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Kite Guitar: Difference between revisions

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autopatrolled, Sysops
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→Fretboard Charts (downmajor tuning): added a table of guitar/bass ranges (full-8, high-7, etc.)
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*[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%20upminor%20fretboard.pdf '''Fretboard chart for the upminor tuning''']
*[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''']
DADGAD lacks both the 4th and the four harmonic 6ths in the lower octave. A seven-string DGADGAD tuning remedies this.
DADGAD lacks both the 4th and the rainbow of four 6ths in the lower octave. A seven-string DGADGAD tuning remedies this.


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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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]]. The various options:
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 a lo-6 or hi-6 ''voicing'', see [[Hi-lo notation]] and the [[The_Kite_Guitar_Chord_Shapes_(downmajor_tuning)|chords page]]. In the table below, the less likely ranges are in parentheses.
*8-string guitar: full-8
{| class="wikitable"
*7-string guitar: low-7 or high-7, or possibly mid-7 (either high-7 down a dot, D# to D, or else low-7 up a dot, E to Eb)
|+
*6-string guitar: low-6, mid-6 or high-6
!range
Another option is a baritone guitar tuned to the top 5 or 6 strings of the full-8, but lowered by an octave.
! colspan="8" |notes
|-
!full-8
|vD
|^^F
|^A
|C#
|F
|vA
|^^C
|^E
|-
!high-7
|
|^^F
|^A
|C#
|F
|vA
|^^C
|^E
|-
!low-7
|vD
|^^F
|^A
|C#
|F
|vA
|^^C
|
|-
!(high-6)
|
|
|^A
|C#
|F
|vA
|^^C
|^E
|-
!mid-6
|
|^^F
|^A
|C#
|F
|vA
|^^C
|
|-
!(low-6)
|vD
|^^F
|^A
|C#
|F
|vA
|
|
|}
A 7-string guitar could possibly be a mid-7 (either high-7 down a dot, D# to D, or else low-7 up a dot, E to Eb). Another option is a baritone guitar tuned to the top 5 or 6 strings of the full-8, but lowered by an octave.


A bass guitar can of course be fretless and tuned EADG as usual. This avoids the need for extra strings and custom microtonal frets. If fretted, a bass would be tuned in major 3rds, similar to the lower strings of a Kite guitar but an octave lower. It would ideally have 6 strings. A conventional 5-string bass often has the 5th string tuned to B below low E. The analogous Kite bass has a Bb below the low vD. Tuning this way makes a deep-5 or deep-6 tuning.
A bass guitar can of course be fretless and tuned EADG as usual. This avoids the need for extra strings and custom microtonal frets. If fretted, a bass would be tuned in major 3rds, similar to the lower strings of a Kite guitar but an octave lower. It would ideally have 6 strings. A conventional 5-string bass often has the 5th string tuned to B below low E. The analogous Kite bass has a Bb below the low vD. Tuning this way makes a deep-6 or deep-7 tuning.
*6-string bass: full-6 (the guitar's low-6 down an octave) or deep-6 (full-6 down a vM3)
{| class="wikitable"
*5-string bass: low-5 or possibly deep-5 or high-5
|+
*4-string bass: low-4 or mid-4, or possibly high-4
!range
! colspan="9" |notes (bass)
|-
!full-6
|
|vD
|^^F
|^A
|C#
|F
|vA
|
|
|-
!(high-5)
|
|
|^^F
|^A
|C#
|F
|vA
|
|
|-
!low-5
|
|vD
|^^F
|^A
|C#
|F
|
|
|
|-
!(high-4)
|
|
|
|^A
|C#
|F
|vA
|
|
|-
!mid-4
|
|
|^^F
|^A
|C#
|F
|
|
|
|-
!low-4
|
|vD
|^^F
|^A
|C#
|
|
|
|
|-
!deep-7
|Bb
|vD
|^^F
|^A
|C#
|F
|vA
|
|
|-
!deep-6
|Bb
|vD
|^^F
|^A
|C#
|F
|
|
|
|-
!(deep-5)
|Bb
|vD
|^^F
|^A
|C#
|
|
|
|
|}
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.  
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 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-equal as possible. The D note agrees exactly, the A note is 2.5¢ sharp of 12-equal, 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-equal as possible. The D note agrees exactly, the A note is 2.5¢ sharp of 12-equal, E is 5¢ sharp, and so forth along the spiral of 5ths.
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