THE AMAZING OPTIMAL HARMONIC DIATONIC 6-STRING OR 12-STRING GUITAR
3m-3M-3m-3M-3m TUNING (4 PANDURIS IN SEQUENCE OR 4 OPEN MAJOR-MINOR TRIADS IN SEQUENCE) .
(this essentially a topic introduced in the past also in post 90. See also post 310 about 2 dimensional isomorphic layouts of chords)
See also post 90 and 407.
Here is also a useful tool for tunings
https://www.gtdb.org/acegbd
This tuning of alternate minor and major thirds seem to occur for a 5-string Mexican instrument the Jarana huasteca
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jarana_huasteca
Normally a guitar with the standard tuning is a chromatic instrument e.g. compared to diatonic wind instruments like a recorder or a diatonic tuned Celtic harp. But there is a natural harmonic diatonic tuning of the guitar.
An optimal but unknown tuning for the 6-string guitar when chord-playing is the main target and not so much solo playing is by alternating minor and major 3rds. In semitones for the 6 strings 4-3-4-3-4 or 3-4-3-4-3
E.g. Bb2- D3-F3-A3-C4-E4 ( default scale Bb) or F2-A2-C3-E3-G3-B3 (default scale F major) or A2-C3-E4-G4-B4-D4 or C3-E4-G4-B4-D4-F4 (default scale C major) or G2-B2-D3-F#3-A3-C4 (default scale G major)
For a 53 cm scale length children guitar the tuning can be higher . e.g.
E3-G3-B3-D4-F#4-A4 or
D3-F3-A3-C4-E4-G4
For a 12-string guitar it can be the
(A2:A2)-(C3:C3)-(E4:E4)-(G4:G4)-(B4:B4)-(D4:D4)
or
(C3:C3)-(E4:E4)-(G4:G4)-(B4:B4)-(D4:D4)-(F4:F4)
THIS MAY BE CALLED THE HARMONIC TUNING OF THE GUITAR AS IT IS BASED ON THE HARMONIC 2-OCTAVES 7-NOTES SCALE (see also post 79)
The latter is the most natural open tuning. There the same shape for major and minor chords and only 3 of them and in only one or frets compared to the 6 in the standard tuning guitar. If we want also dominant and major 7nth chords we use again only 2 frets. The same with the aug chords Only the dim7 chords require 3 frets. Because of the symmetry of the tuning among the strings, the relations of relative chords and also chords in the wheel of 4ths is immediate to grasp also geometrically. Of course when we say shape of chords as it is standard in jazz, we do not play all 6-strings (as in strumming) but only 3 or 4 strings.
In post 67 are also described harmonically tuned 4-course (Greek 4-courses bouzouki, ukulele, mando-lele etc) or 3-courses (Balalaika, Greek 3-course Bouzouki) instruments that are easier to play but have the same remarkable advantages due to the harmonic tuning.
E.g. for 4-course , the tuning D3D4-F3F4-A4A4-C4C4 abd for 3-courses the F3F4-A4A4-C4C4 or
G3G4-Bb4Bb4-D4D4.
If we want to make such an alternating 3rds tuning an OPEN TUNING for the guitar one way to do itis the next tuning 6m-3M-3m-3M-6M e.g. C2-A2-C3-E3-G3-E4
The easiness with which one can improvise melodies within a diatonic scale (all notes within 3 frets and in a very symmetric zig-zag pattern) together with 3-notes chords of the scale (gain all chord patterns within 3-frets) is unsurpassed.
At the same time , the easiness with which one can make diatonic scale modulations, chromatic (1 semitone apart) or by changing a minor to a major chord and vice versa and continuing in a relevant diatonic scale, is unsurpassed again!
The main advantages are
1) Greater number of major or minor triads per number of frets, thus easier chord playing
2) Less number of chord-shapes, thus easier guitar to learn
3) The shapes of chords require less number of frets
4) 1st inversion chords require only 1 or 2 frets, thus have easier shapes and are easier to play
5) In the melodies the notes are closer in total thus easier to find by the fingers. The 2 priviledged diatonic scales have very symmetric shapes on the fretboard
6) The odd number of strings or the even number of strings are in intervals of 5 (7 semitones) thus as in the tuning of Cello, Octave mandolin , Viola, Violin , mandolin , Irish bouzouki, mandocello etc therefore any one trained to play solos in the previous instruments can keep his knowledge and play the same solos in such an harmonic tuned guitar (on odds or even strings).
