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Four-string guitar

A four-string guitar is a plucked string instrument with four strings or courses, encompassing various types such as the tenor guitar (a compact acoustic or electric guitar with single strings), the four-string bass guitar (providing low-end foundation in ensembles), and historical instruments with four courses of strings from the Renaissance and Baroque eras. The tenor guitar, a prominent modern example, features four single strings typically tuned in fifths (CGDA) with a scale length of 21 to 23 inches (53 to 58 cm), producing a bright, clear tone suitable for rhythm and melody in jazz and folk contexts.^[1]^[2]^[3] The tenor guitar was developed in the mid-1920s by manufacturers such as Gibson and C.F. Martin & Co. as a bridge for tenor banjo players transitioning to guitar in jazz orchestras, amid the decline of banjo use in larger bands.^[4] Its popularity peaked in the 1930s in Dixieland jazz and swing music, where it provided staccato rhythm via barre chords, followed by a resurgence during the 1950s and 1960s folk revival.^[3]^[5] By the late 20th century, tenor guitar adoption waned with the rise of six-string guitars in rock and pop, though interest has revived in folk, alternative, and acoustic genres as of the 2020s.^[6] Versatile tunings for the tenor guitar extend beyond standard fifths, including DGBE (matching the top four strings of a six-string guitar) or GCEA (ukulele-style), aiding players from banjo, mandolin, or ukulele backgrounds.^[1]^[2] Notable users include jazz pioneer Tiny Grimes for lead and rhythm in 1940s–1950s recordings; folk performer Nick Reynolds of the Kingston Trio, using a Martin model in performances and albums from 1957; and contemporary artists like Elvis Costello on his 2004 album The Delivery Man, Neko Case on tracks such as "Deep Red Bells" (2002), and Ani DiFranco for its unique tones in alternative folk.^[7]^[8]^[6] Annual events like the Tenor Guitar Gathering, held as of 2025 in Astoria, Oregon, underscore its ongoing revival in acoustic communities.^[5]^[9]

History

Origins and early development

The origins of the four-string guitar trace back to medieval Europe, particularly in Spain, where precursors emerged during the late 13th and 14th centuries. The guitarra latina, a plucked string instrument with four single strings tuned in intervals including fourths (such as C-F-A-D), featured a flat back, curved sides, and a fretted neck, and was played with a plectrum.^[10]^[11] This instrument, also known as a gittern in other European contexts, appeared in illuminations from King Alfonso X's Cantigas de Santa Maria (c. 1221–1284) and was associated with Christian musical traditions in the Iberian Peninsula.^[12] Parallel to it, the guitarra morisca, influenced by Moorish instruments introduced during the Muslim occupation of Al-Andalus (711–1492), had a rounded back and with one to three double courses and a single highest string derived from the tanbur, a long-necked lute-like instrument from the Middle East.^[11]^[13] These early forms represented a synthesis of European and Islamic stringed instrument designs, with the guitarra latina emphasizing melodic playing suitable for secular and courtly music.^[11] By the late 15th century, these medieval guitars evolved into the Renaissance four-course guitar in Spain, particularly in Catalonia, which 15th-century music theorist Johannes Tinctoris identified as the instrument's birthplace.^[10] The four-course version consisted of paired strings (courses) tuned in unisons or octaves, commonly g–g', c'–c', e'–e', a'–a', and was smaller than its lute relatives, with a flat back and gut strings plucked by fingers or plectrum.^[10] This design drew from construction techniques of Spanish lutes and the vihuela de mano, a larger six-course instrument favored in Renaissance courts for polyphonic music, though the four-course guitar catered to more accessible, folk-oriented playing among the common people.^[14]^[12] The vihuela, with its shared tuning principles and body shape, served as a key ancestor, bridging lute traditions and early guitar forms in Spanish musical culture around 1500.^[14] The earliest printed music for the four-course guitar appears in Alonso Mudarra's Tres Libros de Música en Cifras para Vihuela (1546), which includes four fantasias in tablature using the standard tuning of g-g'/c-c'/e-e'/a-a', highlighting the instrument's role in Renaissance Spanish music with compositions showcasing its versatility for fantasias and intabulations.^[15] By the mid-16th century, the four-course guitar had established itself as a distinct instrument in European repertoires, setting the stage for later expansions in string courses.^[10]

