Glenn Poorman, May 2001 (updated: May 2003)

• The basic gist of it
• Instrument Scale
• How is it tuned?
• 10-string tunings
• 12-string tunings
• How to tune

The basic gist of it

The tuning of the 10 and 12 string Sticks is one of the things that makes the instrument so interesting and, at the same time, somewhat tricky for those coming from a guitar/bass background. First of all, the strings are split into two groups. Those two groups are the melody strings (1-5 on a 10-string or 1-6 on a 12) and the bass strings (6-10 on a 10-string or 7-12 on a 12). If you're wearing the instrument, the melody strings are the ones furthest to your left while the bass strings are closer to your head (as shown in the figure on the right). On both sides, the lowest string is in the middle of the fretboard (usually the first thing people notice when they look at the instrument). This, of course, means that the highest strings on each side are along the outer edge of the fretboard.

The melody strings on a Stick are tuned in straight descending 4ths with the notes getting lower as you move toward your head. This isn't a big stretch for a bassist as a bass also descends in 4ths as you move toward your head. For a guitarist, this is also very similar with the exception that the Stick doesn't have that oddly placed major 3rd that a standard tuned guitar has between the G and B strings (oddly enough, that can be a tricky thing to get over).

The bass strings on a Stick are where things get interesting. The bass strings are tuned in straight ascending 5ths with the notes getting higher as you move toward your head. This is going to be tricky for a number of reasons. First of all, for the guitarist/bassist, the intervals between the strings are different from what you're used to. Plus, with the lowest string furthest from your head, it all seems upside down. For a player of any background (guitar/bass/piano/none), it's tricky because the intervals between the strings played with the right hand are different from the intervals between the strings played with the left hand. In spite of the initial wierdness of this tuning, however, it is worth spending the time getting used to it and the beauty of this setup should quickly become apparent. The main reasoning behind the 5ths bass tuning is the chordal possibilities it provides. With the ability to play the Stick more like a piano than like a bass, it stands to reason that some players would want to explore a more pianistic approach to playing. The 5ths bass tuning allows easy placement of chords from standard major and minor chords to 7 chords, 9 chords, flatted 5 chords, etc. The 5ths tuning also provides voicings for these chords that don't get mushy the way guitar chords played on a bass get mushy.

So, just to make things easier on yourself, could you go ahead and tune your bass strings in 4ths or tune your melody strings in 5ths to provide some symmetry? The first answer is ... yes you could. Furthermore, I know players who have done just that. 4ths and 5ths tunings in the bass each have their merits. As I mentioned earlier, the chordal possibilities with 5ths tuning are (in my opinion) much greater. Coming from a bass background, however, you will probably notice that those standard walking bass lines are much more difficult with the strings tuned in 5ths and you may prefer going back to 4ths for that reason. The added drawback of the 4ths tuning, however, is that you lose the effectiveness of some good instructional material geared for standard Stick tunings. Apples and oranges.

One thing to clarify though. I used the word symmetry in regards to tuning both sides of the Stick in 4ths or both sides in 5ths when, in reality, the 5ths bass 4ths melody tuning actually provides the most symmetry of all. How? Remembering that going up a 4th yields the same note as going down a 5th, find an "E" on the lowest melody side string and then find an "E" on the highest bass side string. Now, staying on the same fret, move both hands one string to the left. The bass is now playing a "A" a 5th lower than the original note while the melody side is playing an "A" a 4th higher than the original note. Continue up the strings you'll find you're hitting the same note again and again. Symmetry. Take that a step further. Find a G major triad on the melody side and play the chord along with a G root note on the third from lowest bass string. Now, keeping your hands in the same position, simply move both hands one string to the left. Voila! You're now playing a C major chord. Symmetry. Actually, a better word to use here may be reciprocal which is defined by Webster's Dictionary as inversely related to or opposite. Even though you hit the same notes as you move from right to left (or left to right) on both sides, one side is ascending while the other is descending. Plus ... the word reciprocal will become more important as we describe the different tunings.

Instrument Scale (the StickX36™)

In 2001, Emmett Chapman began assembling 10-string instruments made out of a graphite composite material. These instruments had a scale length of 36" (as opposed to the standard 34" scale) and had an additional fret added at the nut. In 2002, he introduced a 12-string made out of the same material and with the same added fret. In 2003, he began making all of his hardwood instruments in this new 36" scale length and began referring to all 36" scale length instruments as the StickX36™.

This change has an impact on the instrument tunings. The additional fret on the new longer instruments was added at the nut while the inlays remain in the same positions relative to the bridge. That means that, while there is one fret in between the nut and the first inlay marker on a 34" scale instrument, there are two frets in between the nut and first inlay on a 36" scale instrument. At the same time, however, the pitch to inlay relationship stays the same. That means that, while the open lowest bass string on a standard tuned 34" instrument is tuned to C, on a 36" instrument it is tuned to B. That way, the note sounded at the first inlay of the lowest bass string is D regardless of what scale length instrument you have.

