Zouk Tuning

Trad Strings
1

Hi All,

I know that for the most part standard ITM tuning is ADAd, GDAd, or GDAe, but does anyone out there tune gG,dD,AA,ee for ITM? Just curious. If so, what are the reactions at session, etc. Much of the info out there seems to point to the fact that there is no “set” tradition in ITM yet. I’d enjoy hearing your thoughts.

Trout Bum

2

I’m not sure I understand. Are you just asking about the difference between unison stringing and octave stringing on the lower two courses?

3

Hi SteveK,

Yes, unison or octave. I guess I should have just asked it in that way. Thanks for helping me clarify.

Any thoughts?

4

I don’t have anything useful to say on the issue except that you’d probably get some responses if you asked the question on the cittern email group. I had a 12-string cittern once and it came with the bottom strings in octaves. I didn’t care for that and switched to unisons.

5

My first thought is that “in octaves” would result in more of a 12-string guitar, or 8- or 12-string bass guitar; there’d be a lot fuller of a feeling (in sound). It’d be good if you want to add a lot of “high end of the spectrum” mid range (the area of fiddles and flutes and such) - but that’s the range of several instruments and might come out sounding too muddy.

Unison is what I use; there’s already a guitarist in the band, and unison helps it stand out more when needed. Otherwise, there’d be two of us with octave-tuned instruments when he plays a 12, and even just “more mid range” when he plays the 6.

I use this on 10-string bouzouki (25 and 3/4 inch scale length), 10-string banjo-mandolin (15 inch), and mandolin (13 and whatever the standard is).
((not that size matters))

The same effect that 12-string bass players get when they slightly detune the pair of higher octave strings [that’s Eee Aaa Ddd Ggg] can be achieved to an extent with these instruments as well, giving not so much
the brights as just more of a pronounced uniqueness to the tone, drawing attention of the listener.

Without being pretenious, of course.

6

Thanks TommyK - that was a helpful post!!