What is Nashville tuning?

[John The Cut]

I'm not really a guitar player - but I've got this Trisha Yearwood track I'm trying to record which is in Eb and sounds weird on guitar in normal tuning.

I've heard mention of 'Nashville tuning' and was wondering if this is anything to do with it?

[Ziggy!!]

Typically you replace wound strings with higher unwound strings that are tuned an octave higher.

Its kind of like playing just the 6 extra strings that you find on a 12string guitar...

[Jamz]

I seem to recall first hearing about Nashville Tuning when the Stones recorded "Wild Horses". I believe it's when you string a standard acoustic guitar with the thin higher octave strings from a 12 string.

[C Heat]

http://www.guitartips.addr.com/tip164.html

[tomwehrle]

i'm kinda interested to hear what that sounds like, any of you have any song references (modern songs) that use this? or anything you've recorded

[absrec]

The guitar on the Trisha Yearwood song may be in some kind of an open tuning like open E or open G. Just to confirm what someone else said. When a guitar is "Nashville tuned" or "Nashville strung", also referred to as "high strung", it just means that you put the high strings of a 12 string pack on a six string guitar and play the same part as you did on the standard tuned guitar. Or not! You can sometimes come up with some cool stand-alone parts as well. It works well with acoustic or electric.

Good luck.

-Aaron

[John The Cut]

cool. thanks for the replies. thats cleared that up. I suppose the song in question is just tuned down to Eb?

[Cujo]

This is one of my favorite overdubs.

I keep my cheap acoustic strung this way and it got used this weekend.
"Spanish Bombs" by The Clash have high strung.

[OKden]

What is the song in question?

[Cujo]

Hmm, I am just thinking of that Eb thing.
Is it tuned down to d? or a Capo way up the neck so you can play open G form as an Eb? I thnk the 8th fret?

[HudHudson]

A cool variation on the standard Nashville high string thing is to replace only the G string with a .008 and tune that one an octave higher.

[John The Cut]

Originally Posted by OKden

What is the song in question?

The song is 'Wouldn't Any Woman' by Trisha Yearwood.

Hmm, I am just thinking of that Eb thing.
Is it tuned down to d? or a Capo way up the neck so you can play open G form as an Eb? I thnk the 8th fret?

The first chord on the lectric is an open chord definately using the bottom E string, but Eb. Not being a guitar player of course, I am kind of blaggin my way through it. I settled on pitching the whole track up to E and then playing the guitar in E, now I am pitching the guitar parts down to Eb

This is all useful information to me so thanks a lot

[PRobb]

A similar effect can be gotten by cross -capoing. For example- play a strummed accoustic guitar part in G in the open position. Then capo the seventh fret and double the part by fingering in C.

[Faderjockey]

That's what I like doing..Using a 12 string set.

Take the octave strings and replace the E,A,D,G leaving the B,E the same.
You can use different voices for chords...But even if you recut on top of another gtr at normal tuning it sounds cool...

Almost like cuting a 12 string...But cut 6 strings at a time...

Works well on Acu/Electric gtr's.

[wallace]

Can't you just tune your guitar down a half step?

[John The Cut]

Originally Posted by wallace

Can't you just tune your guitar down a half step?

I suppose so Am I allowed to do that?

I was more after info on the possible positions and if I was missing out on anything, cos this track is a bugger to play. My hand went physically numb from barring the whole thing.

You see, accoustic is playing this riff, which sounds odd in standard tuning played up at the 8th fret. The electric is playing some country chords which are open with an Eb flat in the bass.

My electric was sitting nicely in tune so I just played it in E and pitched it all down. Sounds Ok actually, although not exact. I have exponential accumulative crap now on this track...

.. hopefully rescued by a nice slide guitar solo (for which I am using my lighter..) oh no..

[chrisgraff]

The ac gtr is standard tuning, capo'd on the 1st fret. There might be a double w/Nashville tuning (aka high strung), capo'd the same way.

Elec. gtr is definitely tuned down to Eb.

For more acoustic gtr tuning madness, check out DADGAD; either standard strings or high strung. Guys use that tuning alot down here.

A good example is SheDaisy's "Passenger Seat".

[dbbubba]

yes, the high strings of a styandard 12 string

The other "Nashville" trick is to put your capo at the 2nd or 3rd fret for the double track.
If the song was in G you'd put the capo at the 3rd fret and play the double in E.
It re-voices the chords and gives you more open strings. It is a much richer sound.

