I'm needing help with figuring out which tuning would work best for me so if would be so kind to post your tuning & why I believe this would be most helpful & which might be best for instructional material. Thanks

Hi Dion - I would suggest going with the Matched Reciprocal Tuning. It's a good place to discover the instrument and every instructional video or book you'll see will use that.
I've gone through a few tunings and have settled on that one. I have a Rosewood Grand.

You probably have already seen this page - here's most of the tunings:
http://www.stick.com/instruments/tunings/

Sean Stirling

I agree. Always try to go Matched Reciprocal or any of the Classic tunings first. Even if you dont end up using them. They give a great experience in learning not only a NEW instrument, but help with musical theory quite a lot. It forces you to think and feel in a different way than most people already do, so its fantastic in that sense. It also helps even simple arrangements of common songs sound New and exciting.

But whatever works best is what you want to aim for, all im saying is, REALLY give the 5ths in bass thing a full go before experimenting all you want.

Hm...Emmett Chapman (Free Hands), Steve Adelson (DVD Ultimate Stick, Book Stickology), Bob Culbertson (DVD Lessons on the Stick), Chris Crain (eBokk Stick eLessons) use Classical Tuning in their Books. Greg Howard wrote his first Book in Bariton Tuning and later offert Versions of this Book in other tunings. So almost every instructional material uses "Classic Tuning", but I see what you mean.

I started with "Classic Tuning", because this is the tuning where it all started and until now this tuning did not limit my playing in any way. When I changed from 10-String to 12-String I still sticked to Classic and now I have Classic and Bariton Tuining under my fingertips.

Well, but there you go...Try as much as you can, to figure out the Tuning that is best for you. Every Tuning is possible with the Stick.

Cheers

PS.: Their are no Rules - Only the Freedom of choice

When I recently ordered my first Stick I read about the different tunings on the web site and imagined how they would let me use my both hands when playing basic improvisations with bass/chords and melody lines. This led me to the decision to order my Stick with Matched Reciprocal tuning. I've been playing for half a year now and find this tuning very useful. The fifths on the bass side makes wide chords and deep bass possible for the left hand. Some things I like playing, with both sides, would not be possible with classic tuning because my two hands would collide. On the other side, I imagine some cool tricks you may do in classic by using the right hands thumb on the bass side and the other five fingers on the melody side... but you can't have everything. MR will be my tuning of choice even for my next Stick, an SG12.

Hi Dion. I wish you success in settling on a tuning. I've been playing around 5 or 6 months now and it is an important decision, but one that is easily changed as you want to experiment. Personally I've tried a few different tunings and settled on MR. Here's my logic... (talking about the left hand only).

Musically, as you form chords on any instrument, the 5th in the chord is the least important note (unless you're playing power chords on a guitar of course). Playing the root plus the 3rd (major or minor) is most critical. From there, it's typical to add 7th's or 9th's, etc. to add spice and color.

Since the vast majority of work in the left hand involves 3 or fewer fingers, it seems logical to me that I'd want to allocate them to the root and to the 3rd almost always, and then to the "spice" of the chord (7th's, 9th's, etc.) next. I allocate a finger to playing a 5th in my left hand only when I have not used on a 7th, 9th, etc.

Where this all leads is that I feel MR or Classic tuning (bass side that ascends in 5th's) give me the most options for allocating my fingers this way. The extended range and the way the notes lay in relationship to each other across the strings seems to give me the most options. Of course some of the most brilliant players you've ever heard (people WAY WAY beyond anything I can do) use Mirrored 4ths with great success. I just happen to think about it the way I described here.

Peace!
Karma

michaelpaffen wrote:
...Hm...Emmett Chapman (Free Hands), Steve Adelson (DVD Ultimate Stick, Book Stickology), Bob Culbertson (DVD Lessons on the Stick), Chris Crain (eBokk Stick eLessons) use Classical Tuning in their Books. Greg Howard wrote his first Book in Bariton Tuning and later offert Versions of this Book in other tunings. So almost every instructional material uses "Classic Tuning", but I see what you mean.



Oops! Sorry about the error Dion and Michael. I stand corrected - Classic tuning in the instructional books and videos.
Sean Stirling, Musician Under Construction (and one who should open those books and videos I have laying around my studio more often.)

And I thought that I am "The King of the land of BooBoo" Sean, welcome to the club

Cheers

Proud to be a member of that club, Michael. Good to be reminded that I should open those books and slide in those DVDs more often. I still tend to run fast with a new instrument or software - not looking at the user manual like I should be doing. And I should say that each time I pick up Emmett's marvelous creation it seems like a new instrument. There is always new ground to explore. I think that I'll sip my java this morn with a good Stick book and movie.
Thanks for the memory jog.
Sean Stirling