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Among alternative tunings for
guitar The guitar is a fretted musical instrument that typically has six string instrument, strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming or Plucked string instrument, plucking the strings with the dominant hand, w ...
, a major-thirds tuning is a
regular tuning Among alternative guitar-tunings, regular tunings have equal musical intervals between the paired notes of their successive open strings. ''Guitar  tunings'' assign pitches to the open strings of guitars. Tunings can be ...
in which each interval between successive open strings is a
major third In classical music, a third is a musical interval encompassing three staff positions (see Interval number for more details), and the major third () is a third spanning four semitones. Forte, Allen (1979). ''Tonal Harmony in Concept and Pr ...
("M3" in musical abbreviation). Other names for major-thirds tuning include major-third tuning, M3 tuning, all-thirds tuning, and augmented tuning. By definition, a major-third interval separates two notes that differ by exactly four
semitone A semitone, also called a half step or a half tone, is the smallest musical interval commonly used in Western tonal music, and it is considered the most dissonant when sounded harmonically. It is defined as the interval between two adjacent n ...
s (one-third of the twelve-note octave). The Spanish guitar's tuning mixes four
perfect fourth A fourth is a musical interval encompassing four staff positions in the music notation of Western culture, and a perfect fourth () is the fourth spanning five semitones (half steps, or half tones). For example, the ascending interval from C to t ...
s (five semitones) and one major-third, the latter occurring between the G and B strings: :E–A–D–''G''–''B''–E. This tuning, which is used for acoustic and electric guitars, is called "''standard''" in English, a convention that is followed in this article. While standard tuning is irregular, mixing four fourths and one major third, M3 tunings are regular: Only major-third intervals occur between the successive strings of the M3 tunings, for example, the
open Open or OPEN may refer to: Music * Open (band), Australian pop/rock band * The Open (band), English indie rock band * ''Open'' (Blues Image album), 1969 * ''Open'' (Gotthard album), 1999 * ''Open'' (Cowboy Junkies album), 2001 * ''Open'' (YF ...
augmented  C tuning. :G–C–E–G–C–E. For each M3 tuning, the open strings form an
augmented triad Augment or augmentation may refer to: Language * Augment (Indo-European), a syllable added to the beginning of the word in certain Indo-European languages *Augment (Bantu languages), a morpheme that is prefixed to the noun class prefix of nouns ...
in two octaves. For guitars with six strings, every major-third tuning repeats its three open-notes in two octaves, so providing many options for fingering chords. By repeating open-string notes and by having uniform intervals between strings, major-thirds tuning simplifies learning by beginners. These features also facilitate advanced guitarists'
improvisation Improvisation is the activity of making or doing something not planned beforehand, using whatever can be found. Improvisation in the performing arts is a very spontaneous performance without specific or scripted preparation. The skills of impr ...
, precisely the aim of jazz guitarist
Ralph Patt Ralph Oliver Patt (5 December 1929 – 6 October 2010) was an American jazz guitarist who introduced major-thirds tuning. Patt's tuning simplified the learning of the fretboard and chords by beginners and improvisation by advanced guitarists. ...
when he began popularizing major-thirds tuning between 1963 and 1964.


Avoiding standard tuning's irregular intervals

In standard tuning, the successive open-strings mix two types of intervals, four perfect-fourths and the major third between the G and B strings: :E2–A2–D3–''G3''–''B3''–E4. Only major thirds occur as open-string intervals for major-thirds tuning, which is also called "''major-third'' tuning", "''all-thirds'' tuning", and "''M3'' tuning". The most viable M3 tunings are: :*E2-G#2-C3-E3-G#3-C4 :*F2-A2-C#3-F3-A3-C#4 :*F#2-A#2-D3-F#3-A#3-D4 :*G2-B2-D#3-G3-B3-D#4 :*G#2-C3-E3-G#3-C4-E4 All of these tunings reduce the overall range of the instrument a bit: the first takes a M3 off the top of the range, and the last takes a M3 off the bottom of the range. One popular M3 tuning has the open strings: :G2–C3–E3–G3–C4–E4, which some guitarists have applied to the top six strings of a
seven string guitar The seven-string guitar adds one additional string to the more common six-string guitar, commonly used to extend the bass range (usually a low B) or also to extend the treble range. The additional string is added in one of two different ways: by ...
, with the low seventh string tuned to the low E, to restore the standard E–E range. While M3 tuning can use standard sets of guitar strings, specialized
string String or strings may refer to: *String (structure), a long flexible structure made from threads twisted together, which is used to tie, bind, or hang other objects Arts, entertainment, and media Films * ''Strings'' (1991 film), a Canadian anim ...
gauge Gauge ( or ) may refer to: Measurement * Gauge (instrument), any of a variety of measuring instruments * Gauge (firearms) * Wire gauge, a measure of the size of a wire ** American wire gauge, a common measure of nonferrous wire diameter, es ...
s have been recommended. The middle tunings are a compromise, each losing a note or two off both the top and the bottom of the range. For example, for six-string guitars, the M3 tuning: :F2–A2–D3–F3–A3–D4 loses the two lowest semitones on the low-E string and the two highest semitones from the high-E string in standard tuning; it can use string sets for standard tuning. Note that regardless of which note is chosen to start the tuning sequence, there are only four distinct sets of open-note
pitch class In music, a pitch class (p.c. or pc) is a set of all pitches that are a whole number of octaves apart; for example, the pitch class C consists of the Cs in all octaves. "The pitch class C stands for all possible Cs, in whatever octave posit ...
es. The major-thirds tunings respectively have the open notes : , , , and


