This article gives an introduction to the Indian Music system and its core elements and provides insight

into applying its grammar and technique on guitar. Classical Indian music and jazz
may sound very different but at least one factor is very important to both styles of music: improvisation. - See more at: http://www.jazzguitar.be/indian_music_for_guitar.html#sthash.

The Indian Music System - Introduction

The Indian music system's origins date back to the Vedic period (2000-6000 years ago). In this period, several literary texts and verses (Vedas) were sung in musical
patterns which formed the base of the Indian music system.

In later years (14th -15th Century AD), Indian music got broadly classified into two classical forms of music:

Hindustani music (North India)

Carnatic music (South India)

This divide was mainly due to the difference in styles. following the Persian/Mughal invasion of Northern India, which brought a lot of influence into Hindustani Music.
Though Hindustani and Carnatic Music share a lot of common aspects (phrasing techniques, similar ragas, etc.), each one has a distinct structure of its own. These
systems have continued to live over the centuries and are still performed with traditional expertise, and at times also incorporating modern music elements into them.

Guitar Tuning: Western vs Indian Tuning

Although all examples of ragas discussed in this article will relate to the standard western tuning, this tuning is not the ideal guitar tuning for Indian music.

The ideal guitar tuning for classical Indian Music has alternate strings tuned to the tonic and the dominant (perfect 5th) notes. The Tonic is normally taken as D or E due to
feasibility issues on the Guitar.

These 2 tunings are typical for Indian music:

1.

D
A
D
A
D
X

2.

B
E
B
E
B
E

In the first tuning, the first (highest) string on the guitar is omitted.

The reason to use this tuning is because the tonic and the dominant notes are the least complex to play in a system that involves playing defined microtonal slides called
Gamakas. Gamakas are the main phrasing technique in Indian Music and it explains how different notes are phrased relative to each other for different ragas.

What Are Ragas and How are They Different From Scales?
Ragas form the basis of the Classical Indian Music system.

A raga maybe defined as a specific collection of notes (semitonal values), played together with a specific grammar of Gamakas (microtonal slides).

Ragas and scales are quite common at the top level. In effect, both ragas and scales are merely a specific collection of musical notes played in a specific order, in
ascent and descent. However the grammar of the Gamakas and its phrasing brings a completely different identity/texture to a raga and it cannot be musically compared to
its equivalent scale, played as a collection of plain notes.

The raga therefore, is purely dependent on the specific Gamakas phrasing applied to it (which differs for each raga), in the absence of which it is merely a collection of
notes aka a scale.

- See more at: http://www.jazzguitar.be/indian_music_for_guitar.html#sthash.9rtbK3JX.dpufrtbK3JX.dpuf

The Indian Equivalent for the 12 Semitones

The following table relates the 12 semitone savailable to us in the Western tuning system to its Indian equivalent name references (Swaras).

Before reading the table, you need to understand that Indian music notes are not absolute values like their western counterparts. They are all relative to the tonic note
(Shadjam), which is fixed to a reference value namely C or D or any other semitonal value.

Here we assume our tonic to be D, for easy reference while playing. (in the video more below we also use the tonic D as Shadjam).
- See more at: http://www.jazzguitar.be/indian_music_for_guitar.html#sthash.9rtbK3JX.dpuf

Semitones

Indian Swara

Equivalent Tone Value

D (tonic)

S - Shadjam(Sa)

D#

R1 - Suddha Rishabham(Ri1)

R2 - Chatusruthi Rishabham(Ri2)

G1 - Suddha Gandharam (Ga1)

R3 - Shatsruthi Rishabham (Ri3)

G2 - Sadharana Gandharam (Ga2)

F#

G3 - Anthara Gandharam (Ga3)

M1 - Suddha Madhyamam(Ma1)

G#

M2 - Prati Madhyamam (Ma2)

A (dominant/perfect 5th)

P - Panchamam (Pa)

A#

D1 - Suddha Dhaivatham (Da1)

D2 - Chatusruthi Dhaivatham (Da2)

N1 - Suddha Nishadham (Ni1)

D3 - Shatsruthi Dhaivatham (Da3)

N2 - Kaisiki Nishadham (Ni2)

C#

N3 - Kakali Nishadham (Ni3)

- See more at: http://www.jazzguitar.be/indian_music_for_guitar.html#sthash.9rtbK3JX.dpuf

This table classifies, the 12 semitones of the Western tuning system, to relative Indian Swara names.

The basic seven notes are Sa, Ri, Ga, Ma, Pa, Da, Ni with variations:

Sa 1

Ri 3

Ga 3

Ma 2

Pa 1

Da 3

Ni 3

The manner in which they are named as (Ri/Ga) and (Da/Ni) for same values, depends on the relative notes occurring in the raga, and differs from case to case. (To be
discussed in detail in later articles)

- See more at: http://www.jazzguitar.be/indian_music_for_guitar.html#sthash.9rtbK3JX.dpuf

Melody vs. Harmony

The beauty of the Indian Music system lies in its complex melodic structure, brought out with the well defined phrasing technique of Gamakas.

In Western music scales are built with a strong foundation in harmony. Carnatic music focuses on permutation of all available semitonal values (swaras). This gives rise to
the foundation of the family of ragas, called the Melakartha System (in Carnatic Music).

The Melakartha system is a set of 72 parent ragas. Each of these ragas contain all seven notes (swaras) of the octave in both ascending and descending order. These
72 ragas (parent) along with their derived ragas (child) exhaust all possible melodic combinations available to us through all music forms across the world.

That brings to light the depth in melodic structure in Carnatic Music. Hence it is important to understand that melody and phrasing of Carnatic music is very complex
compared to the Western music system, which in turn shows its complexity in harmony of musical notes.

