Kite Guitar: Difference between revisions
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A 6-string Kite guitar can be strung with a standard set of strings, but it's not ideal. The high strings will be somewhat slack, and the low strings will be somewhat tight. To find the appropriate gauges, use the D'Addario method: calculate each string's tension from its unit weight, length and pitch (frequency) by the formula T = (UW x (2 x L x F)<sup>2</sup>) / 386.4. For open strings, the length is the guitar's scale. The frequency in hertz of the Nth string of 8 strings is 440 * (2 ^ (-7/12 + (21 - 13*N) / 41)). For a 6-string guitar, N ranges from 2 to 7. The unit weight is pounds per inch, and is a function of string gauge and string type (plain vs. wound, etc.). D'Addario has [https://www.daddario.com/globalassets/pdfs/accessories/tension_chart_13934.pdf published] their unit weights, thus the individual tensions can be calculated for a given set of strings. One can work backwards from this and select string gauges/types that give uniform tensions using this spreadsheet: http://tallkite.com/misc_files/StringTensionCalculator.ods The desired tension depends on the instrument, and of course personal taste. A steel-string acoustic guitar might have 25-30 lbs. tension for each string. A 12edo 25.5" electric guitar strung with a standard 10-46 set has 15-20 lbs. With a 9-42 set it has 13-16 lbs. | A 6-string Kite guitar can be strung with a standard set of strings, but it's not ideal. The high strings will be somewhat slack, and the low strings will be somewhat tight. To find the appropriate gauges, use the D'Addario method: calculate each string's tension from its unit weight, length and pitch (frequency) by the formula T = (UW x (2 x L x F)<sup>2</sup>) / 386.4. For open strings, the length is the guitar's scale. The frequency in hertz of the Nth string of 8 strings is 440 * (2 ^ (-7/12 + (21 - 13*N) / 41)). For a 6-string guitar, N ranges from 2 to 7. The unit weight is pounds per inch, and is a function of string gauge and string type (plain vs. wound, etc.). D'Addario has [https://www.daddario.com/globalassets/pdfs/accessories/tension_chart_13934.pdf published] their unit weights, thus the individual tensions can be calculated for a given set of strings. One can work backwards from this and select string gauges/types that give uniform tensions using this spreadsheet: http://tallkite.com/misc_files/StringTensionCalculator.ods The desired tension depends on the instrument, and of course personal taste. A steel-string acoustic guitar might have 25-30 lbs. tension for each string. A 12edo 25.5" electric guitar strung with a standard 10-46 set has 15-20 lbs. With a 9-42 set it has 13-16 lbs. | ||
* A longer scale means a higher tension | * A longer scale means a higher tension or a smaller gauge or a lower pitch (frequency) | ||
* A higher tension means a longer scale | * A higher tension means a longer scale or a bigger gauge or a higher pitch | ||
* A bigger gauge means a shorter scale | * A bigger gauge means a shorter scale or a higher tension or a lower pitch | ||
* A higher pitch means a shorter scale | * A higher pitch means a shorter scale or a higher tension or a smaller gauge | ||
Microtonalist and luthier Tom WInspear can provide custom string sets at his website [https://www.winspearinstrumental.com/ www.winspearinstrumental.com]. His approach is to extrapolate from familiar string sets. He says this about string gauges: "Gauges can be scaled at the same ratios as frequency. A 41-edo downmajor 3rd is 2^(13/41) = 1.2458, thus from string to string the gauge changes by 24.58%. But you can't do that across the plain to wound transition. To tune to different keys, increase the gauges by 5.95% for each 12-edo semitone of transposition, or 1.705% for each 41-edostep. All this assumes a 25.5" scale. For a scale of S inches, multiply each gauge by 25.5/S and round off. For scales longer than 25.5", err on the side of heavier and round up, as longer scales do feel more flexible loaded with the same tension. Likewise, for scales less than 25.5", err