Jacob Collier custom Taylor 5 string guitar with unique tuning.

[Strays Dave]

His tuning uses a low bottom string:  D.....so it's tuned to D  A  E   A  D .  Perfect 5ths in the bottom 3 strings and perfect 4ths in the 2 upper strings. He demonstrates why he prefers the tuning.  I'm a pianist who noodles around on the guitar, playing mostly bluesy pentatonic riffs.  I've wondered why the conventional guitar tuning (mostly 4ths)  made a sort of left turn at the B string, tuning it to a major 3rd.  I assumed that it maybe has to do with making things convenient for playing in E and A major.  Whatever the case, I thought this was interesting.    In this interview, Jacob mentions his conversation with Joni Mitchell (when he performed with her at the Grammys)  about her innovative tunings. 

 

Anyway, I'm interested in this and suspect Taylor or some other brand will be marketing.  Jacob also mentions that this 5 string custom has more space between the strings, making finger picking easier.  I'm happy that Jacob is so delighted to talk about all things music, seemingly over and over with just about anyone. I hope he can maintain his enthusiasm in the years to come. 

 

 

[Anderton]

Interesting indeed. I have one of those Gibson Les Pauls from the year they used the slightly wider neck, and the automated tuning, so I experiment quite a bit with alternate tunings. There's definitely much more guitar life than E A D G B E! One of my favorite presets is a drone, E B E E B E. The two tonics in the middle sound cool. Because there's no major/minor bias, you can layer the drone chord with anything to thicken the sound.

[Philbo King]

On 4/18/2024 at 1:53 PM, Anderton said:

Interesting indeed. I have one of those Gibson Les Pauls from the year they used the slightly wider neck, and the automated tuning, so I experiment quite a bit with alternate tunings. There's definitely much more guitar life than E A D G B E! One of my favorite presets is a drone, E B E E B E. The two tonics in the middle sound cool. Because there's no major/minor bias, you can layer the drone chord with anything to thicken the sound.

One I used while a teen to investigate modal music (something like sitar melodies). It's also a drone tuning:

D A D A A D

I got really fond of the slight phasing/flanging sound of the intonation imperfections between 2nd and 3rd strings of the Teisco Del-rey $20 electric I had at the time.

 

This is one example of the idea that imperfections are often way more interesting than totally perfect sound.

[KuruPrionz]

Then there's Keith Richards, who has used a 5 string guitar for decades and uses another tuning - G D G B D

 

I haven't dabbled much in tunings, I can play a bit of 5 string banjo, which is similar to Keith's tuning but the low G is tuned to the G at the 5th fret of the high D string. 

I do tune a 12 string down a whole step and I use "Nashville Tuning" on a couple of guitars, that's the 3rd, 4th, 5th and 6th strings all an octave higher but still EADGBE. Sounds great with a standard tuned guitar, sort of multi-dimensional 12 string sound. 

 

I've always felt like there is still much to learn on standard tuning so I haven't investigated other tunings. I saw John Reborn once, he used a variety of tunings, amazing talent. 

[jazzpiano88]

I really like how Frank Gambale tunes it.  He gets the nice piano chord voicings.  
 

 

[Philbo King]

Re: Beato video

Some very cool ideas.  I just wish he had less chorusing effect muddying it up.

[jazzpiano88]

Yeah, the chorusing is way overdone, IMO.   Definitely muddied the sound. 

[Dr Mike Metlay]

Well, when Jacob Collier mentions something, the world takes notice, I guess. I have been playing and recording with my beloved Schecter A-5X "Betty" in an A E B E A tuning for over 20 years. The tuning has worked so well for me, and intrigued so many other players, that I ended up having to make up a name for Betty, since she wasn't a guitar, a bass, a fretted cello, a mandocello, or anything like that. I ended up settling on the name "aebea" to reflect the tuning that made her special.

 

How do you pronounce it? Simple: it rhymes with "idea".

 

mike