Someone on a music forum I’m a member of posted this a while back. Phenomenal talent doing something I’ve not knowingly heard or seen ever before. Not much else to say other than, be inspired by someone pushing the boundaries of their art form and creating something new, vibrant and exciting.
Songwriting: Nashville Tuning
If you’re a songwriter, then you are often looking for that next “new” sound to spark off your creativity and churn out a few new songs. Or perhaps if you’re recording lots, you’re looking for a way to repurpose old instruments to fill out a track. Either way, Nashville tuning is DEFINITELY worth you checking out.
Over Christmas a few years back I got myself a ukulele. It’s been a longtime coming but I finally succumbed, and I love the sound of it.
One of the things that gives the ukulele its distinct sound is its very specific tuning. It is tuned very similar to the highest 4 strings on a guitar (typically up 5 semitones), but the 4th string (which would otherwise be the lowest tuned string) is actually tuned up a whole octave. This means that the 3rd string is the lowest tuned string. This is called “re-entrant tuning”, presumably because the string closest to you “re-enters” the same range as the upper strings, rather than going lower.
What this achieves is a very VERY chimey sound, because the 1st string and 4th string are only one whole note apart, and so both strings are generally sounding in a similar range to one another.
What about guitars?
As it happens, a similar sound can be achieved with guitars by doing exactly the same thing – changing out lower strings to be tuned higher than normal.
There exists a tuning called ‘Nashville tuning’, where the lowest 4 string are replaced with lighter gauge strings and are tuned a whole octave up. It’s like taking a set of 12 string guitar strings, and stringing up a guitar using only the octave strings.
What this achieves is a very chimey shimmery sound with a standard guitar. The tuning is still the same (sort of), except for certain strings being tuned up an octave, which means all your old chord shapes and strumming ideas will work the same, they’ll just sound different.
Good ol’ Justin Sandercoe illustrates this nicely.
Watch from the beginning for a full explanation, or skip to 2m 35s and 5m 00s to hear strumming samples.
What about playing with other guitars?
Good question! This video from Wechter Guitars highlights where Nashville tuned guitars can really come into their own when used in conjunction with a normal tuned guitar. For example, whether performing live or recording, you can double up the guitar part and enhance the sound massively without actually needing to change key or anyone having to learn new parts that fit around the solo part.
Nashville tuning – check it out! You may just find a new sound that sparks your songwriting, or gives a tired recording a fresh vibrant edge.
ADDENDUM: I found a nice variation on this that I discovered a few months after initially writing this post. The problem I found with Nashville tuning was it made for a good SECOND instrument, or recording along with some instruments, but not for a live solo instrument. It was just too thin in my opinion.
So instead, I restrung the D and G strings with B and E gauge strings (ideally slightly thinner) and tuned them up an octave (octave D and octave G). If you’re concerned about that full minor third increase, try downtuning your whole guitar a half or whole step, that should relieve the concern.
What this does is create REALLY nice separation between the lowest two strings (E and A), giving a pronounced “bass” part. Then, because of the re-entrant approach to the middle strings, you have the option to play closed-voicing chords with very dense clusters of notes that otherwise wouldn’t be possible. It also leaves a nice hole in the mids for a strong vocal to sit.
Try it out, you may find it gives you the fullness of standard tuning but with the sparkle, chime and creative opportunities of Nashville tuning.
New Moog Sub Phatty Analog Synth
Anyone who knows me knows I LOVE synthesizers, specifically fat analog bass synths. My first instrument was bass guitar, and in the last few years I’ve discovered a love for bass synths and their massive sound.
Some of you may have heard of legendary synth company Moog – they have just released a new synth that is ticking alllll the right boxes for analog synth freaks. Here is a short song put together where everything from drums, bass, lead, pads and sound effects were generated by their new synth.
Modern, yet vintage. Check it out.
3 Musical New Year’s Resolution
NOTE: I’ll be asking you ‘what would your 3 resolutions be?’ at the end of this post, so do have a think while you read mine, and do also leave a comment on yours below! I’d like to hear from you!
When I was at school and university, I used to love holiday times not just because they were time off from studies, but because they gave me uninterrupted time to focus on ‘woodshedding’. This is a term often used by guitarists and jazz musicians to refer to time spent locked away in (often!) a woodshed away from the world honing particular aspects of their craft.
While I won’t be doing these in a woodshed, here are 3 of my resolutions I’m working towards this year. Some people opt for more, some for less, but I feel 3 gives me enough resolutions to stand a chance of doing at least one without getting stretched too thin!
1. Get better at piano – While I play it sufficiently well enough to teach, I spend far so much time in front of a piano everyday for voice and teaching, that I am out with a vengeance to learn to play the thing properly. I will then go through every song in my repertoire that I can already perform vocally with a guitar and learn to play an equivalent version with a piano. That way if I ever am presented with guitar OR piano, I can do my entire repertoire equally well on both.
2. Reduce the amount of gear I own – I’m a true minimalist at heart, and while I love exploring new equipment and how it works for me and my sound, once I have experimented and branched out, I like to strip back to the basics. This last year I’ve started to develop more of my own sound, or rather, develop a confidence in the sound I had already started to develop, and this requires a more simplistic approach to gear (if not musically). As such, I plan to shed at least a 1/3 of the remaining gear I have.
3. Add 10-20 more songs to my repertoire – One of the problems with having come from a technical instrumentalist background is that I am quite fussy about songs. I want songs that challenge me, and that present some technical challenge to my development. Which means I find it increasingly hard to find things I want to work on as I develop and get better. This is obviously helpful in some respects, as every song I work on develops my voice such that other songs become easy and often automatic, but it does mean I struggle to find new songs to add to my repertoire. In this regard I’m going to be less picky and just find 10-20 songs to add to my repertoire over the course of this year, regardless of their difficulty, just based on whether I like them or not!
I’d also add that I will be ‘writing more songs’ as a resolution, except that this is an ongoing resolution, so it’s hardly new for this year!
What are your resolutions?
Lisa Hannigan – Live Acoustic Folk
I’m currently waiting on a new acoustic guitar to be built by Fylde acoustics guitars in Penrit – Check Fylde Guitars Out Here. Once a quarter or so they send out a newsletter with details of what they and their favoured artists are getting up to, This was a link to one of their talented artists – Lisa Hannigan – performing at Sessie Border Crossing 2012 (no idea where that is!). In any case, this is some really relaxing acoustic folk by a lass with a beautiful voice and gentle playing style. Check it out here!
Fitz and the Tantrums – Don’t Gotta Work it Out
I tweeted about this band a while ago but only just realised I hadn’t blogged about them. Basically they are a band with NO guitars (exc. bass guitar) – that’s right… NO guitars. So when I say ‘they’ve done an acoustic version of one of their songs’ you might think ‘hold on… how?’
With a sax of course! Check it…
Yes, Fitz does strain a LOT of notes, but as catchy songwriting goes, and as creative stripped back arrangements go, it’s hard to beat.
Check them out.