Kite Guitar: Difference between revisions

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* 4-string bass: low-4, mid-4 or possibly high-4

This chart shows all the notes for the full-8 tuning, not just the natural ones. But it's too much work to memorize all this. Just learn where the 7 natural notes are, and learn your intervals. Since the open strings don’t work as well, one tends to think more in terms of intervals than notes anyway.

[[File:The Kite Tuning 5.png|none|thumb|900x900px]]Some keys are somewhat awkward to play in. For example, a vG scale is either too close to the nut to have a plain major 2nd, or else way up at the 16th fret where the fret spacing ~~becomes~~ too cramped to play chords comfortably. There's a "sweet spot" for the tonic on the lowest 3 strings, from about the ~~5th~~ fret to about the ~~12th~~ fret. This defines a 3x8 rectangle containing 24 keys, roughly every other one of the 41 possible keys. The lowest string of an 8-string is tuned to vD not D so that the common keys of C, G, D, A and E fall in this sweet spot. D is tuned to A-440 standard pitch, to bring these 5 keys as close to 12-edo as possible. The D note agrees exactly, the A note is 2.5¢ sharp of 12-edo, E is 5¢ sharp, and so forth along the spiral of 5ths.

[[File:The Kite Tuning 5.png|none|thumb|900x900px]]Some keys are somewhat awkward to play in. For example, a vG scale is either too close to the nut to have a plain major 2nd, or else way up at the 16th fret where the fret spacing is a little too cramped to play chords comfortably. There's a "sweet spot" for the tonic on the lowest 3 strings, from about the 4th fret to about the 11th fret. This defines a 3x8 rectangle containing 24 keys, roughly every other one of the 41 possible keys. The lowest string of an 8-string is tuned to vD not D so that the common keys of C, G, D, A and E fall in this sweet spot. D is tuned to A-440 standard pitch, to bring these 5 keys as close to 12-edo as possible. The D note agrees exactly, the A note is 2.5¢ sharp of 12-edo, E is 5¢ sharp, and so forth along the spiral of 5ths.

In 12-edo, all 12 keys are needed so that a vocalist can get within 50¢ of their optimal range. In 41-edo, using only these 24 keys, one can get within 30¢ of the optimal range. 30¢ from optimal is sufficient, 15¢ from optimal is overkill, so the other 17 keys aren't really needed~~. The 24 most comfortable keys on a 6-string guitar are: A vBb ^Bb vB ^B C ^C vDb Db ^C# D vEb ^Eb vE E ^E vF ^F Gb ^F# G vAb ^Ab ^G#~~. Here's all the notes of the mid-6 tuning:

In 12-edo, all 12 keys are needed so that a vocalist can get within 50¢ of their optimal range. In 41-edo, using only these 24 keys, one can get within 30¢ of the optimal range. 30¢ from optimal is sufficient, 15¢ from optimal is overkill, so the other 17 keys aren't really needed. Here's all the notes of the mid-6 tuning:

[[File:Kite Guitar Fretboard for a 6-string.png|none|thumb|900x900px]]

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Often there is only one obvious way to translate a song. I - V - VIm - IV becomes Iv - Vv - vVI^m - IVv. Sometimes there are multiple obvious translations. For example, the first 3 chords of "When I Was Your Man" are II7 - IIm7 - I. That could become vII^7 - vII^m7 - Iv, or it could become ^IIv7 - ^IIvm7 - Iv.

In general, chords shouldn't use offperfect intervals (^4, v4, ^5 or v5). Downmajor is preferred over upmajor. Upminor is preferred for most folk, but downminor is preferred for most blues. In general, avoid using plain major and minor 3rds and 6ths in a chord.

In general, chords shouldn't use offperfect intervals (^4, v4, ^5, v5, ^8 or v8). Downmajor is preferred over upmajor. Upminor is preferred for most folk, but downminor is preferred for most blues. In general, avoid using plain major and minor 3rds and 6ths in a chord.

