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Thread: 4 string vs 5 string tenor...

  1. #1

    Default 4 string vs 5 string tenor...

    I have the opportunity to have an acoustic tenor made for me in either a 4-string or 5-string configuration. How does one even play a 5-string tenor? I would imagine there aren't a lot of 5-string chords that sound good.

    How are they generally tuned? Are F + CGDA and (octave) GDAE + B both valid tunings?

    I've never played tenor so part of me wants to just keep it simple. The other part of me wants another base string.

    Any thoughts are greatly appreciated.

  2. #2
    Registered User bruce.b's Avatar
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    Default Re: 4 string vs 5 string tenor...

    I play four strings, GDAE. Here is a 5 stringer, playing my favorite version of this classic song.
    https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=5Q27KfIt8HA

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    Default Re: 4 string vs 5 string tenor...

    I have a couple of 5 string tenors (made by Paul Lestock) tuned FCGDA. I play chords generally on the low end (FCGD), and therefore I end up with a guitar-like tone. For me, the 5th string simply allows for extended melody lines without having to shift positions. On my 4 string tenors, I tune them either FCGD (the low 4 of my 5) or GDAE, which gives the same sound/feel as my 5 stringers.

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    Registered User fox's Avatar
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    Default Re: 4 string vs 5 string tenor...

    FCGDA is the most practical on a standard 23” scale but still requires a very thick F string.
    Fan frets 5 strings have featured on the forum.
    I have tried to play them but the wider neck and extra string did not make it easy for me to play.

    https://www.mandolincafe.com/forum/s...r-tenor-guitar

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  8. #5

    Default Re: 4 string vs 5 string tenor...

    I surprised no one uses GDAEB (octave). Thanks for the input everyone.

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    Registered User fox's Avatar
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    Default Re: 4 string vs 5 string tenor...

    I think the limit for a B string would be around 18-19" scale, you wont get a string to that pitch on a 23" scale.
    Unless someone knows differently?

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    Default Re: 4 string vs 5 string tenor...

    Quote Originally Posted by fox View Post
    I think the limit for a B string would be around 18-19" scale, you wont get a string to that pitch on a 23" scale.
    Unless someone knows differently?
    I cringe with the fear of snapping a string every time I tune to 'A'...I can't imagine trying to get to 'B'.

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    Registered User liestman's Avatar
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    Default Re: 4 string vs 5 string tenor...

    Dadsaster - a lot of players (including me) use GDAE but not GDAEB for reasons stated above but also just because you can switch from Irish-tuned tenor banjo or mandolin to tenor guitar that way so easily. My advice would be to stay with 4 strings until you master that and then, maybe, move to 5 string. I would personally never see the need or want the added complications of 5 strings.
    John Liestman -
    Eye new ewe wood lye kit!

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  15. #9

    Default Re: 4 string vs 5 string tenor...

    Quote Originally Posted by dadsaster View Post
    I surprised no one uses GDAEB (octave). ...
    I've used GDAEB (and variants thereof, CGDAE and CGDAEB depending on how many strings I feel like dealing with) on guitar since I was a little kid, back when dinosaurs roamed the earth, yeah that long ago. GDAEB tuning is awesome fun!

    More recently, the last couple of years I have some YouTube videos (of varying quality) with a GDAEB-tuned guitar, I can't afford to buy a proper tenor guitar or even a $300 one (retired, fixed income) so I make do with what I already had which was a cheap 6-string electric which I have set up to function as a faux-tenor 5-string guitar. I capo at the 5th fret for a 19-inch scale length.

    It works fine, I don't see why anyone would have any problems with it. Obviously of course it requires bridge saddle intonation adjustments, super easy on strat-style electrics - or, when I was first starting out eons ago, on an acoustic trapeze-tailpiece floating-bridge flat-top 12-string guitar which was also easy to adjust intonation (just scoot the bridge back).