- See more at: http://www.jazzguitar.be/indian_music_for_guitar.html#sthash.9rtbK3JX.dpuf

https://www.ultimate-guitar.com/lessons/music_styles/indian_classical_carnatic_music_part_1.html
Music is an extremely subjective, aural experience. Some sounds are perceived by us as pleasant and some others as unpleasant. What is considered pleasant or unpleasant can
be quite personal, based on our specific culture, exposure to particular kinds of music and perhaps even on what our parents told us. A song could be a major hit in one country
and could be completely disliked and ignored in some other country. Our musical tastes are indeed developed. As we grow up, and discover music from other cultures or newer
musical styles, our tastes too change. Sometimes, we even discover a pleasant piece of music purely by accident - because it simply happened to resonate with our inner
sensibilities. Oh, nothing like self discovery! So how do we make sense of sound and music? Let us try to answer this by examining some simple concepts first. Our high school
physics tells us that sound has several features - such as pitch, intensity, quality and duration. The pitch is just the frequency of the sound vibration - given in hertz or cycles. The
musical term for frequency is 'tone'. The audible frequency range extends from about 25 Hz to around eight or ten thousand hertz, although it depends entirely on the individual.
Children can hear much higher frequencies. At the lower end of the range, even if we may not 'hear' ultralow frequencies, we may 'feel' the vibrations as a tactile sensation The
other attribute of sound - duration - is self-explanatory. It is simply the time during which the specific frequency or 'tone' lasts. The term 'quality' is more difficult to understand.
It is simply a signature of the source of the sound. It is a term which explains why a violin sounds like a violin and a drum sounds like a drum. This attribute is precisely the
reason you can make out your mother's voice over the phone even if she has a horrible cold. The bottomline is, when you or an instrument produce sound, you not only produce
one frequency, but also produce a spectrum consisting of several 'overtones'. This is variously referred to as 'timbre' or 'tone color'. This constitutes the 'Quality' of that sound.

Basics Of Carnatic Music

Unlike western music in carnatic music ther are 22 notes in an octave( as compared to 12 in the west). Using vibratos, you can achive the extra notes on a giutar. We noted that
in carnatic music it is not enough to produce just twelve or even twenty two 'tones' in an octave. One ought to produce even the intermediate frequencies. These intermediate
frequencies, which do not have any keys to produce them, are called 'microtones'. The Indian word for the 'microtone' is 'gamakam'. (of course, 'gamak' in hindi) It is often very
difficult to explain this concept clearly and precisely. If the C key produces 240 Hz and the C# key produces 254 Hz what intermediate frequencies are we talking about? Does
Indian music use sounds produced at 247 Hz? Treatises have been written in India about such microtonal apects of music. Suffice it to say that microtones or gamakams tend to
be clustered around the primary key frequency, although this need not always be the case. In the Indian system, we do not use alphabets to label notes. Instead, we use short,
meaningless (please don't beat me to death on this - I know there are etymological reasons for choosing these set of syllables) syllables which go - Sa ri ga ma pa dha ni. These
seven syllables are actually mnemonics to represent the 'notes' or 'Swarams' in Indian music. They are referred to as the 'Saptha Swarams' or 'Seven Swarams'. So, confusing as
it may sound, in Indian music, we use the 'notes' to represent the 'tones'. Even in case of Indian music, we can extend our labeling of the keys to other octaves, much like in the
Western system. In Indian music, the main octave is called 'Madhya stayi', the octave above it (higher) is called 'tara stayi' and the octave just below the Madhya stayi is called
'Mandra stayi'.(by the way the key of g and g# are the commonly used ones in carnatic music.)

-------------------------------------0---1---2---3------------------0---1---2---3---4------------------0---1---2---3----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Sa
Ri1 Ri2 Ri3 Ga3 Ma1 Ma2 Pa Dha1Dha2Dha3Ni3 Sa
(Ga1 Ga2)
(Ni1 Ni2)
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9 10
11 12
13
S
R1 R2 R3 G3 M1 M2 P
D1 D2 D3 N3
Scales (ragams)
Now, in carntic music the scales, I.e.ragams are infinite in number(though only some 279 are actually used ). Out of these the most prominant ragams are the Melakarta ragams,
which are exactly 72 in number, and have infiite sub- ragams.(sub ragams are generally ones in which a few notes are xlded completely, though normally atlest 5 notes are there,
some are played differently while coming up I.e aroham and coming down ie avroham) The melakarta ragams are dveloped according to the following method:

Rule 1: always select The 'Sa'.

Rule 2: always select the Pa . This is a convenient midpoint of the octave, sort of.
Rule 3: select one of the two Ma keys (Ma1 or Ma2 )- Once selected, this key is your
'Ma'.
Rule 4: select any two out of the four notes in the lower tetrachord. (From notes 2, 3, 4
and 5) Once selected, the first of these two notes will be your 'Ri' and the second your 'ga'.
Rule 5: select any two notes out of the four notes in the upper tetrachord. (From notes 9,
10,11 and 12) Once selected, the first of the two notes will be your 'dha' and the second will
be your 'ni'. This rule is exactly like Rule 4. Thus they are:
#

Name

Ri ga Dha ni #

Suddha Madhyamam (M1)

Name

Ri ga Dha ni

Prati Madhyamam (M2)

