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Topic: 12 String Guitar (Read 5723 times) previous topic - next topic

12 String Guitar

Could somebody explain the tuning rules for a 12 string guitar and how I could set up Noteworthy to play such?  Thanks in advance.

Re: 12 String Guitar

Reply #1 –
You are not going to get NWC to actually play a guitar, but your sound card might support a 12 string sound patch (refer to its documentation to see if it does), which can be assigned from Staff Properties or the Insert | Instrument Patch command.

As for tuning, a Google search shows lots of pages to help, including this one.

Re: 12 String Guitar

Reply #2 –
You didn't say if you were a guitar player. I'll assume you're not.

The short answer for the tuning is that it has six PAIRS of strings, and each pair is played together, as if it was a single wide string. The lowest 4 pairs are usually tuned in octaves, so that any note played on them will sound two pitches an octave apart. This makes chords very rich, and bass lines sound full and jangly. There are various ways of setting it up, but usually the octave string is on the left, so it's  plucked first when picking down. Some people (well, Leadbelly and me) only use octaves on the lowest three strings.

The outside strings of a regular guitar are tuned to E, two octaves apart, and so it's often referred to as being "in E" : EAdgbe' (not the same as "open E" tuning.) Because there's so much tension on the neck, the 12-string is often tuned to a lower pitch than a regular guitar. Tuning to E (eE aA d'd g'g bb ee) is possible with light strings on a sturdy instrument, but tuning to D (dD gG c'c f'f aa dd) is very common. Pete Seeger and Leo Kottke tune to C, and Leadbelly tuned to B. The low tunings are very rich and deep, but it means you have to transpose or use a capo to play with other people.

You would have to set up at the very least two layered staves. On one of the staves all the notes below a certain pitch would have to be an octave higher than the other staff. I'd fake it by cutting and pasting one staff to the other, and using octave treble clef (standard guitar) on one and real treble on the other, adding an invisible octave treble clef on that staff whenever the part went onto the top two strings.

To have it play back sounding as much like a real 12 as a souncard can, you'd have to use 12 hidden staves, the way Fred Nachbaur uses six staves in some of his excellent guitar files.

12 string can be a noble instrument, very different from regular guitar. I had two good ones, both stolen years ago,
and I miss the possibilities.

Re: 12 String Guitar

Reply #3 –
You might want to include one more hidden staff:  guitar fret noise.  Whenever the fret hand moves more than three or so positions, there is an audible "wiping" sound on the strings.  While exact pitches are not crucial, it is still a good idea to approximate the pitches.  I sometimes use MPCs in conjuction with the fret noise, one to bend the pitch and one for the volume.
I have heard of a guy who includes one more staff as well.  This is for those times when the player would knock on the body of the instrument.  He uses woodblock (instrument patch {#116}), pitched one to two octaves below middle C.

Re: 12 String Guitar

Reply #6 –
Oh dear. Looks like my evil twin's been at it again. :)