on the side of lighter and round down. However, the plain strings should always be rounded slightly down, and should utilize .0005" increment plain strings where available." | Microtonalist and luthier Tom WInspear can provide custom string sets at his website [https://www.winspearinstrumental.com/ www.winspearinstrumental.com]. His approach is to extrapolate from familiar string sets. He says this about string gauges: "Gauges can be scaled at the same ratios as frequency. A 41-edo downmajor 3rd is 2^(13/41) = 1.2458, thus from string to string the gauge changes by 24.58%. But you can't do that across the plain to wound transition. To tune to different keys, increase the gauges by 5.95% for each 12-edo semitone of transposition, or 1.705% for each 41-edostep. All this assumes a 25.5" scale. For a scale of S inches, multiply each gauge by 25.5/S and round off. For scales longer than 25.5", err on the side of heavier and round up, as longer scales do feel more flexible loaded with the same tension. Likewise, for scales less than 25.5", err on the side of lighter and round down. However, the plain strings should always be rounded slightly down, and should utilize .0005" increment plain strings where available." | ||
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The standard tuning is the '''downmajor tuning''', in which adjacent open strings are tuned a downmajor 3rd apart. Alternative tunings use an upminor 3rd or an upmajor 3rd. All three tunings are isomorphic, thus there is only one shape to learn for any chord. A "semi-isomorphic" tuning alternates downmajor and upminor 3rds, and every chord has two shapes. In addition, there are open tunings such as DADGAD. | The standard tuning is the '''downmajor tuning''', in which adjacent open strings are tuned a downmajor 3rd apart. Alternative tunings use an upminor 3rd or an upmajor 3rd. All three tunings are isomorphic, thus there is only one shape to learn for any chord. A "semi-isomorphic" tuning alternates downmajor and upminor 3rds, and every chord has two shapes. In addition, there are open tunings such as DADGAD. | ||
* [http://tallkite.com/misc_files/The%20Kite%20Tuning%20upminor%20fretboard.pdf Fretboard chart for the upminor tuning] | * [http://tallkite.com/misc_files/The%20Kite%20Tuning%20downmajor%20fretboard.pdf Fretboard chart for the downmajor tuning] (tuning chart at the bottom needs updating, the low note is vD not D) | ||
* [http://tallkite.com/misc_files/The%20Kite%20Tuning%20upminor%20fretboard.pdf Fretboard chart for the upminor tuning] (the tuning chart at the bottom needs updating, the low note is vD not D) | |||
* [http://tallkite.com/misc_files/The%20Kite%20Tuning%20DADGAD%20fretboard.pdf Fretboard chart for the DADGAD tuning] | * [http://tallkite.com/misc_files/The%20Kite%20Tuning%20DADGAD%20fretboard.pdf Fretboard chart for the DADGAD tuning] | ||
Open tunings become more playable with the use of a "half-fret capo". From Jason Yerger's liner notes (see the "Recordings" section): | Open tunings become more playable with the use of a "half-fret capo". From Jason Yerger's liner notes (see the "Recordings" section): | ||
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But anyway, the two designs can coexist on the same fretboard by simply inserting an extra fret between the 1st and 2nd instead of moving the 2nd fret lower as I have done, and by varying the tuning of the open strings as you please. It's a fantastic way to access the resources of 41edo on a guitar, without having an absurd number of very closely-spaced frets!" | But anyway, the two designs can coexist on the same fretboard by simply inserting an extra fret between the 1st and 2nd instead of moving the 2nd fret lower as I have done, and by varying the tuning of the open strings as you please. It's a fantastic way to access the resources of 41edo on a guitar, without having an absurd number of very closely-spaced frets!" | ||
