FENDER American Deluxe Telecaster

One of the best things about electric guitars is that you can pretty much customize them to your liking. Much like cars, the more popular brands will have a bevy of manufacturers working towards creating products for the model when compared to lesser known guitars (although several smaller guitar manufactures circumvent this by modeling the size of certain aspects to match that of their more mainstream rivals, such as all of those Strat clones out there that can use pretty much any official Stratocaster product). With that said, there are fewer guitars out there as popular as the Fender Telecaster. Although the stock sound of the guitar is what makes many players gravitate towards the Telecaster, sooner or later they tend to want to tweak the timbre, even just slightly, to reflect more of their personal taste in tone. So, just in case any of you Telecaster owners are in the same boat and are looking to fine tune the sound of your instrument, what better way than a brand new set of pickups!

Obviously, the first thing you need to do is decide on what kind of Tele pickups you might want, so for those of you who have yet decided on what kind of sound you’re going to want your baby to play, check out PALs selection of Telecaster pickups past the link.

Before we get started, familiarize yourself with your guitar and the how the pickups work in terms of size and interchangeability. For the Telecaster, you will be working with two pickups, the neck and the bridge. The neck pickup is on the side right next to neck and the bridge pickup is obviously close to the bridge of the guitar. This is important because you don’t want to go and accidently buy a neck pickup for a Tele when you are trying to get a bridge because they will not fit on the opposite slot. Although some guitars do allow for interchangeable pickups, some don’t, which is why it’s a good idea to familiarize yourself, or go the easier route and buy the complete set (although it’s NEVER a bad idea to be knowledgeable about your rig). This guide is for replacing your Standard Telecaster pickups with standard sized Telecaster single-coil pickups. It is essentially the same technique if you’re going to be replacing your pickups with something else such as a minihumbucker neck pickup except that it will include an extra wire (because humbuckers have two coils, one wire for each coil, although these two wires will be twisted together and soldered as you would with a single coil pickups wire, so essentially it works very similar to a single coil as far as installation goes when it’s all said and done).

Familiarize yourself with this diagram and the corresponding spots on your guitar's wiring

Step One: Gathering your Tools and Prep Work

There will be a few things you will need before you will be able to change the pickups on your Telecaster, but you should be able to easily find everything at your local home improvement store. A few of these tools aren’t explicitly necessary but trust me; it will make it so much easier.

Here is what you will definitely need:

Soldering Iron and Solder - Lead free is the best way to go for any electrical system.

Full Set of Screwdrivers - You will need two, but its best to find the exact fit so as to not strip the screw.

Pliers – Unless you have very thin fingers, you’ll need a way to feed the wires through the cavity.

Wire Cutters – Most new pickups will not have exposed wiring. Use these to take some of the plastic coating off, but remember, don’t cut through the entire wire.

These will make things easier:

Electrical Tape – To hold the wires in place inside the guitar body cavity, especially important in keeping two separate wires from touching which will cause a short, breaking the entire electrical component.

Wire Strippers – Used to cut the piece of plastic surrounding the new pickups wires. Work better than wire cutters in that they don’t cut all the way through.

Exacto Knife – Used to strip the pieces of plastic around the wire in case you don’t have wire strippers.

Paper Towels – Solder tends to get messy. Place around the control panel's wiring to make sure it doesn't get inside the guitar or on the body.

Step Two: Opening up the Control Panel

Since you will be taking apart most of the guitar, it’s not a bad idea to clean up some of the gunk that has accumulated over time while you’re at it. This would also be the perfect time to do any other tuneup job you’ve been meaning to do such as replace your strings, adjusting the action, replacing the jack, etc… 

Alright, now that you have your tools gathered, the first thing you will obviously do is take off the strings. For our younger and less experienced readers, don’t forget about proper string removal which is similar to proper string installation. Don’t just go removing low E down to high E. Balance it out; if you remove low E first, remove the high E, then A to B, D to G. Get it? Keep it balanced! Unbalanced pressure is not a good idea in terms of the guitar neck. Same applies when stringing a guitar. I tend to go D to G, A to B, E to E so I work my way from the middle to the edges.

Alright, so the first actual thing you will be doing is removing the control panel which is where your volume and tone knobs are at. There are two screws on either side of the plate. Remove them and gently pull out the connection plate. Remember to be careful and not pull anything to hard. You don’t want to go rip a connection. If you have a camera handy, like on your phone, it will be a good idea to take pictures of the connections so that you don’t lose track of where each goes once you remove the old pickups. Set the exposed control panel off a bit to the side for now, but don’t pull too hard on the wires or you will make a simple job into a much longer one.

Step Three: Removing the Bridge Pickup

Now that you have the control panel unscrewed, you will need to remove the bridge plate which houses your bridge pickup. There can be as many as eight visible screws depending on your model of Telecaster. Remove the actual corner plate screws first and not the ones near the pickup as those hold the pickup in place. After you remove the bridge plate, then remove the pickup screws and the pickup.

Follow the two wires from the bridge pickup to the control panel and desolder them. It is a VERY good idea to either write down or take a picture of where the connections go so that you don’t mix up the wires when soldering the new pickup wires. You might have noticed that your black wire was connected on the same point of the volume knob as another black wire (NOTE: some guitars have their black ground wires on the back of the tone knob or even somewhere else. Ground wires just need a spot of metal so that they can complete the electrical connection, so it doesn’t really matter exactly where they are as long as they are out of the way and on a spot of metal. Just use the spot that the manufacturer used as a grounding spot for best results). That other black wire is coming from the neck pickup. There should be a third black wire that will either be connected at the same spot as the other two or in its own spot on the same knob. This third black wire is coming from the input jack. Only remove it if it is connected with the other two black wires that come from the pickups. If they are not connected to each other, leave it alone. They are the ground wires and as long as you remember (or take a picture) which wires connected to that same point when you’re ready to solder your new pickup’s corresponding ground wire, you’re good. Again, write it down, remember, or take a picture.

