Tuning Preference for Bouzouki

Subject: Tuning Preference for Bouzouki
From: GUEST,DonMeixner
Date: 25 Dec 06 - 03:15 PM

My wife gave me a Bouzouki for Christmas. She knows I have SAGAs very bad. It seems she is an enabler.

I have read the Bouzouki threads in the archive and found them all to be of interest. I am wondering who is using what tunings and why.

I'll probably play mostly rhythmically with the odd fills thrown in. Does anyone find one tuning better than another.

Don

Subject: RE: Tuning Preference for Bouzouki
From: Peace
Date: 25 Dec 06 - 04:18 PM

SAGAs ????

Subject: RE: Tuning Preference for Bouzouki
From: Peace
Date: 25 Dec 06 - 04:29 PM

I don't understand where the strings go.????

Subject: RE: Tuning Preference for Bouzouki
From: michaelr
Date: 25 Dec 06 - 04:36 PM

GDAE is the preferred tuning for playing melody, GDAD for accompaniment.

Because I play in both tunings, I tune my zouk FCGD and use a Kyser mandolin capo at the 2nd fret. This gives me GDAE when I put the capo across all four courses, and GDAD when I leave it off the high strings.

What brand did you get? Mine's a Davy Stuart (from NZ).

I highly recommend that you join the Yahoo Cittern group. Lots of knowledgeable folks there including professional performers and luthiers.

Cheers,
Michael

Subject: RE: Tuning Preference for Bouzouki
From: GUEST,Mooh Up North
Date: 25 Dec 06 - 05:15 PM

I prefer GDAE, but mostly 'cause laziness prevents me from altering my thinking from Irish banjo and mandolin tunings. The zouk is a House (www.house-guitars.com). It's both guitar and mandolin/mandola to me...cool instrument.

Peace, Mooh.

Subject: RE: Tuning Preference for Bouzouki
From: GUEST,DonMeixner
Date: 25 Dec 06 - 05:29 PM

Bruce,

Serious Acoustic Guitar Acquisition syndrome

Don

Subject: RE: Tuning Preference for Bouzouki
From: Peace
Date: 25 Dec 06 - 05:32 PM

LOL

Thank you.

Subject: RE: Tuning Preference for Bouzouki
From: GUEST,DonMeixner
Date: 25 Dec 06 - 05:37 PM

My instrument is a Trinity College TW-375. It seems to be a first rate beginner instrument. Tunes well, has fine to perfect intonation and the action is fineskind. Any reason not to go for Open G tuning like my banjo?

Don

Subject: RE: Tuning Preference for Bouzouki
From: Pete_Standing
Date: 25 Dec 06 - 06:30 PM

GDAD is very good for accompaniment especially in the keys of D and G. It is what James Fagan uses and he is a very accomplished player of both accompaniment and melody. When tuned this way you get some lovely drones which you won't get tuned GDAE.

Something else to try is ADAD but this pins you down a bit.

For accompaniment octave or unison stringing will work, for melody, unison is best otherwise the melody sounds a bit confusing going across the strings. Also octave strung will start challenging the intonation of the instrument as you go higher up the neck du to the angle of the bridge.

BTW - Nice present!

Subject: RE: Tuning Preference for Bouzouki
From: McGrath of Harlow
Date: 25 Dec 06 - 06:40 PM

ADAD is fun to play. Especially if you have octave bass strings.

You get lots of dyads rather than full chords, which gives a special feeling with that and with GDAD, and you don't get that with GDAE.

Subject: RE: Tuning Preference for Bouzouki
From: GUEST,DonMeixner
Date: 25 Dec 06 - 08:45 PM

At Millennium Stage Brian McNeil plays "Lads O The Fair" and "The Yew Tree." The sound is great but I'm too noviced to figure the tuning. Anyone with a clue which he uses?

Don

Subject: RE: Tuning Preference for Bouzouki
From: Scrump
Date: 26 Dec 06 - 05:41 AM

I got one not long ago and I still tune it GDAE because I find it easier to play tunes (as the intervals are the same as fiddle, mandolin, tenor banjo, etc.) and I'm used to it.