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

1 Kanakanki

R1 G1 D1 N1

37 Salagam

R1 G1 D1 N1

2 Ratnangi

R1 G1 D1 N2

38 Jalarnavam

R1 G1 D1 N2

3 Ganamurti

R1 G1 D1 N3

39 Jhalavarali

R1 G1 D1 N3

4 Vanaspati

R1 G1 D2 N2

40 Navaneetam

R1 G1 D2 N2

5 Manavati

R1 G1 D2 N3

41 Pavani

R1 G1 D2 N3

6 Tanarupi

R1 G1 D3 N3

42 Raghupriya

R1 G1 D3 N3

7 Senavati

R1 G2 D1 N1

43 Gavambodhi

R1 G2 D1 N1

8 Hanumatodi

R1 G2 D1 N2

44 Bhavapriya

R1 G2 D1 N2

9 Dhenuka

R1 G2 D1 N3

45 Subhapantuvarali

R1 G2 D1 N3

10 Natakapriya

R1 G2 D2 N2

46 Shadvigamargini

R1 G2 D2 N2

11 Kokilapriya

R1 G2 D2 N3

47 Suvarnangi

R1 G2 D2 N3

12 Rupavati

R1 G2 D3 N3

48 Divyamani

R1 G2 D3 N3

13 Gayakapriya

R1 G3 D1 N1

49 Dhavalambari

R1 G3 D1 N1

14 Vakulabharanam

R1 G3 D1 N2

50 Namanarayani

R1 G3 D1 N2

15 Mayamalavagoulai

R1 G3 D1 N3

51 Kamavardhini

R1 G3 D1 N3

16 Chakravaham

R1 G3 D2 N2

52 Ramapriya

R1 G3 D2 N2

17 Suryakantam

R1 G3 D2 N3

53 Gamanasrama

R1 G3 D2 N3

18 Hatakambhari

R1 G3 D3 N3

54 Viswambhari

R1 G3 D3 N3

19 Jhankaradhwani

R2 G2 D1 N1

55 Syamalangi

R2 G2 D1 N1

20 Natabhairavi

R2 G2 D1 N2

56 Shanmukhapriya

R2 G2 D1 N2

21 Keeravani

R2 G2 D1 N3

57 Simhendramadhyamam

R2 G2 D1 N3

22 Kharaharapriya

R2 G2 D2 N2

58 Hemavati

R2 G2 D2 N2

23 Gourimanohari

R2 G2 D2 N3

59 Dharamavai

R2 G2 D2 N3

24 Varunapriya

R2 G2 D3 N3

60 Nitimati

R2 G2 D3 N3

25 Mararanjani

R2 G3 D1 N1

61 Kantamani

R2 G3 D1 N1

26 Charukesi

R2 G3 D1 N2

62 Rishabhapriya

R2 G3 D1 N2

27 Sarasangi

R2 G3 D1 N3

63 Latangi

R2 G3 D1 N3

28 Harikambhoji

R2 G3 D2 N2

64 Vachaspati

R2 G3 D2 N2

29 Dheerasankarabharanam

R2 G3 D2 N3

65 Mechakalyani

R2 G3 D2 N3

30 Naganandini

R2 G3 D3 N3

66 Chitrambhari

R2 G3 D3 N3

31 Yagapriya

R3 G3 D1 N1

67 Sucharitra

R3 G3 D1 N1

32 Ragavardhini

R3 G3 D1 N2

68 Jyotiswarupini

R3 G3 D1 N2

33 Gangeyabhusani

R3 G3 D1 N3

69 Dhatuvardhini

R3 G3 D1 N3

34 Vagadheeswari

R3 G3 D2 N2

70 Nasikabhusani

R3 G3 D2 N2

35 Sulini

R3 G3 D2 N3

71 Kosalam

R3 G3 D2 N3

36 Chalanattai

R3 G3 D3 N3

72 Rasikapriya

R3 G3 D3 N3

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

And finally here is a confusing possibility. There can be two Ragams(sub ragams) which have
identical Arohanams and Avarohanams, but different microtonal associations or Gamakams!
The only way to tell these two Ragams apart is to sensitize your ears to the differences to the
Gamakams. So now choose a ragam you like and improvise on it. More later. Till then here is
a song.
Sree Gananatha (lambodara)

Ragam: Malahari
AROHAM: S R1 M1 P D1 S||
AVAROHAM:
S D1 P M1 G3 R1 S||
Composer: Purandaradasa
Arohanam : S R1 M1 PD1 SAvarohanam: S D1 PM1 G2 R1 S

In this ragam Ma ,Dha and the higher Sa are played with a vibrato.(very aggressive). Also the
tempo will be about 90bpm. (f- full beat, h-half beat ,d- double beat) Also in most carnatic
music the root note of the ragam( i.e. sa) is echoed by another instrument called tanpura. so
wherever sa is played, let it ring.
------------------------------------------------------1-3-4-8--8-9-9-8--4-3-1-3----1-3-4--1-3-4-3--1-0-----0-0-0-0--0-0-0-0--0-0-0-0--1-0-0-0--0-0-0-0--0-0-1-0---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f
----------------------------------------------------------1-0--------0-------------------------------------0-1-0-0-1--0-1---1-0-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------d f f f f f f f f f
I am sorry that for a long time I was unable to submit any more lessons. I'll make for lost time now. The song I am about to teach here is written in the typical manner in which
Indian Classical songs are written. So this should help you in note reading as well. Now, in the song, the R S M etc... Represent the note to be played. If you have read my
previous lesson, you will know which note repesents what. The avroham and the aroham are given at the start. I have also included the lyrics and broken them up with the notes.
I have also included an accurate transalation. Good luck! (Pallavi, anupallavi etc... Are basically verse, chorus, bridge, etc... You'll know what is what while playing. _ represents
an extended note. | represent the end of a measure.) Ragam: Malahari (15th Melakartha Janyam)