The other wire, which should be white or sometimes red, is your hot wire and it is connected to the three-way-selector knob. Desolder and remember which spot you removed it from so you can solder the corresponding bridge pickup wire to the same spot when you install the new pickup. You don’t want to accidently wire the bridge’s hot wire where the neck’s wire should be, or vice versa.

(NOTE: You will bump into other colors too in the world of pickup wiring, such as green. Follow the instructions of the pickups manual. In most cases it is because they are humbucking pickups.)

Step Four: Solder the New Bridge Pickup’s Hot Wire to the Three-Way Selector Knob

Now that you have removed the bridge pickup entirely, replace it with your new bridge pickup. Feed all the wires through the bridge plate cavity to the rest of the wiring. You can go ahead and screw the pickup to the bridge plate and the bridge plate back to the guitar. Most pickups will either have all the wires inside a large bundle or two separate bundles, although that is not the case 100 percent of the time. Read the manual of your pickups to make sure you which wires are hot and which are the ground wires, although most are as easy as differentiating between black being ground and white being hot. As I mentioned above, humbuckers will have an extra wire because of its extra coil so just keep that in mind if you’re replacing it with one of those. You can go ahead and solder the hot wire (and only the hot wire) of your new bridge pickup to the corresponding spot on the three way selector knob.

Step Five: Removing the Pickguard and Neck Pickup

The neck pickup on a telecaster is held in place by the pickguard much like the bridge plate held down the bridge pickup. Unscrew the pickguard and remove it. When taking out the neck pickup, be careful not to lose the springs and screws inside that hold the neck pickup in place. Once you have removed the neck pickup, do as you did with the bridge. Follow the wires from the pickup to their spots. The black ground wire should already be loose since you should have removed it from the back of the volume knob when taking off the bridge pickup’s hot wire. If not, you can remove it now. Remove the hot wire from its spot on the three-way-selector knob and remember where it went. All the wires of the neck pickup should now be off so you can remove the old pickup entirely.

Step Six: Solder the New Neck Pickup’s Wires

Now exactly like you did with the bridge pickup, feed the wires of the new neck pickup through the cavity and solder the hot wire to the corresponding spot of the three-way-selector. Both hot wires from the neck and bridge pickups should now be in their place. Take both of the loose black ground wires from the neck and the bridge pickups and twist them together. Solder these two joined wires to the spot on the back of the volume knob where they belong. If there was a third black wire from the jack that was originally there along with the other two, join that one in there as well.

Step Seven:  Testing it Out

Before you go and screw back the control panel, it’s a good idea to make sure all the connections are working so that you won’t have to unscrew it all over again in case there’s a problem. If you have an amp and cable handy, go ahead and plug it into the input jack. Since there are no strings, you can take the tip of your screw driver and touch one of the pole pieces of the pickups or in the case of single bar pickups, anywhere that’s metal. If you hear a buzz when touched, everything should be good to go and you can go ahead and put the control panel back in, restring your guitar and enjoy your brand new pickups!

Recap: What’s Been Done

Removed bridge plate and bridge pickup from bridge plate

Desoldered bridge pickup hot wire from three-way-selector knob

Desoldered ground wires (of both the neck and bridge pickups) from back of volume knob

Removed old bridge pickup

Put in new bridge pickup and re installed it to bridge plate, put bridge plate back on guitar

Soldered new bridge pickup hot wire to correct spot on three-way-selector knob

Removed pickguard and neck pickup from pickguard

Desoldered neck pickup’s hot wire from three-way-selector knob

Removed old neck pickup and replaced with new

Put neck pickup back on pickguard, pickguard back on guitar

Soldered new neck pickup’s hot wire to correct spot on three-way-selector knob

Connected both neck and bridge pickup ground wires together and soldered them to their proper spot on back of volume knob

Replaced control panel

Restrung the guitar

Finished!

There you have it, although it can be a bit complex and overbearing, it is actually a simple form of electrical engineering. As long as you make sure everything is connected securely and in its proper place, you shouldn’t have too much trouble at all. Some guitars will work a tab bit more complex if it has an extra pickup like the Stratocaster, and some pickups might have more wires than you would expect like humbuckers, but even still, same process in the end.

A few days ago, we brought you an introduction into the world of pickups. To recap, these little magnified pieces of coil and poles work by sensing the vibration in the strings and turning that into electrical signals that can be understood by the amp. We covered the two most popular kinds, the single-coil pickup, like the kind you’d find on a Fender Stratocaster or Telecaster, and the humbucker, as you would get on a Gibson Les Paul Standard. Anyways, we’re not done yet, as there are still a few more things one should know, even if it is just for an intro, so read on and get to know these guys a little better as we continue our introduction to pickups! And in case you didn’t catch the first part, check out part one right here!

Variations in Magnetic Pickups

Active versus Passive

Active pickup setup; Hit this for bigger picture

This is an important part of the world of pickups, especially if you’re deep into customizing your axe. In general, most pickups shipped on most models are passive. For one, they're less expensive, do not require extra power and most importantly, if you don’t need the benefits of an active pickup, you’re pretty much better off sticking with the passive. The biggest difference between the two in terms of build and mechanics is that active pickups have a built in preamplifier that boosts the voltage of the pickup thereby creating a much stronger signal before it even leaves the guitar. This requires a battery to power the preamp. Passive pickups on the other hand do not boost the strength of the signal and just leaves the guitar to the amp as is.

