@Timothy Lee Hi mate, this video was just explaining the concept in Part 2 I show how to play 6 strings Barre chords and a few others which are a little more practical. ua-cam.com/video/_VU6HPa4wUw/v-deo.html
@SophietNatsiHehe; yeah that's funny, but of course, completely untrue. If you like the beauty of close voicings, you're better off decreasing the tuning intervals.
@SophietNatsi But don't get me wrong; I play in standard tuning, but I'm totally open to other tunings; each one has its own advantages and drawbacks, so although I happen to love lots of close voicings, you definitely get a lot more range with 5ths, and can go for wide voicings instead; just another flavor; not necessarily better or worse; just depends what you want to play.
As a 5 string bassist who likes playing chords and wanting to play guitar I tuned in fourths thinking that it's cheating. Glad to see others doing this. A B string still doesn't make sense to me.
I myself have humbly tried to popularized fourths tuning on youtube and in the "real world". At first, it felt like having a new musical instrument in my hands. But soon, things got more intuitive and the practice became more challenging and rewarding than ever. This tuning encouraged me to read music, understand harmony and more generally broaden my knoledge of music. I really dig your musical style and elegance. It is very inspiring. Can't wait to watch your upcoming videos. Greetings from Brittany!
How wonderful, thank you for your comment. I also believe this tuning will become much more popular in the coming years and decades, it's really just about awareness i think, hence why I finally decided to make some videos covering various aspects of this great tuning. Thx for watching and hope you enjoy the next videos too... Part 2 is already up also... a little segment on CHORDS... ;-) All the best. ;-)
Hello Alex! I actually switched to the 4th tuning a few years ago because of you and Tom Quayle! It is probably the best kept secret in the guitar world, it makes the instrument so logical. I actually have seen a video of Allan Holdsworth (R.I.P.) saying in a masterclass somewhere that not tuning his guitar in all fourth was one of his biggest regrets. Thank you again and have a great evening!
Awesome dude, hope you're enjoying it... I also heard with my own ears Allan say if he could he'd tune to fourths but he was too old to switch back..🤣 Thx for checking out the vid and all the best to you.
I made a commitment to all fourths tuning couple of years ago, and I’ll never look back. Now I have a six string bass tuned in the same way and everything transfers beautifully
I started testing this tuning a few days ago and I am delighted with the ease it brings to the study of music! Once we stop worrying about the asymmetry of the notes on the neck of the instrument and start focusing only on music, a key is turned on your head! 🤯🤯🤯
I’m a bassist first, so when I started dabbling on guitar, it seemed elementary to tune it in fourths. The only problem I see is that it puts you at odds with all the guitar literature out there, and you lose some of the standard chords that use all 6 strings. But there are compensations e.g while a 6-string E major becomes hard, a F major becomes easier. It’s not for buskers, I would say.
Thanks to you, I’ve changed for perfect 4th tuning nearly three years ago: you’ve made me discover it, and it as changed my way to play forever. So I can’t thank you enough! I did a lot of research on it, even if the information on the topic is scarce on the internet: it made so much sense to me! Because of nerve problems in my left hand, I’ve always struggled to play some conventional shapes (with rolling movements and barre shapes mostly) and also because of this annoying, illogical B string, I’ve decided to give it a try. And I will never swap back. Everything for me is so much easier: no need of CAGED or other complicated systems. Everything works in a symmetrical way: chords, triads, arpeggios, scales... Visualizing the fretboard is so much easier. Well, I can’t wait to see your approach with this fantastic tuning. Cheers from France.
Wow amazing man, I'm so pleased you like it too, it's such a fun way to play guitar isn't it? It's sounds as if you've already nailed the tuning but you may enjoy the other vids anyway, they are not designed to be too advanced at this point but more of an introduction to people that don't know about it.. But thank you for watching and I wish you all the best. :)
Thank you Alex, I played some bass before, and started to learn guitar, I could not tolerate the standard guitar tuning, everytime I would go down to the last two strings I would get confused hearing wise, so I stuck to this tuning but when playing songs all tabs and tutorials go with standard tuning. but now realizing that a massive figure in the guitar world like you embraces this tuning makes me stick to it with confidence. thank you for being the pioneer to this. Again wish you a speedy recovery.
For acoustic I would recommend downtuning the bottom 4 strings 1 semitone rather than tuning the top 2 strings up, since it does increase string breakage. It interests me as a songwriting tool. I would think this tuning perfect for a band setting, esp. for jazz and improvisation (which I don't do) but I'm a little surprised it hasn't taken off in metal, since you are largely using the low strings, and the high strings only when soloing. I play around with 4ths tuning + Drop D some and think it would be great for metal.
HEY!!!! I just spent 3.5 hours with this tuning. Had tried previously and didn't spend enough time. Holy Moly!!!! Runs are much more intuitive (may I dare way more "Legato-ish") and I can still play the AC/DC tunes I love. Thanks for making this video....it was here when I was ready for it!! Thank you Sir and Best Regards!
Oh man this is awesome and is the whole reason why scales are so much easier on piano and violin. I would love to see more videos on this tuning for guitar like what its suited for and not suited for etc
Immediately after seeing your video I retuned the guitar ... it's been about two hours that I try scales and arpeggios that have frustrated my playing for years. it's much more intuitive and FUN! It's easier visualize notes and intervals. Maybe it's the right time to start studying improvisation again ... thank you so much Alex! I hope you continue to give us more material!
