My dream guitar

Subject: My dream guitar
From: Phil Edwards
Date: 25 Apr 08 - 02:56 AM

I dreamed I'd bought a second-hand electric guitar (it was a Gibson SG copy in a weird gun-metal grey finish). When I got it home, it turned out to be a fat-body acoustic, with eight strings - not doubled, just eight strings instead of six.

Is there such a beast, and what would you tune it to?

(I don't even play the guitar, although I have been thinking for a while I ought to learn a few chords.)

Subject: RE: My dream guitar
From: Dave Hanson
Date: 25 Apr 08 - 07:36 AM

On the recording by Narciso Yepes ' Play Bach ' he plays a ten string guitar,[ ten individual strings ]

eric

Subject: RE: My dream guitar
From: Jack Blandiver
Date: 25 Apr 08 - 07:38 AM

As I said elsewhere I dreamt my only instrument was an old cream coloured Fender Telecaster with all the trimmings - and I don't even play guitar!

Subject: RE: My dream guitar
From: Don Firth
Date: 25 Apr 08 - 01:25 PM

Narciso Yepes' 10-string is one heck of a guitar, but I would go for the 11-string "Alte-Guitar," or "alto guitar" made by Georg Bolin of Stockholm, Sweden. I first heard about it when Barbara gave me a CD of Swedish guitarist Göran Söllscher playing music for the Baroque lute—on an 11-string guitar. Here's a clip from YouTube with Söllscher and his instrument. CLICKY.   Another look at the guitar HERE.

The guitarist in the photo says the following:   "This is my 11 string alto guitar, made by Georg Bolin in Stockholm, anno 1979. A unique guitar, extensive as a renaissance lute. It's fantastic for playing music by John Dowland, one of my all time favourite musicians. For ballads and some Bossa Nova tunes, my alto is supreme. Generally, the alto guitar is unique for accompaniment. Bass lines one can but dream of on a 6-string can be made real on this harp!"

I believe the top six strings are tuned like a standard guitar, but a minor third up (like a cap placed on the 3rd fret) and the basses just go down the scale from there. Basically, the same tuning as a Baroque lute.

Imagine the accompaniments one could do on a monster like this!

Don Firth

Subject: RE: My dream guitar
From: van lingle
Date: 25 Apr 08 - 03:54 PM

The great Brazilian guitarist Egberto Gismonti used to play an 8 string but if you check him out on youtube he seems to have added a few.

Subject: RE: My dream guitar
From: Phil Edwards
Date: 25 Apr 08 - 06:57 PM

This is probably a stupid question, but wouldn't you need extra fingers - at least on the left hand?

Subject: RE: My dream guitar
From: Don Firth
Date: 25 Apr 08 - 10:32 PM

Nope. Just watch Göran Söllscher on the YouTube link above. Normal number of fingers, both hands.

Don Firth

Subject: RE: My dream guitar
From: cptsnapper
Date: 26 Apr 08 - 03:01 AM

I seem to remember that many years ago a guy called Rick Norcross played an 18 string guitar. Mind you most of his act seemed to be based on trying to tune the thing let alone sing & play!

Subject: RE: My dream guitar
From: Phil Edwards
Date: 26 Apr 08 - 04:50 AM

Amazing clip. Not much strumming going on, though.

I guess the tuning is something like
G, C, F, A#, D, G, C, F, A#, D, G

Or are the bass strings stepped down more consistently -

G, B, E, A, D, G, C, F, A#, D, G ?

If you had *thirteen* strings you could go right through the scale with the same interval, instead of taking a shortcut from G to B: it would go

E, A, D, G, C, F, A#, D#, G#, C#, F#, B, E

No, I don't know why you'd want to.

Subject: RE: My dream guitar
From: Jack Blandiver
Date: 26 Apr 08 - 05:08 AM

This looks pretty cool; I wonder has anyone used such an instrument in any sort of folkish context at all?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qHf7JqUmcBE

Subject: RE: My dream guitar
From: Phil Edwards
Date: 26 Apr 08 - 06:59 AM

Ah, the Stick. Tony Levine, who's rather a fine bassist, plays it on some of Peter Gabriel's stuff. Unfortunately it doesn't sound as remarkable as it looks.

I don't know about folk, but I did once see someone busking with a Stick. I wish I'd stopped to see what he was *doing* with it - the guy in the Youtube clip appears to be fingering one set of strings and plucking another, which (I'm no guitarist, but) it seems to me wouldn't generally work terribly well.