There are a few reasons for why one might want an active pickup instead of the standard passive. Of course it’s for more power, but what are the benefits? First and most important of all, more power in the signal from the guitar means a cleaner, clearer overall signal. Imagine your guitar is a digital camera and the pickups represent the quality of the picture. Let’s just say that a guitar with a passive pickup is about a 5Mb camera and the active is a 14Mb. Imagine the output signal of the pickup as the quality of your picture and an amp as a photo-printer. If you’re just looking for a small picture, let’s say wallet sized, the quality of both pickups doesn’t matter as much since the printer will more or less print the same picture, even if the 14mb camera has much better resolution. Let’s say you need a huge head shot. Obviously, once you get into bigger territory, or louder as it were with music, you’ll start to notice the huge difference between the 5mb pic and the 14mb. Hope I didn’t lose you. Anyways, the same principles apply for pickups. If you’re going to be playing with moderate volume levels on the amp, both pickups will do you good, but once you get into loud metal territory, active pickups are the way to go. The active pickups won’t make you’re guitar sound any louder, but the boosted signal will be read by the amp much clearer at high volume levels since it has a stronger signal to work with, giving you much better highs and lows as well as a cleaner tone when compared to a passive pickup at the same volume.

It’s actually quite easy to determine which one is right for you. Do you play metal or any other loud form of music that requires you to push your 200 watt amp all the way to 11? You need an active pickup, unless you like choppy, unclear tones. Do you rarely max out your amp and don’t like the thought of having to buy a battery for your pickups? Stick with the passive. If you don’t need the extra signal boost (which most genres don’t as long as you have the proper sized amp), then you won’t be taking full advantage of what active pickups offer and you’ll just be worrying about always having working batteries for no reason.

Staggered-Pole versus Flat-Pole

Top: Flat Pole; Bottom: Staggered Pole

This one is a little harder to gauge as the benefits of either isn’t as clear cut as it is with active versus passive. It’s more about preference, really. Basically, for those that don’t know the two terms, take a look at a normal single-coil pickup. Notice those metal round circles below each of the strings? Each little metal circle is the very tip of a pole. Notice how some of them stick out by varying amounts? If they do, you have a staggered set of pickups and if you don’t, naturally, you have the flat-pole variety.

The distance between a string and the pickup pole will determine the signal output for each, so with a flat-pole pickup you’re essentially getting an overall balanced presence for each string, which can be good or bad depending on your preference. Flats will have much more present low and high strings as compared to staggered, which usually have the G as the dominant string with the high and low E a bit buried compared to the others. Also, since flat poles give you much stronger lower string tones, the overall sound of your guitar will be a bit more bass heavy with treble lost, all which can be compensated for on an amp. If you play more open chords, the staggered will sound a bit better since the high E won’t pierce through as much. Like solos or power chords? The flat pole pickups are good for that since all strings are balanced but if you’re like most people and want to play a bit of everything, either is good, just mess with the amp and tone knobs.

*On a side note though, bass players should go for the flat poles as this will give you better low E presence without having to mess with your tone levels too much. 

Other Types of Pickups

Piezoelectric pickups

Common piezoelectric pickup placement

These are common for acoustic and acoustic electric guitars as well as on most electric bowed instruments such as a violin or a cello. These have the advantage of not generating any hum or buzz, but unlike humbuckers which work by cancelling out magnetic interference these pickups simply do not pick them up and are therefore unaffected.  A lot of the time guitarists will pair these up with regular magnetic pickups and switch between the two as needed. They do have a distinguishably different sound than that of a standard pickup, giving off a much more natural sound with less of the “electric” feel you’d get with the standard; Great for acoustic, not so much for hard rock.

The actual pickup can be placed on the outside of the instrument, usually below the bridge, with the input jack and wiring either placed on the outside of the body, held by putty usually, or on the inside of the guitar with the input jack placed how you would normally find it, with the wiring inside.

Optical Pickups

These bad boys are a bit new to the scene and have the advantage of being completely insensitive of magnetic or electric interference, something few other pickups can claim. Essentially, these work by having a light source, usually an LED light, and a device that can detect a change in the light, a phototransitor. When the string is plucked, the phototransitor can sense the amount of vibration by detecting how much the string is shifting the light source.

The Right Pickup is Always up to the Musician

Alright, so there you have it. While there is still A LOT more that we can cover, this should give you a pretty good idea of the basics when it comes to pickups. While there are rarely completely wrong choices when it comes to selecting pickups (like they don’t fit!), most choices will just depend on what you’re looking for in terms of sound and tone. So whether you’re in the market for a humbucker on that new Les Paul or thinking about getting an active set for your bass, there are plenty of choices out there. Looking for the perfect set that best fits your needs may seem like a daunting task, but it’s definitely worth the work. The perfect pickup can sometimes make all the difference.

And don't forget to check out PAL's huge selection of pickups right here!

FENDER FM-63S Mandolin

One of the best things I have found about attaining an understanding of the realm of music theory is that you can transfer your knowledge from one instrument to another with fairly consistent success, albeit with some elbow grease and plenty of practice. As a bassman myself, learning scales and rhythm went a long way in helping me better understand non-stringed instruments such as the keyboard or the flute (mixed results on the latter). Although it took time for my fingers to physically play the thing, my mind already knew what I needed to do. Over the last couple of weeks, we have been featuring a few guitar alternatives such as the banjo and ukulele in order to give musicians out there a bit of encouragement towards being a mighty and respected multi-instrumentalist.