20th-century evolution and popularization

In the 1920s, the acoustic tenor guitar emerged as a transitional instrument for musicians accustomed to the four-string tenor banjo, particularly within jazz ensembles where the banjo's bright tone had dominated. Gibson introduced its first tenor guitar models in the late 1920s, offering versions like the TG-1 with a standard guitar body adapted for four strings, while C.F. Martin & Company began production in 1927 with the 0-17T and similar designs, achieving immediate commercial success as over 1,200 units were sold that year, representing about 20% of Martin's guitar output.^[16]^[17] These instruments were tuned in fifths to CGDA, mirroring the tenor banjo's configuration to facilitate easy adoption by players. The four-string electric bass guitar's development marked another pivotal advancement, with the first prototype appearing in 1936 as the Audiovox Model 736, invented by Paul Tutmarc to provide a portable, amplified alternative to the upright bass for ensemble settings.^[18] Commercialization accelerated in 1951 when Leo Fender launched the Precision Bass, featuring a solid body and standardized EADG tuning in the instrument's lower register, which allowed for reliable amplification and simplified playability compared to acoustic basses.^[19] During the Jazz Age of the 1920s and 1930s, tenor guitars gained traction alongside the decline of the unamplified banjo in larger ensembles, influenced by the rise of big band music where improved recording technology and microphones favored the guitar's mellower sustain over the banjo's percussive attack.^[20] By the 1950s, the four-string bass guitar surged in popularity with the advent of rock 'n' roll, as its electric design integrated seamlessly into amplified bands, providing a punchy low end that supported the genre's rhythmic drive.^[21] This evolution built upon the four-course stringing principles traceable to Renaissance-era guitars, adapting them for modern amplification and ensemble roles.

Instruments with four single strings

Tenor guitar

The tenor guitar is a compact four-string instrument resembling a parlor guitar in size, with a typical scale length of 23 inches and four single strings usually made of metal for a bright, resonant tone, though nylon strings are also used for a softer sound.^[1]^[22] Its smaller body and shorter scale contribute to a punchy projection that echoes the banjo's clarity, making it suitable for both acoustic and amplified play.^[2] Developed in the mid-1920s, it originated as an adaptation for four-string tenor banjo players seeking a guitar-like alternative with similar tuning intervals.^[1]^[16] Key variants include the plectrum guitar, which features a longer scale length of 26 to 27 inches and is designed for tunings in fourths such as C-G-B-D, providing a deeper, more guitar-like response compared to the standard tenor's fifths-based setup.^[23]^[24] The Irish tenor guitar, by contrast, employs a shorter scale of 19 to 21 inches to facilitate higher tunings and easier playability in traditional styles, often with lighter string gauges to maintain tension without excessive finger strain.^[25]^[26] These adaptations allow the instrument to bridge guitar ergonomics with banjo or mandolin-like intonation across different musical contexts.^[27] Historically, major manufacturers like Gibson produced tenor models starting in the late 1920s, with the L-7 tenor (introduced as the TG-7 in 1934) featuring an archtop design for enhanced volume and sustain.^[16] C.F. Martin & Company offered the Style 2 tenor, such as the 2-18T model from 1930, characterized by a flat-top body in smaller O-size dimensions for intimate acoustic settings.^[28]^[29] Modern production includes electric variants, like Eastwood's Tenor Tele (Tenorcaster), a 23-inch scale solid-body model with single-coil pickups that captures the instrument's bright timbre in amplified formats.^[30]

