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Permalink Reply by Crow on June 18, 2010 at 3:21am

i've been playing two string guitar for a long time, it led me to three string actually.

i've used an AE tuning, making an open A power chord. it makes the rest of the chords easy to find, if one knows just a little about music.

proof:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TZvbe6qa4cM

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_a9aXsApMj8

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

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YCSMvc83SDw

...but now i find that i like playing three string slide better... so that's what i do.

but i've shown that two string can be quite charming and rewarding!

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Permalink Reply by Mark Werner on June 19, 2010 at 10:23am

I'm building a two-string right now... It's going to be a fretless model, and I'm using the "heavy" strings from a standard set. (since I have a lot of those left over...)
Hoping for a sort of "singing" tone, like a fretless bass.
I was planing to tune the strings a fifth apart, just as Crow says. (that way, I can easily play octaves as well.)

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Permalink Reply by Diane in Chicago on June 19, 2010 at 10:44am

I'm making one of these right now (with a soup can) and I'm coming at this from the melody string. The thinnest one will be C and the thicker one will be a G. So you can play melodies on the thin one, and the lower one can drone along, and be used for lower melody notes in a pinch. Mine will be diatonically fretted, like a dulcimer. I'll probably have some pix next week!

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Permalink Reply by Wichita Sam on June 20, 2010 at 1:19pm

I've played some 2 string... very open sounding.... generally tune to the power chord.... *root/fifth.... Like it but not enough to play it muc h....

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Permalink Reply by keith peterson on August 23, 2010 at 6:46pm

God that is awesome! So the A on top and the E on the bottom? What strings also just the 3 4 from a regular set? I am restoring a early 70s Contessa and would love to try this, I really like the sound you have on your U Tube vids. Nice job and thanks for passing to us beginner builders. Keith

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Permalink Reply by Crow on August 24, 2010 at 3:33am

you can use the A string tuned normally and the D string tuned up to an E or a G string tuned down to an E.

you may also want to try a "drop D" arrangement:
low E string tuned down to D
A string tuned normally.
gives a deep grungy sound.

keith peterson said:

God that is awesome! So the A on top and the E on the bottom? What strings also just the 3 4 from a regular set? I am restoring a early 70s Contessa and would love to try this, I really like the sound you have on your U Tube vids. Nice job and thanks for passing to us beginner builders. Keith

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