ARO: S R1 M1 PD1 S||

AVA: S D1 PM1 G2 R1 S||
Talam: Triputa (Chathurasra Jathi) that's the beats. Ask a tabla player to play it if possible. Composer: Purandara Dasa Meaning: Courtesy, Dr. Aruna Turaga Meaning: (by Dr.
Aruna Turaga, CA) In this geetham, Purandara dasa describes the various names by which the god Vishnu is called. I pray to thee who possess a lotus in his navel (paduma
nabha), the greatest of the men (parama purusha), the personification of eternal flame (paramjyothi swarupa) of life, the destroyer (vandhya) of adversity (vidhura), whose
stories (charitha) are the illustrations of purity (vimala), is perched (adhirohana) on the prodigious bird Garuda (vihanga), dwells (nivasa) in the mighty ocean (udhadhi), reposes
(sayana) on the powerful serpent Aadiseshu (uraga), is capable of miracles (mahima) which are greater than the greatest (unnathonnatha), is the greatest one of the yadava race
(yadukulothama), Krishna, and as Rama, he had protected (rakshaka) the yagnya of the great maharshi Vishwamitra, had also preached (sikshaka) the importance of obeying the
command (Agnya) of his parent, Dasaratha. I worship thee who were the custodian of Vibhishana, the pious brother of the demon king Ravana. I praise thee who bestow (vara
daayaka) everything on his followers (vibhow). He endows all the good fortunes (subha prada), and fulfils all the sanguine aspirations (su manorathaya). He is our noble king
(surendra) and he engages our spirit with cheerfulness (mano ranjana) and he is Rama, the lord of Purandara dasa. Arohanam : S R1 M1 PD1 SAvarohanam: S D1 PM1 G2 R1 S
Pallavi: Padumanaabha Parama Purushaa Param Jyoti Swaroopaa Vidhura Vandya Vimala Charita Vihanga Adirohana I pray to thee who possess a lotus in his navel (paduma
nabha), the greatest of the men (parama purusha")...

RSd|S-|S-||
MGR|MM|P-||
Paduma|na-|bha-||
parama|puru|sha-||

... the personification of eternal flame (paramjyothi swarupa) of life ..

SDD|DP|MP||
DDP|MG|RS||
Param-|jo-|-thi||
swaru-|pa-|--||
... the destroyer (vandhya) of adversity (vidhura) ...
... whose stories (charitha) are the illustrations of purity (vimala)...
RSd|S-|S-||
MGR|MM|P-||
Vidura|van-|dhia-||
vimala|chari|tha-||
He is perched (adhirohana) on the prodigious bird Garuda (vihanga)..
SDD|DP|MP||
DDP|MG|RS||
Vihang-|ga-|-di||
ro-ha|na-|--||

Anupallavi: Udadhi Nivaasa Uraga Shayana Unnatonnata Mahima Yadukulottama Yagnya Rakshaka Yagnya Shikshaka Raama Naama He dwells (nivasa) in the mighty ocean
(udhadhi), reposes (sayana) on the powerful serpent Aadiseshu (uraga),...

PMP|DS|DS||
RSD|DS|DP||
Udhadhi|niva|-sa||
uraga|saya|-na||

... He is capable of miracles (mahima) which are greater than the greatest (unnathonnatha),...

DDP|P-|PM||
RMM|P-|P-||
U-nna|tho-|nnatha||
mahi-|ma-|--||

He is the greatest one of the yadava race (yadukulothama), Krishna, and as Rama, he had protected (rakshaka) the yagnya of the great maharshi Vishwamitra,

DDP|P-|PM||
R-M|MG|RS||
Yaduku|lo-|tthama||
ye-gna|ra-|kshaka||

He had also preached (sikshaka) the importance of obeying the command (Agnya) of his parent, Dasaratha.

S-S|DD|DP||
P-P|MG|RS||
A-gna|si-|kshaka||
ra-ma|na-|-ma||
(Paduma)
Charanam: Vibheeshana Paalaka Namo Namo Ibha Varadaayaka Namo Namo Shubha Prada Sumanorada Surendra Manoranjanaa Abhinava Purandara Vithala Bhallare Raama
Naama I worship thee ("namo namo") who were the custodian ("paalaka") of Vibhishana, the pious brother of the demon king Ravana.

DS-|DP|MP||
DDP|MG|RS||
Vibhee-|shana|pa-||
laka-|namo|namo||
I praise thee ("namo namo") who bestow (vara daayaka) everything on his followers (vibhow).

DS-|DP|MP||
DDP|MG|RS||
Ibha-|vara|da-||
yaka-|namo|namo||
He endows all the good fortunes (subha prada), and fulfils all the sanguine aspirations (su manorathaya).

PMP|DS|DS||
RSD|DS|DP||
Subha-|Prada|Suma||
no-ra|da-|-Su||
He is our noble king (su-rendra) and he engages our spirit ("abhinava") with cheerfulness (mano ranjana)

DDP|P-|PM||
R-M|P
- |Re-ndra|Ma-|no-||
ran-ja|na-|--||

||

... and he is Rama, the lord ("bhallare") of Purandara dasa.

DDP|P-|PM||
R-M|MG|RS||
Abhi-|na-|vapu||
ran-da|ra-|-vi||
S-S|DD|DP||
P-P|MG|RS||
tal-la|bhal-|lare||
ra-ma|na-|-ma||

http://www.classicalguitardelcamp.com/viewtopic.php?t=53460&start=15

Re: Fretless guitar

Postby Buzz1970 Saturday 17 December 2011, 21:26 pm

Thanks guys. I appreciate it. The guitar in the video is actually my second fretless classical guitar. It is an Alhambra 6p cedar top/laminate back. I didn't do any of the conversion work myself. Instead,
I brought it to a repair person that I trust. He basically pulled the frets and filled them with an ebony colored epoxy. That part was easy. The hard part was lowering the action because now the strings
weren't being fretted to the crown of the fret anymore but to the actual fretboard, so the action was real high. He cut lower grooves in the nut but we ran into a problem with the saddle as it couldn't
be shaved down the amount needed. So he scalloped the bridge wood in front of the saddle by about a half-inch. I'll post some pics soon.

Because the of the bridge work (and the subsequent reduction in the string break angle) and because the pads of the fingers are softer that frets (I play on my pads not on the fingertips like Indian
sarod players do) I would say the guitar produces only about 80% of the volume as it did before modification. I installed an under-the-saddle transducer pick-up in it. I run this to a polytone bass amp
with a separate eq. I try to blend the sound live though so that the amplified sound just brings it back up to it's 100% volume.

In this vid it is tuned C-G-C-G-C-G.

