Has anyone tried GDGD tuning? Is there an advantage to it?
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Has anyone tried GDGD tuning? Is there an advantage to it?
A common tuning among some old-time fiddlers.
It creates a series of drones that many people find attractive.
Look up "old-time fiddle tunings" and "sawmill tuning," and you can find many tunes that exploit the possibilities of alternate tunings.
Thread I started a while ago....
https://www.mandolincafe.com/forum/t...of-GDGD-tuning
Some Cape Breton fiddlers use "high bass" tuning, AEAE. Many Scottish tunes can be played on the A and E strings. The purpose of high bass tuning is that two fiddlers can play together, one an octave below the other, for more volume at pre-amplification dances. I've tried high bass tuning by myself, and found it difficult, less intuitive than I would have expected, though I suspect it comes easily to some others. I play some fiddle tunes in standard tuning, repeating the same pattern an octave apart. With a little practice, that's not hard to do if your ear playing is developed. I haven't tried it with mandolin.
GDGD is sometimes called sawmill tuning. Or Cross G.
I have tried it, and for some tunes it is great.
I have a mandolin I keep in what ever cross tuning I am working with. Right now it is in Dead Mans tuning or DDAD.
I’ve tried GDGD a few times, and the droning effect is quite impressive for awhile, and good for accompanying singing, but I found that I would begin to treat the mandolin like a guitar and not work on the instrument’s strengths, melody etc.
Bottle neck style likes open chord tuning that's 1V1V , no 3rd .
I think this is AEAE. I'd say the big advantage is droning
Thanks everyone for the input, will I have to change out my upper strings, or can I just use the ones already there( A and E)
Tune down the A and E strings.Quote:
Originally Posted by Claj123
Another reason for another mandolin! :)Quote:
Originally Posted by JeffD
You got that right.Quote:
Originally Posted by LRDave
I posted some videos of tunes in crosstuning in that thread.Quote:
Originally Posted by Charles E.
Tuning down is easier on your instrument, but if you are going to play with a fiddle player you might want to change the strings to lighter strings if you go to AEAE.
Why?Quote:
Originally Posted by pops1
Tuning both G's up a full step, and both D's up a full step would add a lot more tension to the mandolin that already has a lot of tension, especially if you are using 11-40 strings. I wouldn't do it to mine.Quote:
Originally Posted by Ranald
pops1 (or anyone else following this thread): Did Mike Compton on the video posted above (courtesy of Ky Slim)actually tune up G & D to A & E (pretty sure no capo)? Can you tell by your very educated ears? So perhaps lighter strings or just cranked it anyway?Quote:
Originally Posted by pops1
(As a total newb, I really like this song. Something to aspire toward in the future.)
Its Mike Compton, not "Cowen".
Auto-correct (scapegoat) or fat-fingered (most likely suspect) -noted and edited in the original post. Thanks for pointing out....Quote:
Originally Posted by Charles E.