Brett,

The Russian Stickist that is not Boris, Valerie (sp?) tunes his Grand with the bass in straight fourths and then the melody right next to it like we're used to. He's not using the mirrored 4ths bass, but just straight 4ths. Another tempting tuning for me.



Advantage: hands are still crossed over.

He's got similiar tuning in his NS/Stick and does Bach quite nicely! (He's got a bunch of NS and Stick Bach videos!)





As a NS/Stick and regular Chapman Stick owner, this tuning is especially attractive to me, as the only difference in tuning between the two instruments is really two less strings on the NS.

The thread title "Why do you use Mirrored 4ths" - I think that was largely ignored. Why feel the need to post if you don't use mirrored 4ths? I intended the thread for those of us who use the tuning to reference and add to, so that we could maybe collectively we might see other viewpoints from people who have a proclivity towards the same tuning. But hey, we're all friends here, I am open to suggestions (but don't wish to be force-fed). Heck, the thread was posted in the "mirrored 4ths" section even...

Balt-A-Sar, it feels like you are contrary just for the sake of being contrary, right from the first post and I took it as a bit insulting also. And now, after I am asking for peace it feels like you are being adversarial again. Let's stop, okay?

Everyone's points have been made, so let's try to move on? I am just asking for peace...

Thanks guys.

Hmmn, I bet it could be really cool and lead to a lot of pretty different things. Lol I am too chicken to try it, though - I am just starting to learn to play this instrument, not sure if I have the patience to go through starting over again again. I think I'd like to see someone else do it haha

Andremu tunes in uncrossed 4ths I think - he is unreal.

Brett's question really got me thinking about that tuning of Valerie's versus mirrored 4ths. Disadvantage of the straight fourths versus mirrored 4ths: you lose that great big chord that Rob Martino like to grab from both sides at one time, that you can't with straight 4ths. Right now my NS is straight 4ths and the Rosewood is mirrored 4ths. And they're both 4ths but one is backwards from the other on the bass side. I guess that doesn't have to be the case, as Valerie demonstrates.

I asked him on Facebook what he tunes to, and I forgot exactly, but I remember it being the exact tuning for both sets of strings, just an octave apart from each other. So like BEADGC (if I recall correctly) on both sides, but the melody up an octave.

If I had to order a 12-string tomorrow, that would be the 4ths tuning I would like, instead of the mirrored 4ths. I think. But I still keep experimenting and playing. A month just on the NS with straight 4ths, then switch to the Railboard for the inverse 5ths, then the Rosewood for mirrored 4ths....I'm switching back and forth a lot and haven't decided which tuning to settle on, or to keep all three.

The uncrossed 4ths I tried for a bit and like, too! I did a whole piece ("Kentucky Fried Stickin') just recently trying left hand on the melody, and right hand on the bass uncrossed. But my bass was inverse 5th for that one. (adds: no it wasn't! I was playing the lower strings of the melody side with the right hand, and the left hand playing the higher strings. So actually sub-dividing the melody side into a bass and melody side and playing THAT uncrossed. Sorry!)

Hmm, lots to think about! Thanks for the question, Brett!

That guy is insanely good too! It's really interesting how different approaches to even the same type of tuning concept seems to "work" for people.

But hey, How about some Andre Mueller? Grossly talented, probably spends 20 hours a day practicing. Sooo good, I try not to watch this too often, as it reminds me that I need a lot more practice.

I started with parallel 4ths when I got my first Grand Stick - while there is an immediate gratification with its similarity to bass guitar on the left hand, I found it didn’t lend itself well to a flexible accompaniment technique beyond monophonic bass lines and simple chords, it forces the fingers to be scrunched up for a lot of chord shapes (there’s a video example of this on my mirrored 4ths article on stick.com).

Once the bass strings are inverted, left hand opens up, fingers extended, and I feel there are a lot more possibilities (and mentally it’s wasn’t nearly as challenging as I thought to play bass guitar lines I already knew).

As for crossed vs uncrossed, I like the extra leverage that comes from the hands reaching across the fretboard, and each hand having access to all 12 strings (using right hand thumb on top bass strings, one finger power chord with lowest bass string and two lowest melody strings, etc)

This thread does motivate me to record an informal video going over some basics sometime, if that would be helpful.

And I’ve actually been spending a bit of time going through an old 4 part Thomas Tallis piece (the third mode melody from the 16th century which is the basis for the Vaughan Williams fantasia) that Mad Monk sent me a few years ago, it lends itself quite well to mirrored 4ths. Slow going since I haven’t spent much time reading music on the Stick, but it’s a useful endeavor!

Rob, i'd be super interested im seeing a video like that, very curious.

I just want to apologize to everyone, for my outbursts on this thread. Sometimes I get OCD. Needless to say I should have handled it differently.
My brother always told me my mouth would get me in trouble. I have to learn how to think before I speak, and realize the consequences of my speech. Good luck to all. Moving on.

RoknRol

Me too, Rob. I am a big fan of your works, any insights you might feel like sharing I know I for one, would be all over it. I suppose since we are on the topic, haha a new album from you would be great too!

Mad_Monk clips - Gene shared a clip with me of Monk rocking out some music, it was extremely well played, I would love to hear/see more just for the sake of seeing/hearing what can be done from another perspective, and from a non-adversarial viewpoint (I like hearing people play - sightread it, memorized, recorded - it's all good!)

Rey - don't sweat it, it can be tough to convey certain things in a "text message" like forum post, lots of stuff can be taken in the wrong way. Of course, some things are crystal clear haha all good.