8/13/2019 Why tune to drop A_2

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mr. beaumont@jazzguitar.be forum

A: lots of jazzers use A so they can use a standard six string chord grip with the root on the sixth string, and have easy access to a fifth below it at the same fret on the seventh string (or a lower root for a root on the fifth string chord).

B makes sense for power chords and for chords played more like a six string barre chord, neither of which jazzers do much of. The idea basically is not to learna lot of new chords or transpose current shapes lower, but to use standard sixstring ideas and have that lower bass available when needed.---------------NSJ@jazzguitar.be forum

I tend to think that the 7th string is best tuned to A, an octave below the 5th.All those 7th chords with prior roots on the 5th string sound SO MUCH BETTER, now. Plus, the difference between the 7th and 6th becomes an interval value of P5, so it's easy to alternate bass notes.

I think the 7 string really succeeds up the neck, 7th,8th, 10th position--whereyou can find bass notes on the 7th string that would be impossible to play on the 6th--and, more importantly, makes the treble notes sound much better due to greater interval separation (over an octave Plus). Think of that FM7 chord in the8th position--if you play the F on the 7th string instead of the 5th, it's the e

quivalence of "stretching" to play the same bass note on the 1st fret, 6th string of a 6 string. That is an impossible stretch, of course. But it's easy, usinga barre, to find it on the 7 string. My teacher explicitly said that the great weakness of the 6 string is the inability to find the right bass notes up the neck. The 7 string addresses and corrects this.

That octave plus separation really makes the treble notes sound much better.

1. The increased separation between the bass and treble parts makes the melody lines sound better, crisper, fuller.

2. The guitar really shines up the neck, 5th, 7th, 10th position or so, where itis possible to find a proper bass note and still play up the neck (e.g., the FM

7 on the 8th position--instead of playing that traditional F in the bass from the 5th string--what kind of bass note is that? It's the same damn note as the 3rdfret, 4th string!--you can find the bass note an octave below, which the same as as the 6th string, first fret--think about that--you can play in the 8th position and use a proper bass note from the 1st position). It really seems that playing up the neck is the real strength of the 7th string!

3. Playing lines using octaves has always been cool. But now it's really easy and doubly sweet to play lines using DOUBLE octaves.-------------------mental adjustment is nonexistent.