This week, we keep things going with the history and mechanical basics of the renaissance era mandolin. Although the instrument itself is well over a few hundred years in age, musicians of all genres from The Beatles to The Black Crowes have all been attracted to its unique and signature timbre. Read on and find out how this predecessor to the guitar came to be and how you can start rocking the 8 string yourself! 

History of the Mandolin

Renaissance Era Lute

The mandolin first came to be as a direct variant and member of the lute family, a middle age era stringed instrument that many feel is the father of all modern plectrum instruments, although history can tell you (through cave paintings and murals) that man had been using single string instruments as far back as 15,000 BC to 8,000 BC. At about the 14^th century in Europe, a new instrument was created based on the popular lute. This new instrument featured less strings and a smaller build but everything else was pretty much in line with its predecessor including its tear drop body shape and coupled strings. Four hundred years later, the modern mandolin as we know it was created in Naples, Italy as a baritone variant of the mandore, retaining its coupled string set and tear-shaped body while featuring a straight neck instead of the signature angled neck of the lute and its family.

Along the way, several iterations appeared that featured different string counts, exotic body shapes and eventually the addition of frets. Although many of these variants still exist today, the mandolin as we know it today, with its four pairs of strings and familiar body structure, was by far the most widely used and popular of all the deviations.

The Musical Mechanics of the Mandolin

As mentioned above, the modern standard mandolin consists of 8 strings coupled into four pairs exactly like a 12 string guitar has six, meaning a single finger will be responsible for holding down two strings at a time (those that have experience with this can tell you it’s nowhere near as difficult as it may sound). Along with the classic tear-drop body, most mandolins feature F-hole cutaways as resonators much like they did when they first appeared, although some manufacturers prefer a guitar styled center circle cutout.

The four pairs of strings are each tuned to the same note and unlike the 12 string guitar (with the exception of the high E), the two strings that make up a couple are identical in gauge. The most commonly used tuning for the mandolin is GDAE from low to high (or GGDDAAEE if you want to count each string, but I’m sure my point has been made about the nature of the string pairings). Those familiar with the violin will be happy to know that it uses that exact same tuning, so switching over knowledge from one instrument to another should be a synch. Another popular tuning method mimics the patterns of standard guitar tuning, making chords and fret patterns much easier to comprehend for those coming over from a six-string.

Mandolin Fretboard Structure

Time to try out the Mandolin for Yourself

Not too complicated, right? For those of you adventurous enough to go out and learn to play one of these yourselves should be happy to know that over the last decade, the mandolin has increased exponentially in popularity. Although its design and sound is undeniably baroque, several modern rock bands from all levels of success have been regularly featuring mandolin players during their performances and recording sessions. From Green Day to the White Stripes and many, many more, the mandolin is an excellent and solid choice for those looking to spice up their musical résumé. Also, for those of you currently in the market for one of your own, how about Fender's beginner pack, complete with the mandolin itself, gig bag, strap, strings, chromatic tuner, picks, and instructional material - or check out PAL’s other excellent options after the break! 

• FENDER FM-63S Mandolin

• FENDER FM-53S Acoustic Mandolin

• FENDER FM-52E Acoustic-Electric Mandolin

• FENDER Robert Schmidt Electric Mandolin

• FENDER FM 100 Mandolin Pack Sunburst

Fender FB59 Banjo

Maybe it’s just me, but it seems like nowadays everybody plays guitar. Whether it’s a classic acoustic or a custom electric, in the sphere of music, guitarists are a dime a dozen. But don’t get me wrong, it’s the first instrument that got me into music, the same for a lot of us, and how can they blame us? With all those videos of Jimi Hendrix making his axe scream or Eddie Van Halen simply destroying solos… you tell me how I’d ever want to pick up a violin! But with that said, the great thing about music is the shear amount of options we as musicians have to play around with and master.  So, for those of you looking to spice up your instrument skill set, why not try some of these guitar alternatives?

Sure, there are a few differences between them; an extra string or two, an alternate tuning here and there, but nothing that veterans capable of holding chord patterns should worry about. So, for all you axe-men out there check out some of the guitars less popular cousins. While they might not melt anyone’s face soon, they make great partners for YouTube videos!

Last week, we featured a nice little well known instrument known as the ukulele, a fan favorite of the online video crowd and faux guitarists everywhere. This week, we’re getting a little country, so get ready for some bluegrass and read on as we give you all the info you need to get a grip on the one… the only… the banjo!

Birth of the Banjo

The modern banjo is a 4-5 stringed instrument popular in a wide array of genres including country, bluegrass, folk and traditional Irish music. The banjo itself is made up of either a piece of animal skin or plastic stretched over a circular body frame along with a neck and tuning knobs similar to that of most stringed instruments, albeit comparatively thinner.  Although it is normally associated with European and American music styles, the predecessor to the banjo came from deep within Central Africa, as many of the people there have been using variations such as the kora well before the modern banjo made its way to the Americas. Furthermore, it was the African slaves in Colonial America that actually introduced the instrument into mainstream Americana, although the banjo as we know it today came from a Western approach to building the instrument, incorporating frets and tuning knobs whereas before it featured neither.

Anatomy of the Banjo

As mentioned above, most banjos have either four or five strings although six (even seven) string variations are available that try and emulate the tuning and style of a standard guitar. There are a few differences among the two most popular variants than just an extra string.