This is just one way to go about it, though. My fist fretless I had I bought off a guy on craigslist who had already converted it. His repair guy actually replaced the entire fretboard with a new,
unfretted one. In some ways this is great because the fretboard is perfectly smooth. Any irregularity in the smoothness will create dead spots and my Alhambra has a few areas where it is less than 100
smooth, but I manage around that. The problem with the first guitar is that is was just a cheap $100 fully laminate guitar. It only produced about 50% of the volume necessary so the amplification of it
was more prominent.

Here is a vid of me using that guitar. Again, it is in C-G-C-G-C-G tuning. It starts with a pretty overt hindustani improv. for about 2 1/2 min. followed by the tune.

Youtube
https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=dS99Xlemqg0

I like the tone I am able to achieve with both of the guitars but with the Alhambra there is a more prominent natural acoustic sound, which partly comes through on the youtube vids.

https://www.ultimate-guitar.com/lessons/guitar_techniques/messing_with_alternate_tunings_cgcgce.html
A year or so ago I published an article onDADGAD tuning, hoping to introduce people to trying out something new that may well change the way they approached the instrument
itself. People seemed to to enjoy it, and so I'm back with more on a different tuning. It's one of my absolute favourites, and I hope you learn something.
I'll start off the same way I did then - alternate tunings are scary! Scary at first, that is. Being in a different tuning can feel awfully unfamiliar, and the more a tuning deviates
from standard, the more confused and uncomfortable guitar players tend to feel - but this doesn't necessary have to be the case, and so I present to you the second part in what
I hope to be an ongoing (and more frequently updated!) series on alternate tunings. With this article, as with the one on DADGAD, I hope to give a brief overview and
introduction to the basic fundamentals of Open C tuning (CGCGCE), so that you can get accustomed to the tuning in no time and use it to perhaps express parts of your
creativity you did not find reflected in standard tuning.
Again, I'm going to assume a basic knowledge of standard tuning and how scales/intervals work as I mostly find myself explaining things in that framework. If you need brushing
up on scales/intervals, there are hundreds of articles on this very website for you to learn from!

Tuning to CGCGCE
This part may throw you off, because there are a lot of changes going on, but bear with me for now!

the 6th string, low E, is dropped two full steps to C

the 5th string, A, is dropped one step to G

the 4th string, D, is dropped one step to C

the 2nd string, B, is tuned up half a step to C.

That last one might give you pause. Tuning up? Won't that snap the string? Surprisingly, your guitar is a lot more resilient than you give it credit for - unless you have some
wicked extended scale fretboard, the B string can handle being tuned a semitone sharp just fine.
Now let's examine the tuning itself. Playing all the strings open yields a lovely, rich sounding C Major chord. Aren't we off to a good start already?

Basic Chords
This tuning's biggest advantage is that it is surprisingly intuitive - the four low strings follow the same basic pattern, with two pairs of repeated fifths (CG and CG) followed by a
pair a major third apart (CE). This last pair is what gives the tuning its intrinsically major quality.
This setup makes the tuning especially conducive to getting precisely the sounds you need out of it, particularly in an acoustic setting. Try playing this, and slowly enough that
each string rings out clearly enough for you to tell the impact it is on the chord (make sure to hold down the frets with your middle and ring finger here)

e|---------------------------------------------------------------------------|
C|-0-------------------------------------------------------------------------|
G|-8-------------------------------------------------------------------------|
C|-0-------------------------------------------------------------------------|
G|-8-------------------------------------------------------------------------|
C|-0-------------------------------------------------------------------------|
If you look closely, it's pretty evident that despite using five whole strings you're only actually playing two notes there; C and Eb. The minor quality of that comes from the fact
that Eb is a minor third above C. Let's move this around, shall we?

e|----------------------------------------------------------------------------|
C|--0--0----------------------------------------------------------------------|
G|--7--9----------------------------------------------------------------------|
C|--0---

0----------------------------------------------------------------------|
G|--7--9----------------------------------------------------------------------|
C|--0--0----------------------------------------------------------------------|

The first chord features a C with an added 9th on top, giving it that pretty sound we all love. The second one has more of a major quality, with the major third tacked on.
Knowing that the fifth fret on either of the G strings is a C, you can therefore move it around accordingly and give what you're playing the appropriate kind of colour with pretty
much minimal effort. Cool, huh?
In the same way, you can bump this shape up one string and therefore incorporate the open 5th string (G) which would give you a fifth running through whatever you choose to
play. Here are some examples to illustrate that -

e|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------|
C|--7---3--4-------------------------------------------------------------------|
G|--0---0--0-------------------------------------------------------------------|
C|--7---3--4-------------------------------------------------------------------|
G|--0---0--0-------------------------------------------------------------------|
C|--0---0--0-------------------------------------------------------------------|

The first chord here would be a C5. Man, does that sound rich! You've got a C note across three octaves and the fifth, G, across two. The second is a C minor once again ringing out loud and full. Notice how the 6th string being a low C provides the chord with a bass element that playing a C minor (x35543) in standard tuning could never hope
to achieve, and how the same applies for the very last chord. In addition, notice how intuitive these chord shapes are - all you have to do is hold down a minor third on the higher
C strings and voila! You have a minor chord.
Plus, having strings tuned to the same notes means you can play around with shapes right where they are. See that second shape up there? Why not turn that C Minor into
aCmadd9? (root, fifth, minor third, ninth - to practice what you've understood about the tuning so far, try naming off which is which in the following two chords)

e|----------------------------------------------------------------------------|
C|--2--3----------------------------------------------------------------------|
G|--0--0----------------------------------------------------------------------|
C|--3--2----------------------------------------------------------------------|
G|--0--0----------------------------------------------------------------------|
C|--0--0----------------------------------------------------------------------|
Both of these chords are strangely enough the same Cmadd9 chord - however, the uniqueness of this tuning allows you to choose what part of the chord to emphasize. Want the
9th to ring out more than the third? Try the first shape! Want to emphasize the third over the ninth instead? Go for the second. This applies to far more than just this chord,
though I find this to be the easiest example to go back to when explaining this tuning.

