Guitar Craft/ New Standard Tuning

[keithcc]

Has anyone here been to any of Robert Fripp's Guitar Craft seminars? Or used the New Standard <sic> Tuning Fripp promotes and uses?

[Alamo]

How can it be Standard tuning when it's new?
I've never heared about it.

[MondoGuitar]

New Standard Tuning (CGDAEG) isn't new -- that's just the title coined by Fripps and his league of crafty gentlemen.

The New Standard Tuning (NST) is a special type of guitar tuning, introduced by Robert Fripp of King Crimson, who has stated that the tuning "flew by" while he was sweating in a sauna in September 1983.[1][2] Fripp began using the tuning in 1985 after stepping out of the spotlight before beginning his Guitar Craft seminars[3]. Although used by a small number of players in comparison to the standard guitar tuning (referred to as 'Old Standard Tuning' by NST players), it has gained some popularity among experimental guitarists, and is the tuning taught at Fripp's Guitar Craft. The tuning is (from low to high): CGDAEG, and can be remembered by the mnemonic "California Guitarists Drop Acid Every Gig", according to the program booklet sold at the UK end of the Double Trio tour.

I've got no beef with any of it but the friggin' egos on these guys, WOW! Heads like blimps. But then again it just makes you appreciate guys like Brent, Sol, Redd, etc, all the more.

Here's my thing, if you're an experimental guitarist why are you waiting for someone to come along and assign you a new tuning? Sounds more like sheep to me. Real experimental guys, i.e. Adrian Belew have their own direction... (DADDAD, etc.) Fripp tried to claim Belew was using it back in the late 90's but no dice Frippy.

Fripp is a self-centered twat, I wouldn't pay for a ticket to see him if I found a million dollar bill on the sidewalk out front -- but he can definitely make some cool sounds with that axe:

[octatonic]

Fripp is portrayed as being quite remote, odd & egocentric in the media but I've met him and found him warm, funny & rather inspiring.
I put it down to that fact that he is difficult to photograph.
Every photo I've seen of Fripp he looks a bit alien & stern.
In person he is very animated, almost hyper-kinetic.

I started with NST in 1994 after reading the Eric Tamm book "Robert Fripp: from King Crimson to Guitar Craft".
(If you google it you can get it from his website for free as it is out of print. I believe he retitled it to something slightly different as well.)

It is interesting (perhaps unsurprisingly) for Fripps style of playing.
It is rather limiting in some regards- standard scale and modal shapes are no longer easily played.
Diminished and augmented shapes seem to come easier to the fingers.

If you want to adapt NST to playing genre specific music (country, blues etc) then you may struggle.

You do of course have an extended range of the guitar to consider with this tuning.

If you want to get familiar with the tuning I have written a lot of chord diagrams and scale shapes for it.
PM me and we can discuss it.

I now use a 7 string tuned FCGDAEG- essentially NST with a low F (which is a bass string).

Expect to put around 3 years into it before you can 'think' NST rather than EADGBE (or whatever you currently use).
Most people don't do this though- they try it for a few months, see the vast amount of work in front of them, which is greater than the amount of work you already put into the guitar as you have to unlearn what you know at the same time as learning the NST.
It is hard work, but worthwhile.

I appreciate Fripp's intellect and musicality with this tuning- but I have reservations about the tuning as a 'new standard' though.

I also respect someone who has a good idea and wants to share it with the world, for whatever reason, rather than hiding his method away from the world in order to somehow own it.

[Mike Bruce]

The middle four strings are tuned an octave below mandolin/violin and if you already have a familiarity with those, the whole tuning of fifths C>G>D>A>E is no problem. A huge range of double and triple stops are available on those strings. The added high G doesn't present much rethinking as it's only a minor third from E. The whole tuning feels natural if you're already playing octave mandolin or bouzouki.

Be prepared to have a guitar dedicated to the tuning as it requires, restringing, re-intonating, new or modified nut, and possibly saddle modification.

Take that guitar to open jams and let the yahoos borrow it. See how fast they put it down? Do the same with your fretless guitar. Or how about your fretless new standard tuning guitar?

Peace, Mike.

[Strat62]

Thanks for posting that. I'm always interested in alternative tunings and although I'm certain that I'll never become fluent in this one, I'll probably use it in the recording process, as it has some nice sounding possibilities-I tuned up one of my Teles immediately and I'm intrigued at what I'm hearing.

[JohnJohnTaLegal]

There is a useful application of NST in Brazilian music to play the 7 strng parts on a 6 string.

For interested players Western Europe, there is an introduction to NST next weekend in Paris http://www.guitarcraft.com/calendar/188

I have used Zakk Wylde Boomers for NST on the telecaster. They seem good.

[hannigan]

I think Fripp has put out some nice work over the years, and have been intrigued by NST.

I would like to experiment with alternate tunings , somehow I never get around to try some.

[TxTeleMan]

Robert Fripp also created the Microsoft Windows Vista sounds, using his guitar, so whenever you use Vista, you're listening to Robert Fripp.

[octatonic]

Seems our musings have attracted some attention.

Fripp Diary

Because of this, I've had a few people join the site and PM me regarding NST (which is cool).

Apologies to anyone who I don't get back to immediately via PM.
Here is probably better to discuss it as I don't have to repeat myself.

My schedule is tricky at the moment as I have a lot of work on and I'm redoing my website but I will endeavour to get my NST-related documents to you.
Most of my NST documents are for my custom 7 string.
You can just ignore the bottom string if you use NST on a 6 string.

I will probably post them to my website: www.jamesrichmond.com
Don't go there yet- the site isn't updated completely yet.

I'll let you know when it is done.

Cheers,

Jim

[tiktok]

Originally Posted by keithcc

Has anyone here been to any of Robert Fripp's Guitar Craft seminars? Or used the New Standard <sic> Tuning Fripp promotes and uses?

Yes.

I played in NST exclusively for five or six years, after I'd been playing for ten or so. Relearning the neck meant actually learning it for the first time. After that I started playing in DADGAD a lot, and then finally came back to "re-learning" EADGBE. The whole process of having to figure out scales and chords by myself was very informative.

[casterway]

This 3 part interview is really fascinating.

[fatboymjt]

...yes Mr.Fripp you are a TURKEY...and a strange bird...