The Kora

The Four String Banjo

The best candidate for those new to the instrument is known as the plectrum banjo. Unlike the five or six stringed variation, these banjos do not have the shorter drone string. As the name suggests, these are more commonly played with a guitar pick, unlike the five-stringed banjos which typically use a thumb pick, two or more fingerpicks, or none at all. The common tuning for a plectrum banjo is CGBD, although alternate tunings such as the “Chicago Style” which uses the same tuning as the top four strings on a guitar (EADG) are also commonly used. The fret board is usually between 22 and 26 inches and contains 22 frets. Tenor four stringed banjos have a slightly smaller neck with 17 frets and a scale length of 19½ to 21½ inches.

The Five String Banjo

The main difference between the four and five stringed banjo is obviously the extra string, but more importantly, it’s the positioning of the string. The top string is the same gauge as the lowest string but has its tuning knob on the 5^th fret unlike the other four which are past the fret board on the head of the neck like you would find on a guitar. This feature makes it possible for the 5^th string to be tuned much higher than the rest while still using common string gauges and lengths. The higher frequency of this string is used to create drone notes, which we’ll cover in a second. Unlike most string instruments, the pitch of the strings aren’t arranged from lowest to highest as you would find on a guitar or even the four string banjo. Instead, from lowest to highest, they go fourth, third, second, first and fifth. The tuning for a five string banjo is most commonly GDGBD, although like all string instruments, alternates are also used.

Style and Technique

When most people think of the banjo (thanks in part to both Warner Bros cartoons and Deliverance), they usually attribute it to a fast paced arpeggiated plucking style like that of the quicker parts to the song “Dueling Banjos.”The technical terms for the techniques are called rolls and drones. The rolls are fingering patterns consisting of eighth notes subdividing a standard 4/4 measure, carrying the melody. Drones on the other had are also typically in eighths but are used to fill around the rolls and are always played on the 5^th or shortest (highest in pitch) string on the banjo much like guitar finger picking uses the thumb to play the bass notes, just far more frequently. This combination of rolls and drones is synonymous with the banjo as well as typifies bluegrass.

Notice how the 5th string begins on the 5th fret

Now You Are Ready To Go

Alright, so you know the style, the tuning and the correct order of the stings. How about a brand new banjo? Those who are a bit newer to the world outside of the guitar should check out the Fender Five String Banjo pack. It comes with everything you need to get yourself off on the right track including the banjo itself, a gig bag, extra strings, tuner, picks and a beginners booklet. There are also plenty of standalone banjos as well, links after the break. 

  ///FENDER FB59 Banjo///FENDER FB58 Banjo///FENDER FB-55 Banjo///FENDER FB-54 Banjo///FENDER FB 300 Banjo Pack///

Graham was a pioneer in the use of DADGAD

One of the best things about music is the vast amount of creative freedom we as musicians have. Although there are “rules” in music, they are much more like guidelines in the true sense of the word with nothing being truly off limits (whether it sounds pleasing to the ear… that’s a completely different subject as one man’s off-note is another man’s mode scale). Instruments are no different, and one of the more exciting aspects of guitars in particular is the vast amount of alternate tunings available. We have been featuring a few every Thursday here and this week we bring our attention to something a bit more exotic, although definitely familiar.

The How-To's of DADGAD Tuning

If you are coming from standard EADGBE tuning, DADGAD (pronounced dad-gad and is also known as Celtic tuning, which I’ll explain later) simply requires a full step drop of the 1^st, 2^nd and 6^th strings (high E, B and low E) which will give you an open D suspended 4^th chord(Dsus4). This simply means that when played open, it’s a D chord, and the suspended 4^th part explains the replacement of the major or minor 3^rd of the open chord with that of a perfect 4^th that is neither intrinsically minor nor major, hence, suspended. It is also good to note that suspended chords replace the major or minor 3^rd with either a major 2^nd or perfect 4^th, giving it both an open and dissonant sound when played.

Birth of the "Celtic" Tuning

 The DADGAD has been used across multiple popular genres like blues and rock, but no other genre is more associated with the tuning as is Celtic music. The reason that DADGAD works so well with Celtic music such as Irish folk is because several of the movable chords retain open strings which act as a sound pillars of sort, sustaining certain notes consistently even as the chords change which is very similar to the arrangement for traditional Irish or Scottish pipe music.

The DADGAD tuning was first popularized in modern music by English folk singer-songwriter Davey Graham who pioneered its use in his adaptations of not only traditional Celtic music but folk music of India and Morocco as well. In popular music, Jimmy Page was known to have extensively used this tuning in not only his early years as a session guitarist but with Led Zeppelin as well. Take a listen to the song “Black Mountain Side” or “Kashmir” to hear Page’s take on Celtic tuning.

Now It's Time to Try It Out

There you have it, not so hard and actually pretty fun once you get the hang of the chord shapes. Whether you want to call it a dad-gad, Celtic, or even Dsus4, if you’re trying to add a little Irish spice to your arrangements, this D modal tuning should definitely give you a kick in the clovers!

Fender Nohea All Koa

Maybe it’s just me, but it seems like nowadays everybody plays guitar. Whether it’s a classic acoustic or a custom electric, in the sphere of music, guitarists are a dime a dozen. But don’t get me wrong, it’s the first instrument that got me into music, the same for a lot of us, and how can they blame us? With all those videos of Jimi Hendrix making his axe scream or Eddie Van Halen simply destroying solos… you tell me how I’d ever want to pick up a violin! But with that said, the great thing about music is the shear amount of options we as musicians have to play around with and master.  So, for those of you looking to spice up your instrument skill set, why not try some of these guitar alternatives?