Four-string bass guitar

The four-string bass guitar, also known as the electric bass or simply bass guitar, is a low-register string instrument designed primarily for providing foundational rhythm and harmony in musical ensembles. It features four single steel strings tuned in fourths to E1-A1-D2-G2, which corresponds to one octave below the standard tuning of a six-string guitar.^[31] This tuning allows it to replicate the pitch range of the upright double bass while offering greater portability and ease of play in amplified settings. Invented to replace the cumbersome upright bass in smaller bands and recording sessions, the instrument emerged as a practical alternative during the mid-20th century, enabling consistent low-end support without the acoustic limitations of its predecessor.^[32] Physically, the four-string bass guitar typically has a larger body than standard electric guitars, with a scale length of 30 to 34 inches—most commonly 34 inches—to accommodate the longer string vibration needed for its lower pitches. It usually weighs between 8 and 10 pounds, depending on materials like ash, alder, or maple for the solid body and neck, which is often fretted but can be fretless for a smoother, more expressive tone. Electric models dominate, featuring solid-body designs with magnetic pickups for amplification, though acoustic versions exist with hollow bodies and piezoelectric pickups, albeit they are rarer due to challenges in projecting low frequencies unamplified.^[19]^[33] Early production began with the Audiovox Model 736 in 1936, developed by Paul Tutmarc as the first fretted electric bass, though it saw limited adoption. The instrument's widespread impact came with Leo Fender's Precision Bass in 1951, a solid-body design that revolutionized popular music by integrating seamlessly into rock, jazz, and blues ensembles with its reliable intonation and amplified output. Notable variants include the Fender Jazz Bass, introduced in 1960, which added a slimmer neck and dual pickups for brighter, more versatile tones favored in jazz and fusion contexts.^[18]^[34]^[35]

Instruments with four courses of strings

Renaissance and Baroque four-course guitars

The four-course guitar emerged in Europe during the early 16th century, particularly in Spain and Italy, as a smaller, more accessible alternative to the vihuela for playing polyphonic music and providing accompaniment.^[36] It featured a compact, often figure-eight-shaped body with a flat soundboard typically made of spruce or pine and sides and back of maple or similar hardwoods, resulting in a lightweight instrument suitable for domestic and court settings.^[14] The design included four courses of strings—three double courses (pairs tuned in unison or, for the lowest course, in octaves) and one single highest course—strung with gut, along with a separate hardwood neck, a flat fingerboard with tied gut frets (usually around 10), and a wooden bridge.^[14] Scale lengths varied but were generally short, approximately 50 cm (about 19.7–19.9 inches), contributing to its bright, high-pitched tone.^[36]^[14] Tuning for the Renaissance four-course guitar was not fully standardized but followed common schemes documented in period treatises, such as the Spanish "templo nuevos" (G3–G4, C4–C4, E4–E4, A4), which created intervals of a perfect fourth, major third, and perfect fourth, or the "templo viejo" (F3–F4, C4–C4, E4–E4, A4).^[14]^[37] Italian variants often employed re-entrant tunings, like B4, F♯4–F♯4, D4–D4, G4–G4, allowing for intricate fingerstyle playing.^[36] These configurations, described by theorists like Juan Bermudo in 1555 and Scipione Cerreto in 1601, supported both strumming and plucked polyphony, with music notated in specialized tablature systems that indicated fret positions and strumming patterns.^[36] No original instruments from this era survive, but depictions in artworks, such as those by Hans Holbein the Younger, and engravings in publications by Guillaume Morlaye and Simon Gorlier (1551–1553) provide visual evidence of its form.^[36] In the Baroque period (roughly 1600–1750), the four-course guitar began transitioning toward five courses around 1600, particularly in Italy and France, as players sought greater range for the emerging monodic style and continuo accompaniment in court music.^[36]^[38] However, the four-course version persisted in some regions, such as Spain and England, where it continued to be used for dance accompaniments, songs, and solo pieces by composers like Alonso Mudarra (1546) and Miguel de Fuenllana (1554).^[37] Its role in Renaissance and early Baroque music emphasized versatility for both professional musicians and amateurs among the nobility, often in intimate settings rather than large ensembles, with printed collections facilitating its spread across Europe and to the New World.^[36]^[38]

