As an example of how some string tuning was done in the olden days, here are some instructions from manuals for the vihuela. This was in use from late 15th century into the early 1600s and there are a handful of Spanish composers who have left us important music books for the instrument. The comments below come from the chapter The Vihuela: Performance Practice, Style and Context by John Griffiths in Performance on Lute, Guitar And Vihuela, Oxford ed Coelho. (I probably have similar information for lute and guitar, but this was the easiest to lay my hands on).

Milan's (Luys Milan, Spanish composer for vihuela - MCP) advice on stringing suggest that the true pitch of the vihuela...was determined empirically according to the size of the instrument...choose the first string according to the size of the instrument ...the larger the vihuela the thicker the string. This string is raised to just below its breaking point, 'as high as it can bear', and the other courses are tuned from it"

The tuning instructions of Milan and Pisador (Diego Pisador, another Spanish vihuela composer - MCP) proceed by unisons and octaves. Milan gives unisons descending from the first string (ie like tuning guitars using 4th/5th fret for unison with next higher - MCP)... Milan's second method is based on ... octaves. Pisador specifies these same octaves for confirming the tuning done by unisons

Frets And Temperament

I'll precis a lot here. The information is taken from a precise account by Juan Bermudo. He observed that most vihuelists placed the frets by ear, and moreover that few did it well...He gave advice at three levels - a simple fretting system for beginners, more complex systems for advanced players, and a sophisticated system to satisfy the needs of the most advanced players. While his ultimate system results in an approximately equal temperament, Bermudo's simpler systems are all based on Pythagorean principles of pure fifths, and unequal major and minor semitones

Bermudo's simplest system specifies the placement of frets corresponding to the diatonic notes, and he leaves the player to place by ear the frets that correspond to the accidentals.. He gives rules to place frets 2,4,5,7,10. The chromatic frets are initially placed half-way between the diatonic notes and then moved up or down according to desire. His more advanced systems fix frets 2,5,7,9,10 and manipulate the others slightly to give both diatonic and chromatic notes their correct intervallic distance within Pythagorean temperament.

There then follows dealing with the problem that these tunings do not give the correct semitones on each fret of each string and propose various methods for dealing with that - find altenative fingering on a different string; alter the pitch of the string with the left hand; slanting frets; move the fret; use double frets; retune and use only one string of the double course.


Life is a bit easier for the modern guitarist!

Mick