"Hang on a second, buddy!" I hear you cry. "That's great and all, but what about chords that aren't rooted in C?" Well, triads are just as easily pulled off - the trick is just knowing
which string your root is on. Since the intervals between the strings alternate between being fifths and fourths (the lowest two strings, C and G, are a fifth apart, but the next two
are only a fourth apart. Be careful! I'll elaborate more on that later on) the shapes vary a little, but not by much.

e|--------------------------------------------------------------------------|
C|--------------------------------------------------------------------------|
G|---------10-7-------------------------------------------------------------|
C|--7--11--9--5-------------------------------------------------------------|
G|--4--7---7--3-------------------------------------------------------------|
C|--4-7---------------------------------------------------------------------|
The first two chords here you may recognize from whatever finagling in Drop D/C/B/whatever you've done - the classic E Minor followed by a G Major. The ones on the G
string, however, look a little strange. This is where it's worth remembering that your 3rd and 5th strings are both tuned to G - therefore, playing separate notes on them three
frets apart corresponds to a minor third (x7x10xx), and playing notes four frets apart constitutes a major third (x3x7xx), and so on. It's that simple! The trick is remembering
that the 4th and 5th strings are actually a fourth apart, and so that "power chord shape" (x79xxx in the third chord above) is a necessary part of a triad.

Brief Interlude: Forget lame chords! What about some straight up heavy riffing?
No worries! Open C has your bases covered there, too. The lowest three strings conveniently function identically to Drop C, and if the vast majority of your incredibly technical
riffs are in that area of the fretboard, you're in the clear! Riff writing will not be very different from whatever you've done in drop tunings already. If anything, you can augment
heavy riffing with the fact that you have two higher strings tuned to the same notes your lower three strings are, and easily add a whole new higher dimension to riffs with very
minimal changes in fingering.

Scales
Once again, I feel that a good way to put the intervallic relationships between the strings on display is to show you how the ubiquitous Pentatonic Minor shape we've all
memorized looks transposed directly. This is rooted in G.

e|-----------------------36---------------------------------------------------|
C|-------------------25-------------------------------------------------------|
G|---------------35-----------------------------------------------------------|
C|-----------57---------------------------------------------------------------|
G|-------57-------------------------------------------------------------------|
C|--710-----------------------------------------------------------------------|
Oh man, that looks threatening compared to what you remember from standard. Unlike with DADGAD, where simply "moving" our favourite memorized box shape up two frets
on select strings seemed to work out just fine, there's no such easy rule for Open C. That being said, even if the shapes you've learned in standard tuning aren't easily
transposed onto this tuning, they take on a simple charm of their own here. Namely, the way the strings relate to each other means that scales and basic arpeggios are actually
extremely intuitive once you get around to understanding them.
Try out this scale run in D Major to see what I mean.

e|---------------------------------3-57---------------------------------------|
C|---------------------------2-46---------------------------------------------|
G|---------------------2-46---------------------------------------------------|
C|---------------2-46---------------------------------------------------------|
G|---------2-46---------------------------------------------------------------|
C|---2-46---------------------------------------------------------------------|
Whoooooa. See? The fact that you have "pairs" of strings a fifth apart means that scales are incredibly obvious to your trained guitarist eye in Open C, and perhaps even more so
than in standard. Notably, however, the pattern does break on the highest string, as that pair is a major third apart (which, to reiterate, is what gave the tuning its major quality).
I find that the easiest way to keep track of that is to think of those two strings the same way as you think of the relationship between your G and B strings in standard tuning it's pretty much exactly the same principle here, except bumped up a string higher.
With this in mind, other scales are actually incredibly easy to work out as you go. (Plus, the Kerry King method of playing the same three or so fret numbers across different
strings in a solo actually sounds melodic when done in this tuning!) For example, here's anF minor (which, as we all know, would be r 2 m3 4 5 m6 m7) written out in tab form
and then with the related intervals notated for descriptive purposes.

e|--------------------------------6-89----------------------------------------|
C|--------------------------5-78----------------------------------------------|
G|--------------------5-68----------------------------------------------------|
C|--------------5-78----------------------------------------------------------|
G|--------5-68----------------------------------------------------------------|
C|--5-78----------------------------------------------------------------------|
e|---------------------------------------4-5m6---------------------------------|
C|--------------------------------r-2m3----------------------------------------|
G|------------------------5-m6m7-----------------------------------------------|
C|-----------------r-2m3-------------------------------------------------------|
G|---------5-m6m7--------------------------------------------------------------|
C|--r-2m3----------------------------------------------------------------------|
This goes to show if you can "see" the parts on the scale on the C-G pair of strings, you can "see" the scale on practically the whole fretboard. How about that? No more awkward
fumbling around when familiarizing yourself with new scales! If you know where to find a desired note or pair of notes in one part of the fretboard, you can easily find them
anywhere else with minimal effort. Of course, for seasoned veterans of standard tuning, this may seem like a cop out, but Open C deserves merit where it's due for this massive
advantage in simplicity.

Note that this method of playing the scale skips over the 4th (including it would mean the run on the G string would be 3/5-6-8 instead of just 5-6-8). This is how I personally
choose to approach scales in this tuning, but you can just as easily move things around to incorporate the fourth in a scale run if you so desire.