Modern four-course variants

The Puerto Rican cuatro represents a prominent modern adaptation of the four-course guitar, evolving from its 18th-century origins as a four-single-string instrument into versions featuring four courses of paired strings (eight strings total), though the more common contemporary form expands to five courses (ten strings).^[39] This evolution occurred particularly in the late 19th century, when the fifth course was added to accommodate growing popularity in coastal regions, while the four-course variant persisted in southern Puerto Rico for traditional playing.^[39] Retaining roots in European four-course guitars introduced during the colonial period, the Puerto Rican cuatro adapted to local folk contexts with a compact, violin-like or teardrop-shaped body with a length of around 17–18 inches (45 cm).^[39] Constructed from woods such as cedar for the top and mahogany for the back and sides, the instrument often uses nylon or steel strings, with a scale length of approximately 50–52 cm (19.7–20.5 inches) and 10-12 frets to facilitate rapid strumming and chordal accompaniment.^[40]^[41] Recognized as Puerto Rico's national instrument, it holds cultural significance in folk traditions, particularly música jíbara, where its bright, resonant tone supports rhythmic patterns in ensembles.^[39] A related variant is the Venezuelan cuatro, which in some modern forms features five courses (ten strings) and maintains a similar small-bodied design for llanero folk music, though traditional models use four single strings.^[42]

Tuning, construction, and playing techniques

Common tunings

The common tunings for four-string guitars vary by instrument type, reflecting their intended musical roles and historical contexts. For the tenor guitar, the standard tuning is CGDA, which matches the tuning of the tenor banjo and facilitates playing in jazz and folk styles by providing a compact range suitable for chordal accompaniment and melody lines.^[43] An alternative Irish tuning, GDAE, aligns with the mandolin and octave mandolin, enabling tenor guitarists to adapt Celtic music fingerings directly for traditional Irish tunes. In the four-string bass guitar, the standard tuning EADG positions the strings one octave below the lowest four strings of a standard six-string guitar, emphasizing root notes and supporting rhythmic foundations in various genres.^[31] A popular variant, drop D (DADG), lowers the lowest string by a whole step to facilitate power chords and heavier riffs, particularly in rock music.^[31] For instruments with four courses of strings, Renaissance-era four-course guitars often employed re-entrant tunings, where the lowest course is pitched higher than the adjacent one, such as Gg–c'c'–e'e'–a'a', to accommodate the instrument's smaller size and lute-like polyphony in Spanish and Italian music.^[44] Open tunings, such as adaptations of open D (D-A-D-F♯) on the four-string bass, are used for slide playing to create resonant chord voicings with minimal fretting.^[45]

Design features and techniques

Four-string guitars encompass a range of designs tailored to their specific roles, with construction varying between single-string instruments like the tenor guitar and four-string bass, and multi-course variants such as Renaissance four-course guitars. The tenor guitar typically features a scale length of approximately 23 inches (585 mm), which facilitates easier string bending compared to standard six-string guitars due to reduced tension on lighter strings.^[46] String gauges for the tenor are generally light, ranging from .010 to .038 inches, allowing for agile playability in jazz and folk contexts; common sets include .011-.042 for fifths tunings.^[47] Acoustic tenor bodies often employ a spruce top for resonant tone projection, paired with mahogany or maple backs and sides to balance warmth and clarity.^[48] In contrast, the four-string bass guitar prioritizes low-end power with a standard long scale length of 34 inches, enabling tighter string tension and clearer fundamental tones on heavier gauges typically from .045 to .105 inches.^[49] These basses commonly use alder or ash bodies for solid construction and sustain, though acoustic-electric models may incorporate a spruce top to enhance unamplified volume without sacrificing the instrument's compact four-string layout.^[49] Fanned frets, while rare in production four-string basses, are emerging in custom builds to optimize intonation across the strings, providing better balance for the low E string's longer effective scale—up to 37 inches—while keeping higher strings at 34 inches.^[50] For four-course instruments like Renaissance guitars, construction emphasizes historical authenticity with shorter scale lengths around 24-28 inches, supporting doubled strings (eight total) with gut or nylon gauges similar to light tenor sets. Adaptations from six-string guitars to four-string configurations are common via DIY conversions, involving bridge modifications and string replacements, though dedicated kits for tenor or bass conversions remain limited, with most builders opting for custom hardware swaps.^[51] Playing techniques on four-string guitars leverage their streamlined string count for rhythmic and melodic efficiency. On the tenor guitar, plectrum strumming predominates, often incorporating banjo-style rolls—alternating down-up picks across the strings in patterns like forward rolls (thumb-index-middle-index)—to mimic banjo drive in ensemble settings, with the shorter scale aiding fluid wrist motion.^[52] For the four-string bass, slap and pop techniques involve thumb-slapping the lower strings for percussive attack while popping higher strings with the index or middle finger, creating funky grooves; the standard scale supports precise control over string snap and muting.^[53] These approaches adapt to common tunings like fifths on the tenor, enhancing chord transitions without excess strings.