Comma pumps, other than the aforementioned minicommas, cause pitch shifts, or occasionally, a tonic drift. The two most common commas that cause issues are the [[81/80|Gu]] and [[64/63|Ru]] commas. The choice of which two chords in the pump contain the pitch shift can be tricky. Generally, root movement by an offperfect interval is avoided. This usually necessitates a root movement by a plain major or minor interval.

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For rapid comma pumps of only two measures, a shift halfway through the pump is often best. See [[Kite Guitar Translations by Kite Giedraitis#I Will .28The Beatles.29|Kite's translation of "I Will"]].

One way to hide pitch shifts is to voice the two occurrences of the pitch in different octaves. Another way is to omit the 5th in one of the chords. Thus in the Gu example, the 2nd chord might be VI^mno5.

One way to hide pitch shifts is to voice the two occurrences of the pitch in different octaves. Failing that, at least put them in a middle voice, not the top or bottom voice, so as to be less prominent. Another way is to omit the 5th in one of the chords. Thus in the Gu example, the 2nd chord might be VI^mno5. Another trick is to delay the entrance of the 2nd note a beat or two, or end the 1st note a little early. In a polyphonic context, it helps if the shifting note is in two voices of different timbres. If you're recording, you can pan the 2 close notes to different sides. Remember, the ear <u>wants</u> to hear the two notes as the same, and only needs a little encouragement to do so.

In much music, especially pre-20th-century music, the dissonance of the dom7 chord is what drives the V7 - I cadence and gives the music momentum. But 41-edo's smooth v7 chord is like a guard dog that smiles and wags its tail at strangers instead of barking. It's <u>too</u> relaxed! And the 7-limit intervals can sound out of place in a pre-20th-century context. One might instead use Vv,7 (down add-7, with a plain minor 7th) or Vv,^7 (down up-7, with an upminor 7th). For example, Am - G - F - E7 can be translated as A^m - ^Gv - ^Fv - Ev,^7. (This also avoids a pitch shift.)

