Conference napalm::guitar

    Yeah, I did it for some recordings I did about six years ago.  I used
    an old Epiphone Texan and took the octave strings for E, A, and D from
    a 12 string set.
    
    I'm not sure if it make you '...pick it up from time to time' because
    it's got practically no mid or bottom to it, none of that acoustic
    guitar warmth.  The sound is mostly 'ching ching'.  It does work
    superbly in an ensemble where the bass player, the keys guy, and the
    *other* rhythm guitar are all competing for the same couple of octaves,
    'cause it sits on top of all that mudrange.
    
    I always felt that a guitar specifically designed for that kind of
    tuning would sound much better.  Lighter construction could lead to a
    livelier(sp?) sound, IMHO.

    As .1 stated, the "high-strung" tuning lets the acoustic rhythm cut
    through a mix.  Listen to most Nashville records since the mid-fifties
    and you'll hear this sound, it's almost subliminal.  I don't think
    anyone uses this for live playing, it's strictly a special tuning for
    recording. 
    
    							Brian

Thanks for the informative replys!   Since I'm currently playing with
three other guitarists, we're probably producing all of the 
"chink chink" sound we need.  Now if I could only get one of THEM to
start playing bass.... ;') 

Maybe I should use the Falcon for some alternate tuning experiments....

Geoff

    Not related to "nashville tuning" but, an easy way to fill out the
    sound for live playing with acoustic guitars is to play one with
    a capo on so you get nice full chord voicings. Sounds a lot
    better than just doubling parts.
    
    Bob

I remember reading that the Stones/Keith Richards used Nashville tuning on 
one of their big hits, but I'll be damned if I can remember which one now.... 
it was one of the bigger hits, maybe a ballad (maybe "Angie"???).

alan

    Is Nashville-strung the same as Nashville-tuned?
    
    I know Nashville tuning is where the bottom 4 strings are tuned up an
    octave higher.

re: .6

>    Is Nashville-strung the same as Nashville-tuned?
>    
>    I know Nashville tuning is where the bottom 4 strings are tuned up an
>    octave higher.

Well, I doubt you'll succeed at tuning up an octave without also
restringing! :-)

All seriousness aside, I believe they're the same thing.
Are you sure it's the bottom *4* strings, though?  I kind of thought
it was just the bottom 3.

-Hal

>Are you sure it's the bottom *4* strings, though?  I kind of thought
>it was just the bottom 3.
    
    My only support comes from the Satriani tab books (Surfin... &
    Flyin...) where he uses this tuning in some songs.  The transcriber
    states that it's the bottom 4 strings.  Maybe this only applies to
    Joe's implementation of it?

 >>   states that it's the bottom 4 strings.  Maybe this only applies to
 >>   Joe's implementation of it?
    
    Joe probably doesn't spend a lot of time in Nashville...
    
    

    ...but he could if'n wanted to!
    
    I restrung three, but I don't think it's illegal to do four...

Well I finally got an extra acoustic guitar (I bought an old junker for
$50) so I could give Nashville tuning a try.  I strung the bottom 4 strings
an octave higher.  I must say, I was surprised at the sound.  It didn't
really sound like the preconceived idea I had in my head.  The small range
(an octave and a minor third) between the lowest and highest string
produces very close-voiced chords, giving it kind of "shimmery" sound.
It sort of reminded me of the sound of an auto-harp, except in a lower
register.  Maybe a "baritone auto-harp". :-)

A favorite album of mine (and a rather obscure one) from back in 1972
is by one of Ian Matthews' old groups, Plainsong, called "In Search of 
Amelia Earhardt".  I'd often wondered how they got some of the sounds
on that album.  After hearing a high-strung guitar, I now understand!

Another thing that this experience has reminded me of is just how much
the voicing can affect the sound of a chord.  If you strum all 6 open
strings of a normally tuned guitar it really doesn't sound like anything
particularly musical.  If you do the same on the high-string guitar, it
sounds like an Em7sus4.

-Hal

re: Nashville stranging

Is it the bottom four or the bottom three?

Bob

re: .12

>Is it the bottom four or the bottom three?

I did bottom four.  Others in here think it should be bottom three.

-Hal