So pleased to hear it mate. I hope you continue to have lots of fun with it. Part 2 is already available. Link in the description box.. Parts 3 & 4 coming soon. ;-)
First time being exposed to this tuning. It makes so much sense one wonders why this isn't standard tuning for a guitar? Always like Alex from product demos.
it's historical. originally guitars had four strings and the tuning for those four strings were DGBE. only later were the the fifth and sixth strings added to make the six string guitar and the innovators of that time that used those guitars decided to tune the string a fourth below the lowest string of that time. recently, the seven string guitar's tuning has followed suit and has added yet another string a fourth below the lowest existing string.
I don't think overall it is better or worse, just different. I think it limits your ability to play a lot of popular music, and large chord shapes without having to mute. The symmetry of the fretboard is mostly an advantage to learning the instrument not really as big of an advantage if you know your scales and chords. And anything that makes chords the "same" across all strings is going to limit the variety of chords available to you. I think for something like jazz guitar or lead it where you don't play a lot if big chords it might help. Also if you play a lot of new scales it might make learning them easier.
Can't wait for the other vids. Amazing player. Makes it sing beautiful melodies. Can play any genre. Complete master. Compelling argument. Had a go at it once and struggled but the logic is inescapable. Here we go again!
Thank you John, at the end of each video there will be a different Jam too. I'm just working on them now, plus this Thursday there will be another new full track. All the best and thx for your support. :)
Been using P4 for 5 years now. I got briefly seduced back into standard by Ted Greene and Tim Lerch, wanted to learn that style of playing, but now back for good. For intuitive composing on the fly P4 feels so right and works really nicely, having those notes stay right where they are. The B string in standard is the San Andreas Fault, unstable ground! ❤
You wont be teaching yourself everything all over. You still know all the technique and its mostly in the body already. It will defiinitely improve your guitar playing!
You'll find that as you compose new material, or revisit things you already "know", in this tuning that it'll expand your musical vocabulary and things you never played before will suddenly pour out. There'll be an "a-ha!" moment. Muscle memory will allow you to use both 4ths and standard for different songs/riffs/chords. Just use different guitars for each tuning and practise going from one to the other. You might find that only certain styles are suited for YOU to play using 4ths. And visa-versa.
Thank you, spent years tuning my six string bass like a tuned down regular guitar because the switch tofourths was confusing You inspired me to try again, thanks
As a massive Alex Hutchings fan and also Tom Quayle, I have tuned all my guitars to 4ths and it makes sense to me as I play a lot of lead. I have a few useful 4ths books for chords and scales and if you play around with it, its really not such a hard change from standard tuning.
@@AlexHutchingsMusic Love the chords especially the major 7,same fingering as the 13 flat 5 flat 9,which I use frequently in standard,keeping one guitar in that tuning just for the chords but been playing too long to make it my main tuning,love your playing too
As I am not in any way an accomplished guitar player this tuning makes quite some sense as the chord forms stay the same all the way trough the fret board, will give it a go and see what it does for me, thanks Alex for the clear introduction to the 4ths tuning.
AWESOME video! I just bought your V2 Masterclass and I'm also going over V1 as well. I might give this tuning a try, especially after watching this video! Much respect bro as your playing is PHENOMENAL! :)
Hey mate, THanks so much for your kind words.... Wishing you all the very best on your musical journey, hope my courses help you out in some way. Cheers for now.
@@AlexHutchingsMusic Definitely bro...I've literally been practicing and watching the course for like 7+ hours today. Really working on the sliding scale from V1 & even working on starting on the 7th (2 frets down from the root + adding chromatic notes more too). It's definitely a lot of work, but I'm making progress and am understanding it all. There's A LOT in these 2 Masterclasses to keep me busy for a while...🙏💯😀
@@ARCHDEACONMUSIC That's Awesome man... Well the hope is that people can study it for years to come and always find more things to inspire them. I'm glad it seems to be doing that for you mate. All the very best.
@@AlexHutchingsMusic Definitely will be studying these Masterclasses for years to come as it's really opening my mind up and improving my lead playing. I've been playing guitar almost 30 years, I write my own songs, and perform a lot and there's always room for improvement no matter how good we get. Thanks for all your hard work in putting these courses together and for being an AMAZING guitarist. I can tell you truly care and you seem like a really down to earth person. Much respect! 🙏💯🎸😀
Good question, I'm not sure anyone really knows but things always evolve eventually and in my small way I hope I can contribute... Thx for watching.. ;-)
This tuning is amazing - the only thing I'm missing compared to standard would be 6-string wide triad minor chords, which can make things a little tricky when playing pop rock. But it has gorgeous 7/9/11/13 chords with much easier access than standard. For minor chords, I just use the 5-string wide chord in 3rd inversion (5th at the bottom, looks like your standard minor chord but with the additional low 5th). Works wonders so far, I haven't found much you can't play. Blues is even easier to play, arpeggios are a breeze, scales are so easy to learn and remember. Chord melody is more tricky, but maybe I'm just not good enough haha.
Thank you for your insight dude. You and Mr Quayle are fantastic examples of how liberating the 4ths tuning is, I have often thought about changing myself! But I'm already having enough trouble remembering the neck in standard over the last 12 years! haha Thanks for the awesome content man, its good to see you!
Cheers dude, It's my pleasure, this is way over due, so I'm pleased to finally put it out there. You may find the next ones interesting too as I talk about the whole transitioning part etc etc....But like I say not that I would ever try to convince anyone but just make ppl aware... Cheers for watching though man. Appreciate it, more tunes and content next week. All the best to ya.. ;-)
@@AlexHutchingsMusic Awesome! Yeah I'm always quick to click when a new upload of yours comes up on YT. Looking forward to the chat about transitioning. I want to try it soon, but I have a lot of reading work coming up, and reading isn't my strongest suit, I don't want to confuse myself haha. All the best to you too man, have a wicked weekend!