Basic Arpeggios
From off in the distance comes the inevitable question. "Scales are cool. I suppose. But are arpeggios also that obvious here too?" The answer is a resounding yes. For a quick
starter for tonight's course at Arpeggio Restaurant, I'll show you a C Minor arpeggio and break it down for you.

e|-------------8-------------------------------------------------------------|
C|-----------7---------------------------------------------------------------|
G|--------58-----------------------------------------------------------------|
C|-----7---------------------------------------------------------------------|
G|--58-----------------------------------------------------------------------|
C|---------------------------------------------------------------------------|
Again with the repeating shapes! What a surprise. Or not, actually. As is evident from the tab, working out this arpeggio is super obvious - root, minor third, fifth (on the next
string), and then repeat. That being said, the pattern breaks at the high E string, where I've written out a single C note to round out the arpeggio. Otherwise things are as
intuitive as ever!
(Brief reminder: as with scales, there are numerous ways across the fretboard to accomplish this, and this method of working out arpeggios is not a hard and fast rule. If
anything, that previous statement applies to most of the examples I've given in this article. I've tried to express the fundamentals of each basic aspect so that you can familiarize
yourself to the tuning, but all the ultra-fancy stuff is for you to discover at your own leisure.)
Back to arpeggios! Here's a C Major instead.

e|-------------8-------------------------------------------------------------|
C|-----------7---------------------------------------------------------------|
G|--------59-----------------------------------------------------------------|
C|-----7---------------------------------------------------------------------|
G|--59-----------------------------------------------------------------------|
C|---------------------------------------------------------------------------|
All I've done here is taken the C Minor shape from above and bump up the minor third to a major third - and yet the repeated shapes stay the same. Cool, huh? Remember,
however, that that does not apply to the high E string! There, the C note stays where it was before.
Things are a little different playing arpeggios starting from the lowest string. When doing so, be sure to take into account the fact that the next string is a fifth and not a fourth
apart. This makes arpeggiating a little tricky for those who have yet to master the rolling technique, so make sure to work on that!
Here's a C Minor followed by a C Major played on the 12th position -

e|-------------------------------------------------------------------------|
C|--------------------12-15----------------------1216----------------------|
G|-----------------12------------------------12----------------------------|
C|-----------12-15----------------------1216-------------------------------|
G|--------12------------------------12-------------------------------------|
C|--12-15----------------------1216----------------------------------------|
Even more repeating shapes. You're not even surprised anymore, are you. The main principle is the same - root, third, fifth on next string, repeat. The main trick here is just to
remember that playing the fifth is not done with the traditional "power chord" shape and rather with rolling onto the same fret on the next string.
Now that you've got the basics, feel free to play around with these! Throw in odd intervals or rhythmic patterns or whatnot - again, all of the above examples are starting points
for your own experimentation, so go wild with them.

Sample CGCGCE Riffs

I can already picture some select (and wonderful) people reading through this article and holding their breath till I got to mentioning the one and only Devin Townsend. In
addition to being a mad musical genius, Devin is noted for his absolutely extensive use of Open C tuning, and his 20-odd albums (either solo or with his now-defunct metal
band Strapping Young Lad) all feature songs written in Open C (or his preferred 7 string variant,GCGCGCE). Later on in his career he started using Open B (BF#BF#BD#)
more, but it remains functionally identical to Open C albeit dropped a semitone in pitch. Devin's works are an excellent resource for those wanting to work more with this tuning,
as his works run the gamut from extreme metal and progressive metal to laid back country rock and ambient acoustic work.

Here's the main part from the song "Terminal" off his album "Ki." It's a quiet little line played through a clean channel but really accentuates how simple it is to write and play
lush sounding parts accompanied with heavy usage of open strings.

e|------------------|-----------------|----------------|----------------------|
C|------------------|-----------------|----------------|----------------------|
G|--------0---------|-------0---------|-------0--------|------0---------------|
C|------0-----0---0-|-----0----0---0--|-----0----0---0-|-----0----0--0--------|
G|----7---------7---|---5--------5----|---3--------3---|---3-------3----------|
C|--7---------------|-5---------------|-3--------------|3---------------------|
It's a simple progression - G5, Fsus2, and then a Cm7/Eb to conclude. And yet look at how incredibly simple the fingerings are - only one shape is moved back, and the
constancy of the C5 chord ringing out with every arpeggio sets a tone that can easily be modulated with the moving "bassline" below.
Now that that's out of the way, let's try something more advanced. The title track from that same album features a very distinct sequence of arpeggios at the end, which I'll tab
out in full here for your practicing pleasure. It's an excellent song to practice the rolling technique that arpeggios starting from the lowest string necessitate.

e|-------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
C|--------------------12-16-14-12\11---------------------------------7-119-7\6---|
G|-----------------12----------------12---------------------------7--------------|
C|-----------12h16----------------------14-11----------------7h11----------------|
G|--------12----------------------------------12-----------7---------------------|
C|--12h16----------------------------------------14-117h11-----------------------|
e|-------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
C|-(6)------------------------2-6-4-2\1-----------------------1-4/73-------------|
G|-----7--------------------2-----------2-------------------2--------5-----------|
C|-------9-6------------2h6---------------4-1-----------1h4-------------73-------|
G|-----------7--------2-----------------------2------2---------------------5-----|
C|-------------9-6-2h6--------------------------41h4-------------------------7---|
e|-------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
C|-------------3-7/11-7---------------------------7-11/1511----------------------|
G|-----------5----------9-----------------------9-----------13-------------------|
C|-------3h7--------------11-7-------------7h11-----------------1511-------------|
G|-----5-----------------------9---------9---------------------------13----------|
C|-3h7---------------------------11-7h11--------------------------------15-11----|
e|-------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
C|-------------------11-15/19-15----------------------------------15-1719--------|
G|----------------11-------------17---------------------------17-----------------|

C|----------11h15-------------------19-15---------------15h19--------------------|
G|-------11-------------------------------17---------17--------------------------|
C|-11h15-------------------------------------1915h19-----------------------------|
I know this looks VERY intimidating at first glance to some of you - but if you try to break the arpeggios down individually and learn them one by one, this is an absolutely
excellent way to practice what I find to be one of the trickier fundamental aspects of this tuning. To break it down somewhat:

Bar 1 begins with a C major arpeggio at the 12th position that Devin plays on the 11th position when descending (notice how each note of the descending
arpeggio still falls on the C major scale, keeping every part of it in key). The same thing is repeated with a G major arpeggio in the 7th position, and then finally
a D major on the 2nd which continues into bar 2. Same shape, different starting points.