I'd like to use it for accompaniment and I tried retuning to GDAD but I can't get used to it, yet, and I always end up retuning back to GDAE (I can play several chords in this tuning).

Can anyone recommend any chord books (or websites) or exercises, etc., to practice with the GDAD tuning? I feel I could do with some hints to get going in GDAD.

Subject: RE: Tuning Preference for Bouzouki
From: McGrath of Harlow
Date: 26 Dec 06 - 07:10 AM

"The irish bouzouki" by Niall O Callanain is worth getting. There's a tape of the same name to supplement it. Published by Waltons, and available for places like Hobgoblin and the Music Room, and no doubt other places.

Subject: RE: Tuning Preference for Bouzouki
From: Bee-dubya-ell
Date: 26 Dec 06 - 11:49 AM

I like ADAD tuning. Like everything, it has advantages and disadvantages.


Advantages:

Many tunes can be played in different octaves without having to learn two different fingering patterns. If a tune can be played on strings 1 & 2, it can be played an octave lower on strings 3 & 4 using the same fingerings. Since it's an open tuning, chording can be a matter of simple two-finger chords and one-finger barres (unless you're masochistic and just want to work out complicated finger-stretchers.) Since the tuning doesn't include the third as an open string, it's neither major nor minor so one can play major and minor tunes with the same ease. But the main advantage is just that it's so easy to play melodies in.

Disadvantages:

Use of a capo is pretty much a requirement unless one really likes playing in D all the time. On shorter scale-length instruments, capoing up to the fifth fret (to play in G) is as far is one can go before the tone changes to something more akin to a mandolin than a bouzouki. Medleys of tunes in different keys require moving the capo. (This problem can be alleviated to some extent by using multiple capos. For example, if a medley goes from a G tune to an Em tune one can have a capo already in place at the second fret to play in Em and just pop the one at the fifth fret off.)

By the way, if you really like playing in ADAD there is absolutely no law against tuning a mandolin the same way. Trust me, the mando police are a myth.

Subject: RE: Tuning Preference for Bouzouki
From: Les in Chorlton
Date: 26 Dec 06 - 11:58 AM

I have a Windsor 5 string banjo with quite a long neck. Has anyone tried taking off the short string and tuning it like Bouzouki? I ask because it has a good tone and a good sustain so perhaps it could be used to strum chords?

Subject: RE: Tuning Preference for Bouzouki
From: DonMeixner
Date: 26 Dec 06 - 12:06 PM

Thanks for the advice everyone. It is appreciated.

Les, I play an Ode Longneck Five.   I flat pick a lot in the Key of G and I capo everywhere for different keys. Yup. It sounds pretty OK flat picked and it is ver verstile played this way. I get some solid melody and fills on the flat pick and I get to frail as well.

Don

Subject: RE: Tuning Preference for Bouzouki
From: McGrath of Harlow
Date: 26 Dec 06 - 12:41 PM

You could keep the fifth string and tune it to match - so it'd be DADAD, or DGDAD. It should work pretty well.

Subject: RE: Tuning Preference for Bouzouki
From: GUEST,Jim
Date: 27 Dec 06 - 12:35 PM

The mandolin tuning is the opposite of the four bass strings of a guitar. The GDAD tuning is the opposite of the four bass strings of a guitar tuned DADGAD and ist seems to give the same droney/modal sound as a DADGAD tuned guitar. I own an Octave mando and tune it GDAD

Subject: RE: Tuning Preference for Bouzouki
From: Stu
Date: 27 Dec 06 - 01:08 PM

I would say if it's Irish traditional you're accompanying GDAD is the one. I used to use GDAE but since retuning have never looked back as love to accompany Irish music. Works quite well with Scottish and some of the less morris-like English tunes you might play too. There are good players from all of our Island traditions and it seems to fit into our music style perfectly.

That said, the zook is an instrument that is begging to be experimented with due to it's relative infancy so I would say whatever takes your fancy.

Enjoy your zook Don!

stigWeard

Subject: RE: Tuning Preference for Bouzouki
From: GUEST,DonMeixner
Date: 28 Dec 06 - 08:22 AM

The consensus seems to lean toward GDAD with a strong second in experimentation with ADAD and try capos. GDAE is a very close third but there is little difference between any of them.