How to implement the half-fret capo trick: An extra fret slot is cut to allow insertion of a temporary fret in between the 1st and 2nd (permanent) frets. (If the guitar has a zeroth fret, the temporary fret can go between the 0th and 1st frets.) The slot stops short of the treble side of the fretboard. So gravity holds it in place, plus of course the capo. The temporary fret has the barbs on the side of the tang filed off. The extra slot is a bit wider, so the fret can be pulled out easily. It goes in from the side, under the strings, so the strings don't need to be loosened. It can be inserted and removed on stage between songs. The fret is a bit longer, sticks out about 1 inch, so that you can pull it out easily. | How to implement the half-fret capo trick: An extra fret slot is cut to allow insertion of a temporary fret in between the 1st and 2nd (permanent) frets. (If the guitar has a zeroth fret, the temporary fret can go between the 0th and 1st frets.) The slot stops short of the treble side of the fretboard. So gravity holds it in place, plus of course the capo. The temporary fret has the barbs on the side of the tang filed off. The extra slot is a bit wider, so the fret can be pulled out easily. It goes in from the side, under the strings, so the strings don't need to be loosened. It can be inserted and removed on stage between songs. The fret is a bit longer, sticks out about 1.5 inch, so that you can pull it out easily. Putting a large piece of wide tape on the part that sticks out helps prevent it from being lost. | ||
Jason has since explored other tunings besides DADGAD and DGDGAD, such as E A vC# vG B ^^D (a 3:4:5:7:9:11 chord) and D A D vF# vC E (a 2:3:4:5:7:9 chord). He prefers placing the first fret 3 edosteps above the nut. This creates a half-fret offset without a capo. A capo on the 1st fret could remove the half-fret offset, if desired. | Jason has since explored other tunings besides DADGAD and DGDGAD, such as E A vC# vG B ^^D (a 3:4:5:7:9:11 chord) and D A D vF# vC E (a 2:3:4:5:7:9 chord). He prefers placing the first fret 3 edosteps above the nut. This creates a half-fret offset without a capo. A capo on the 1st fret could remove the half-fret offset, if desired. | ||
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A 6-string guitar is usually tuned to the middle 6 strings of the full 8 strings: | A 6-string guitar is usually tuned to the middle 6 strings of the full 8 strings: | ||
[[File:Fretboard 4-6.png|none|thumb|900x900px]] | [[File:Fretboard 4-6.png|none|thumb|900x900px]] | ||
This is called the mid-6 tuning, as opposed to a low-6 tuning (vD to vA), or high-6 tuning (^A to ^E). Not to be confused with the low-6 or high-6 ''voicing'', see the [[The_Kite_Guitar_Chord_Shapes_(downmajor_tuning)|chords page]]. | This is called the mid-6 tuning, as opposed to a low-6 tuning (vD to vA), or high-6 tuning (^A to ^E). Not to be confused with the low-6 or high-6 ''voicing'', see the [[The_Kite_Guitar_Chord_Shapes_(downmajor_tuning)|chords page]]. The various options: | ||
* 8-string guitar: full-8 | * 8-string guitar: full-8 | ||
* 7-string guitar: low-7 or high-7, or possibly mid-7 ( | * 7-string guitar: low-7 or high-7, or possibly mid-7 (either high-7 flattened by a dot, D# to D, or else low-7 sharpened by a dot, E to Eb) | ||
* 6-string guitar: low-6, mid-6 or high-6 | * 6-string guitar: low-6, mid-6 or high-6 | ||
A bass guitar can be fretless and tuned EADG as usual. | A bass guitar can of course be fretless and tuned EADG as usual. If fretted, it would be tuned similarly to guitar. It would ideally be 6 strings. | ||
* 6-string bass: full-6 (the guitar's low-6 down an octave) | * 6-string bass: full-6 (the guitar's low-6 down an octave) | ||
* 5-string bass: low-5 or possibly high-5 | * 5-string bass: low-5 or possibly high-5 | ||
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[[File:Scale chart 2.png|none|thumb]] | [[File:Scale chart 2.png|none|thumb]] | ||
More scales are discussed | More scales are discussed here: | ||
* [[The_Kite_Guitar_Scales|The Kite Guitar Scales]] (practical guide) | |||
* [[Kite Giedraitis's Categorizations of 41edo Scales|Scales on the Kite Guitar]] (theoretical background) | |||
== Relative and Absolute Tab == | == Relative and Absolute Tab == | ||