chords) on the fretboard in a more convenient way for the fingers requiring only 3 frets! This is a bit strange of course, as we are used to play solos on higher strings and chords lower pitch than the solo! This suggests also an alternative tuning to the guitar so as to have the lower 4-strings chord-optimal and the higher 4-strings solo-optimal. Such a tuning would have the 5th and 4 the strings tuned on a major 3rd interval (4 semitones) E.g.
(D3:D2, G3:G2, B3:B2, E4:E3, A3:A3, D4:D4 or C3:C2, F3:F2, A3:A2, D4:D3, G3:G3, C4:C4 which is closer to the range of mandocello or ) thus a bit lower or higher range than the standard tuning. To play this guitar which is more optimal , we prefer to mute either the 2 higher strings (when playing chords) or the 2 lower strings when playing solos, and we do that either with a plastic clip or with the left hand. For the same reasons a Greek or an Irish Bouzouki if tuned by all pure 4ths as (B3:B2 E4:E3 A3:A3 D4:D4) would be optimal for solos (rather than chords). For a 12-string (6 double strings) guitar tuned with all 4ths ( E3:E2, A3:A2, D4:D3, G4:G3, C3:C3, F4:F4 or if we want it closer to the range of mandocello B2:B1, E3:E2, A3:A2, D4:D3, G3:G3, C4:C4 ), as far as chords is concerned holds the next interesting fact: If you know how to play the chords in a standard tuned guitar, then you know also how to play the chords in an all 4ths tuned guitar, but not he opposite! All chords shapes in such an all 4ths tuned guitar is only the E-shape , its 3 cyclic permutations (normal position, 1st inversion 2nd inversion) and its translations vertically and horizontally! Chords and other useful fact about it can be found in http://www.musicopedia.com/, under the selection 6-string bass (a small shift up in the pitch is required). Such an all 4ths tuned guitar is by far better to use for musical compositions. And I have one such tuned exactly for this purpose. In some aspects, it is even more compact and symmetric than the classical piano keyboard in visualizing harmonies and melodic patterns!
In the next video it is surprising that there are even open chords in such an all 4ths tuning. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W73StQ7kP0A , https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kc2kNbnjKcY
If we want to keep the tuning of the guitar as it is, play the solos on the 4 lower strings but also utilize the high range of the E-string of the guitar, then we may use the trick mentioned at the end of the post 4 that conceives the guitar as if a 3-string instrument , and according to which we shift directly from the 1st E-string to the 3rd at the 9th fret of G-string, thus skipping entirely the 2nd B-string, and then continue with uniformity in the 6th,5th,4th, 3rd strings that are tuned by 4ths.
Notice about alternative tuning of the 4-string Bouzouki
The next best tuning for solos of the 4-string Bouzouki seem to be the symmetric (A3:A2 D4:D3 A3:A3 D4:D4) which makes by open strings the chord D5 in normal and inversion position, and can automatically accompany solos in D or Dm. As we mentioned above the chord-optimal tuning for 4-string Bouzouki is the ( C4:C3 , F4:F3 , A3:A3, D4:D4 ) which is already an the chord Dm7 or F6. An alternative tuning which sounds a bit lower is the ( C3:C3 , F3:F3 , A2:A3, D3:D4 ).And probably the other very much optimal for chords is from the natural tuning of the Portuguese guitar restricted for 4 strings rather than 6, in other words ( D4:D3 , F#4:F#3 , A3:A3, D4:D4 ) which is by open strings the chord D .
