This may be the 'Dumbest Question of the Month", but what are the advantages/disadvantages of the various tunings?

I just purchased a 12-string Grand tuned in Matched Reciprocal. This is the same tuning my SG12 has. I like the tuning of the SG12 as my hands seem closer together, a bit more connected in what they are doing. I was attracted this particular Grand first because of its tuning.

Looking at an article on SE's website by Glenn Poorman, I noticed that standard Classic has almost the same tuning as MR except the Melody side is down a whole step.

Which leads back to my question: What do you find as advantages and disadvantages of the tuning on your Stick?

Thanks!

Randy

In my first go-around with the Stick I ordered it tuned with Standard tuning. After a few months I switched it to MR as I felt the hand positioning "fit" better...

-M

For the 10-string, the Matched Reciprocal improves access to the lower melody notes. This isn't an issue on the Grand, where you have a whole extra low melody string. It's also not an issue on the Baritone Melody 10-string tuning (which is my favorite 10-string tuning because of the extra overlap between the string sets and the ease of playing the melody strings down low).

For the Grand I prefer the Classic, because it has the highest overall range. That high D can come in handy, and it also means you don't have to play so high up on the board in general.

The addition of the X fret to the tunings was a real game-changer for The Stick, in my opinion. Having the C, G, D, A and E as tappable notes really improves the "visual" aspect of the tunings, and it creates a lot more room for the right hand, as the left can be that much lower (plus those low bass notes sound fantastic on 36" scale.

But the biggest reason I like the Classic is that the pattern of notes in relation to the inlays is the same for both sides of the instrument in the most common playing regions.

The melody strings at the fret 12 inlay and the bass strings at fret 2 inlay are:

D
A
E
B
F#
C#

at the fret 17 inlay on melody and fret 7 inlay on bass they are both:

G
D
A
E
B
F#

So I tend to look at the board primarily in relation to the inlays, whereas I think Stickists who come from bass and guitar might tend to view the tuning primarily in relation to the nut...so Matched Reciprocal might make more sense to them.

There is no dumb question here Randy. I cannot answer quite well this question but I've already seen that someone else did...and Greg is the best to give you the right answer...

I was the same - I ordered mine in standard tuning but switched to MR
after about six months, it initially helped me find my way around the fingerboard a little easier, but it also felt 'comfortable'.

I have an SG-12 coming soon, also tuned MR, can't wait to play it!

-Marc-
.

2 observations here from a guy who hasn't played long enough to have an opinion anywhere near as informed by time and experience as Greg's - but nevertheless.... If I had a Grand which I do and an SG-12 which at present I do not,I'm certain that having one of them in MR and the other in Classic would drive me nuts. The second point is something I've heard from Emmett more than once during some of the occasions we've sat down with Sticks at his house and he's given me a few pointers on navigating the Stick fretboard - so this one comes from the horses mouth. In (MR which Emmett espouses BTW),besides opening up 2 more frets of space between the hands it also creates a new previously not entirely available lower right hand root scale position relative to the left hand. So in MR on a Grand since that's what we're talking about here - if you put your left index finger lets say on C at 2 frets below the 2nd marker on the bass (G) 8th string and the right index finger on C at the 1st fret above the 2nd marker on the melody (F#) 5th string,the two index fingers are comfortably "at the ready" 3 frets (and one octave) apart plus there's enough room for the other fingers go in various directions from there. Emmett says he finds this a nice "on-the-fly" visual cue when improvising which he does a lot. And of course that visual cue shape is found all over the fretboard. Therefore I would submit that besides orienting yourself to the inlays vs orienting yourself to the nut - there is also the approach of orienting yourself to the geometric relationship between your two hands. How far you could take that past just being an opening gambit is an open question but I suspect pretty far. As for myself,I tune in Classic 6-6 w/high bass 4th at present. However I plan to try MR once I have progressed to a point in my repertoire and skills where I'll be able to appreciate the differences with some clarity but before I have years of stuff to relearn in case I want to switch to MR permanently. A cursory "tune-down" reveals a nice close hands layout for improvising in a minor pentatonic mode. I suspect that either tuning can serve a motivated musician well once he carves out and learns to exploit a mental roadmap of his fretboard.

I wish the NS has the X Fret. But I see why it was designed the way it was. I want to tap that "open" string so I tune by NS down a half step...

Not a dumb question at all if you ask me, totally adequate I'd say. I see three main reasons for using different tunings:

- Make it easier to reach the notes you need when playing.
- Optimise the timbre of the instrument.
- Adjust the instrument's range according to music you're about to play.

As for the first one I stick with MR (although on my 36" Grand I go with Raised MR and tune it all up a half note to get higher tension in the strings and by that a better sound. Am I the only one using "Raised Raised MR" here? Often I find sloppy strings to be a typical roadblock in Stick playing and tightening them up a bit helps me to get a better tone, including appropriate truss rod adjustment of course)

As for the second point, guage of strings is as important as tuning.

As for the third point - I don't look at that at all. I rather change the music I play. Maybe transpose it or rewrite it.

The real upside of this, Dean, is that the Baritone Melody Stick Book is now perfect for your 5 highest pitched strings...

Thanks to all replying to my question. You all pretty much confirmed my sense of things.