@@ Line 169: / Line 169: @@
 * 4-string bass: low-4, mid-4 or possibly high-4
 This chart shows all the notes for the full-8 tuning, not just the natural ones. But it's too much work to memorize all this. Just learn where the 7 natural notes are, and learn your intervals. Since the open strings don’t work as well, one tends to think more in terms of intervals than notes anyway.
-[[File:The Kite Tuning 5.png|none|thumb|900x900px]]Some keys are somewhat awkward to play in. For example, a vG scale is either too close to the nut to have a plain major 2nd, or else way up at the 16th fret where the fret spacing becomes too cramped to play chords comfortably. There's a "sweet spot" for the tonic on the lowest 3 strings, from about the 5th fret to about the 12th fret. This defines a 3x8 rectangle containing 24 keys, roughly every other one of the 41 possible keys. The lowest string of an 8-string is tuned to vD not D so that the common keys of C, G, D, A and E fall in this sweet spot. D is tuned to A-440 standard pitch, to bring these 5 keys as close to 12-edo as possible. The D note agrees exactly, the A note is 2.5¢ sharp of 12-edo, E is 5¢ sharp, and so forth along the spiral of 5ths.
+[[File:The Kite Tuning 5.png|none|thumb|900x900px]]Some keys are somewhat awkward to play in. For example, a vG scale is either too close to the nut to have a plain major 2nd, or else way up at the 16th fret where the fret spacing is a little too cramped to play chords comfortably. There's a "sweet spot" for the tonic on the lowest 3 strings, from about the 4th fret to about the 11th fret. This defines a 3x8 rectangle containing 24 keys, roughly every other one of the 41 possible keys. The lowest string of an 8-string is tuned to vD not D so that the common keys of C, G, D, A and E fall in this sweet spot. D is tuned to A-440 standard pitch, to bring these 5 keys as close to 12-edo as possible. The D note agrees exactly, the A note is 2.5¢ sharp of 12-edo, E is 5¢ sharp, and so forth along the spiral of 5ths.
-In 12-edo, all 12 keys are needed so that a vocalist can get within 50¢ of their optimal range. In 41-edo, using only these 24 keys, one can get within 30¢ of the optimal range. 30¢ from optimal is sufficient, 15¢ from optimal is overkill, so the other 17 keys aren't really needed. The 24 most comfortable keys on a 6-string guitar are: A vBb ^Bb vB ^B C ^C vDb Db ^C# D vEb ^Eb vE E ^E vF ^F Gb ^F# G vAb ^Ab ^G#. Here's all the notes of the mid-6 tuning:
+In 12-edo, all 12 keys are needed so that a vocalist can get within 50¢ of their optimal range. In 41-edo, using only these 24 keys, one can get within 30¢ of the optimal range. 30¢ from optimal is sufficient, 15¢ from optimal is overkill, so the other 17 keys aren't really needed. Here's all the notes of the mid-6 tuning:
 [[File:Kite Guitar Fretboard for a 6-string.png|none|thumb|900x900px]]
@@ Line 239: / Line 239: @@
 Often there is only one obvious way to translate a song. I - V - VIm - IV becomes Iv - Vv - vVI^m - IVv. Sometimes there are multiple obvious translations. For example, the first 3 chords of "When I Was Your Man" are II7 - IIm7 - I. That could become vII^7 - vII^m7 - Iv, or it could become ^IIv7 - ^IIvm7 - Iv.
-In general, chords shouldn't use offperfect intervals (^4, v4, ^5 or v5). Downmajor is preferred over upmajor. Upminor is preferred for most folk, but downminor is preferred for most blues. In general, avoid using plain major and minor 3rds and 6ths in a chord.
+In general, chords shouldn't use offperfect intervals (^4, v4, ^5, v5, ^8 or v8). Downmajor is preferred over upmajor. Upminor is preferred for most folk, but downminor is preferred for most blues. In general, avoid using plain major and minor 3rds and 6ths in a chord.
 Comma pumps, other than the aforementioned minicommas, cause pitch shifts, or occasionally, a tonic drift. The two most common commas that cause issues are the [[81/80|Gu]] and [[64/63|Ru]] commas. The choice of which two chords in the pump contain the pitch shift can be tricky. Generally, root movement by an offperfect interval is avoided. This usually necessitates a root movement by a plain major or minor interval.
@@ Line 249: / Line 249: @@
 For rapid comma pumps of only two measures, a shift halfway through the pump is often best. See [[Kite Guitar Translations by Kite Giedraitis#I Will .28The Beatles.29|Kite's translation of "I Will"]].
-One way to hide pitch shifts is to voice the two occurrences of the pitch in different octaves. Another way is to omit the 5th in one of the chords. Thus in the Gu example, the 2nd chord might be VI^mno5.
+One way to hide pitch shifts is to voice the two occurrences of the pitch in different octaves. Failing that, at least put them in a middle voice, not the top or bottom voice, so as to be less prominent. Another way is to omit the 5th in one of the chords. Thus in the Gu example, the 2nd chord might be VI^mno5. Another trick is to delay the entrance of the 2nd note a beat or two, or end the 1st note a little early. In a polyphonic context, it helps if the shifting note is in two voices of different timbres. If you're recording, you can pan the 2 close notes to different sides. Remember, the ear <u>wants</u> to hear the two notes as the same, and only needs a little encouragement to do so.
 In much music, especially pre-20th-century music, the dissonance of the dom7 chord is what drives the V7 - I cadence and gives the music momentum. But 41-edo's smooth v7 chord is like a guard dog that smiles and wags its tail at strangers instead of barking. It's <u>too</u> relaxed! And the 7-limit intervals can sound out of place in a pre-20th-century context. One might instead use Vv,7 (down add-7, with a plain minor 7th) or Vv,^7 (down up-7, with an upminor 7th). For example, Am - G - F - E7 can be translated as A^m - ^Gv - ^Fv - Ev,^7. (This also avoids a pitch shift.)