Thanks for watching everyone! If ya can't get enough, check out my new series over on my Patreon, Rare Radio. Rare Radio is a weekly deep-dive into my record collection, aimed to highlight overlooked songs and players from the folk tradition.⬇⬇⬇ www.patreon.com/kostringworks
Having the 4 strings as GDBE is called Chicago tuning. I used to play 4 string Banjo like that, very useful for us lazy guitar players :) It could be Clayton Carson written/scratched on the body.
Oh I like that! I wonder what the origins of calling it Chicago tuning are. But yes, fantastic lazy tuning indeed! Love the Clayton Carson idea, I’ll see what the owner makes of it 😆. Thanks!
I heard a story from someone who said that in the mid-sixtys they saw a sign in a shop window stating the tenor guitars could be tuned to "Chicago tuning". He asked about this and the shop owner told him this was a marketing idea from the manufacturer (I don't know which). The folk craze was winding down and tenor sales were dropping. They hoped the catchy terminology would get some attention, and draw some six string players to the instrument. @@kostringworks
I have a Harmony tenor guitar that is in Chicago tuning. I treat it like it’s a baritone ukulele, except with steel strings. most of my ukuleles are soprano sized except for my old banjo uke, and Gretsch resonator are concert scale. I also have a sopranino tuned CFAD. all the above except for the tenor guitar are re-entrant tuned. the object is every one of them uses the same chord shapes (just sometimes in a different key). yep. I’m too lazy to learn a bunch of new shapes when cheating works so well. 😉
I've loved the tenor guitar for years! I'm a big Kingston Trio fan and general folk music fanatic. Nick Reynolds and Rick Dougherty have played tenor guitar in DGBE tuning in the band it adds so much to the Trio's sound. Guitar, banjo and tenor guitar are the instuments they used and I made a point of owning and playing all three. I have a pretty nice, if old, tenor guitar and I love it to pieces. It has such a lovely voice.
@@kostringworks From what I can see in the video it looks a lot more like an Oscar Schmidt. I'd expect a Regal build to have the same body as their ubiquitous small tenors of that period.
That is most useful thankyou. I am currently building an electric 'banjo' and debating on the number of strings. Debate now closed: it will be a 4 string tenor guitar which, as a mandolin player, I can play already! Irish trad tunes plus bluegrass. Easier to do than the bouzouki I already made and the short neck is great for my damaged hands. So glad I watched this. Will subscribe.
@@bruceringrose7539 Martin 40th Anniversary Kingston Trio Set in 1997. Long neck Vega Banjo, Dreadnought and the Tenor . E;lderly instruments has a set for sale no at $12,000.
Thanks for spotlighting this! I'm a novice mandolin player and love all instruments tuned in 5ths. I have an old Harmony tenor banjo. I'd love to get a tenor guitar, but Gold Tone is my only real option, due to being a lefty
CGDA tuning gives you achingly beautiful minor chord voicings on the tenor. I have 3 of them now and am building 2 right now (an acoustic and an electric). I also keep a concert uke in CGDA tuning.
I play cello, and the tenor guitar generally has the same tuning as a cello (CGDA). This would be super nice since I already know where all the notes are!
@kostringworks yea I can't find shit about it on UA-cam but if you watch the video of Nookie Live Rock im Park 2001, you can clearly see he's playing something with 4 strings at 1:21
5:03 This Tuning is the same as a Mandola. It's also the same tuning as the Cello so even Cellists can start strumming away from Day 1:ua-cam.com/video/OBtOBDzj0bE/v-deo.html
I've tuned my tenor guitar to the same notes as a mandolin, an octave away, which is called the Irish tenor guitar. I’ve turned my tenor banjo the same way, making it an Irish tenor banjo. I’ve done this because I play mandolin and don't want to learn different fingerings, like other Irish mandolin players who play guitar and banjo do.
I've played Jazz on the Harmony H929TG at Mandarin High School (I'm going to College soon) which I've strung for GDAE Octave Mandolin Tuning using John Pearse #450 strings (It belonged to Mrs Oglesby) & it creates a much mellower sound that's appropriate for that music. I added a Pickup & this Tuning allowed me to get a method book called "Mandolin Chordology" so her son could learn to play it.