As an amateur, I really appreciate the way you explained the benefit of all fourths. I started on tenor guitar and mandolin before I ever picked up a guitar, and both are tuned in fifths, so you get the same symmetry across the fretboard. But the fourths-plus-a-major-third of standard tuning was a massive impediment to learning a six-string. I understand that standard tuning was designed with maximum versatility and the limitations of the hands in mind, but being able to move the same shapes around everywhere is such a huge advantage that it's worth losing some of the benefits of standard tuning. Only difference is that I prefer fifths tuning to fourths or major thirds (I've tried them all), which pushes the physical limitations of a six string. Either the low string will be too floppy or the high string snaps. So for now I've compromised by playing a tenor guitar. Four strings tuned CGDA, like a viola. But one of these days, I'm going to try to tackle the six-string again. Thanks for this.
Very interesting, very well presented Alex........hope you will cover the traditional Rock n Roll lead riffs....and Country bends that are the bread and butter for so many. Many Thanks👍
I'm making the change. it's gonna take a while to get used to it but I'm already loving the symmetry because I'm coming with some cool lines that weren't possible before
@@AlexHutchingsMusic Thank you. I'm mostly like an improv lead guy but now because I can move chord shapes all over the place I feel empowered to write music not just improvise over other people's songs
Thx mate, I hope you enjoy the Trax on my channel too.. They are all played in 4th's too. Latest track is a hendrixy one in 7 called A lover's touch... ;-) All the very best.
Great explanation and examples. I'll have to give it a try, my background is as a 4-string bassist and acoustic guitarist who likes playing around with open tunings. Certain tunings are great but limit you to one or two keys which is fine for fingerpicking or blues/folk etc playing, but this tuning seems to work for all keys. I did try Robert Fripp's "New Standard Tuning" but it didn't suit me.
Slide. Major chord ExxGCx, xAxxCF. Minor chord xADxxF, EAxxCx. Can never get three in a line. Can get adjacent power chord notes though, but always with the 5th as the lowest note.
Watched this video to understand more about 4ths tuning since I'm making the switch from a 5-string bass to 6 strings. I had just found out that a 6-string bass is tuned to B-E-A-D-G-C, not B-E-A-D-G-B like I assumed because of standard guitar tuning.
Of course there's no question Montgomery was one of the true innovators of this style it's just that I grew up listening to Benson who was hugely influenced him. I discover Wes later down the line, but I think it's fair to say Benson uses them a lot too... Anyway I hope you got something out of the video. Cheers for watching.
I think this is interesting and I have had a go. Immediate disadvantage is that you cannot strum across all six stings without it sounding awful but as far as I'm concerned it's worth pursuing. I've subscribed and look forward to your next video on the subject. 🥂
Nice one, I think the next video will talk a bit about chords so I hope that might help a little... There will also be one touching on scales too. Good on you for trying it... All the best
I have always had an all 4ths tuned guitar on standby but fear using it for live work. I need to get to grips with the change and wondered if it would be a step back to try to stay with standard and 4ths, or to maybe take the leap of faith and just adapt with a no going back attitude. Wondering how others have tackled the change.
Hi Steve thanks for watching to share my experience with you I definitely adopted the no going back attitude. Rightly or wrong Lee two days after I changed I played a gig...... It wasn't too pretty so I took several months off to really practice hard then came back with a vengeance..... I'm sure it will work out for you if you decide to give it a go all the best with it.
@@AlexHutchingsMusic brilliant guitar, but nowhere as brilliant as you! I've followed you, Derek Trucks and Guthrie Govan from the time you three were mentioned by Frank Gambale in an interview where he said that you three were the torch bearers for the next generation. All you three legends just keep getting better! Thank you for the music and for leading the way!
@@JohnsMusicClasses Hey John, that's awesome, thanks so much for letting me know.... Frank is a legend, and one of my idols for sure that's amazing he would mention us... ;-) So pleased you like the video I've uploaded lots of tracks recently here's a playlist for you to check out... Cheers for now dude... ;-) ua-cam.com/play/PLoNAZKT2mb2SZFcrfeLwK_F2nUaKPlyFS.html
Hi Alex. So glad you did this video. I was always curious about your take on fourth tunings. Look forward to watching the next videos. I love your music and how you bring your soul in every note you play. Oh by the way, I ordered your signature AH6 from waghorn with Tom early this year and look forward to receiving it early next year :)
Hi Mate, Thank you so much for your comment and for checking out the videos, much more to come soon.... Wow, you Ordered the AH6 Amazing man, that's awesome, I'm sure you'll love it Tom's guitars are just such high quality, feel and sound great. Hope to see you on the next video... All the best and keep rockin.. ;-)
Hey Alex. I thought I recognised that face. I last saw you at a Frank Gambale concert and there were 2 CD albums left I think. I let you have first choice. Used to see you down at Heron Music. Can't believe I've only just discovered you.
Hey mate, yes indeed it is me.... And believe it or not that was about 20 years ago...!! How are you doing? I always did think you were very kind to let me pick the last album.. So thank you again for that. I hope all is really well with you.