Thanks to everyone.

Don

Subject: RE: Tuning Preference for Bouzouki
From: Pete_Standing
Date: 28 Dec 06 - 01:03 PM

Tuned GDAD here are some chords which will get you going (the numbers refer to the fret, going from low G to high D)

D maj/min (because it has no third in it)

2,0,0,0

G

0,0,2,0 or 0,4,2,0 for a minor play 0,0,1,0 or 0,4,1,0

A maj/min (no third)

2,2,0,2

C (I guess this should really be C 2nd or C add 9)

0,2,3,0

A proper C would be 0,2,3,2

Bm

4,4,2,0

Em (I guess the top D shouldn't really be played, but sounds fine)

7,7,5,0

Once you have got this under your belt, start looking for some alternatives. Now many of these chords will not be pure (a C for example shouldn't have a D in it - but it still sounds fine) or be ambiguous with respect to major or minor because of the absence of a third, but the nature of the sound is just right for folk music.

D

7,7,0,0

C

5,5,0,0

G

0,5,5,0

Here is a nice ascending run to try

2,0,0,0 - 4,5,0,0 - 6,5,7,0 - 7,7,0.0

Another A

6,7,7,7

Now here's something nice about the bouzouki. When playing the most basic D or G down near the nut, you have lots of fingers left over to put in little fills of melody, or to let strings ring between chords and then fill in with some melody.

What is theory should sound dischordant will often have a very nice rich sound to it. Go on, throw some caution to the wind!

Subject: RE: Tuning Preference for Bouzouki
From: GUEST,DonMeixner
Date: 28 Dec 06 - 03:40 PM

Lacking caution anyway, thanks.

Don

Subject: RE: Tuning Preference for Bouzouki
From: DonMeixner
Date: 30 Dec 06 - 10:51 PM

Thank you everyone for the interest and the replies.

Don

Subject: RE: Tuning Preference for Bouzouki
From: GUEST,DonMeixner
Date: 21 Jan 07 - 04:42 PM

WEll I have been having too much fun with this axe. I'm stcking with the GDAD tuning schedule. I like the drones and it fits my hands pretty well.

Can anyone suggest some songs that lend themselves to the zouk? I'm pretty much a 60's folkie trapped in an Irish band because of the great lucrative renumeration I enjoy therein. I'm looking at Fisher's The Witch of the West mer land. Keelaghan's Hillcrest Mine, The Loch Tay Boat Song.....

Any suggests?

Don

Subject: RE: Tuning Preference for Bouzouki
From: Jim Lad
Date: 21 Jan 07 - 05:14 PM

I get D'Addario C F A D because I prefer the tenor guitar chord structure and switch back and forth between the two.. I use C G D A on the Banjo because, who cares?

Subject: RE: Tuning Preference for Bouzouki
From: bubblyrat
Date: 21 Jan 07 - 06:11 PM

Dear Don Meixner, I have used a bouzouki to accompany a song called" I loved a lass " or "I loved a lad " when Jacquie & Bridie sang it.
It"s the one that goes :-
I loved a lass,and I loved her so well,
   I hated all others who spoke of her ill,
   But now she"s rewarded me well for my love-
She has gone to be wed to another.
The tune really lends itself to bouzouki modal tuning.

Subject: RE: Tuning Preference for Bouzouki
From: GUEST,DonMeixner
Date: 21 Jan 07 - 06:20 PM

Great Song! And I never would have thought of it.   I have it by several groups too. The Corries being a favorite. Thanks Rat.

Don

Subject: RE: Tuning Preference for Bouzouki
From: GerryMc
Date: 22 Jan 07 - 11:19 AM



I use GDGD on mine. And I use the capo a fair bit too

Gerry :-)

Subject: RE: Tuning Preference for Bouzouki
From: Mooh
Date: 22 Jan 07 - 11:58 AM

Bubblyrat...Do you know, is that the same tune as "I Courted A Wee Girl"? Strong melody, that.

Peace, Mooh.