The Tenor Guitar can be tuned like a Mandolin but an Octave Lower w/ John Pearse #450 Strings, lots of Tenor Guitars made today have a slightly deeper body to help those low notes resonate better.
I just heard about these tenor guitars. I gave up regular ones because my finger pads/tips are too thick and I constantly muted the strings. Are these strings spaced further apart than regular guitars? I've tried searching for the answer but can't find one. Thanks
Originally coming out of the orchestral world, tenor guitar in fifths is the only thing that makes sense to me. The whole fourths and a third thing on guitar or Chicago tuning is never quite natural.
Nice presentation. I have a Gibson TG 25N Tenor from the late ‘60s with original case. Great condition, varnish is showing it’s old age checking...haha; but still plays & sounds good. BTW... I have it tuned in open G.
I've been loving my tenor guitar for over twenty years. For anyone reading this who doesn't play the guitar, you make different notes by pressing down on the strings with your fingers. I don't have enough fingers for a six-string. I also play a five-string banjo, but that's really all I can manage.
That’s awesome!! I don’t really do any of electric stuff unfortunately. I wish I did though. Tampa is amazing and that tune rules. Some really hip chromatic stuff. Next time I get an electric in for repair I’ll try to learn it, just wouldnt be the same on acoustic. Thanks for the fun request!
Tuning in 5ths is magical. Ask a violinist, violist, or cellist (and some bassists). Chords become more spread out and resonant and, better sill, melodies with or without double/triple stops are easily accessible.
I included a Pick w/ the Tenor Guitar so that Mrs Oglesby's son can learn to play (as well as a Strap & a Pickup to allow the instrument to plug into a Fender Jazz King amp). From what I've read online, a Tenor Guitar is actually a Hybrid insturment, it's a Tenor Banjo neck on a Guitar Body. It's tuned & played like a Tenor Banjo but it has a Guitar sound. These were made back in the early 1900s when Banjoists had to switch to Guitar because as recording technology advanced, they found out that the Banjo sound wasn't really a good match for the newer styles of music.
No cred from me till I decided to try a Kala tenor guitar (not their uke). It is a small one. Since playing with that a while I got a Recording King tenor (a little larger). Mine are inexpensive instruments, but they are great fun to play and those two missing strings don’t hinder your chord choices. I now use the DGBE because chording in the traditional tenor banjo (like a mandolin) is a long stretch. I also like DGBE because of how easy it is to change to other tunings: open G, minor, and other banjo like tunings.
Another educational video, thanks Kyle! I have an old (1970) Harmony tenor that I'll keep till they put me in a box. I either tune it CGda, or open tuning GGcg. Tenors aren't for everyone but they're really cool guitars! I also have a newer Alvarez tenor and an Eastwood Warren Ellis electric tenor.
Absolutely! Thanks for check it out! I’ve never messed around with GGcg, but I like the idea of it! I’m gonna have to give that a try next time, thanks for the tip!
@kostringworks the tenor guitar was also played by the Dutch jazz duo Johnny and Jones. It seems to have been an instrument that was similar to the ukulele on 20s and 30s as a simpler less intimidating instrument.
My first tenor guitar was my grandfather's Harmony Monterey, made in 1959 just before I was born. Few years ago bought a Blueridge, got a cheap tenor banjo, and more recently converted a horrible Yamaha classical into a tenor. The tenor is MUCH easier than a 6-string for noodling, playing and singing the songs you like from the radio, and whatnot. My Blueridge is my go to for inspiration. I was never good at other instruments, so I use CGDA for all but my Yamaha, which is still fifths but tuned in E. Rockabilly artist Neko Case has a giant collection of electric tenors.
Nice! Is the Yamaha down to 4 strings now then? Carl Kress tuned his guitar in 5ths too, as a 6 string, but pitched all the way down to Bb! Glad you found something that works for you! That’s what it’s all about.
@@kostringworks Cut the neck with a Dremel, so yeah, 4 strings on a narrow neck. Robert Fripp has always wanted a 6-string tuned in 5ths but settled for the top 4 strings being a pair of 2-string courses. I wondered about Kress' tuning, and it turns out he octaved down the high A, which is cool, but worth noting before you break eleventyleven strings trying to do it.
