The six-string alto guitar or G Guitar or Terz guitar is a smaller version of the

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 o ...

, designed to be fitted with lighter strings and tuned a

perfect fifth In music theory, a perfect fifth is the Interval (music), musical interval corresponding to a pair of pitch (music), pitches with a frequency ratio of 3:2, or very nearly so. In classical music from Western culture, a fifth is the interval fro ...

higher, to B-E-A-D-F♯/G♭-B. Terz guitar (Terz meaning third) refers to either a small sized

or to the practice of

tuning Tuning can refer to: Common uses * Tuning, the process of tuning a tuned amplifier or other electronic component * Musical tuning, musical systems of tuning, and the act of tuning an instrument or voice ** Guitar tunings ** Piano tuning, adjusting ...

a standard

guitar The guitar is a fretted musical instrument that typically has six strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming or plucking the strings with the dominant hand, while simultaneously pressing selected stri ...

minor third In music theory, a minor third is a musical interval that encompasses three half steps, or semitones. Staff notation represents the minor third as encompassing three staff positions (see: interval number). The minor third is one of two com ...

higher than standard guitar tuning (as though a capo were on the third

fret A fret is any of the thin strips of material, usually metal wire, inserted laterally at specific positions along the neck or fretboard of a stringed instrument. Frets usually extend across the full width of the neck. On some historical instrume ...

of the guitar). The scale length is generally 530 mm (20.8 inches), though sometimes as long as 560 mm (22 inches).

Mauro Giuliani Mauro Giuseppe Sergio Pantaleo Giuliani (27 July 1781 – 8 May 1829) was an Italian guitarist, cellist, singer, and composer. He was a leading guitar virtuoso of the early 19th century. Biography Although born in Bisceglie, Giuliani's center ...

and

Caspar Joseph Mertz Joseph Kaspar Mertz (in hu, Mertz János Gáspár) (17 August 1806 – 14 October 1856) was an Austro-Hungarian guitarist and composer. Biography Caspar Joseph Mertz (baptised Casparus Josephus Mertz) was born in Pressburg, now Bratislava (Slov ...

wrote extensively for the terz guitar as a complement to the prime (standard) guitar. Acceptable alternate spellings for ''terz'' include ''tierce'', ''third'', and ''tertz.'' Strings makers now produce strings that allow terz guitar tuning on standard scale length guitars at normal string tension. At the 2018 NAMM Show,

Reverend The Reverend is an style (manner of address), honorific style most often placed before the names of Christian clergy and Minister of religion, ministers. There are sometimes differences in the way the style is used in different countries and c ...

Guitars launched an electric Terz guitar in production along with

Billy Corgan William Patrick Corgan Jr. (born March 17, 1967) is an American musician, singer, songwriter, and professional wrestling promoter. He is best known as the lead singer, primary songwriter, guitarist, and only permanent member of the rock band the ...

Literature

Rainer Stelle: ''100 Jahre Musizieren mit Terz-, Prim- und Quintbassgitarre in Deutschland'', in: ''Auftakt!'' No. 4/2015, p. 43–45 (Fachzeitschrift des Bundes Deutscher Zupfmusiker e. V.)

References

External links

Alto guitar tuning and strings
Classical guitar G instruments Nonstandard-guitar tunings {{guitar-stub

See also

Literature

References

External links