Properties

Major-thirds tunings require less hand-stretching than other tunings, because each M3 tuning packs the octave's twelve notes into four consecutive frets. The major-third intervals allow
major chord In music theory, a major chord is a chord that has a root, a major third, and a perfect fifth. When a chord comprises only these three notes, it is called a major triad. For example, the major triad built on C, called a C major triad, has pitc ...
s and
minor chord In music theory, a minor chord is a chord that has a root, a minor third, and a perfect fifth. When a chord comprises only these three notes, it is called a minor triad. For example, the minor triad built on C, called a C minor triad, has pit ...
s to be played with two–three consecutive fingers on two consecutive frets. Every major-thirds tuning is regular and repetitive, two properties that facilitate learning by beginners and improvisation by advanced guitarists.


Four frets for the four fingers

In major-thirds tuning, the chromatic scale is arranged on three consecutive strings in four consecutive frets. This four-fret arrangement facilitates the left-hand technique for classical (Spanish) guitar: For each hand position of four frets, the hand is stationary and the fingers move, each finger being responsible for one fret. Consequently, three hand-positions (covering frets 1–4, 5–8, and 9–12) partition the
fingerboard The fingerboard (also known as a fretboard on fretted instruments) is an important component of most stringed instruments. It is a thin, long strip of material, usually wood, that is laminated to the front of the neck of an instrument. The stri ...
of classical guitar, which has exactly 12 frets. Only two or three frets are needed for the
guitar chord In music, a guitar chord is a set of notes played on a guitar. A chord's notes are often played simultaneously, but they can be played sequentially in an arpeggio. The implementation of guitar chords depends on the guitar tuning. Most guitars ...
s—major, minor, and dominant sevenths—which are emphasized in introductions to guitar-playing and to the fundamentals of music. Each major and minor chord can be played on two successive frets on three successive strings, and therefore each needs only two fingers. Other chords— seconds, fourths, sevenths, and ninths—are played on only three successive frets. For fundamental-chord fingerings, major-thirds tuning's simplicity and consistency are not shared by standard tuning, whose seventh-chord fingering is discussed at the end of this section.


Repetition

Each major-thirds tuning repeats its open-notes after every two strings, which results in two copies of the three open-strings' notes, each in a different octave. This repetition again simplifies the learning of chords and improvisation. This advantage is not shared by two popular regular-tunings, all-fourths and
all-fifths tuning Among guitar tunings, all-fifths tuning refers to the set of tunings in which each interval between consecutive open strings is a perfect fifth. All-fifths tuning is also called fifths, perfect fifths, or mandoguitar. The conventional ...
. Chord inversion is especially simple in major-thirds tuning. Chords are inverted simply by raising one or two notes three strings. The raised notes are played with the same finger as the original notes. Thus, major and minor chords are played on two frets in M3 tuning even when they are inverted. In contrast, inversions of chords in standard tuning require three fingers on a span of four frets, in standard tuning, the shape of inversions depends on the involvement of the irregular major-third.