It’s interesting to see how this was developed from the Tenor Banjo. As a banjo player it seems so strange to me that at one point the Tenor Banjo had almost completely displaced the 5 string banjo to the point that guitars with tenor banjo necks were being built. Personally I much prefer the sound of a 5 string banjo to a tenor but I have to say that the Tenor Guitar really is a joy to play and listen to.
I found an old Encore tenor guitar in a pawn shop years ago. Having already played around with mandolins and mandolas, I tuned it to CGDA and left it there. I'm still a rank amateur (just never found the time to dive in the way I wanted), but I love the symmetry and voicings of fifths tuning. Never did learn how to play a six-string in standard tuning!
Just read about Jacob Collier story on his 5 string strandberg. It led me to here. Never knew there's an obscure types of guitar other than extended range guitars and baritone.
Thank you for this interesting and informative video. I find that the tuning in fifths is good for instruments with short scales where you mostly play single note lines. With the short scale, you don't have to jump so far for distant notes and you have the advantage of the increased range with respect to a tuning in fourths. It's really nice to have a smaller, higher pitched instrument for solos or doubling the melody an octave above. For anyone who isn't familiar with the Trio Los Panchos (later just Los Panchos), I highly recommend the requinto playing of Alfredo Gil. I find that I like the chords better with an instrument tuned in fourths + one third, like a guitar or a ukelele, but that may just be because I haven't gotten used to them on my instruments that are tuned in fifths yet. I've also found I prefer having fewer strings (or courses) on smaller instruments. For example, I have a six-string guitalele, which is a nice instrument, but I find that the strings are a little too close together to make it easily playable. With all due respect to Pete Seeger, I like the C-G-B-D tuning on 5-string banjo. I like having the low C. But I think the best thing to do is try out lots of tunings: it's not as hard as it seems at first.
I own a 1960's Kim Gar parlor tenor acoustic. I tune to EADG. Just as my basses. Love this little gitfiddle. Like Irish tone sound. Added equalizer to it. Now has amplified sounds also. Has had neck reset. Great intonation. Got from Ebay auction. Has Washburn rare parlor guitar hard shell case. Neat fact. Fret dot not on 9th fret but 10th fret instead something different. Added upper and lower thumbrest/tug bar for that fingering style I have. Love that fact both bass EADG tuning or lead DGBe. So helps works on both Bass and guitar riff. Small neck also helps. Lightest gitfiddle I owe. Like almost nothing. Small and easy to play anywhere. Always wanted that Fender electric Telecaster Tenor but price went out of hand. This... Mr. Zimmer... It's name is great addition to my music.
Love to hear it! So regarding the 10th fret, you do see that on some tenor banjos too, which I think pulls from the mandolin family. So it makes sense you find it on a guitar too!
Thanks for getting back with the 10th fret difference. My Luna celtic banjitar 6 string. Has the 9th but is 6 string. Called this one Moon Child. Added pinkie ring to support you playing style. Has beautiful Moon fret dotes. Phazes of Moon shapes. Has MightyMite Humbucker pick up added. Amplified even more over natural sound. Not quite like playing 6 string guitar but I start out slow then seem to just got in the mood and melody just grows as I go. Well thanks again for that information. Been thinking about getting another mandolin. Had 2 years ago got from a fire sale. Used to them tuned like bass guitar also EADG. Along with a banjo also from same fire sale. And tune to EADG. Believe its was 5 string but I strung 4 as bass. Left that 5 top one off. And don't remember fret dot if 9 or 10 on either of those. They pasted through my hands good 40 years ago. Enjoyed but move one to players whole used as regularly used. You would never think Im a bass player. Took 2 Gibson Maestro Les paul 6 string and a Lark lawsuit gibson headstock Les Paul copy then made in to 24.5 guitar scale basses(tenor bass?). Red white and Blue. Sound great. Thanks again. Stories come easier at 66 years of age. Stay safe😷👍🎶🎵🎶🎸✌️😎
A really obscure guitar would be the plectrum guitar, which was a larger than a tenor and in banjo tuning rather than the mandola tuning of a normal tenor guitar. Trying to play CGBd tuning at that scale length would require heavier strings, although it might sound good in banjeaurine tuning (Gceg).
