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Among alternative tunings for the
guitar The guitar is a stringed musical instrument that is usually fretted (with Fretless guitar, some exceptions) and typically has six or Twelve-string guitar, twelve strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming ...
, all-fourths tuning is a regular tuning.:

In contrast, the standard tuning has one irregularity—a
major third In music theory, a third is a Interval (music), musical interval encompassing three staff positions (see Interval (music)#Number, Interval number for more details), and the major third () is a third spanning four Semitone, half steps or two ...
between the third and second strings—while having
perfect fourth A fourth is a interval (music), musical interval encompassing four staff positions in the music notation of Western culture, and a perfect fourth () is the fourth spanning five semitones (half steps, or half tones). For example, the ascending int ...
s between the other successive strings. The standard tuning's irregular major-third is replaced by a perfect fourth in all-fourths tuning, which has the open notes E2-A2-D3-G3-C4-F4. Among regular tunings, this all-fourths tuning best approximates the standard tuning. In all guitar tunings, the higher-octave version of a chord can be found by translating a chord by twelve frets higher along the fretboard. In every regular tuning, for example in all-fourths tuning, chords and intervals can be moved also ''diagonally''. For all-fourths tuning, all twelve major chords (in the first or open positions) are generated by two chords, the open F major chord and the D major chord. The regularity of chord-patterns reduces the number of finger positions that need to be memorized. Jazz musician Stanley Jordan plays guitar in all-fourths tuning; he has stated that all-fourths tuning "simplifies the fingerboard, making it logical". Among all regular tunings, all-fourths tuning E-A-D-G-C-F is the best approximation of standard tuning, which is more popular. All-fourths tuning is traditionally used for the bass guitar; it is also used for the '' bajo sexto''.
Allan Holdsworth Allan Holdsworth (6 August 1946 – 15 April 2017) was a British jazz and rock music, rock guitarist, violinist and composer. He contributed to numerous bands, including Soft Machine, U.K. (band), U.K., The Tony Williams Lifetime, Pierre Moerl ...
stated that if he were to learn the guitar again he would tune it in all-fourths.


Relation with all-fifths tuning

All-fourths tuning is closely related to all-fifths tuning. All-fourths tuning is based on the
perfect fourth A fourth is a interval (music), musical interval encompassing four staff positions in the music notation of Western culture, and a perfect fourth () is the fourth spanning five semitones (half steps, or half tones). For example, the ascending int ...
(five semitones), and all-fifths tuning is based on the
perfect fifth In music theory, a perfect fifth is the Interval (music), musical interval corresponding to a pair of pitch (music), pitches with a frequency ratio of 3:2, or very nearly so. In classical music from Western culture, a fifth is the interval f ...
(seven semitones). The perfect-fifth and perfect-fourth intervals are inversions of one another, and the chords of all-fourth and all-fifths are paired as
inverted chord In music theory, an inversion is a rearrangement of the top-to-bottom elements in an interval, a chord, a melody, or a group of contrapuntal lines of music. In each of these cases, "inversion" has a distinct but related meaning. The concept of i ...
s. Consequently, chord charts for all-fifths tunings may be used for left-handed all-fourths tuning.


Players who use All fourths tuning

* Stanley Jordan * Alex Hutchings (guitarist) *Tom Quayle * Deirdre Cartwright *Graham Young Leeds *Ant Law


See also

*
Scordatura Scordatura (; literally, Italian for "discord", or "mistuning") is a Musical tuning, tuning of a string instrument that is different from the normal, standard tuning. It typically attempts to allow special effects or unusual Chord (music), chords ...
, alternative tunings of stringed instruments * Laúd and
bandurria The bandurria is a plucked chordophone from Spain, similar to the mandolin and bandola, primarily used in Spanish folk music, but also found in former Spanish colonies. Instrument development Prior to the 18th century, the bandurria had a ro ...
, Spanish six-course plucked string instruments tuned in fourths * Puerto Rican cuatro, five-course plucked string instrument tuned in fourths * :commons:Perfect fourths tuning charts and diagrams for P4 tuning


Notes


References

* * * * *


Further reading

* republication o
''A manual for playing the guitar in fourths'' (Catalona Enterprises, pp. 1–64)
*


External links

*

* ttp://fourthsguitartuning.blogspot.com Lessons and articles on fourths tuning using Eb-Ab-Db-Gb-B-E
Introduction to All Fourths Tuning + Free PDF Reference Guide

r/allfourthstuning sub-reddit for all fourths tuning
{{DEFAULTSORT:All Fourths Regular guitar-tunings Jazz guitar