Use in music and notable examples

Genres and cultural roles

The four-string tenor guitar has played a significant role in jazz and Dixieland ensembles, primarily providing rhythmic chordal accompaniment that complements the banjo's percussive drive during the early 20th century.^[3] In these genres, its compact size and higher tuning allowed for agile strumming patterns, bridging the gap between banjo traditions and guitar textures in small combo settings.^[54] In rock and pop music, the four-string bass guitar serves as the foundational low-end element, delivering steady root notes and walking lines that anchor the harmonic structure of songs since its widespread adoption in the mid-20th century.^[21] Its electric design provides the punch and sustain needed for amplified band performances, making it indispensable for driving rhythms in genres from early rockabilly to modern pop.^[55] The Puerto Rican cuatro, a four-course instrument, functions as a key accompaniment tool in jíbara music, strumming rhythmic patterns that support vocal improvisations and dances in rural folk traditions.^[40] It also appears in plena ensembles, where its bright, percussive plucking enhances the creolized rhythms, blending Spanish and African influences in community contexts.^[56] Culturally, the tenor guitar contributed to early 20th-century jazz recordings, adapting banjo techniques for guitar-based ensembles and fostering innovative sounds during the commercial recording boom. It later played a role in the American folk revival of the 1950s and 1960s.^[3] The four-string bass guitar became central to 1950s rock bands, enabling louder, more mobile performances that shifted ensembles away from cumbersome upright basses toward electric portability.^[21] In Puerto Rico, the cuatro has symbolized national identity since the post-1960s cultural renaissance, representing resistance to assimilation and a reconnection with jíbaro roots amid political and social changes.^[57] Beyond these, tenor guitars have integrated into Irish traditional music, offering a guitar-like alternative to the tenor banjo for melody and counterpoint in sessions since the mid-20th century.^[58] The four-string bass's portability has facilitated compact, road-ready ensembles across genres, replacing bulkier acoustic basses and expanding performance possibilities in non-studio environments.^[21] Over time, four-string guitars evolved from niche acoustic variants—such as tenors for banjoists and cuatros for folk—to mainstream electric instruments, particularly the bass guitar, which democratized low-end playing and influenced global popular music structures by the late 20th century.^[21]

Notable musicians and instruments

Nick Reynolds, a founding member of the folk group The Kingston Trio, popularized the Martin tenor guitar in American folk music during the late 1950s and early 1960s. He played a 1948 Martin 0-18T model, tuning it to DGBE to match the top four strings of a standard guitar, which facilitated seamless integration into group performances and contributed to the trio's signature sound on hits like "Tom Dooley."^[8]^[59] James Jamerson, the legendary session bassist for Motown Records, revolutionized bass playing with his innovative lines on the Fender Precision Bass, defining the label's rhythmic foundation from the late 1950s through the 1970s. His walking bass technique, characterized by fluid, melodic eighth-note patterns, underpinned countless hits including "My Girl" by The Temptations and "You Can't Hurry Love" by The Supremes, blending jazz improvisation with pop accessibility. Jamerson primarily used a 1961 Fender Precision Bass, nicknamed "The Funk Machine," which he played with a felt pick or fingers for its distinctive punchy tone.^[60]^[61] Elvis Costello incorporated the tenor guitar into modern rock arrangements, adding its bright, ukulele-like timbre to tracks on his 2004 album The Delivery Man. As a versatile songwriter, Costello's use of the instrument highlighted its potential beyond folk traditions, influencing indie and alternative scenes with chord voicings that evoked vintage jazz and country elements.^[6]^[1] Maso Rivera, born Tomás Rivera Morales in 1927 in Toa Alta, Puerto Rico, was a virtuoso cuatro player who preserved and advanced traditional jíbaro folk music through over 1,000 original compositions. Starting at age five, he mastered the four-string cuatro, blending rhythmic strumming with melodic solos to maintain the instrument's role in Puerto Rican cultural celebrations like aguinaldos and décimas, ensuring its transmission across generations.^[62]^[63] Warren Ellis, multi-instrumentalist of The Dirty Three and Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, has championed the electric tenor guitar in experimental rock and post-rock since the 1990s. His collaboration with Eastwood Guitars produced the Warren Ellis Signature Tenor in 2011, featuring a solid alder body and single-coil pickup for a raw, versatile tone suited to his atmospheric improvisations on albums like Ocean Songs.^[64] Neko Case has been a key figure in the folk revival's renewed interest in the tenor guitar, employing vintage Martin models to craft her haunting, narrative-driven songs since the early 2000s. She acquired a Martin 5-17T parlor-style tenor around 2000, which she fitted with a pickup for live performances, using its warm resonance on tracks like "Deep Red Bells" from her 2002 album Blacklisted to evoke Americana roots with a modern edge.^[65]^[6] Iconic four-string instruments include the 1951 Fender Precision Bass, the first mass-produced electric bass guitar, which debuted in October 1951 with a slab ash body and split-coil pickup, transforming ensemble playing by providing a louder, more portable alternative to upright basses.^[19] The Gibson L-5 tenor, a rare 1920s-1930s jazz model, featured an archtop design with f-holes and a 23-inch scale, offering jazz players in small ensembles a compact yet resonant option for chordal rhythm work.^[66] Custom cuatros crafted by luthiers in Paracho, Mexico—home to a 200-year tradition of stringed instrument making—often feature cedar tops and paired courses for enhanced projection in Puerto Rican folk settings, with artisans like those at Paracho Elite producing tailored 10-string variants that honor the instrument's hybrid heritage.^[67]^[68]