Regular musical intervals

In each
regular tuning Among alternative guitar-tunings, regular tunings have equal musical intervals between the paired notes of their successive open strings. ''Guitar  tunings'' assign pitches to the open strings of guitars. Tunings can be ...
, the musical intervals are the same for each pair of consecutive strings. Other regular tunings include all-fourths, augmented-fourths, and all-fifths tunings. For each regular tuning, chord patterns may be moved around the fretboard, a property that simplifies beginners' learning of chords and advanced players' improvisation. In contrast, chords cannot be shifted around the fretboard in standard tuning, which requires four chord-shapes for the major chords: There are separate fingerings for chords having
root note In music theory, the concept of root is the idea that a chord can be represented and named by one of its notes. It is linked to harmonic thinking—the idea that vertical aggregates of notes can form a single unit, a chord. It is in this sense ...
s on one of the four strings three–six.


Shifting chords: Vertical and diagonal

The repetition of the major-thirds tuning enables notes and chords to be raised one octave by being ''vertically'' shifted by three strings. Notes and chords may be shifted ''diagonally'' in major-thirds tuning, by combining a vertical shift of one string with a horizontal shift of four frets: "Like all regular tunings, chords in the major third tuning can be moved across the fretboard (ascending or descending a major third for each string)...." In standard tuning, playing scales of one octave requires three patterns, which depend on the string of the root note. Chords cannot be shifted diagonally without changing finger-patterns. Standard tuning has four finger-patterns for musical intervals, four forms for basic major-chords, and three forms for the inversion of the basic major-chords.


Open chords and beginning players

Major-thirds tunings are unconventional
open tuning Guitar tunings are the assignment of pitches to the open strings of guitars, including acoustic guitars, electric guitars, and classical guitars. Tunings are described by the particular pitches that are made by notes in Western music. By ...
s, in which the open strings form an
augmented triad Augment or augmentation may refer to: Language * Augment (Indo-European), a syllable added to the beginning of the word in certain Indo-European languages *Augment (Bantu languages), a morpheme that is prefixed to the noun class prefix of nouns ...
. In M3 tunings, the ''augmented'' fifth replaces the ''perfect'' fifth of the major triad, which is used in conventional open-tunings. For example, the C-augmented triad (C,E,G) has a G in place of the C-major triad's G. (The note G is enharmonically equivalent to A, as noted above.) Consequently, M3 tunings are also called (open) ''augmented-fifth tunings'' (in French "''La guitare #5, majeure quinte augmentée''"). Instructional literature uses standard tuning. Traditionally a course begins with the hand in first position, that is, with the left-hand covering frets 1–4. Beginning players first learn
open chord In music for stringed instruments, especially guitar, an open chord (open-position chord) is a chord that includes one or more strings that are not fingered. An open string vibrates freely, whereas a fingered string will be partially dampened u ...
s belonging to the
major key In music theory, the key of a piece is the group of pitches, or scale, that forms the basis of a musical composition in classical, Western art, and Western pop music. The group features a '' tonic note'' and its corresponding '' chords'', a ...
s C, G, and D. Guitarists who play mainly open chords in these three major-keys and their relative minor-keys ( Am, Em, Bm) may prefer standard tuning over an M3 tuning. In particular, hobbyists playing folk music around a campfire are well served by standard tuning. Such hobbyists may also play major-thirds tuning, which also has many open chords with notes on five or six strings; chords with five-six strings have greater volume than chords with three-four strings and so are useful for acoustic guitars (for example, acoustic-electric guitars without amplification). Intermediate guitarists do not limit themselves to one hand-position, and consequently open chords are only part of their chordal repertoire. In contemporary music, master guitarists "think diagonally and move up and down the strings"; fluency on the entire fretboard is needed particularly by guitarists playing jazz. According to its inventor,
Ralph Patt Ralph Oliver Patt (5 December 1929 – 6 October 2010) was an American jazz guitarist who introduced major-thirds tuning. Patt's tuning simplified the learning of the fretboard and chords by beginners and improvisation by advanced guitarists. ...
, major-thirds tuning
makes the hard things easy and the easy things hard. ... This is never going to take the place of folk guitar, and it's not meant to. For difficult music, and for where we are going in free jazz and even the old be-bop jazz, this is a much easier way to play.