Sure, there are a few differences between them; an extra string or two, an alternate tuning here and there, but nothing that veterans capable of holding chord patterns should worry about. So, for all you axe-men (and axe-ladies) out there check out some of the guitars less popular cousins. While they might not melt anyone’s face soon, they make great partners for YouTube videos!

This week, we will be featuring the one, the only...

The Ukulele 

The Birth of a New Instrument

Probably the most popular of the alternatives, especially in the aforementioned YouTube department, the ukulele is a four-stringed member of the guitar family credited to being invented around the 1880s in Hawaii after Portuguese merchants brought over two similar stringed instruments along with them. Production of the ukulele as we know it came soon after as King Kalākaua began incorporating the instrument into music at royal gatherings, becoming synonymous with the island.

What's the DIfference?

Besides the obvious difference in string count, what give the ukulele its signature sound are the positioning of the strings according to tone and the type of strings used. Unlike the traditional acoustic guitar which has strings set up from low to high (or high to low if you read tabs), the ukulele incorporates a setup similar to the banjo, with the two outer strings being thinner and higher in tone while the two middle strings are thicker, lower in tone. Just imagine the lower four strings on a guitar and replace the D with another high E string. The ukulele uses nylon strings, similar to classical guitars, which definitely gives it a warm quality and not at all metallic like in regular guitars.

The Importance of Being Properly Tuned

Probably the biggest road block for those wanting to play the ukulele is the tuning setup, but it is definitely a lot easier once you get used to it. Most people make the honest mistake of thinking that the four strings on the ukulele must be the same tuning as the higher four strings on a guitar, meaning DGBE, and in the case of a baritone ukulele, they would be right, but chances are they picked up a standard or soprano ukulele, as are the ones sold in most music shops. Sure, you can use that setup on any uke and it will technically work (because music always technically works), but that is definitely not the traditional setup of the instrument, causing the strings to either be too loose or too tight. Check out this chart to figure out the proper tuning for your ukulele:

So, there you have it. That wasn’t so bad, right? The ukulele is a great instrument in its own right with a rich history and distinctive sound, making it a pretty popular (and portable) alternative when six strings are just too much. Now, how about some soprano ukulele chords to get you running in the right direction?

Don't own a ukulele yet? Check out the Fender Nohea All Koa, Hau'oli or the Pa'ina for top quality ukuleles at a great price!

Open G Tuning Structure

It’s that time of the week again and for all you aspiring musicians (or veterans who simply feel like making sure we’ve got our stuff right), let us get straight into our next alternate tuning. This one might require a little extra piece of equipment for optimal performance… or a glass cup. You’ll see.

There’s a lot to like with the open G. If you thought playing a power chord on drop D was easy, wait until you get a crack at this one! Essentially, you will be tuning your guitar to be able to produce a full G chord with all the strings being “open,” meaning strum all the strings while not touching a single fret, like your girlfriend. There are a few ways to do this, as there are a few ways to get a G chord, but we will be focusing on the standard format used most.

Let's Get This Done

The basic and most used method for open G requires you to tune to D-G-D-G-B-d from low string to high. If you’re starting from standard E-A-D-G-B-e tuning, simply drop the low E a full step down to D, drop the next string [A] a full step to G, and finally take the high E and drop that a full step down to D. If you’re familiar with the wonderful “barre chord,” you’re essentially moving the notes that aren’t being held down by your index finger and moving them so that they all hit on the same fret, letting you play the full chord by just laying your finger along a single fret, or with all the strings “open.” Eureka! See how that works now?

Standard Guitar Slider

Grab That Glass

Okay, so now that you have your rig tuned and ready, now what? Most professionals use open tunings for slide guitar and can be heard as that “twangy” sound during country songs, or for the Beatle fan, during “For You Blue.” The way this is achieved is by using a guitar slider, a small tube open at either end made of usually glass or metal, which you put on a finger and then yep, you got it, slide that sucker on the fretboard! If you’re looking for a quick substitution for a slider, a glass cup works fine albeit it will feel a little uncomfortable, but if you’re looking to take your cup to the big stage, invest in a slider. They are less than ten dollars usually (unless you splurge for the gold model) and look a lot more rock n roll than a glass cup.

Alright! Now What?

It should be noted that a lot of the time, guitars tuned to open tunings are usually used as accompanying instruments that add to the main melody rather than carry it, but don’t tell that to Keith Richards, who took that same tuning, removed the low D (several people remove this as it tends to overpower the entire sound) and used it to craft some of the Rolling Stones’ most popular songs, such as “Brown Sugar” or “Honky Tonk Women.” Instead of sliding, Richards simply manipulated chord structures and took advantage of the “open” nature of the tuning, all while adding his signature syncopated riffs.

"Lapstyle" slide guitar

Now you are ready to roll, or rather, slide! And remember to come back next Thursday as we’ll be giving you another little gem for our Alternate Tuning of the Week!

Drop D Tuning Structure

Quite possibly the most widely used and recognizable of all alternate tunings, the drop D simply requires the low E string tuned down a whole step to D while the rest of the strings are kept in their standard format.

In drop D, the three bass strings form a D5 power chord which can be shifted up and down the fretboard with a single finger to produce a power chord. It is for this reason that the drop D is frequently used by metal bands as this gives them the added advantage of being able to shift back and forth between power chords with extreme quickness, a staple of the genre. Although drop D can be found across multiple styles, notable genres include country, blues, classic rock, folk and alternative.