Doesn’t seem very practical for classical or solo jazz but for everything else it doesn’t seem like a bad idea . The thing with standard tuning is that there are a ton of very practical fingerings for fast arpeggio playing that I feel like requires much more stretching in a 4ths tuning
I think this sums it up best for me for a case against tuning in fourths You get three times the efficiency but also three times less inspiration (But only after a while. Because, obv at first it’s different to what we’re used to) I’ll still give it a try for a bit tho
Just like a bass guitar, always wandered why guitars have that kind of tunning Before I knew about guitar tunning I used to bully my guitars friends when they say that they have problems with scales (just learn the pattern and you ready to go man) If I get a guitar any time soon there's no doubt Im tunning it in 4ths
I dont know how do you get that thick, wide, Smooth, Punchy, both balanced in high and low tone from 8 gauage strings...Your one of the awesome guitarist that ever borned🤘
Thx mate. In fact I'm using 9's on this particular guitar. I use 9's and 10's these days, but still I think it's more from the amps and effect that get you the most tones. Glad you enjoyed it mate. :)
@@AlexHutchingsMusic I know about your gauage because there is no any videos left that i havent watched from your songs to clinic and interview everything so i came to know about your strings so whenever i get your new video i get excited as you really can play with soul and shred like hell...keep it up man keep inspiring us🤘
I was hoping this question would be answered too... perhaps nobody knows why the guitar ended up with that oddball B-string, it could be lost in the mists of history. :-)
4ths tuning is like an upgrade to the guitar. suddenly you are driving a faster car
Exactly... :) 👍
@@AlexHutchingsMusic Same happened to me. Like taking acid, everything made sense
@Timothy Lee Hi mate, this video was just explaining the concept in Part 2 I show how to play 6 strings Barre chords and a few others which are a little more practical. ua-cam.com/video/_VU6HPa4wUw/v-deo.html
@SophietNatsiHehe; yeah that's funny, but of course, completely untrue. If you like the beauty of close voicings, you're better off decreasing the tuning intervals.
@SophietNatsi But don't get me wrong; I play in standard tuning, but I'm totally open to other tunings; each one has its own advantages and drawbacks, so although I happen to love lots of close voicings, you definitely get a lot more range with 5ths, and can go for wide voicings instead; just another flavor; not necessarily better or worse; just depends what you want to play.
As a bass player who hasn't tried guitar yet, this seems much more logical to me.
Absolutely, bass players have had it right since the beginning of time.. :)
Yea
Then you just have to learn how to play four notes at a time instead of one or two like on bass
Fynii I’m a bass player who plans to compose and also play guitar and keys, and all fourths guitar tuning just makes much more sense to me .
As a 5 string bassist who likes playing chords and wanting to play guitar I tuned in fourths thinking that it's cheating. Glad to see others doing this. A B string still doesn't make sense to me.
I myself have humbly tried to popularized fourths tuning on youtube and in the "real world". At first, it felt like having a new musical instrument in my hands. But soon, things got more intuitive and the practice became more challenging and rewarding than ever. This tuning encouraged me to read music, understand harmony and more generally broaden my knoledge of music. I really dig your musical style and elegance. It is very inspiring. Can't wait to watch your upcoming videos. Greetings from Brittany!
How wonderful, thank you for your comment. I also believe this tuning will become much more popular in the coming years and decades, it's really just about awareness i think, hence why I finally decided to make some videos covering various aspects of this great tuning. Thx for watching and hope you enjoy the next videos too... Part 2 is already up also... a little segment on CHORDS... ;-) All the best. ;-)
Hello Alex! I actually switched to the 4th tuning a few years ago because of you and Tom Quayle! It is probably the best kept secret in the guitar world, it makes the instrument so logical. I actually have seen a video of Allan Holdsworth (R.I.P.) saying in a masterclass somewhere that not tuning his guitar in all fourth was one of his biggest regrets. Thank you again and have a great evening!
Awesome dude, hope you're enjoying it... I also heard with my own ears Allan say if he could he'd tune to fourths but he was too old to switch back..🤣 Thx for checking out the vid and all the best to you.
Alex, I missed this 4 years ago. Thank you for making it.
My pleasure 👍🎸🙏
I made a commitment to all fourths tuning couple of years ago, and I’ll never look back. Now I have a six string bass tuned in the same way and everything transfers beautifully
Wow, that's cool mate... Slowly but surely one guitarist at a time we're changing the world... 🌍 😂 All the best 👍🙏🎸
I started testing this tuning a few days ago and I am delighted with the ease it brings to the study of music! Once we stop worrying about the asymmetry of the notes on the neck of the instrument and start focusing only on music, a key is turned on your head! 🤯🤯🤯
Awesome mate, I'm so pleased you're enjoying it.... Have fun. 👍🎸
FINALLY !!!! A CLEAR LESSON FOR 4TH TUNING !! ....
I’m a bassist first, so when I started dabbling on guitar, it seemed elementary to tune it in fourths. The only problem I see is that it puts you at odds with all the guitar literature out there, and you lose some of the standard chords that use all 6 strings. But there are compensations e.g while a 6-string E major becomes hard, a F major becomes easier. It’s not for buskers, I would say.
Some good points there mate, it's certainly not for the faint of heart but good for people who wish to experiment. Thanks for watching. All the best
But as a bass player there are more pros than cons. Playing all 6 strings at a time is over rated.
i use this(i'm a bass player)only to record solos and intros.its very usefull
A fabulous teacher as well as a total gent. Thanks Alex.
Thank you mate. :)
Thanks to you, I’ve changed for perfect 4th tuning nearly three years ago: you’ve made me discover it, and it as changed my way to play forever. So I can’t thank you enough! I did a lot of research on it, even if the information on the topic is scarce on the internet: it made so much sense to me! Because of nerve problems in my left hand, I’ve always struggled to play some conventional shapes (with rolling movements and barre shapes mostly) and also because of this annoying, illogical B string, I’ve decided to give it a try. And I will never swap back. Everything for me is so much easier: no need of CAGED or other complicated systems. Everything works in a symmetrical way: chords, triads, arpeggios, scales... Visualizing the fretboard is so much easier. Well, I can’t wait to see your approach with this fantastic tuning. Cheers from France.