Left-handed chords

Major-thirds tuning is closely related to minor-sixths tuning, which is the regular tuning that is based on the
minor sixth In Western classical music, a minor sixth is a musical interval encompassing six staff positions (see Interval number for more details), and is one of two commonly occurring sixths (the other one being the major sixth). It is qualified as ''min ...
, the interval of eight semitones. Either ascending by a major third or by descending by a minor sixth, one arrives at the same
pitch class In music, a pitch class (p.c. or pc) is a set of all pitches that are a whole number of octaves apart; for example, the pitch class C consists of the Cs in all octaves. "The pitch class C stands for all possible Cs, in whatever octave posit ...
, the same note representing pitches in different octaves. Intervals paired like the pair of major-third and minor-sixth intervals are termed "
inverse interval In music theory, an inversion is a type of change to intervals, chords, voices (in counterpoint), and melodies. In each of these cases, "inversion" has a distinct but related meaning. The concept of inversion also plays an important role in mus ...
s" in the theory of music. Consequently,
chord chart A chord chart (or chart) is a form of musical notation that describes the basic harmonic and rhythmic information for a song or tune. It is the most common form of notation used by professional session musicians playing jazz or popular music. It i ...
s for minor-sixths tunings may be used for left-handed major-thirds tunings; conversely, chord charts for major-thirds tunings may be used for left-handed minor-sixths tunings.


Fingering of seventh chords

Major-thirds tuning facilitates playing chords with closed voicings. In contrast, standard tuning would require more hand-stretching to play closed-voice seventh chords, and so standard tuning uses open voicings for many four-note chords, for example of
dominant seventh In music theory, a dominant seventh chord, or major minor seventh chord, is a seventh chord, usually built on the fifth degree of the major scale, and composed of a root, major third, perfect fifth, and minor seventh. Thus it is a major triad tog ...
chords. By definition, a ''dominant seventh'' is a four-note chord combining a major chord and a
minor seventh In music theory, a minor seventh is one of two musical intervals that span seven staff positions. It is ''minor'' because it is the smaller of the two sevenths, spanning ten semitones. The major seventh spans eleven. For example, the interval fr ...
. For example, the C7 seventh chord combines the C-major chord with B. In standard tuning, extending the root-bass C-major chord (C,E,G) to a C7 chord (C, E, G, B) would span six frets (3–8); such seventh chords "contain some pretty serious stretches in the left hand". An illustration shows this C7 voicing (C, E, G, B), which would be extremely difficult to play in standard tuning, besides the openly voiced C7-chord that is conventional in standard tuning: This open-position C7 chord is termed a second-inversion C7 drop 2 chord (C, G, B, E), because the second-highest note (C) in the second-inversion C7 chord (G, B, ''C'', E) is lowered by an octave.The illustration designates B by its
enharmonic equivalent In modern musical notation and tuning, an enharmonic equivalent is a note, interval, or key signature that is equivalent to some other note, interval, or key signature but "spelled", or named differently. The enharmonic spelling of a written ...
, A. Guitar fretboards use (
twelve-tone The twelve-tone technique—also known as dodecaphony, twelve-tone serialism, and (in British usage) twelve-note composition—is a method of musical composition first devised by Austrian composer Josef Matthias Hauer, who published his "law ...
) equal-temperament tuning, in which B and A denote the same pitch. These notes represent distinct pitches in tuning systems that are not equally tempered.


Disadvantages

While major thirds tuning confers the numerous advantages detailed above, it also introduces certain disadvantages, as compared to the instrument's standard tuning: :* M3 tuning decreases the overall range of the guitar (this is why some players eventually resorted to 7- and 8- string instruments, to regain that lost range) :* M3 simplifies the voicing of chords in ''close harmony'', but it makes certain common voicings in ''open harmony'' more difficult, or even impossible :* M3 facilitates moving 3- and 4-note chords up or down an octave, but it makes the fingerings for 5- and 6-note multi-octave chords more complex and awkward.


