New standard tuning (NST) is an alternative tuning for the guitar that approximates all-fifths tuning. The guitar's strings are assigned the notes C<sub>2</sub>–G<sub>2</sub>–D<sub>3</sub>–A<sub>3</sub>–E<sub>4</sub>–G<sub>4</sub> (from lowest to highest); the five lowest open strings are each tuned to an interval of a perfect fifth {(C,G),(G,D),(D,A),(A,E)}; the two highest strings are a minor third apart (E,G).
All-fifths tuning is typically used for mandolins, cellos, violas, and violins. On a guitar, tuning the strings in fifths would mean the first string would be a high B. NST provides a good approximation to all-fifths tuning. Like other regular tunings, NST allows chord fingerings to be shifted from one set of strings to another.
NST's C–G range is wider, both lower and higher, than the E–E range of standard tuning in which the strings are tuned to the open notes E<sub>2</sub>–A<sub>2</sub>–D<sub>3</sub>–G<sub>3</sub>–B<sub>3</sub>–E<sub>4</sub>. The greater range allows NST guitars to play repertoire that would be impractical, if not impossible, on a standard-tuned guitar.
NST was developed by Robert Fripp, the guitarist for King Crimson. Fripp taught the new standard tuning in Guitar Craft courses beginning in 1985, and many Guitar Craft students continue to use the tuning. Like other alternative tunings for guitar, NST provides challenges and new opportunities to guitarists, who have developed music especially suited to NST.
NST places the guitar strings under greater tension than standard tuning. Standard sets of guitar strings do not work well with the tuning as the lowest strings are too loose and the highest string may snap under the increased tension. Special sets of NST strings have been available for decades, and some guitarists assemble NST sets from individual strings.
History
right|frame|The open strings of new standard tuning
right|thumb|Audio file of new standard tuning's open notes
New standard tuning (NST) was invented by guitarist Robert Fripp of the band King Crimson in September 1983.
Fripp began using the tuning in 1985 before beginning his Guitar Craft seminars. In 2012, Fripp suggested that Guitar Circle members experiment with an A string (0.007) from Octave4Plus of Gary Goodman; if successful, the experiment could lead to "the NST 1.2", C2G2D3A3E4-A4, according to Fripp.
Properties
right|250px|thumb|Chord diagrams for new standard tuning
The lowest five strings are tuned in perfect fifths from a low C. The first string is a minor third up from the E to a G. Since the lowest five strings are tuned in fifths, guitars with NST can be played with the fingerings for chords and scales used on the violin, cello, and mandolin.
The distinct open notes are from the major pentatonic scale on C, which contains only consonant intervals. The C-pentatonic scale omits the open B of standard tuning and all-fifths tuning, which forms a dissonant second-interval with C. With the 1980s King Crimson, Fripp had used pentatonic harmony in "Discipline", "Thela Hun Ginjeet", and "Sartori in Tangier".
Harmonics: Overtones
thumb|Initial eight harmonics on C, namely (C,C,G,C,E,G,B,C)
New standard tuning lists four notes (C,G,E,G) from the harmonic sequence (overtones) for the note C. Persichetti's book influenced Fripp. In new standard tuning
- C is the fundamental overtone,
- G as a fifth reinforces C,
- D as a fifth reinforces G,
- A as a fifth reinforces D,
- E both as a fifth reinforces A and as the fifth overtone reinforces C, and
- G as the sixth overtone reinforces C.
Range
thumb|right|New standard tuning's [[range (music)|range.]]
Like all-fifths tuning, Quartal and quintal harmony was stressed from the beginning of Fripp's teaching of Guitar Craft. Fripp began a 1986 course with these directions: "Now, pick a note from the following series—[it was a series of fourths or fifths]. When you are ready—do not be in any hurry, but when you are ready play your note, then pick others and play them as the situation demands it. Your first note will be the first intentional note you have played in a week."
It is a challenge to adapt conventional guitar chords to new standard tuning.
Historical background
Modern quartal and quintal harmony revives the polyphonic traditions of medieval Europe. Before the common practice period, European polyphony emphasized unison intervals and octaves and also perfect fifths. From the Renaissance to 1900, Western symphonic music was diatonic, emphasizing the tertian harmony of major and minor scales, keys, and chords. Much popular music, especially rock, retains diatonic harmony.
String gauges
right|thumb|Guitar strings that were designed for the high E of standard tuning can be tuned to NST's high G with greater tension and shorter lifetimes.
With traditional guitar strings, the low C may be loose and the high G may be too tight. Special gauges are therefore more suitable for NST. For steel-stringed acoustic-guitars, many Guitar Craft participants use either an .011–.058 inch set string-sets may be purchased as a set from a manufacturer or purchased singly and assembled by the guitarist.
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|+ Steel-string gauges (inches) for acoustic guitars
|-
! G<sub>1</sub>!! E<sub>2</sub>!! A<sub>3</sub>!! D<sub>4</sub>!! G<sub>5</sub>!! C<sub>6</sub>!! Distributor
|-
| 0.011 || 0.013 || 0.023 || 0.032 || 0.046 || 0.056 || Guitar Craft Services
|-
| 0.011|| 0.013 || 0.022 || 0.032 || 0.047 || 0.059 || D'Addario, manufacturer
|-
<!-- Please leave this example: Make a copy of it for your own use.
|-
|G1 || E2 || A3 || D4 || G5 || C6 || Source
-->
|}
In 2012, a 0.007 inch gauge was being evaluated by Fripp and other members of Guitar Circle, who are considering replacing the first string's G note with an A note, the better to approximate the B note of all-fifths tuning. The 0.007 inch gauge was produced by Octave4Plus of Gary Goodman. Robert Fripp uses lighter strings for electric guitar.
|-
| 0.008 || 0.012 || 0.015 || 0.026 || 0.042|| 0.052 || Curt Golden<!-- Curt Golden is a long-time Guitar Craft instructor/leader and so is reliable for representing recommendations in this community. -->
Guitar Craft alumni who continue to practice new standard tuning are called "crafty guitarists" or "crafties". Some crafty guitarists formed the League of Crafty Guitarists, which toured with Robert Fripp and have released multiple albums. Guitar-Craft and the League of Crafty Guitarists have trained guitarists who went on to form new bands, such as the Trey Gunn and the California Guitar Trio; Gunn and the California Guitar Trio have toured with Fripp as the Robert Fripp String Quintet. Other alumni of the League of Crafty Guitarists include members of Los Gauchos Alemanes, such as U.S. guitarist Steve Ball; Ball is associated with the Seattle Guitar Circle, along with League of Craft Guitarists alumnus Curt Golden.
The collection A Plague of Crafty Guitarists features many NST players including Nigel Gavin.
New standard tuning has been adapted for instruments besides guitar. Trey Gunn (Crimson's warr guitar player from 1994 to 2003) and Markus Reuter have adapted new standard tuning for their 8- and 10-string instruments; in 2007 Reuter used a B-F-C-G-D-A-C-D tuning.
See also
- Major thirds tuning
- List of guitar tunings
Notes
References
Further reading
External links
- Courses in new standard tuning are offered by Guitar Circle, the successor of Guitar Craft:
- Guitar Circle of Europe
- Guitar Circle of Latin America
- Guitar Circle of North America
- The FraKctured Zone is a King Crimson fan website with notation and tabs to songs in NST (with acknowledgment to Trey Gunn for permission).
- Fretboard diagrams for various scales in NST