Wow amazing man, I'm so pleased you like it too, it's such a fun way to play guitar isn't it? It's sounds as if you've already nailed the tuning but you may enjoy the other vids anyway, they are not designed to be too advanced at this point but more of an introduction to people that don't know about it.. But thank you for watching and I wish you all the best. :)
Thank you Alex, I played some bass before, and started to learn guitar, I could not tolerate the standard guitar tuning, everytime I would go down to the last two strings I would get confused hearing wise, so I stuck to this tuning but when playing songs all tabs and tutorials go with standard tuning.
but now realizing that a massive figure in the guitar world like you embraces this tuning makes me stick to it with confidence.
thank you for being the pioneer to this.
Again wish you a speedy recovery.
For acoustic I would recommend downtuning the bottom 4 strings 1 semitone rather than tuning the top 2 strings up, since it does increase string breakage.
It interests me as a songwriting tool. I would think this tuning perfect for a band setting, esp. for jazz and improvisation (which I don't do) but I'm a little surprised it hasn't taken off in metal, since you are largely using the low strings, and the high strings only when soloing.
I play around with 4ths tuning + Drop D some and think it would be great for metal.
I've been playing guitar for ages and never have quite memorized the fretboard. Will give this a try. Thanks a lot!
Yes mate give it a go.... it's pretty cool. Thanks for watching, 👍🎸
I've spent thirty years in standard tuning. This looks really cool though. Doubt I will change, but it does look cool.
Thank you!
My pleasure. Thx for watching. ;-)
great player, excellent teacher, generous soul.
Thank you Sir, that's very kind of you.
HEY!!!! I just spent 3.5 hours with this tuning. Had tried previously and didn't spend enough time. Holy Moly!!!! Runs are much more intuitive (may I dare way more "Legato-ish") and I can still play the AC/DC tunes I love. Thanks for making this video....it was here when I was ready for it!! Thank you Sir and Best Regards!
My pleasure, I'm really pleased you enjoyed it. All the best mate.
👍🎸🙏
Oh man this is awesome and is the whole reason why scales are so much easier on piano and violin. I would love to see more videos on this tuning for guitar like what its suited for and not suited for etc
Thx mate, More to come, Part 2 is already up, 3 coming this week. ;-)
Immediately after seeing your video I retuned the guitar ... it's been about two hours that I try scales and arpeggios that have frustrated my playing for years. it's much more intuitive and FUN! It's easier visualize notes and intervals. Maybe it's the right time to start studying improvisation again ... thank you so much Alex! I hope you continue to give us more material!
So pleased to hear it mate. I hope you continue to have lots of fun with it. Part 2 is already available. Link in the description box.. Parts 3 & 4 coming soon. ;-)
thanks again for your help, I really appreciate your work! I'm going to watch right now the other video
@@rockinrico6206 Rock in Rico My pleasure. I hope you learn something from it. All the best. ;-)
First time being exposed to this tuning. It makes so much sense one wonders why this isn't standard tuning for a guitar? Always like Alex from product demos.
@William Cummings sounds like u got that from tom Quayle. But this is good for like improv and music like Alex is playing. Probably for church as well
William Not being able to play AC/DC is a plus, not a negative.
it's historical. originally guitars had four strings and the tuning for those four strings were DGBE. only later were the the fifth and sixth strings added to make the six string guitar and the innovators of that time that used those guitars decided to tune the string a fourth below the lowest string of that time. recently, the seven string guitar's tuning has followed suit and has added yet another string a fourth below the lowest existing string.
I don't think overall it is better or worse, just different. I think it limits your ability to play a lot of popular music, and large chord shapes without having to mute. The symmetry of the fretboard is mostly an advantage to learning the instrument not really as big of an advantage if you know your scales and chords. And anything that makes chords the "same" across all strings is going to limit the variety of chords available to you. I think for something like jazz guitar or lead it where you don't play a lot if big chords it might help. Also if you play a lot of new scales it might make learning them easier.
I play 6 String Bass and like to dable in guitar occasionally. So this makes so much more sense to me.
Cool man, yes a Six String Bass is actually where I got the idea from. I hope you have fun experimenting with it. THanks for watching.
me too my friend.
The sheer logicality of this tuning is clear.
Thank you, Alex. I'm on it. That G&L, BTW, is beautiful. Love G&L.
Cool, Glad you enjoyed it.
Hi Big Man. Your movies are always illuminating. Besides being a superlative guitarist you are also a fantastic teacher. Thanks Alex
Thanks so much Luigi. All the best to you. :)
I remember watching a video of you at Andertons with Rob and Lee - the whole 4ths thing seemed like wizardry to me. Thanks for demystifying!
My pleasure mate, All the best 👍🎸🙏
Symmetry! Yay! I am definitely going to give this a try - thanks!
Can't wait for the other vids. Amazing player. Makes it sing beautiful melodies. Can play any genre. Complete master. Compelling argument. Had a go at it once and struggled but the logic is inescapable. Here we go again!
Thank you John, at the end of each video there will be a different Jam too. I'm just working on them now, plus this Thursday there will be another new full track. All the best and thx for your support. :)
Been using P4 for 5 years now. I got briefly seduced back into standard by Ted Greene and Tim Lerch, wanted to learn that style of playing, but now back for good. For intuitive composing on the fly P4 feels so right and works really nicely, having those notes stay right where they are. The B string in standard is the San Andreas Fault, unstable ground! ❤
Always thought it's the right way of thinking the guitar, but i don t want to teach myself everything all over again.
I agree, it's understandable, it's not a decision to be taken lightly. All the best.
You wont be teaching yourself everything all over. You still know all the technique and its mostly in the body already. It will defiinitely improve your guitar playing!
@@mathiasjustesen4910 Good point. ;-)
You'll find that as you compose new material, or revisit things you already "know", in this tuning that it'll expand your musical vocabulary and things you never played before will suddenly pour out. There'll be an "a-ha!" moment. Muscle memory will allow you to use both 4ths and standard for different songs/riffs/chords. Just use different guitars for each tuning and practise going from one to the other. You might find that only certain styles are suited for YOU to play using 4ths. And visa-versa.
