Hi all,
I've just signed up here today so I shall start by saying a big HELLO to everyone and that I look forward to being involved in the Cigar Box following.
My first question for you is this, I have been playing with a friends CBG and I am now keen to get building, I want start by building one with a diatonic scale and was wondering if it is possible to have a 4 string arrangement with it? I am aware that Dulcimers can have four strings (two very close together) but I am thinking 4 independent strings like your average 4 string CBG?
And secondly I have been wondering what it would be like having 4 strings but using 1 as a bass string, has anyone done this and does it work?
Thanks for taking the time to read, I must apologise if any of my future questions seem a bit silly, but I am new to the world of Cigar box building and I have a very over active imagination, so some of my ideas may be very strange and absurd.
Replies
Sik, regarding your first question, tuning a 4-string diatonic (with a 6.5 fret) to D,F#,A,D has some interesting properties. You get a low b5 useful for blues turnarounds, and you also get a nice easy blues scale pattern. The third string fills in the gaps and gives you all the chromatic notes.It also offers the minor VI as used in "Desperado" and "Dixieland Delight."
I think some duclimer players use this tuning. It would take some practice to learn to avoid fretting the third string unless it is very intentional!
Hello, Mr Sik, Welcome, and hope your Yeti gets better soon ;)
Man this got deep quick! I'm gonna stick to fretless instruments now so I can find all the notes in between the frets. There's a lot of good ones in there.
That's the first thing anyone's said in this thread that made sense ;-)
Facinating stuff... you got us all going with this question...
As you say though one of the strings tuned in an octave to another would work....I think my dulcimer has 4 strings and works this way. (the bass one being with a thing high octave)
Presumably as a bass string this would just be tuned an octave lower (bit like a 5 string bass to D), but two strings would be tuned the same note. low D high D ?
I have a spare unfretted 4 string...I might give this a go..
Can anyone remind me of the correct principles fo Duclimer fretting numbers/positions?
I think your saying a diatonic scale like a dulcimer. If that's right then I have experimented with a 4 stringer tuned D,A,d like a dulci with a 4th string tuned an octave lower than the normal low D. I kind of let the lowest D drone most of the time except when I bar across the strings for chords other than the open D. It's a fun experiment if nothing else. I don't know nothin' bout no patents. I hope I'm not infringin' or anything!
BenBob...please clarify...how many strings and tuned how? Thank you.
I see, "Devil Tuning" was something else. I mean the 513 triad for 3-string, but with the 5 up an octave, making the 1 on the middle string the lowest note. The intervals would be like a uke without the 1 string.
No I have never tried this. My approach is basically to make the full 6 string tunings into two or more functional parts. Ex Open G DGDgbd into GDg / 151 or Dgb / 513. There are countless ways to string and tune CBGs, but through consistency it is easier to develop a paradigm that can be applied in different ways. The fingerboard is no longer abstract and confusing. Thanks for sharing.
-
1
-
2
-
3
of 3 Next