@@kostringworks I had to back up your video to see if Eddie was playing his. I was lucky enough to stumble onto a Martin plectrum about a year ago. Another tuning to split my focus!
@@kostringworks And personally I have a tenor from Eastwood, the one that is styled similar to a Gretsch archtop. I suppose it's slightly smaller, but not a by whole lot. At least, it's big enough that when I play it sitting down, I'll have its top part of its lower bout lodged between chest and upper arm. I keep it in all-fifth tuning, which is where I think tenors are most interesting. It also opens up a lot of the classical repertoir, since the violin family is also tuned in fifths. I think many people are playing things like the Bach cello suites on their tenors.
Thanks for watching everyone! If ya can't get enough, check out my new series over on my Patreon, Rare Radio. Rare Radio is a weekly deep-dive into my record collection, aimed to highlight overlooked songs and players from the folk tradition.⬇⬇⬇
www.patreon.com/kostringworks
Having the 4 strings as GDBE is called Chicago tuning. I used to play 4 string Banjo like that, very useful for us lazy guitar players :)
It could be Clayton Carson written/scratched on the body.
Oh I like that! I wonder what the origins of calling it Chicago tuning are. But yes, fantastic lazy tuning indeed!
Love the Clayton Carson idea, I’ll see what the owner makes of it 😆. Thanks!
I heard a story from someone who said that in the mid-sixtys they saw a sign in a shop window stating the tenor guitars could be tuned to "Chicago tuning". He asked about this and the shop owner told him this was a marketing idea from the manufacturer (I don't know which). The folk craze was winding down and tenor sales were dropping. They hoped the catchy terminology would get some attention, and draw some six string players to the instrument. @@kostringworks
I have a Harmony tenor guitar that is in Chicago tuning. I treat it like it’s a baritone ukulele, except with steel strings. most of my ukuleles are soprano sized except for my old banjo uke, and Gretsch resonator are concert scale. I also have a sopranino tuned CFAD. all the above except for the tenor guitar are re-entrant tuned.
the object is every one of them uses the same chord shapes (just sometimes in a different key).
yep. I’m too lazy to learn a bunch of new shapes when cheating works so well. 😉
I've loved the tenor guitar for years! I'm a big Kingston Trio fan and general folk music fanatic. Nick Reynolds and Rick Dougherty have played tenor guitar in DGBE tuning in the band it adds so much to the Trio's sound. Guitar, banjo and tenor guitar are the instuments they used and I made a point of owning and playing all three.
I have a pretty nice, if old, tenor guitar and I love it to pieces. It has such a lovely voice.
Well put! It’s a great way to add texture to an ensemble absolutely.
I wish Eastwood would start making the Astrojet tenor electric guitar again.I want another one so badly.
I second the Regal origin. And yes, these are really fun!
Nice! Yeah totally a guess but glad to know I’m not alone. I’m gonna miss having it around!
@@kostringworks From what I can see in the video it looks a lot more like an Oscar Schmidt. I'd expect a Regal build to have the same body as their ubiquitous small tenors of that period.
could be! Wish these things were easier to trace.@@andrewvogt4239
That is most useful thankyou. I am currently building an electric 'banjo' and debating on the number of strings. Debate now closed: it will be a 4 string tenor guitar which, as a mandolin player, I can play already! Irish trad tunes plus bluegrass. Easier to do than the bouzouki I already made and the short neck is great for my damaged hands. So glad I watched this. Will subscribe.
Awesome! Thanks Pete! Glad this helped you make a tough decision, awesome choice!
The Kingston Trio had a 4 string in for years and years!
Oh yeah! I didn't even think of them but dude totally! I'm sure they helped with some tenor sales in their day. Thanks!
Nick Reynolds was the tenor guitar player, a Martin Tenor Guitar.
@@bruceringrose7539 Martin made a Tenor as a Kingston Trio Tribute.
@@jeffhildreth9244 Cool! Big KT fan, but was not aware of that.
@@bruceringrose7539 Martin 40th Anniversary Kingston Trio Set in 1997.
Long neck Vega Banjo, Dreadnought and the Tenor .
E;lderly instruments has a set for sale no at $12,000.