@@ZzzzzzzxxxzzzYZ4 Yep.
The IRT 15 studio on your desk pleases me greatly.
There's an IRT SLS right above it too
been thinking about it myself. gonna try it out.
Thank you, spent years tuning my six string bass like a tuned down regular guitar because the switch tofourths was confusing
You inspired me to try again, thanks
As a massive Alex Hutchings fan and also Tom Quayle, I have tuned all my guitars to 4ths and it makes sense to me as I play a lot of lead. I have a few useful 4ths books for chords and scales and if you play around with it, its really not such a hard change from standard tuning.
Thanks for the info and Cheers!
My pleasure, thanks for watching. 👍
I've been trying a few different tunings lately,long time standard tuned player.Ime certainly trying this one,well explained thanks man
My pleasure, Glad you enjoyed it. ;-)
@@AlexHutchingsMusic Love the chords especially the major 7,same fingering as the 13 flat 5 flat 9,which I use frequently in standard,keeping one guitar in that tuning just for the chords but been playing too long to make it my main tuning,love your playing too
As I am not in any way an accomplished guitar player this tuning makes quite some sense as the chord forms stay the same all the way trough the fret board, will give it a go and see what it does for me, thanks Alex for the clear introduction to the 4ths tuning.
Oh my word!! That was brilliant. Yep I’m gonna give it go.
Awesome, Good luck mate more videos about it coming soon.. go have fun with it.. ;-)
Thanks😊! You clear everything
AWESOME video! I just bought your V2 Masterclass and I'm also going over V1 as well. I might give this tuning a try, especially after watching this video! Much respect bro as your playing is PHENOMENAL! :)
Hey mate, THanks so much for your kind words.... Wishing you all the very best on your musical journey, hope my courses help you out in some way. Cheers for now.
@@AlexHutchingsMusic Definitely bro...I've literally been practicing and watching the course for like 7+ hours today. Really working on the sliding scale from V1 & even working on starting on the 7th (2 frets down from the root + adding chromatic notes more too). It's definitely a lot of work, but I'm making progress and am understanding it all. There's A LOT in these 2 Masterclasses to keep me busy for a while...🙏💯😀
@@ARCHDEACONMUSIC That's Awesome man... Well the hope is that people can study it for years to come and always find more things to inspire them. I'm glad it seems to be doing that for you mate. All the very best.
@@AlexHutchingsMusic Definitely will be studying these Masterclasses for years to come as it's really opening my mind up and improving my lead playing. I've been playing guitar almost 30 years, I write my own songs, and perform a lot and there's always room for improvement no matter how good we get. Thanks for all your hard work in putting these courses together and for being an AMAZING guitarist. I can tell you truly care and you seem like a really down to earth person. Much respect! 🙏💯🎸😀
❤️ love it I'm planning to move to 4ths tunning as it easy to understand the fretboard
thank you very much this is so great for music producers
Are you maybe saying Alex, the guitar should have been tuned like this to start with? Why wasn't it?
You always educate and impress me!.
I started doing this for a few weeks now by logic.. wow it's surprising me that others players are doing the same already.. that's awesome 👌
Awesome mate. I wish you all the best with it. It sure is fun 👍🎸🙏
Totally blown my mind! I’m off to give that a bash.
Awesome, good luck mate. I hope you have some fun with it. :)
Love it! Can't wait for the rest. 😎
Coming soon dude, thx for checking it out. :)
Incredible! I always try new tunings but never thought of this one!!! I'll try it right now! Thanks!
Cool, good luck man.. :)
Great video, Mr. Alex. I really like this symmetry. Telecaster of the Summer of Love 🤔
Yes you're absolutely right. Summer of Love Telecaster... Hence the jam at the end is a little bit similar in tribute... ;-) Thx for watching.
Any reasons why guitars have not always been simply tuned that way? It makes so much sense and clears things so much
Good question, I'm not sure anyone really knows but things always evolve eventually and in my small way I hope I can contribute... Thx for watching.. ;-)
Tasteful playing at the end! So good!
Cheers mate. :)
This tuning is amazing - the only thing I'm missing compared to standard would be 6-string wide triad minor chords, which can make things a little tricky when playing pop rock. But it has gorgeous 7/9/11/13 chords with much easier access than standard.
For minor chords, I just use the 5-string wide chord in 3rd inversion (5th at the bottom, looks like your standard minor chord but with the additional low 5th).
Works wonders so far, I haven't found much you can't play. Blues is even easier to play, arpeggios are a breeze, scales are so easy to learn and remember. Chord melody is more tricky, but maybe I'm just not good enough haha.
Thank you for your insight dude. You and Mr Quayle are fantastic examples of how liberating the 4ths tuning is, I have often thought about changing myself! But I'm already having enough trouble remembering the neck in standard over the last 12 years! haha Thanks for the awesome content man, its good to see you!
Cheers dude, It's my pleasure, this is way over due, so I'm pleased to finally put it out there. You may find the next ones interesting too as I talk about the whole transitioning part etc etc....But like I say not that I would ever try to convince anyone but just make ppl aware... Cheers for watching though man. Appreciate it, more tunes and content next week. All the best to ya.. ;-)
@@AlexHutchingsMusic Awesome! Yeah I'm always quick to click when a new upload of yours comes up on YT. Looking forward to the chat about transitioning. I want to try it soon, but I have a lot of reading work coming up, and reading isn't my strongest suit, I don't want to confuse myself haha. All the best to you too man, have a wicked weekend!