If it seems like a bit of a brain twister to figure out how to play it with the capo use the the Nashvile number system to write out the changes. It's much easier then.

I can hear it now.
"What's the number system?"

There are LOT'S of songs altered tuning or use of a capo on the GTRs.
Hotel California anyone?

Danny Brown

[John The Cut]

Originally Posted by chrisgraff

The ac gtr is standard tuning,...

Hey Chris, Thanks!

[PRobb]

Originally Posted by dbbubba

yes, the high strings of a styandard 12 string

The other "Nashville" trick is to put your capo at the 2nd or 3rd fret for the double track.
If the song was in G you'd put the capo at the 3rd fret and play the double in E.
It re-voices the chords and gives you more open strings. It is a much richer sound.

If it seems like a bit of a brain twister to figure out how to play it with the capo use the the Nashvile number system to write out the changes. It's much easier then.

Yes. I love cross-capo doubles (but capoed higher), and the number thing is definitely the best way to approach it.

[Tubthumper]

Hmmm. inneresting.

Can anyone describe the sound of a guitar strung this way??? I guessing it has less bottom end.......

[7rojo7]

It's better to have a dedicated gtr for this.
The tension adjustments you have to do on the instrument to get it in tune are massive.
It has to be played delicately because it's easy to bend the strings "out".
In the end it sounds like a shaker.

[PRobb]

Originally Posted by Tubthumper

Hmmm. inneresting.

Can anyone describe the sound of a guitar strung this way??? I guessing it has less bottom end.......

The point is not how it sounds, but how it adds to the part it's doubling. I don't think it's ever used alone.

[chrisgraff]

With Nashville tuning, the low E, A, D and G strings are an octave higher; you end up with "closer" voicings. What would normally be a two-octave voicing is now crammed into one.

Nashville tuning=shimmer.

[20to20]

Actually, it's kinda fun composing with a Nash-tuned guitar...

All of your old, stale chords have a new zest to 'em...

It can definitely inspire new vocal melodies
that 'fit over' old chord changes...

But mainly the high tuning is, as mentioned,
great for doubling standard-tuned rhythm gtr parts...

If you have another gtr around (even an old beater),
I'd strongly recommend that you give it a try...

[chrisgraff]

Originally Posted by PRobb

The point is not how it sounds, but how it adds to the part it's doubling. I don't think it's ever used alone.

Usually it's a double, although it's useful on it's own when you need it to stay out of the way.

One example: Michael W. Smith - "She Walks with Me" (two passes of hi-strung guitar)

[darkwater]

a couple of weeks ago I bought an Alvarez dreadnought and took it straight off the wall and back to the shop in the back of True Tone Music. I told those guys to set it up with Nashville tuning. Those guys ROCKED the thing. Absolutely beautiful. I mean, it's a $200 guitar and it's so DAMN much fun to play. Sounds gorgeous with the Nashville tuning. My main acoustic is a Santa Cruz H. Cost me a little under $3000. This Alvarez is the magic doubler for that guitar and definitely holds up in the mix.

[Tubthumper]

Originally Posted by 7rojo7

In the end it sounds like a shaker.

Hmmm. I’ve always really dug the Stones track, “Street Fightin’ Man”. It has a groove that I find almost irresistible. On closer listening I found that there’s an acoustic guitar part that seems to replicate the hi-hat pattern and lordy, doesn’t it give the rhythm a wonderful feel. It sounds quite close to a shaker, cabasa, maracas- kinda thing.

Could be a case in point. Maybe not.

[Cujo]

I'll have to go back and listen to that one, but i don't think that is Nashville.
Probably a guitar with a sheet of papper weaved in the strings or something

Originally Posted by Tubthumper

Hmmm. I’ve always really dug the Stones track, “Street Fightin’ Man”. It has a groove that I find almost irresistible. On closer listening I found that there’s an acoustic guitar part that seems to replicate the hi-hat pattern and lordy, doesn’t it give the rhythm a wonderful feel. It sounds quite close to a shaker, cabasa, maracas- kinda thing.

Could be a case in point. Maybe not.

[scott petito]

I use Hi strung for doubles all the time I keep one guitar set up this way so it will stay adjusted to the decrease in tension.....try this some time... standard tuning guitar panned center.... Hi string dble panned Left, Hi string triple cross capoed or in dadgad hard right..... pretty sweet.... lately though I have been doing more of this kind of thing with a Laoude a spanish citern of sorts only I have it tuned like a standard guitar( at f # instead of E) and all 6 strings are unison no octaves... really hip......

cheers

SP