Thanks for spotlighting this! I'm a novice mandolin player and love all instruments tuned in 5ths. I have an old Harmony tenor banjo. I'd love to get a tenor guitar, but Gold Tone is my only real option, due to being a lefty
Absolutely, thanks for watching! Gold tone makes decent and affordable stuff though, give it a go!
WOW - very pro video on an interesting instrument.
DANKE fröm 🇩🇪
Hey so glad you liked it!! Thanks for saying hey!
CGDA tuning gives you achingly beautiful minor chord voicings on the tenor. I have 3 of them now and am building 2 right now (an acoustic and an electric).
I also keep a concert uke in CGDA tuning.
Nice!! Yes I love the 5ths tuning so much. Happy building!!
I play cello, and the tenor guitar generally has the same tuning as a cello (CGDA). This would be super nice since I already know where all the notes are!
Precisely! It’s the perfect cross over into the fretted world.
I've been lead down this rabbit hole because apparently Limp Bizkit recorded Nookie on a tenor guitar
Haha really? Dude I wish I knew that before making this vid.
@kostringworks yea I can't find shit about it on UA-cam but if you watch the video of Nookie Live Rock im Park 2001, you can clearly see he's playing something with 4 strings at 1:21
Dude your tool box is like the creepy toy fixer guys from toy story.
Haha, nice. I'll have to revisit that one.
Is it the same size as a baritone ukulele?
I think the scale length is slightly longer, but yeah pretty dang similar.
5:03 This Tuning is the same as a Mandola. It's also the same tuning as the Cello so even Cellists can start strumming away from Day 1:ua-cam.com/video/OBtOBDzj0bE/v-deo.html
The writing looks like
“C PAYTON
In 1950”
Or maybe
“CLAYTON
SLASO”
(Imagine if it was
C PATTON)! 😂
Did you ever figure it out?
I never did find out. I live in Canada now! Adding to the mystery of course.
@@kostringworks Welcome to the North country! ☮️
Tom
I've tuned my tenor guitar to the same notes as a mandolin, an octave away, which is called the Irish tenor guitar. I’ve turned my tenor banjo the same way, making it an Irish tenor banjo. I’ve done this because I play mandolin and don't want to learn different fingerings, like other Irish mandolin players who play guitar and banjo do.
Love it!
I'm primarily a mandolin player, but I actually prefer the sound of the tenor in C .
Wait what. You tape off fretboards using electrical tape? Which works best?
Hehe I do. Sometimes. Depends on the fingerboard or if there’s really chippy neck finish. Then I use stewmac tape or sticky notes even.
Its basically an octave mandolin sans the extra 4 course strings
.
I've played Jazz on the Harmony H929TG at Mandarin High School (I'm going to College soon) which I've strung for GDAE Octave Mandolin Tuning using John Pearse #450 strings (It belonged to Mrs Oglesby) & it creates a much mellower sound that's appropriate for that music. I added a Pickup & this Tuning allowed me to get a method book called "Mandolin Chordology" so her son could learn to play it.
Have you watched the John Lawlor upload with him playing Wives and Lovers on a tenor? Please do. It's fabulous.
I haven’t but I will!
The Tenor Guitar can be tuned like a Mandolin but an Octave Lower w/ John Pearse #450 Strings, lots of Tenor Guitars made today have a slightly deeper body to help those low notes resonate better.
This little Guitar deserves more credit these days....
I just heard about these tenor guitars. I gave up regular ones because my finger pads/tips are too thick and I constantly muted the strings. Are these strings spaced further apart than regular guitars? I've tried searching for the answer but can't find one. Thanks
I think they are generally wider spacing yes!
I've always thought a four string guitar would be great fun to play around on. Limitation is the mother of creativity (probably).
Ha, for sure! It’s super nice not to have those bass strings mucking up your sightline in a way!
Originally coming out of the orchestral world, tenor guitar in fifths is the only thing that makes sense to me. The whole fourths and a third thing on guitar or Chicago tuning is never quite natural.
Totally. I’ve been working on tenor banjo this year and am shocked how much amazing voice leading between chords you can do in one position.
Nice presentation.
I have a Gibson TG 25N Tenor from the late ‘60s with original case. Great condition, varnish is showing it’s old age checking...haha; but still plays & sounds good.