@@SamBellGuitar Thx man, well if you do ever try it I hope these vids will help in some way. Speak soon dude. :)
As an amateur, I really appreciate the way you explained the benefit of all fourths. I started on tenor guitar and mandolin before I ever picked up a guitar, and both are tuned in fifths, so you get the same symmetry across the fretboard. But the fourths-plus-a-major-third of standard tuning was a massive impediment to learning a six-string. I understand that standard tuning was designed with maximum versatility and the limitations of the hands in mind, but being able to move the same shapes around everywhere is such a huge advantage that it's worth losing some of the benefits of standard tuning. Only difference is that I prefer fifths tuning to fourths or major thirds (I've tried them all), which pushes the physical limitations of a six string. Either the low string will be too floppy or the high string snaps. So for now I've compromised by playing a tenor guitar. Four strings tuned CGDA, like a viola. But one of these days, I'm going to try to tackle the six-string again. Thanks for this.
Tom Quayle also use this tuning, and he was kind enough to mention Alex Hutchings as the one who introduced the tuning.
That's very cool, yes I believe he does use the tuning, however I believe we both came to it independently... Great player for sure. ;-)
Very interesting, very well presented Alex........hope you will cover the traditional Rock n Roll lead riffs....and Country bends that are the bread and butter for so many. Many Thanks👍
Thx mate will certainly consider your points. All the best.
How am I only finding out Alex has a you tube channel now???? Subscribed!
Yeah lol I was thinking the same thing. Been watching this guy for years now.
Amazing alex. I use this tuning but I have some questions.. Please more videos about 4th's . thank-you
Cheers mate, Look out for more soon. ;-)
Great video Alex!
Thank you ...really interesting...and useful !!.
Pleasure. ;)
Thank you sir Alex ... Guitar God
Been waiting for this since we spoke at Pmt
Cool... Finally it arrived... ;-) More on this topic soon.. All the best
Coming from bass this is awesome. Please do more videos. Also anyone have more resources for 4ths tuning?
Thanks man, I have done 2 more parts to this video, links in the description. All the best
I'm making the change. it's gonna take a while to get used to it but I'm already loving the symmetry because I'm coming with some cool lines that weren't possible before
Hey Abdo, That's so cool you're going for it, and I'm glad you're enjoying it..... Wishing you the very best with it. ;-)
@@AlexHutchingsMusic Thank you. I'm mostly like an improv lead guy but now because I can move chord shapes all over the place I feel empowered to write music not just improvise over other people's songs
Wow amazing you got my attention subscribed!
Thx mate, I hope you enjoy the Trax on my channel too.. They are all played in 4th's too. Latest track is a hendrixy one in 7 called A lover's touch... ;-) All the very best.
Thanks for sharing your wisdom! It's greatly appreciated. 🙏🏻 Total wizardry 💯👍🏻's up again Alex! I wish I'd been taught this in my beginning!
Wow didn't realize you tuned in 4ths like Tom Quayle. I always find myself not recognizing your sweep shapes, now I know why! haha
Haha, yes mate now you know. All the best 👍🎸🙏
Absolutely brilliant!!
Great explanation and examples. I'll have to give it a try, my background is as a 4-string bassist and acoustic guitarist who likes playing around with open tunings. Certain tunings are great but limit you to one or two keys which is fine for fingerpicking or blues/folk etc playing, but this tuning seems to work for all keys. I did try Robert Fripp's "New Standard Tuning" but it didn't suit me.
5:30 made me sub.
Thanks for the awesome info, you’ve confirmed my suspicions of the B string. It’s from the debil.
Awesome... Thanks mate... Cheers for watching. All the best to you.😎
Slide. Major chord ExxGCx, xAxxCF. Minor chord xADxxF, EAxxCx. Can never get three in a line. Can get adjacent power chord notes though, but always with the 5th as the lowest note.
Damn, son, that was some smooth shit at the end there!
Thanks Alex for sharing this 🙏
Watched this video to understand more about 4ths tuning since I'm making the switch from a 5-string bass to 6 strings.
I had just found out that a 6-string bass is tuned to B-E-A-D-G-C, not B-E-A-D-G-B like I assumed because of standard guitar tuning.
Very interesting. I’ll have to give it a go.
I've always associated those octave voicings with Wes Montgomery and not so much with George Benson 5:24.
Of course there's no question Montgomery was one of the true innovators of this style it's just that I grew up listening to Benson who was hugely influenced him. I discover Wes later down the line, but I think it's fair to say Benson uses them a lot too... Anyway I hope you got something out of the video. Cheers for watching.
Warning: Not recommended for cowboy chords :)
Great master ever
👍🙏🎸
I think this is interesting and I have had a go. Immediate disadvantage is that you cannot strum across all six stings without it sounding awful but as far as I'm concerned it's worth pursuing. I've subscribed and look forward to your next video on the subject. 🥂
Nice one, I think the next video will talk a bit about chords so I hope that might help a little... There will also be one touching on scales too. Good on you for trying it... All the best
woah man iam tuning right away
Awesome good luck my friend. ;-)
I see the benefit of this. I just love playing five-six string chords and I'm wondering how I could compensate.
👍🎸🙏
I have always had an all 4ths tuned guitar on standby but fear using it for live work. I need to get to grips with the change and wondered if it would be a step back to try to stay with standard and 4ths, or to maybe take the leap of faith and just adapt with a no going back attitude. Wondering how others have tackled the change.
Hi Steve thanks for watching to share my experience with you I definitely adopted the no going back attitude. Rightly or wrong Lee two days after I changed I played a gig...... It wasn't too pretty so I took several months off to really practice hard then came back with a vengeance..... I'm sure it will work out for you if you decide to give it a go all the best with it.
Man I can't wait. I dabbled in this but kinda fell out of it. But I want to understand it more and find a good reason to play
What a sweet guitar!
