How To Play Guitar
Learn Twelve String Guitar Tuning
The twelve string guitar is an interesting instrument used by rhythm guitarists to add a rich accompaniment to certain songs.
The instrument was long used by folk guitarists like Leadbelly, but really came into prominence during the late sixties and early seventies when guitarists like George Harrison and Jimmy Page took a liking to their sound.
Twelve string guitars are rarely, if ever, used by lead guitarists because of the difficulties in bending and plucking the strings.
12 String Guitar Pairs
The 12 strings are not individual strings as such but are grouped into pairs. This is similar to a mandolin and gives the guitar a rich, echoing, almost chorus like sound, making it very useful as a vocal accompaniment instrument.
The bottom two pairs (what you would know as the High E and B strings) are tuned to the same pitch. The remaining strings are tuned 1 full octave apart.
Twelve String Guitar Tuning
Standard guitar tuning is not preferred for 12 strings because the tension of the strings will warp the guitar neck over time. For this reason it is common practice to use lower tunings. The lower tuning also gives the guitar a much richer, deeper sound.
The intervals between strings of 12 string guitar tuning are the same as for the standard 6 string. You will be able to use normal fingering positions, scales and chords shapes. The difference is the 12 string guitar is normally tuned four semitones lower than its 6 string counterpart.
Low C Tuning
This tuning is called Low C tuning. So when you finger an E major chord you are in fact playing a C major sound. Have a look below at the low C tuning.
- 1st Pair – C (same pitch) – in standard tuning E
- 2nd Pair – G (same pitch) – in standard tuning B
- 3rd pair – Eb (1 octave apart) – in standard tuning G
- 4th pair – Bb (1 octave apart) – in standard tuning D
- 5th pair – F (1 octave apart) – in standard tuning A
- 6th pair – c (1 octave apart) – in standard tuning E Open
Twelve String Guitar Tunings
The low C tuning is not the only tuning you can use though. Open tunings, like Open D tuning, work especially well with the deeper sound.
A very interesting tuning idea I read about recently is tuning your 12 string to Nashville tuning.
October 18, 2008 at 12:41 pm | Learn Guitar Tuning | No comment