BTW... I have it tuned in open G.
Nice! I bet that things fun. Thanks for saying hey!
Love the headstock like a tenor lute. Are you using the same strings for standard, chicago and g tuning?
I did for the demo, though I’m not sure what real tenor players would do. I’m sure someone will chime in though!
I've been loving my tenor guitar for over twenty years. For anyone reading this who doesn't play the guitar, you make different notes by pressing down on the strings with your fingers. I don't have enough fingers for a six-string. I also play a five-string banjo, but that's really all I can manage.
You forgot jazz great Tiny Grimes, even though it was electric.
Duuude right then there’s that whole world too! Thanks for the mention!
Tony Hawk's younger brother!😊
Also the Kingston trio used this guitar
I could tell that this Guitar is a Regal based on the Tailpiece.
Regal used the Bell Brand tailpiece, just a simple oval.
Would the Venezuelan A D F# B cuatro tuning work?
I’m sure it could!
Just found you-can you analyze Tampa Red's The Jitter Jump?
That’s awesome!! I don’t really do any of electric stuff unfortunately. I wish I did though. Tampa is amazing and that tune rules. Some really hip chromatic stuff. Next time I get an electric in for repair I’ll try to learn it, just wouldnt be the same on acoustic. Thanks for the fun request!
Super interesting. didn't know anything about tenor Guitars, I mean I 've always saw them on the internet, I would love to try one.
They are super elusive! Glad you got something outta this, and hope you find one to try sometime. Super fun little players!
Thomas has them Harley Benton €150
Thomann
Interesting video ! I believe present, jazz guitar great Frank Vignola was a champion banjo player as a kid..
Didn’t know that! Makes sense to me though!
Please tell me the name of the Peabody video.
Pretty sure it was from this one:
ua-cam.com/video/r-3htzcFa8o/v-deo.html
Hi do you have links for any good tenor guitar performances? Even in UA-cam hard to find
For sure! There's old videos of the Mills Brothers out there. Otherwise for some more modern sounds, check out Gerry Carthy!
@@kostringworks thanks so much. Haven't heard of these guys but will do so soon.
@@sajidulhasan2027 hope ya dig them!
Video is all talking.
Barely get to hear it at all.
Lame
Sorry about that and thanks for letting me know it wasn’t what you were expecting!
Tuning in 5ths is magical.
Ask a violinist, violist, or cellist (and some bassists).
Chords become more spread out and resonant and, better sill, melodies with or without double/triple stops are easily accessible.
I included a Pick w/ the Tenor Guitar so that Mrs Oglesby's son can learn to play (as well as a Strap & a Pickup to allow the instrument to plug into a Fender Jazz King amp). From what I've read online, a Tenor Guitar is actually a Hybrid insturment, it's a Tenor Banjo neck on a Guitar Body. It's tuned & played like a Tenor Banjo but it has a Guitar sound. These were made back in the early 1900s when Banjoists had to switch to Guitar because as recording technology advanced, they found out that the Banjo sound wasn't really a good match for the newer styles of music.
No cred from me till I decided to try a Kala tenor guitar (not their uke). It is a small one. Since playing with that a while I got a Recording King tenor (a little larger). Mine are inexpensive instruments, but they are great fun to play and those two missing strings don’t hinder your chord choices. I now use the DGBE because chording in the traditional tenor banjo (like a mandolin) is a long stretch. I also like DGBE because of how easy it is to change to other tunings: open G, minor, and other banjo like tunings.
Another educational video, thanks Kyle! I have an old (1970) Harmony tenor that I'll keep till they put me in a box. I either tune it CGda, or open tuning GGcg.
Tenors aren't for everyone but they're really cool guitars!
I also have a newer Alvarez tenor and an Eastwood Warren Ellis electric tenor.
Absolutely! Thanks for check it out! I’ve never messed around with GGcg, but I like the idea of it! I’m gonna have to give that a try next time, thanks for the tip!
Correction...CGcg for the open tuning, and I have an Ibanez Tenor, not an Alvarez....smell check🤔
Kyle, this is seriously good stuff. Great editing and great explanation of the instrument. Thanks for all of your research and hard work making this!