So how do we present tunings in a simple to read format that can be used regardless of instrument scale? On most fretted stringed instruments (including Sticks), frets are numbered beginning with fret #1. In an effort to avoid confusion between fret numbers and inlay positions on the new longer instruments, Emmett decided to call the additional fret on the 36" instruments fret #0. That way the first inlay would be at fret #2 regardless of your instrument length. Later, he began simply referring to the additional fret as the "X fret". With that, the fret numbered #12 on any Stick instrument is where the third inlay marker appears and is the position that Emmett refers to as the "octave position". On a 34" scale instrument, it is the octave above the open (non-playable) string. On a 36" scale instrument, it is the octave above the first playable note on the added "X fret".

So with that, the charts commonly used to show Stick tunings were not changed except to say that, instead of basing them off the previously open string note, they are now based at fret #12 or the "octave position".

I should also point out that, in addition to the original charts showing note names and string numbers, the Stick Enterprises website now shows some very nice fretboard diagrams for each tuning and each scale length.

So how is it tuned?

There are a lot of different tunings out there. Emmett Chapman has always been one to not only seek out new ideas but also support experimentation from his customers. The result of this is that if you polled all of the Stick players on earth, you'd find a whole variety of tunings from 4ths/4ths to 5ths/5ths to bass/guitar tuning (including the odd major 3rd) to uncrossed tunings. These tunings all have their place and there is some great music being made. Stick Enterprises, however, has nine tunings that they consider "standard" and are used by most players. Five tunings for 10-string Stick and four for Grand Stick.

Before we delve too far into what those tunings are, I have to clarify a couple of things. I was previously a guitarist and, as a guitarist, I generally tended to think of a tuning change as a completely different tuning with different intervals between the strings. When I was ordering my first Stick and was hit with the question "what tuning do you want?", I immediately responded that I wanted the standard tuning thinking that if I ordered a different tuning, I wouldn't be able to easily play anyone elses standard tuned instrument. This decision was somewhat misguided as my assumptions on what it means to have a different tuning were, for the most part, false. One of the things that all of Stick Enterprise's tunings have in common is that all of them are bass in 5ths and melody in 4ths. Furthermore, most of the tunings only differ on the melody strings. That means that switching from, for example, classic tuning to matched reciprocal tuning only means that (on the melody side) you have to remember to play everything up one whole step (2 frets). A little annoying maybe but no big deal.

10-string tunings

Ok. Let's get down to specifics.

Classic 10-string Tuning
Let's start with the 10-string classic tuning. This is how the original Ironwood Sticks of the 70s left the shop and it's still the most popular tuning today.

Baritone Melody™ 10-string Tuning
The first variation on the classic tuning was a tuning called baritone melody. With this tuning, the bass strings are the same. The melody strings, however, are tuned down a fourth. This is essentially the same as removing the highest string, moving strings 2-5 over one, and adding a string a 4th lower than the lowest melody string of the classic tuning.

Deep Baritone Melody™ 10-string Tuning
A variation of the baritone melody tuning is called the deep baritone melody tuning. Again, the bass remains tuned the same but the melody strings are tuned down again. This time one whole step lower than the baritone melody tuning.

Matched Reciprocal™ 10-string Tuning
Another variation of the classic tuning is called the matched reciprocal tuning. Again, the bass strings are the same. The melody strings, however, are tuned one whole step lower than the classic tuning. The name matched reciprocal comes from the fact that, with this tuning, you have the same notes on either side except that one side is descending and the other is ascending (as you can see in the chart). So while all of the standard Stick tunings could be considered reciprocal, this tuning actually has the same notes on the same frets on both sides of the Stick (hence the word matched).

Deep Matched Reciprocal™ 10-string Tuning
The last 10-string tuning is called deep matched reciprocal. This tuning takes the matched reciprocal tuning and lowers both the melody and bass strings one whole step. Lower notes ... but still matched reciprocal.

12-string tunings

12-string (or Grand) Sticks are simply an extension of a 10-string Stick. Again, I began life with a misguided notion that the extra two strings would just make the instrument that much more difficult to learn when that is, in fact, not the case. In the simplest case, you take a 10-string Stick, add an additional high string on the melody side, add an additional high string on the bass side, and you have a Grand Stick. The fretboard is a bit wider to facilitate the extra strings and the string spacing is somewhat narrower. These minor differences, however, are usually only a brief annoyance when your switching from one to the other but not when you're starting out fresh. Additionally, when ordering a Grand Stick, you have the option of a 6+6 tuning or a 7+5 tuning. What this means is that your Stick can be setup to have 6 melody strings and 6 bass strings or it can be setup to have 7 melody strings and 5 bass strings. This decision has to be thought out a bit more thoroughly than a simple tuning change as this decision will effect the bridge and the pickup of your instrument (something that is quite a bit more difficult to change than just the tuning).