History

Major-thirds tuning was introduced in 1964 by jazz guitarist
Ralph Patt Ralph Oliver Patt (5 December 1929 – 6 October 2010) was an American jazz guitarist who introduced major-thirds tuning. Patt's tuning simplified the learning of the fretboard and chords by beginners and improvisation by advanced guitarists. ...
. He was studying with
Gunther Schuller Gunther Alexander Schuller (November 22, 1925June 21, 2015) was an American composer, conductor, horn player, author, historian, educator, publisher, and jazz musician. Biography and works Early years Schuller was born in Queens, New York City, ...
, whose
twelve-tone technique The twelve-tone technique—also known as dodecaphony, twelve-tone serialism, and (in British usage) twelve-note composition—is a method of musical composition first devised by Austrian composer Josef Matthias Hauer, who published his "law o ...
was invented for atonal composition by his teacher,
Arnold Schoenberg Arnold Schoenberg or Schönberg (, ; ; 13 September 187413 July 1951) was an Austrian-American composer, music theorist, teacher, writer, and painter. He is widely considered one of the most influential composers of the 20th century. He was as ...
. Patt was also inspired by the
free jazz Free jazz is an experimental approach to jazz improvisation that developed in the late 1950s and early 1960s when musicians attempted to change or break down jazz conventions, such as regular tempos, tones, and chord changes. Musicians duri ...
of
Ornette Coleman Randolph Denard Ornette Coleman (March 9, 1930 – June 11, 2015) was an American jazz saxophonist, violinist, trumpeter, and composer known as a principal founder of the free jazz genre, a term derived from his 1960 album '' Free Jazz: A Colle ...
and John Coltrane. Seeking a
guitar tuning Guitar tunings are the assignment of pitches to the open strings of guitars, including acoustic guitars, electric guitars, and classical guitars. Tunings are described by the particular pitches that are made by notes in Western music. By ...
that would facilitate
improvisation Improvisation is the activity of making or doing something not planned beforehand, using whatever can be found. Improvisation in the performing arts is a very spontaneous performance without specific or scripted preparation. The skills of impr ...
using twelve tones, he introduced major-thirds tuning by 1964, perhaps in 1963. To achieve the E−E open-string range of standard (Spanish) tuning, Patt started using
seven-string guitar The seven-string guitar adds one additional string to the more common six-string guitar, commonly used to extend the bass range (usually a low B) or also to extend the treble range. The additional string is added in one of two different ways: by ...
s in 1963, before settling on
eight-string guitar An eight-string guitar is a guitar with eight strings, or one more than the Russian guitar's seven. Eight-string guitars are less common than six- and seven-string guitars, but they are used by a few classical, jazz, and metal guitarists. The e ...
s with high G ( equivalently A) as their highest open-notes. Patt used major-thirds tuning during all of his work as a
session musician Session musicians, studio musicians, or backing musicians are musicians hired to perform in recording sessions or live performances. The term sideman is also used in the case of live performances, such as accompanying a recording artist on a t ...
after 1965 in New York. Patt developed a webpage with extensive information about major-thirds tuning.


See also

* Minor-thirds tuning * Repetitive open-tunings approximate M3 tunings: ** Non-Spanish
classical guitar The classical guitar (also known as the nylon-string guitar or Spanish guitar) is a member of the guitar family used in classical music and other styles. An acoustic wooden string instrument with strings made of gut or nylon, it is a precursor of ...
s: ***
English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...
: Its open-C tuning C–E–G–C–E–G approximates C–E–G–C–E–G ***
Russian Russian(s) refers to anything related to Russia, including: *Russians (, ''russkiye''), an ethnic group of the East Slavic peoples, primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries * Rossiyane (), Russian language term for all citizens and p ...
: Its 7-string open-G tuning G–B–D–G–B–D–G approximates G–B–D–G–B–D–G **Other
open tuning Guitar tunings are the assignment of pitches to the open strings of guitars, including acoustic guitars, electric guitars, and classical guitars. Tunings are described by the particular pitches that are made by notes in Western music. By ...
s *** Open A tuning: E–A–C–E–A–C approximates F–A–C–F–A–C *** Open B tuning: F–B–D–F–B–D approximates G–B–D–G–B–D *** Open C tuning: C–E–G–C–E–G approximates C–E–G–C–E–G ***
Open D tuning Open D tuning is an open tuning for the acoustic or electric guitar. The open string notes in this tuning are (from lowest to highest): D A D F A D. It uses the three notes that form the triad of a D major chord: D, the root note; A, ...
: D–F–A–D–F–A approximates D–F–A–D–F–A *** Open E tuning: E–G–B–E–G–B approximates E–G–C–E–G–C *** Open F tuning: F–A–C–F–A–C approximates F–A–C–F–A–C *** Open G tuning: G–B–D–G–B–D approximates G–B–D–G–B–D


References


Footnotes


Citations


Bibliography

* * * * * * * * * * * * *


Further reading

*


External links

* * Professors Andreas Griewank and
William Sethares William A. Sethares (born April 19, 1955) is an American music theorist and professor of electrical engineering at the University of Wisconsin. In music, he has contributed to the theory of Dynamic Tonality and provided a formalization of consonan ...
each recommend discussions of major-thirds tuning by two jazz-guitarists, and : ** Ole Kirkeby fo
6- and 7-string guitars
Charts o

an

** Ralph Patt fo
6-, 7-, and 8-string guitars
Charts o

an
string gauges
* Three other jazz-guitar websites: ** ** ** * * * {{Guitar tunings, Regular Regular guitar-tunings Repetitive guitar-tunings Jazz guitar