Ah thanks Matt. Very much appreciate you saying so! Just glad ya dig it!
The famous Mills Brothers in the early 30s played a tenor guitar just like this one.
Just looked it up, you’re right on! Looks like he had a few, but one of them looks super similar to this tenor! Thanks for sharing!
@kostringworks Your very welcome!
@kostringworks the tenor guitar was also played by the Dutch jazz duo Johnny and Jones. It seems to have been an instrument that was similar to the ukulele on 20s and 30s as a simpler less intimidating instrument.
My first tenor guitar was my grandfather's Harmony Monterey, made in 1959 just before I was born. Few years ago bought a Blueridge, got a cheap tenor banjo, and more recently converted a horrible Yamaha classical into a tenor. The tenor is MUCH easier than a 6-string for noodling, playing and singing the songs you like from the radio, and whatnot. My Blueridge is my go to for inspiration.
I was never good at other instruments, so I use CGDA for all but my Yamaha, which is still fifths but tuned in E.
Rockabilly artist Neko Case has a giant collection of electric tenors.
Nice! Is the Yamaha down to 4 strings now then? Carl Kress tuned his guitar in 5ths too, as a 6 string, but pitched all the way down to Bb!
Glad you found something that works for you! That’s what it’s all about.
@@kostringworks Cut the neck with a Dremel, so yeah, 4 strings on a narrow neck.
Robert Fripp has always wanted a 6-string tuned in 5ths but settled for the top 4 strings being a pair of 2-string courses. I wondered about Kress' tuning, and it turns out he octaved down the high A, which is cool, but worth noting before you break eleventyleven strings trying to do it.
@@joeldcanfield_spinhead ha, brilliant!
It’s interesting to see how this was developed from the Tenor Banjo. As a banjo player it seems so strange to me that at one point the Tenor Banjo had almost completely displaced the 5 string banjo to the point that guitars with tenor banjo necks were being built. Personally I much prefer the sound of a 5 string banjo to a tenor but I have to say that the Tenor Guitar really is a joy to play and listen to.
I'm totally with you! Love a five string banjo, and if I'm going to play a tenor tuning I want it on a guitar body!
I don't see it as the tenor banjo displacing the 5-string banjo. It was one genre gaining popularity over the other.
I found an old Encore tenor guitar in a pawn shop years ago. Having already played around with mandolins and mandolas, I tuned it to CGDA and left it there. I'm still a rank amateur (just never found the time to dive in the way I wanted), but I love the symmetry and voicings of fifths tuning. Never did learn how to play a six-string in standard tuning!
Yes! Why change a good thing! Symmetry is one thing the 6 string guitar lacks that’s for sure.
(4:20) LOL, you gotta love that old banjo man's style! He was spinning his instrument well before ZZ Top did.
Haha, uncle Dave knew what he was doing!
Just read about Jacob Collier story on his 5 string strandberg. It led me to here. Never knew there's an obscure types of guitar other than extended range guitars and baritone.
Dude I’ll have to look into that! Love Jacob colliers music, cool that he somehow led you this way!
Love tenors. Nice video!
Hey man, I appreciate that, and your work too! I've especially benefited from your outlooks on copy-write stuff on UA-cam!
Fifth-based tuning opens up a vast repertoire from the violin/viola/cello family, as well as mandolin family
Totally! Cello music on a tenor guitar, yes please!
Thank you for this interesting and informative video. I find that the tuning in fifths is good for instruments with short scales where you mostly play single note lines. With the short scale, you don't have to jump so far for distant notes and you have the advantage of the increased range with respect to a tuning in fourths.
It's really nice to have a smaller, higher pitched instrument for solos or doubling the melody an octave above. For anyone who isn't familiar with the Trio Los Panchos (later just Los Panchos), I highly recommend the requinto playing of Alfredo Gil.
I find that I like the chords better with an instrument tuned in fourths + one third, like a guitar or a ukelele, but that may just be because I haven't gotten used to them on my instruments that are tuned in fifths yet.
I've also found I prefer having fewer strings (or courses) on smaller instruments. For example, I have a six-string guitalele, which is a nice instrument, but I find that the strings are a little too close together to make it easily playable.
