C-G-C-F-Bb-D
• OVERVIEW •
A deepened tuning showcased on Dracula and Friends (Pt. 1) by Mi’kmaq-Canadian fingerstyle virtuoso Don Ross (who thankfully deviated from his original career plan: he was once enrolled in priesthood training at at San Damiano Friary, set to become a Franciscan friar…).
Robust interval pairs, set in neat descending order (perf. 5th > perf. 4th *3 > maj. 3rd). Relatively easy to adapt to: treat 5str as you would the 6str in EADGBE, rooting scales and shapes from it: the odd-one-out 5>5>5>4>5 gap has been ‘pushed back’ a string from Standard.
Pattern: 7>5>5>5>4
Harmony: C11sus4 | 1-5-1-4-b7-2
• TUNING TONES •
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• SOUNDS •
In keeping with the title, Ross takes a playful approach to performing the track live, using the low-tuned groove and parallel 6+4str octaves to quote liberally from from guitar history: Smoke on the Water, Peter Gunn Theme, and more (watch an ornate take below).
Prominently covered by Antoine Dufour (who has a video lesson on it too). Also check out Ross’ full band take with keyboard, bass, & drums – and his similarly funky sequel Dracula & Friends Pt. 2 (Baritone register: Ab-Gb-Bb-B-Gb-Db). And the C-G-C-F-Bb-D tuning transposed up a tone (D-A-D-G-C-E) gives you John Martyn’s configuration for Go Down Easy.
- Dracula and Friends (Pt. 1) – Don Ross (2017):
“Ross grew up in a musical family, first learning piano before moving to the guitar. In his early teens, Don discovered the fingerstyle guitar and started experimenting with altered tunings. He eventually went on to study music at Toronto’s York University. Rather than studying guitar, Don focused more on composition, electronic music, and sound recording…” (Candyrat)
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• NUMBERS •
| 6str | 5str | 4str | 3str | 2str | 1str | |
| Note | C | G | C | F | Bb | D |
| Alteration | -4 | -2 | -2 | -2 | -1 | -2 |
| Tension (%) | -37 | -21 | -21 | -21 | -11 | -21 |
| Freq. (Hz) | 65 | 98 | 131 | 175 | 233 | 294 |
| Pattern (>) | 7 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 4 | – |
| Semitones | 0 | 7 | 12 | 17 | 22 | 26 |
| Intervals | 1 | 5 | 1 | 4 | b7 | 2 |
- See my Tunings Megatable for further such nerdery: more numbers, intervallic relations, comparative methods, etc. And to any genuine vibratory scientists reading: please critique my DIY analysis!
• RELATED •
—Associated tunings: proximities of shape, concept, context, etc…
- Low Drop C (this with 2str -1): more slack versatility
- Pink Moon: same low-end four with a tighter top two
- Godzilla: another from Don Ross with a beastly name
• MORE INFO •
—Further learnings: sources, readings, lessons, other onward links…
- Don Ross’ tunings: see the fingerstyle master’s other appearances in the World of Tuning – and also watch him discuss his approaches to turning the pegs, and demo his custom baritone layout – as well as the self-compiled tunings list on his website (“I’ve always been reluctant to go public with a tuning list because I have never wanted people to think that I was writing music only for guitarists…”)
- Bram Stoker’s Dracula: read about the auspicious historical context of the world’s most notorious literary vampire (“they provided details of a sailing vessel…that ran aground a few years earlier…rescue workers reported seeing a large black dog – consistent with a Yorkshire myth of a beast known as Barghest – escape from the hull…and run up the 199 steps from Tate Sands beach into the graveyard of St. Mary’s Church…”)
Header image: Béla Lugosi’s iconic Dracula (1931)
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George Howlett is a London-based musician, writer, and teacher (guitars, sitar, tabla, & santoor). Above all I seek to enthuse fellow sonic searchers, interconnecting fresh vibrations with the voices, cultures, and passions behind them. See Home & Writings, and hit me up for Online Lessons!
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