    Anyway, you have the option of using the high "B" string simply as an easy open-string substitute for the 7th fret of the "E" string (handy in fast fiddle tunes), or you can go ahead and occasionally play other notes on the high "B" string like I'm trying to do in some places in the following video... I was just starting to learn this tune when I made this video (for MandolinCafe Song-a-Week #448 recently) so it's pretty rough but it gives an idea of some of the basic stuff you can use that high "B" string for:


    (or direct link)

    Just because the instrument came equipped with 6 strings, doesn't mean you have to use all of them. On the above instrument, I ignore the 6th string (the lowest bass string). Neck width is *not* an issue in this case, because electrics seem to have narrow necks to start with, compared to classical anyway. It's quite comfortable to play. But I suppose neck width would be a problem if you were accustomed to using your thumb to fret bass strings or something.

    Alternatively, I also have a cheap acoustic nylon-string mini (half-size) classical guitar with 5 of its strings tuned in fifths, for CGDAE (in this case, ignoring the top (treble) string). I haven't yet quite figured out how to *record* that thing properly though, it's always something, first it was pick click (solved, changed pick angle a little), now it's string squeak (hands were probably too dry, will experiment with it some more later). Might help if I'd play it more, I spend most of my time on the electric instead. Anyway the acoustic classical guitar's neck width *is* wider here (wider than electric, but still narrower than standard-size classical guitar), but if I was worried about (I'm not, at this point) it I would simply shift the whole batch of strings over one notch towards the treble side of the neck. It has the usual glued-on bridge with non-adjustable saddle, but with the nylon strings it doesn't seem to present any particular difficulties with intonation as-is, I just sort of guessed at string gauges and it seems to work more or less alright I guess, as far as I can tell anyway.

    Here's a rough-draft first-take of me trying to learn a new tune using that mini acoustic classical guitar - it's actually a "half-size" guitar, not 1/4 size (typo when I rendered the video, already uploaded it so too late to change it now):


    (or direct link) ALSO: sheet music & mandolin TAB for the video's 4-part harmony can be found at MandolinCafe Song-a-Week #450.

    Note: I wouldn't know anything about fancy chord fingerings in fifths-tuning or any other tuning, for that matter, my hands have arthritis which limits how many strings I can hold down at the same time (you can't force arthritis, it only goes from bad to worse if you try the foolish advice of "no pain no gain"). For backing, I do simple little 2-note 'chords' and arpeggios and alternate-string picking (maybe that's what y'all call "cross picking", not sure, I don't name it, I just do it) as substitutes for 'real' chords with 3 or 4 notes in 'em.

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    Registered User zoukboy's Avatar
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    Default Re: 4 string vs 5 string tenor...

    Quote Originally Posted by dadsaster View Post
    I have the opportunity to have an acoustic tenor made for me in either a 4-string or 5-string configuration. How does one even play a 5-string tenor? I would imagine there aren't a lot of 5-string chords that sound good.

    How are they generally tuned? Are F + CGDA and (octave) GDAE + B both valid tunings?

    I've never played tenor so part of me wants to just keep it simple. The other part of me wants another base string.

    Any thoughts are greatly appreciated.
    Depends on what music you play and what you want to do with the instrument. I find having an extra bass string* to be invaluable for adding drone notes while playing melody or increasing my options when accompanying (you are wrong when you say "I would imagine there aren't a lot of 5-string chords that sound good").

    Search here for "New Herb Taylor tenor guitar" and you will find a thread or two about mine. It's 5 course tenor (I say "course" because the 5th string is doubled in an octave pair) with a fretboard extension that lowers the G to an E and the low D to a low A.

    Enjoy!

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  18. #11
    Registered User zoukboy's Avatar
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    Default Re: 4 string vs 5 string tenor...

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  19. #12
    Registered User fox's Avatar
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    Default Re: 4 string vs 5 string tenor...

    Rodgers guitar is linked in post four on this thread.

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