With all due respect to Pete Seeger, I like the C-G-B-D tuning on 5-string banjo. I like having the low C. But I think the best thing to do is try out lots of tunings: it's not as hard as it seems at first.
Thanks for the info! I agree with your opinion about the 5ths tuning. Thanks for the other ideas too!
@@kostringworks My pleasure!
I own a 1960's Kim Gar parlor tenor acoustic. I tune to EADG. Just as my basses. Love this little gitfiddle. Like Irish tone sound. Added equalizer to it. Now has amplified sounds also. Has had neck reset. Great intonation. Got from Ebay auction. Has Washburn rare parlor guitar hard shell case. Neat fact. Fret dot not on 9th fret but 10th fret instead something different. Added upper and lower thumbrest/tug bar for that fingering style I have. Love that fact both bass EADG tuning or lead DGBe. So helps works on both Bass and guitar riff. Small neck also helps. Lightest gitfiddle I owe. Like almost nothing. Small and easy to play anywhere. Always wanted that Fender electric Telecaster Tenor but price went out of hand. This... Mr. Zimmer... It's name is great addition to my music.
Love to hear it! So regarding the 10th fret, you do see that on some tenor banjos too, which I think pulls from the mandolin family. So it makes sense you find it on a guitar too!
Thanks for getting back with the 10th fret difference. My Luna celtic banjitar 6 string. Has the 9th but is 6 string. Called this one Moon Child. Added pinkie ring to support you playing style. Has beautiful Moon fret dotes. Phazes of Moon shapes. Has MightyMite Humbucker pick up added. Amplified even more over natural sound. Not quite like playing 6 string guitar but I start out slow then seem to just got in the mood and melody just grows as I go. Well thanks again for that information. Been thinking about getting another mandolin. Had 2 years ago got from a fire sale. Used to them tuned like bass guitar also EADG. Along with a banjo also from same fire sale. And tune to EADG. Believe its was 5 string but I strung 4 as bass. Left that 5 top one off. And don't remember fret dot if 9 or 10 on either of those. They pasted through my hands good 40 years ago. Enjoyed but move one to players whole used as regularly used. You would never think Im a bass player. Took 2 Gibson Maestro Les paul 6 string and a Lark lawsuit gibson headstock Les Paul copy then made in to 24.5 guitar scale basses(tenor bass?). Red white and Blue. Sound great. Thanks again. Stories come easier at 66 years of age. Stay safe😷👍🎶🎵🎶🎸✌️😎
Very interesting and informative video. The guitar looks lovely but really doesn't sound good.
😂 sounds pretty good in person!
@@kostringworks Sounds good to me.
A really obscure guitar would be the plectrum guitar, which was a larger than a tenor and in banjo tuning rather than the mandola tuning of a normal tenor guitar. Trying to play CGBd tuning at that scale length would require heavier strings, although it might sound good in banjeaurine tuning (Gceg).
Nice! Yeah I've never seen one of those!
@@kostringworks
I had to back up your video to see if Eddie was playing his. I was lucky enough to stumble onto a Martin plectrum about a year ago. Another tuning to split my focus!
Oh nice, I bet that thing rips!!@@andrewvogt4239
I wonder if the non-reentrant concert uke tuning would sound good on it (Gcea)?
I bet it would!
Tenor guitar is an amazing accompaniment instrument for fiddles and mandolins.
Absolutely!
That sounds exquisite for the Irish folk bit at the end
Dude I bet
Love the banjo neck and tuners on a guitar body.
Such a great vibe!
Awesome video.
Thanks dude!
To be clear, not all tenors are small-bodied. Some of them have a fairly regular accoustic steel-stringed guitar body size and shape.
True! I kinda like the feeling of the proportions of the small body like this one, but those big ones sound great!
@@kostringworks And personally I have a tenor from Eastwood, the one that is styled similar to a Gretsch archtop. I suppose it's slightly smaller, but not a by whole lot. At least, it's big enough that when I play it sitting down, I'll have its top part of its lower bout lodged between chest and upper arm.
I keep it in all-fifth tuning, which is where I think tenors are most interesting. It also opens up a lot of the classical repertoir, since the violin family is also tuned in fifths. I think many people are playing things like the Bach cello suites on their tenors.
As Eddie Condon can be seen playing in this video.