Re: Re: OT: Tuning guitar in fifths for wider orchestration options

[Andreas Willers <a.willers@arcor.de>]

Daryl wrote:

"I was tuned DADGCF, so suddenly I started writing everything in D  
minor. After five years, I switched back to standard, and practice as  
often as I can in it, and haven't found myself in a rut (by my own  
subjective analysis, of course...) since. The solution was increasing  
my knowledge of the guitar, getting closer to the goal of making  
seamless the division between self and instrument, able to play what  
I heard in mind, not putting fingers down and finding new sounds by  
chance."


I'll second that. Spent years of working towards the point where I  
can play the stuff I hear in my head on the neck fast and  
intuitively, although I regulary use simpler open tunings and retune  
on the spot in some improv situations. Also I immediately bought this  
new Woodies G-band partial capo
http://www.woodiesuk.moonfruit.com/
because it can fret either the high or the low E-string leaving the  
others alone. I recorded a nice version of Paul Motians "Tuesday Ends  
Saturday" (from the early 70's ECM album "Tribute" with Charlie  
Haden) using the Bb on the low E string (capoed at 6th  fret) plus  
the open A to get a hip halfstep drone. But it seems I tend to  
"forget " to take it to live gigs, capos are always such a hassle.