Due to its close similarity to standard tuning, the drop D is often used as introduction to alternate tuning.

Popular songs in drop D: “Dear Prudence” –The Beatles, “Everlong” –Foo Fighters, “Something in the Way” –Nirvana, “Killing in the Name” –Rage Against The Machine, “Your Body is a Wonderland” –John Mayer.

Remember to come back next Thursday for our next Alternate Tuning of the Week!

Why are guitars tuned EADGBE—a series of perfect fourths and a single major third?

The Guitar Player, Jan Vermeer, c. 1672. By the time the Dutch artist painted this oil-on-canvas work depicting a five-course European guitar, the modern ADGBE tuning (sans low E in this case) used today had already evolved.

Good question, not least because for the past 1,000 years, most everyone seems to have agreed that the most naturally powerful and pleasing-to-the-ear interval is the mighty perfect fifth. All Western music is pretty much based on the hallowed circle of fifths. Stringed instruments such as the violin, cello and mandolin are tuned in fifths.

And yet there’s the guitar—an extremely popular instrument—tuned in a seemingly odd series of ascending perfect fourths and a single major third. From low to high, standard guitar tuning is EADGBE—three intervals of a fourth (low E to A, A to D and D to G), followed by a major third (G to B), followed by one more fourth (B to the high E).

This arrangement was not arrived at and agreed upon just to confuse everyone. Wikipedia editors and contributors sensibly note that standard guitar tuning “evolved to provide a good compromise between simple fingering for many chords and the ability to play common scales with minimal left hand movement,” and that the four pairs of perfect-fourth string intervals produce “a symmetry and intelligibility to fingering patterns.” Of the anomalous major third from G to B, it notes that although “this breaks the fingering pattern of the chromatic scale and thus the symmetry, it eases the playing of some often-used chords and scales, and it provides more diversity in fingering possibilities.”

So there’s our answer: The guitar is tuned the way it usually is because it’s simultaneously musically convenient and physically comfortable.

This, by the way, is an arrangement largely settled on hundreds of years ago. When the five-course (course in this sense meaning a pair of strings tuned in unison) guitarra battente first appeared in Italy in the 1500s and gradually replaced the four-course guitar-like instruments dominant since the beginning of the Renaissance a couple centuries earlier, it was tuned ADGBE, as are the top five strings of the modern guitar (the transition from five pairs of strings to six single strings was under way in Europe by the middle of the 17th century). Tuning the third and second strings (G and B) to a major-third interval made fingering easier than continuing a series of perfect fourths, which would’ve resulted in a second string tuned to C and a first string tuned to F. Lowering what would’ve been that high open F by one half step to an open E returned the interval from first string to second string (B) to a perfect fourth.

Don’t just take Wikipedia’s word for it about the sensibility of the arrangement, though. Noted music instructor and former Television guitarist Richard Lloyd once wrote on his website that while the violin and the cello lend themselves nicely to tuning in fifths because of their small scale length, the same doesn’t necessarily hold true on a larger-scale instrument such as a guitar.

“The guitar is a larger-scaled instrument which is played sitting in one’s lap,” Lloyd wrote. “Even though the cello is a larger instrument than the violin, it is played with the neck vertically, which allows the hand to have a little bit easier time reaching for notes. With the guitar sitting in the lap and the neck diagonal to the player, the bend in the wrist starts to make it more difficult to spread out the fingers. So our next best choice for tuning any larger scaled multi-stringed instrument is going to be to tune in fourths, which are a little closer together. On a guitar, a person with a normal-sized hand can reasonably be expected to sound the major third with the pinkie finger while holding down the tonic with the index finger. So it makes sense that the next string should be the fourth.”

Lloyd also astutely noted, however, that if six-string guitars were tuned completely in perfect fourths, you’d wind up with a harmonically discordant arrangement of (low to high) EADGCF. You can see the problem there—E and F are only a half step apart, imposing a naturally irritating interval of a minor second. “This is a god-awful interval,” Lloyd wrote. “And threatens to sour the whole thing.”

Fortunately, since the ADGBE tuning for the top five strings had already been adopted in the 16th century—before a lower sixth string tuned to E was added—such a problematic tuning arrangement was avoided. That lower E continued the arrangement of perfect fourths used for all string pairs except the major-third interval adopted for the second and third strings, resulting in the standard guitar tuning that remains today.

Here at PAL, We're all about helping musicians get closer to living the dream and conquering their musical goals, therefore we love sharing articles we find to spread knowledge about gear and equipment. The article we found and would like to share today is a bit different than usual though.

Let’s talk about something a little more… supernatural.

More than most other musicians, we guitarists are a pretty superstitious lot. We’re prone to falling under the magical spell of mojo. Hooked on hoodoo, we have a seemingly endless array of gadgets and devices available to help us conjure just the right sounds. We use our lucky guitar picks, while wearing our lucky shoes or t-shirts. We perform ritualistic warm-up routines, and insist on playing on the same side of the stage every night. We even give names to our guitars. Seriously, drummers and keyboard players do not do this.

In a similar way, some of us can be highly suspicious, guarding against whatever may throw us off our game. Voodoo vexed, we feel susceptible to unseen forces that wreak havoc on our technique and tone, be it bad vibes, bad chili or simply something in the air. Gotta ward off that juju; keep the hellhounds off your trail. The history of modern guitar is rife with mythology and folklore that has helped foster this mentality. Numerous examples include everything from Robert Johnson’s crossroads encounter with the devil to the black magic dabbling of Jimmy Page. Not surprisingly, the guitarist is usually the one in the band most compelled to take on the role of the shaman or magus—thus the phrase “guitar wizardry.” Trust me, this stuff isn’t an issue to the average oboe player.

