Tunings

[Banjer]

I come to the tenor guitar by way of the 5 string banjo, played in a clawhammer style. I play to mostly back up my singing. I have been playing for just over four years and play mostly in open G (gDGBD). I have started playing the tenor in the same tuning, DGBD. I hope to, in time, try other tunings, but right now find it easier this way as I can learn different strumming and picking techniques without worrying about new chords. But my question is: Is there an advantage to playing in the more traditional tenor tunings (CGCA, GDAE, DGBE)? Does it really matter other then if it matters to me? Thanks.

[Jacob]

Tunings in fifths, CGDA and GDAE, and "Chicago" tuning, DGBE, are all much more flexible.
They have the advantage of making it far easier to play in keys other than G without retuning or using capos.
Whether it matters or not is completely up to you.

[Jim Garber]

No reason at all to play other tunings unless you prefer the sound of the more traditional tunings. In reality your tuning is only one note different than your last tuning, also called Chicago tuning and which comes from std 6 string guitar players. Funny, I have been getting into choro music and the cavaquinho is tuned exactly as you have planned to tune your tenor guitar.

[Banjer]

Thanks guys.

[Mike Snyder]

What scale and guage of strings would I need to tune a tenor guitar to GDAE without a floppy G string and crummy sound? Mostly rhetorical at this point, but I'd like a tenor guitar and GDAE is home and hearth to me.

[Dolamon]

Depending on the scale length of your guitar, a set of Octave Mandolin strings is a good way to start. Often, you have to mix some of the interior strings to get the tension where it's playable. Also - take a look at Graham MacDonalds string tensioner gauge. The site is linked somewhere on the cafe but I don't have it readily available. While I play Octave /M, I spend more time on a mandola and the C tuning is really useful for the music I choose.

Found it ... http://www.mcdonaldstrings.com/stringxxiii.html Read this one carefully. I start off with a 'normal' tuning and scale length and then modify it to what I want (or think I want).

Different strokes - um - strums. Dion

[John Kelly]

I agree with what Dolamon says. I have D'Addario octave strings on mine at present, Mike, and find the tone and playability is fine. My scale length is 540mm - it's an instrument I built myself, and has the same scale as my octave mando.