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Aug 24, 2012 · *CGDA is standard tuning for tenor guitars and banjos and seems quite popular with trad jazz players. *GDAE is often called "Irish tuning", an ...
[42]
[PDF] Stringing and Tuning the Renaissance Four-Course Guitar
(3) A re-entrant tuning, inferred from Mudarra's instruction, but possibly anticipating later developments in Italy (Fig. 6c). Fig. 6 a. b. c. Guitar Music by ...
[43]
Cuatro Tuning - Chord Scale Generator
The following table lists the two different cuatro tunings the Chord Scale Generator comes with. Name, Strings, Tuning. Puertorriqueno, 5x2, Bb - ee' - aa - d'd ...
[44]
open tunings for bass? - Music: Practice & Theory Stack Exchange
Jul 6, 2016 · Open tunings allow chords to hold a different shape on the guitar, which can make some chord voicings easier or actually possible. Open tunings ...Missing: four- | Show results with:four-
[45]
Guitars & Stringed Instruments - General Information - Acoustic Music
Summary of each segment:
[46]
https://acousticmusic.org/research/guitar-information/guitars-stringed-instruments-general-information/
[47]
2007 Arrow Tenor Cutaway, All Carved, Armstrong Pickup
May 23, 2025 · Body size at lower bout: 16". Scale length: 22 1/2" Nut width: 1 1/8" Neck depth, 1st/10th frets: .83/.88. Materials: Solid carved spruce top ...
[48]
Bass Guitar String Buying Guide - InSync - Sweetwater
Short-scale basses are generally defined as having scale lengths between 30′ and 32′. Long-scale basses conventionally have a 34′ string length. Remember ...
[49]
Fanned fret Dingwall still beneficial with 4 strings? - TalkBass.com
Nov 17, 2013 · The fanned fret will still make your low E clearer and your higher strings warmer. The end result will still be better string balance, and, for some, more ...Multi scale/fanned fret - why isn't everyone doing it? - TalkBass.com4 String Multi-scale Options? - TalkBass.comMore results from www.talkbass.com
[50]
c.1975 Puerto Rican-style Cuatro - Jake Wildwood
Aug 14, 2014 · The modern-style Puerto Rican cuatro is a 10-string, 5-course, steel-strung affair. This one probably dates to the 70s or 80s and has an atypical classical ...
[51]
2000s Cuatro/10-String Octave Mandolin Conversion - Jake Wildwood
Feb 8, 2019 · Scale length: 20 7/8" Nut width: 1 15/16" String spacing at nut: 1 9/16" ; Body length: 17 3/8" Lower bout width: 11 1/4" ; Top wood: ply spruce
[52]
Convert your 6 string guitar to 4 string tenor guitar in less ... - YouTube
Aug 11, 2023 · Uploaded from Mark Josephs channel with kind permission.) May 18, 2012: "This instructional video will show you how to convert any 6 string ...Missing: kits | Show results with:kits
[53]
How To Play BANJO Rolls On GUITAR - YouTube
Oct 21, 2024 · In this video, you learn how to play banjo rolls on guitar. The banjo roll is not just a technique exclusive to the banjo, it can also be ...
[54]
Rasgueado Technique: A Spanish Guitar Strumming Tutorial
Oct 17, 2014 · Explore the most common Spanish strumming patterns. Rasgueados are fun and sound amazing. Plus, they're a great exercise. Learn how here.Missing: cuatro | Show results with:cuatro
[55]
Slap & Pop Bass - Bad vs Good Technique (Beginner/Intermediate)