While the majority of us don’t take things quite to that extreme, this much is true—we guitarists are the most obsessed with the never-ending search for that one sound, the perfect combination of elements that will yield our ever-elusive Holy Grail tone. That is, after all, why you’re reading this magazine, isn’t it? And in our continuing quest, we often place a great deal of importance on the various and sundry musical curios we collect: über-boutique guitar pedals with fancy finishes and obligatory true bypass switching; super-sleek, ergonomically designed pedalboards; high-end, low-capacitance instrument cables; and custom-made pickups with Alnico magnets, hand wound to exact vintage specs. These are a few of our favorite things. But does any of it really make a difference?

An electrical engineer will insist that if it can’t be measured, it doesn’t exist. But we superstitious guitarists beg to differ. We hear things that can’t be detected with a mere digital multimeter. Besides, who’s to say that there aren’t some strange electromagnetic properties in the gold paint and pigmentation of the horsey-man graphic that makes it sound slightly better than the same pedal, sans horsey-man? And everyone knows, a pedal always sounds better when someone has drawn an alien head inside of it.

The bottom line is, when you’re talking tone, opinion is all there is. By its very nature, tone is essentially subjective. There are a good number of things that really do make a discernible difference, and few things that probably don’t. The main bit of mojo to be wary of is an element known as unobtainium. This describes what happens when the scarcity of a particular item effectively increases its perceived value. Don’t fall for it! A high price tag and long waiting list do not necessarily equal good tone.

What about certain electronic components, such as capacitors and IC chips? Analog Mike and I once spent an entire day A/B testing Ibanez Tube Screamers using different opamps. Was there a difference? Yes, there was, subtle but perceptible. Was it a difference your bandmates would notice at rehearsal? Maybe, maybe not. Is it a difference your audience will hear? Highly unlikely. So why is it important?

This topic could be debated endlessly. But there is at least one irrefutable reason why any of this should matter, and here it is: anything that makes you feel better inspires you to play better. If you’re happy with your tone and feel good about it, it’ll show through in your playing, simple as that.

So there you go. May the tone be with you. Until next time, keep on stompin’!

So you did it, you’re there on the same stage as that big national act, being the opening band. It might be your big break! Many bands and players have been discovered that way. Allow me to give you a few hints on what to do so you can show the headliner and the promoter that you are professional and worthy to share the stage with those big boys.

It is a good idea to be early to your big gig. Several days before the gig advance your show. That means calling the promoter and finding out the time you need to be at the performance venue. Also get the number of the sound company or house sound engineer and briefly speak with them about your needs for sound and lights and find out what will be available for you to use for your performance. The best strategy for the day of the show is to come a half-hour early with your musicians and gear. You may ask for a clear area to set up your gear, off to the side of the stage or another out of the way place close to the performance area. Here’s why: if the headliner is sound checking and things don’t go smoothly (this happens often) there may be delays getting you on stage. When you do get the green light to get on stage, you need to do it fast and you don’t want to be looking for a cord or an instrument part during your valuable stage time.

Get everything roughly set up and check it out (don’t play until you are cleared to do so!) and then be ready to move it into place when the stage crew is ready for you. Try to figure out the best way to set up and teardown your gear in a modular fashion. This is especially important for drums and key setups. It is a good idea to have the instrument outputs and speakers you want miked marked so it can be identified in the rush and confusion of change over. Also be aware of the fastest way to break down to get off stage and have an area designated to carry your gear to for your final breakdown and packing up. It is also a good idea to have all your gear marked and cased or boxed, and to have an inventory sheet of what you brought to the gig so you can check to make sure you don’t leave anything – you have no idea how many guitar stands and cords I have ended up with … even a wireless ears transmitter!

Each sound company or engineer has a different style of doing things. Ask what will be happening when you get up on stage. Will you be able to do a full sound check or just a setup and test of your mike, line inputs and monitors? How long will you have, and what is the plan for getting your gear off of the stage? Also remember to make your questions quick and to the point, as the engineer and stage crew will be busy.

Be ready for things to change. You may not get all of the mikes for your drums or individual monitor mixes for you band. You may not get to hook up your favorite wireless mike or your in-ears system. Be mentally prepared for shortcuts to be taken and don’t let it put a damper on your game!

I had one opening band that only had 5 minutes before doors to setup and check. I told them, when you start, play hard – meaning go out and be rock stars regardless of what is happening. I dialed them in on the fly and they were happy by the middle of the first song, and so was the crowd! You may want to consider practicing with only one or two monitor mixes, without ears and with minimal mikes on drums. Try to simplify and pare down your needs to your bare minimums so you’ll be ready to deal with less than ideal situations.

Till next time, play hard!

At Pro Audio Land we're always trying to give you the tools and resources to become a better musician. There is no better way to do that then to practice your instrument and expand your knowledge about music theory. Its not as intimidating as it seems, and your already using it every time you play, even if you don't know it. In this video Lisa McCormick shows us a simple basic method to make playing by ear easier using a tune everyone knows. You may even learn something about basic guitar theory that every musician needs to know. Go ahead just push play!

Instructor: Lisa McCormick

Publisher: GuitarTricks.com

GuitarTricks.com is a community of guitar teachers who are building a library of guitar knowledge that is accessible to anyone in the world. Make sure to check them out its a vast resource that will make you a better player.