Midway through the 2nd bar, the D major arpeggio is followed up with a quickCm#5 (root, minor third, minor sixth) at the 1st position to lead into the next
sequence.

The 3rd bar features a series of 6th chord (root, major third, major sixth) runs inEb (3rd position), G (7th position), B (11th position) and finally Eb again (15th
position) which concludes the arpeggio on a nice, resolving G, bringing things fully back in key and setting the whole thing up for a repeat.

If you master playing this sequence cleanly then any and all arpeggios in Open C will be an absolute breeze. Again, it may seem difficult, but perseverance is key! If, however,
you still feel as if it's too much to work with for now, Devin has countless other simpler songs in this tuning (both in his solo works and with Strapping Young Lad), a good
portion of which are available on UG to begin with.
Of course, no mention of Open C is complete without Led Zeppelin's "Friends," the song which inspired Devin to take up using Open C tuning in the first place. (Ironically
enough, it's actually in Open C6 - CACGCE - but it's often been mistaken as being in CGCGCEinstead by most, including Devin) Here's a snippet of the verse as it would be
played inOpen C.

e|-0---0--0--0---0--0--0---0--0--0---0--0---0---0--0--0---0--0--0---0--0-0---0--0--|
C|-0---0--0--0---0--0--0---0--0--7---7--7---6---6--6--6---6--6--6---6--6-7---7--7--|
G|-0---0--0--0---0--0--0---0--0--0---0--0---0---0--0--0---0--0--0---0--0-0---0--0--|
C|-0---0--0--0---0--0--0---0--0--7---7--7---6---6--6--6---6--6--6---6--6-7---7--7--|
G|-0---0--0--0---0--0--0---0--0--0---0--0---0---0--0--0---0--0--0---0--0-0---0--0--|
C|---------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
e|-0---0--0--0---0--0--0---0--0--0---0--0---0---0--0--0---0--0--0---0--0-0---0--0--|
C|-9---9--9--9---9--9--9---9--9--4---4--4---6---6--6--6---6--6--6---6--6-1---1--1--|
G|-0---0--0--0---0--0--0---0--0--0---0--0---0---0--0--0---0--0--0---0--0-0---0--0--|
C|-9---9--9--9---9--9--9---9--9--4---4--4---6---6--6--6---6--6--6---6--6-1---1--1--|
G|-0---0--0--0---0--0--0---0--0--0---0--0---0---0--0--0---0--0--0---0--0-0---0--0--|
C|---------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
Pretty straightforward from what we've seen so far. This song appears to largely be in G major, save for the very last chord, which features a dark sounding tritone. The open
strings provide a powerful G octave that rings through every other note being played and gives the riff a smooth, flowing feel.

Octaves
Again, this is probably redundant by now, but having a reference point is probably handy.

e|--------3-----------------------------------------------------------------|
C|0-------------------------------------------------------------------------|
G|-----0--0-----------------------------------------------------------------|
C|0-------------------------------------------------------------------------|
G|-----

0---------------------------------------------------------------------|
C|0-------------------------------------------------------------------------|
Those are D, G, and then G again an octave higher, respectively.
On to the next section!

Advantages and Disadvantages of CGCGCE

Advantages:

scales are incredibly straightforward and easy to both work out on the fretboard and play;

the logical arrangement of the fretboard means that knowing where a note is positioned in one place means pretty much immediately knowing where to find it all
across;

arpeggios and the like are very intuitive and sequences repeat themselves exactly across strings;

the logical arrangement of the fretboard and its similarity to drop tunings (with regard to the lower strings) makes everything from soft acoustic work to effortless
heavy riffing possible, which is not something I've found I can say about all alternate tunings;

absolutely great for percussive acoustic techniques (John Butler uses this tuning to amazing effect)

I've found piano players to be especially friendly to this tuning as it's rooted in C in addition to being as straightforward as it is. If you learned to play piano before
picking up the guitar, this tuning just might feel more natural in your hands than standard!

Disadvantages:

the simplicity only holds for simple chords - trying to build up more complex chords is difficult due to one single position consisting of largely the same notes across
all strings;

the intervallic relationship between the two highest strings takes a while to get used to;

the scale "shapes" you've committed to muscle memory do not transfer well from the ones in standard tuning at all, and a new approach may take a while to get
used to as well;

playing even simple minor triads with all six strings for a richer sound (i.e. Bm played as 799777 in standard tuning) in any key is all but impossible in this tuning
due to its intrinsically major nature.

All in all, this remains one of my favourite alternate tunings, as it necessitates a wholly different approach to guitar in some ways, and I hope you enjoyed the article enough to
maybe give Open C a shot in the future! I tried making this article more extensive and detailed than my DADGAD one and I hope that that was a step in the positive direction
and that you learned all the more from it. Thanks for reading!

Guitars are normally tuned to "Standard E" Tuning

Standard E:
EADGBe
I found this tuning way too over complicated.
So instead of using mainstream Standard E Tuning,
I thought...
"I'm a pianist. The first note you learn is C.
C + Fifth is G.
CG...
WHAT IF
I tune my guitar to CGCGCG"
So I tuned my guitar
And
In an instantaneous flash
My mind was illuminated
All of a sudden
I Knew EXACTLY
Where ALL The Musical Notes were on The Guitar Fretboard.
All the musical notes aligned on the fretboard.
And since the tuning is CGCGCG

You only have to learn 2 strings

And you know the entire guitar fretboard.
This makes learning and playing guitar SIMPLE EASY and INSTANT.
So this is a tutorial video
Showing you JUST HOW EASY IT IS
To play Guitar
Using
CGCGCG Tuning

+Jose Aureliano Hi, i think it's like this, but i might be wrong: E = C# A = G# D= C# G= G# B = C# E = C#