Mar 27, 2020 · ... bass popping technique basics - how the 'pop' sound happens, which part of your finger to use, and how to get the force to snap the string ...
[56]
The History and Resurgence of Tenor Guitars
the tenor guitar. Tenor guitars are built to have a similar nut width and scale to tenor banjos, ...
[57]
Understanding the Different Types of Bass Guitars - MusicStreet
The 4-string bass is often regarded as the foundation of modern music. Its standard tuning (E-A-D-G) offers a full range of low-end tones that work perfectly ...
[58]
8.7: Jibaro, Bomba, and Plena Music of Puerto Rico
Sep 1, 2022 · A typical jibaro ensemble consists of guitar, cuatro (a guitar with five doubled strings), maracas, and guiro scraper, backing a trovador ( ...
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[PDF] Puerto Rican Music and Cultural Identity - CUNY Academic Works
Puerto Rican Music and Cultural Identity: Creative Appropriation of Cuban Sources from. Danza to Salsa. Author(s): Peter Manuel. Source: Ethnomusicology, Vol.
[60]
The Tenor Guitar: An Odd Loner without a Real Family
Aug 10, 2015 · The tenor guitar is more or less a fluke (i.e. an accident) of musical instrument design history. It is a bit smaller than a 6-string guitar ...
[61]
Catch of the Day: 1932 Martin 0-18T - Fretboard Journal
Thanks to Nick Reynolds of the Kingston Trio, who tuned his tenor guitar DGBE, the same as the top four strings of a guitar in standard tuning, most players ...
[62]
10 James Jamerson basslines every bass player has to hear
Nov 1, 2022 · I Was Made To Love Her - Stevie Wonder (1967). Jamerson's bass playing on 'I Was Made to Love Her' is a perfect example of a classic Motown ...
[63]
James Jamerson Owned and Played 1961 Fender Precision Bass ...
Jun 18, 2017 · This particular bass was owned by Jamerson from 1962 until about 1967 or 1968 when he loaned it to a close friend and fellow Detroit bassist Billy Hayes.
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Maso Rivera | El Proyecto del Cuatro /The Cuatro Project
My name is Tomás Rivera Morales. Maso. Maso Rivera. I was born in the Alatea neighborhood of Toa Alta. On the 13th of November of 1927.Missing: folk | Show results with:folk
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Five Musicians I've Learned About Recently - tbanjo
Nov 27, 2019 · Maso Rivera was born November 13, 1927 in the Toa Alta municipality of Puerto Rico. He began playing the cuatro at the age of five. The cuatro ...
[66]
https://www.acousticguitarforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=660793
[67]
Four on the Floor: Neko Case Interview - Fretboard Journal
Case admits she stumbled upon the tenor guitar by sheer luck. “It was 2000 ... “They set me up with this Martin guitar (a 5-17T), the luthier put in a ...Missing: folk revival
[68]
Ever see a 1930 Tenor L-5? - The Acoustic Guitar Forum
Dec 12, 2022 · It has the FON 9750 inside, which means that it has the exact same FON as my TGL-5 that was converted by its owner about 5 years after purchase!
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Paracho Elite Mexican Guitars - LPD Music International
Paracho Elite guitars are handmade in Paracho, Mexico, by artisans with 200+ years of experience, using fine woods and unique styling.
[70]
https://www.zozomusic.com/paracho-elite-santiago-10-string-puerto-rican-classical-cuatro-guitar-natural/