Thx mate, It's an old GnL Tele I picked up cheers ago.... It also has a G and A B bender. ;-)
@@AlexHutchingsMusic brilliant guitar, but nowhere as brilliant as you! I've followed you, Derek Trucks and Guthrie Govan from the time you three were mentioned by Frank Gambale in an interview where he said that you three were the torch bearers for the next generation.
All you three legends just keep getting better!
Thank you for the music and for leading the way!
@@JohnsMusicClasses Hey John, that's awesome, thanks so much for letting me know.... Frank is a legend, and one of my idols for sure that's amazing he would mention us... ;-) So pleased you like the video I've uploaded lots of tracks recently here's a playlist for you to check out... Cheers for now dude... ;-) ua-cam.com/play/PLoNAZKT2mb2SZFcrfeLwK_F2nUaKPlyFS.html
@@AlexHutchingsMusic Awesome! Thank you so much :-)
Hi Alex. So glad you did this video. I was always curious about your take on fourth tunings. Look forward to watching the next videos. I love your music and how you bring your soul in every note you play. Oh by the way, I ordered your signature AH6 from waghorn with Tom early this year and look forward to receiving it early next year :)
Hi Mate, Thank you so much for your comment and for checking out the videos, much more to come soon.... Wow, you Ordered the AH6 Amazing man, that's awesome, I'm sure you'll love it Tom's guitars are just such high quality, feel and sound great. Hope to see you on the next video... All the best and keep rockin.. ;-)
Hey Alex. I thought I recognised that face. I last saw you at a Frank Gambale concert and there were 2 CD albums left I think. I let you have first choice. Used to see you down at Heron Music.
Can't believe I've only just discovered you.
Hey mate, yes indeed it is me.... And believe it or not that was about 20 years ago...!! How are you doing? I always did think you were very kind to let me pick the last album.. So thank you again for that. I hope all is really well with you.
Doesn’t seem very practical for classical or solo jazz but for everything else it doesn’t seem like a bad idea . The thing with standard tuning is that there are a ton of very practical fingerings for fast arpeggio playing that I feel like requires much more stretching in a 4ths tuning
i tune eadgcf an octave down
24.75" 19-90 gauge
2:20 hmm i will be coming back for this
delicious video
Wow now that sounds interesting... Cheers fro watching.
I like it
Cool, thx for watching. ;-) 👍
I changed to this tuning a few days ago, and I think I'll never go back to the standard tuning.
That's Awesome, Csati.. I wish you all the luck with learning and this tuning. Have fun... ;-)
I think this sums it up best for me for a case against tuning in fourths
You get three times the efficiency but also three times less inspiration
(But only after a while. Because, obv at first it’s different to what we’re used to)
I’ll still give it a try for a bit tho
Great playing as always Alex!
Fascinating .... I'm thinkin.... what's the point of B and E strings being tuned the way they normally are?
Thx for watching, Yes I know it's one of the big mysteries of the guitar, why did they tune it this way in the first place. ;-)
Hello from Ukraine! You are amazing!
Thank you sir. :)
Just like a bass guitar, always wandered why guitars have that kind of tunning
Before I knew about guitar tunning I used to bully my guitars friends when they say that they have problems with scales (just learn the pattern and you ready to go man)
If I get a guitar any time soon there's no doubt Im tunning it in 4ths
Awesome mate, Bass players have had it right since the beginning... ;-)
I dont know how do you get that thick, wide, Smooth, Punchy, both balanced in high and low tone from 8 gauage strings...Your one of the awesome guitarist that ever borned🤘
It’s all about whatever is processing those strings
@@christopherbanuelos1602 can you teach me bro how to get such tone..
Thx mate. In fact I'm using 9's on this particular guitar. I use 9's and 10's these days, but still I think it's more from the amps and effect that get you the most tones. Glad you enjoyed it mate. :)
@@AlexHutchingsMusic I know about your gauage because there is no any videos left that i havent watched from your songs to clinic and interview everything so i came to know about your strings so whenever i get your new video i get excited as you really can play with soul and shred like hell...keep it up man keep inspiring us🤘
Why didn't I thought of this for over a decade?
Thanks would totally buy book if you wrote one on playing in fouths scales chords fast track to fouths hehe
Why the hell didn’t they tune the guitar like this from day one! Makes a lot more sense!
Tell me about it... That's what I think too.. 😂 Thx for watching
I was hoping this question would be answered too... perhaps nobody knows why the guitar ended up with that oddball B-string, it could be lost in the mists of history. :-)
I have ever made the exact same question. I play the bass and never understood why the guitars are not tunned in fourths as the basses...
And don't forget the new favorite: quartal harmony!!!!!! :)
Yes totally... Really cool .;-)
Great!
自分もメジャースケールを暗記するときに気づいたのですが…３ノートパーストリングスでスケールを覚えようとすると、135のパターンが３弦分、次に235のパターンが２回、245のパターンが２回、それから135のパターンに戻ると…延々と同じ形が繰り返されるんですよね。この周期に気づいてからスケールの暗記が少し楽になりました。ただ２弦で１フレットずれるのがややこしいんですよね。
２弦からチューニングが変わるとコードを押さえるのにはやりやすいのかもしれないけど、音の並びが複雑になるんですよね。
全部同じチューニング幅にすると、１３５.１３５.１３５.２３５.２３５.２４５.２４５…のパターンが延々と繰り返される形が続くから、スケールの形を暗記しやすいんですよね。
オクターブの形も全部揃うし、単音の弾きやすさは圧倒的に変わるでしょうね。コードはまた覚え直す必要があるから…ちょっと最初は混乱しそうですが…最初から慣れちゃえばかなり楽でしょうね