Harp Guitar Tunings
by Gregg Miner
Updated 5/28/2009
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Note: I have not put in the actual pitches (as John did in his Frets
chart below) as I assume this should be obvious for the most part. PLEASE NOTE THAT MANY OF THESE WOULD BE CONSIDERED "NOMINAL" TUNINGS - INDIVIDUAL STRINGS WERE OFTEN TUNED UP OR DOWN A HALF STEP TO ACCOMMODATE DIFFERENT KEYS.
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Sub-bass Strings |
Standard Neck Strings | Maker / Player |
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| 18th course | 17th course | 16th course | 15th course | 14th course | 13th course | 12th course | 11th course | 10th course | 9th course | 8th course | 7th course | 6th course | 5th course | 4th course | 3rd course | 2nd course | 1st course | ||
| 12 | 11 | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 | ||
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Dyer style, 6 bass Neither the 5-bass nor 6-bass Dyer original recommended tunings are known . They may have originally continued with Knutsen's 5-bass tuning (below), but ads soon declared that they were "easy to play in any flat key." This may indicate that they used a different chromatic tuning, or simply that with the standard diatonic tuning, select bass strings (from 1 to all 5) were to be de-tuned a half step to achieve the different keys. The Bauer option for 6-bass and a very late Dyer catalog suggest other options. |
F1 | G1 | A1 | B1 | C | D | E | A | d | g | b | e1 |
Original tuning, extrapolated by Miner from original 5-bass Knutsen tuning (provenance not yet found) | ||||||
| A1 | A#1 | B1 | C | C# | D | E | A | d | g | b | e1 |
Chromatic variation from Crescendo editor Walter Kaye Bauer, c.1920. Bauer allows for several other combinations | |||||||
| G1 | A1 | Bb1 | B1 | C | D | E | A | d | g | b | e1 |
Dyer Catalog, 1939 | |||||||
| G1 | A1 | B1 | C | D | G | E | A | d | g | b | e1 |
Stephen Bennett (modern) |
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| G1 | A1 | B1 | C | E | G | D | A | d | g | a | d |
Frank Doucette (modern DADGAD) |
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Knutsen / Dyer style, 5 bass |
G1 | A1 | B1 | C | D | E | A | d | g | b | e |
Knutsen label | |||||||
| G1 | Bb1 | C | A | D | E | A | d | e | a | d |
Michael Hedges re-entrant (Because It's There) |
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Sullivan-Elliott-style
"20-string Harp Guitar," |
E/F1 | G1 | A1 | B1 | C | D | E | A | d | g | b | e1 |
John Doan | ||||||
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Sullivan-Elliott-style
"21-string," |
E1 | F1 | G1 | A1 | B1 | C | D | E | A | d | g | b | e1 |
Others | |||||
| Gibson, 1903 6 bass | F1 | G1 | A1 | B1 | C | D | E | A | d | g | b | e1 |
Gibson 1903 catalog | ||||||
| Gibson, 6 bass "Popular tunings best adapted for playing in all keys" | Bb1 | C | Db | D | Eb | Ab | E | A | d | g | b | e1 |
Gibson c.1906 harp guitar brochure | ||||||
| Gibson, 7 bass "Popular tunings best adapted for playing in all keys" | Bb1 | C | Db | D | Eb | F | Ab | E | A | d | g | b | e1 |
Gibson c.1906 harp guitar brochure | |||||
| Gibson, 1903 12 bass (next two rows) The first chromatic tuning (E to D#) is typical for any makers' 12-bass instruments | |||||||||||||||||||
| E1 | F1 | F#1 | G1 | G#1 | A1 | A#1 | B1 | C | C# | D | D# | E | A | d | g | b | e1 |
Gibson 1903 catalog | |
| G#1 | A1 | A#1 | B1 | C | C# | D | D# | F | F# | G | G# | E | A | d | g | b | e1 |
later Gibson catalogs | |
| Gibson, 1907 9 bass transitional | G1 | G#1 | A1 | A#1 | B1 | C | C# | D | D# | E | A | d | g | b | e1 |
(suspected tuning) | |||
| Gibson 11 bass option | A1 | A#1 | B1 | C | C# | D | D# | F | F# | G | G# | E | A | d | g | Bb | e1 |
Gibson c.1906 harp guitar brochure | |
| Gibson, 1908-1920s 10 bass |
A#1 |
B1 | C | C# | D | D# | F | F# | G | G# | E | A | d | g | b | e1 |
Gibson catalogs | ||
| European "bass guitar" and "bass lute," 4 bass | A1 | B1 |
C | D | E | A | d | g | b | e1 |
GEWA catalog | ||||||||
| European "bass guitar" and "Nordic lute," 4 bass | C | D | G | B | E | A | d | g | b | e1 |
Zimmermann catalog | ||||||||
| European
"bass guitar" and "bass lute," 6 bass |
F1 | G1 | A1 | B1 |
C | D | E | A | d | g | b | e1 |
Schuster Brothers | ||||||
| European
"bass guitar" and "Nordic lute," 6 bass |
C1 | D1 | F1 | G1 | A1 | B1 | E | A | d | g | b | e1 |
Zimmermann catalog | ||||||
| European
"bass guitar," 7 bass (chromatic) |
A1 | A#1 | B1 |
C | C# | D | D# | E | A | d | g | b | e1 |
Viennese traditional (Hackl) | |||||
| European
"bass guitar," 7 bass (diatonic) |
E1 | F1 | G1 | A1 | B1 |
C | D | E | A | d | g | b | e1 |
Modern alternate (Meulle-Stef) | |||||
| European "bass guitar," 9 bass (chromatic) | G1 | G#1 | A1 | A#1 | B1 |
C | C# | D | D# | E | A | d | g | b | e1 |
GEWA, Adler catalogs | |||
| European "bass guitar," 9 bass (diatonic) | C1 | D1 | E1 | F1 | G1 | A1 | B1 |
C | D | E | A | d | g | b | e1 |
Meinel & Herold catalog | |||
| European
"bass guitar" and "Nordic lute": Russian tuning, 4 bass (7 on neck) |
C | E | F | A | 7th course (fretted) > | D | G | B | d | g | b | d1 | Zimmermann catalog | ||||||
| European "bass guitar" and "Nordic lute": Russian tuning, 6 bass (7 neck) | A1 | B1 |
C | E | F | A | D | G | B | d | g | b | d1 | Zimmermann catalog | |||||
| Viennese, 2 bass | C | D | E | A | d | g | b | e1 |
Staufer | ||||||||||
| Viennese, Italian, etc: 3 bass | B1 |
C | D | E | A | d | g | b | e1 |
Staufer, Guadagnini, Mozzani, Maccaferri | |||||||||
| Quint bass (German 7-course baritone, tuned a fifth lower) | ? | A1 |
D | G | c | e | a | Hauser | |||||||||||
| Heptacorde (French, 7-string) | D | E | A | d | g | b | e1 |
Lacote | |||||||||||
| Decacorde
(French, 10-string: original 5 + 5 configuration) Note this intriguing tuning! |
C | D | E | F | G | <
6th course (floating |
A | d | g | b | e1 |
Lacote | |||||||
| Italian: Gazzo, 8 bass | G1 |
G#1 |
A1 |
A#1 |
B1 |
C | C# | D | E | A | d | g | b | e1 |
Taraffo | ||||
| Spanish 11-string (8 fretted, 3 floating) | C | F | D | G | B1 |
E | A | d | g | b | e1 |
Supplied by Brigitte Zaczek | |||||||

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