Also the isokratic technique in the 3-courses instruments tuned so as to contain a 5th like bouzouki, boulgari, tampour , saz where two string a 5th apart accompany the melody on another string still applies in the harmonic guitar as all odd and even number strings are tuned a 5th apart. Nevertheless compared to the previous instruments (violon , mandolin etc) in the harmonic guitar the 3-notes or 4-notes major or minor chords , or diminished and augmented chords are played radically easier with one or two rarely 3 frets and is the densest such placement on the fretboard among all tunings of the guitar . At the same time any guitar jazz player one trained to play 3-notes chords (triads) in the standard guitar and especially on the 4 highest strings can keeps his knowledge and with slight modifications apply it to the harmonically tuned guitar. Furthermore any one playing the panduri (a russian or georgian folk 3-courses instrument coming from ancient Geek panduris, which is tuned in open major or minor 3-notes chord) will pass his knowledge to this harmonic tuned guitar in the upper 3 or middle 3 and lower 3 strings!
7) Because the chords are in one or 2 only frets, their arpeggios also and neighboring melodies are in fewer frets thus easier to play as finger picking style.
This harmonic tuning by alternating minor-major 3rds, allows, for all 4-notes chords of e.g. the D major scale in the 3rd octave (c3,d3,e3,f3,g3,a3,b3), Cmaj7->Em7->G7->Bm6->Dm7->Fmaj7->Am7 in 1st normal position across the fretboard, something not possible with the standard tuning of the guitar. In the standard guitar it is possible only by 2nd or 3rd inversion, or by shifting to the 4th octave or 2nd octave. Therefore there are important very natural voicing of the 4-notes chords of the 3rd octave that we miss with the standard tuning and in the harmonically tuned guitar, it is in a single octave!
THERE ARE 4 VERY SYMMETRIC WAYS THAT THE CHORDS IN A WHEEL BY 4THS CAN BE REPRESENTED AND PLAYED IN THE FRETBOARD WITH THIS HARMONIC TUNING.
WE ENLARGE IN THE NEXT WITH MAPS OF THE CHORDS AND THEIR SHAPES IN THE THREE WHEELS, THE ONE BY 4THS, THE ONE BY 3RDS AND THE CHROMATIC.
THE BEST WAY TO LEARN THE FRETBOARD IN ANY OPEN TUNING (E.G, OVERTONES TUNINGS OR THE CURRENT TUNING IN THIS POST) IS BY CONCEIVING THE FRETBOARD AS OF A DIATONIC INSTRUMENT, MARK THE DEFAULT PREFERED DIATONIC SCALE ON THE FRETBOARD, AND LEARN THE 3-NOTE CHORDS NORMAL FORMS (ON 3 CONSECUTIVE STRINGS) IN THIS SCALE AND TUNING.
THEN FIGURE OUT THE BASIC 3 INVERSIONS OF A TRIAD CHORD (EQUIVALENT TO THE DEA-SYSTEM) AND CORRESPOND TO EACH INVERSION D, OR E OR A, THE MODE OF THE DIATONIC SCALE THAT IT GIVES.
THEN LEARN THE MINOR CHORDS HARMONIC TRIPLET OF CHORDS AND MAJOR CHORDS HARMONIC TRIPLET OF CHORDS OF THE DIATONIC SCALE WITH ANY CONVENIENT INVERSION ON THE FREBOARD.
In post 67 are also described harmonically tuned 4-course (Greek 4-courses bouzouki, ukulele, mando-lele etc) or 3-courses (Balalaika, Greek 3-course Bouzouki) instruments that are easier to play but have the same remarkable advantages due to the harmonic tuning.
E.g. for 4-course , the tuning D3D4-F3F4-A4A4-C4C4 abd for 3-courses the F3F4-A4A4-C4C4 or
G3G4-Bb4Bb4-D4D4.
If we want to make such an alternating 3rds tuning an OPEN TUNING forthe guitar one way to do itis the next tuning 6m-3M-3m-3M-6M e.g. A2-F3-A3-C4-E4-C5