Classic 6+6 12-string Tuning
So let's start with the classic 6+6 tuning. The interesting thing about the melody side tuning of the classic 6+6 Grand is that the result is the same as if you took the 10-string baritone melody and 10-string classic tuning and combined them. If you remember, I mentioned that switching from 10-string classic to 10-string baritone melody was just like removing the high string, moving strings 2-5 over one, and adding an additional low string. With the classic Grand 6+6 tuning, you get to keep the high string AND add the additional low string.

Classic 7+5 12-string Tuning
As I mentioned before, one option when ordering a Grand Stick is to get the 7+5 configuration (7 melody strings and 5 bass strings). The tuning for this setup is essentially the same as the classic 6+6 tuning except that the additional bass string is removed and a seventh melody string is added a 4th down from the C# that was the lowest string on the 6+6 melody side.

Matched Reciprocal™ 12-string Tuning
As is the case with the 10-string Stick, there is a variation on the classic 6+6 Grand tuning called the matched reciprocal tuning. Again, the bass strings are the same. Just like the 10-string, however, the melody strings are tuned one whole step lower than the classic tuning leaving you with the same notes on the same strings on each side except that one side is descending while the other side is ascending.

Deep Matched Reciprocal™ 12-string Tuning
The last 12-string tuning is called deep matched reciprocal. This tuning takes the matched reciprocal tuning and lowers both the melody and bass strings one whole step.

Classic 6+6 12-string Tuning with High Bass 4th
A bass side variation of the any 6+6 12-string tuning is to tune the highest bass string up only a 4th from the previous strings as opposed to the standard 5th. This allows you to play the powerful root-5-root combination on the highest three bass strings with just a single finger barred across those strings. As I said, while the chart below shows the classic 6+6 tuning with the high bass 4th, you can apply this to any 6+6 tuning.

How to tune

Having had the pleasure of attending Stick seminars and also taking on a couple of local students, I've heard the question posed many times "how do I tune my Stick". The first reaction could be that this is kind of a silly question. But is it? Knowing what pitches to tune your strings to is easy. Either you've carefully selected your tuning or you've consulted the tunings listed on this page or on the Stick Enterprises web site. The pitches to tune to, however, are not usually the source of the question. Coming from a guitar or bass background, your first instinct is to pluck the open strings and tune them. The problem with that is, of course, that there is no such thing as an open string on a Stick. With the damper down at fret one, plucking an open string won't produce much more than a dull thud.

So what do you do? Before I get into that, I will say that you really should have a chromatic tuner. Back in my guitar days, I prided myself on needing only a single pitchfork and my ears. I even went so far as to scoff at the many players I met who, without a tuner, were incapable of tuning their instrument (actually I still find that a tad disgraceful). My snotty purist attitude has a couple of flaws though. First, even with the best ears, the noise of a club before a gig is almost certain to make tuning with your ears a major nightmare. Add to that switching from guitar to Stick, and the effect that being even slightly off can have on the full range of your instrument makes having a chromatic tuner almost a must. My purist attitude lasted about two days after my Stick arrived before I broke down. The good thing is that chromatic tuners can be pretty cheap. I bought one made by Korg for somewhere between 25 and 30 dollars.

So you have your tuner and you've realized that you have no open strings. The first reaction is probably simply to tap on fret #1 and use the pitches one half step up from the open strings. This isn't necessarily wrong but you can do better. Even if your instrument is intonated perfectly, there is still a slight margin of error. If you tune down by the nut, you could go increasingly out of tune as you travel up the fretboard and into the area where you're most likely to be playing. Since you have no open strings and you have a tuner that will tune any pitch, the best thing is to tune in the area where you play most of the time.

Personally, I tune straight across fret #7 from string #1 all the way through string #10 (or #12) using the pitches that are a perfect fifth up from the pitches the open strings are tuned to and this works fine for me. Greg Howard recommends tuning on a different fret between the bass and the melody side simply because, in your playing, your hands will rarely be playing across the same fret. So Greg might, for example, tune the bass side across fret #9 and tune the melody side across fret #12.

Where ever you decide to do it, you should absolutely be wearing your Stick (not have it lying on a table or something) and you should be using the hands you play with to do the tapping. In other words, when playing the melody side, tap with your right hand and turn the tuning pegs with your left. Inversely, when tuning the bass side, tap with your left hand and turn the tuning pegs with your right. The reason this is so important is because, since the Stick is essentially nothing more than a very long fretboard, the neck can easily warp slightly if you bend forward, set it down on a hard surface, etc. So you want the instrument to sit exactly how it sits when you're playing while you tune.

Example

So just to show you an example of how I would go about tuning my 10-string instrument ... I sling it on and tune as follows. First, my 10-string is a 34" scale instrument tuned Baritone Melody. This means my open string pitches are (from string #1 - #10):

1. A below middle C
2. E down a 4th
3. B down a 4th
4. F# down a 4th
5. C# down a 4th
6. C below low bass E
7. G up a 5th
8. D up a 5th
9. A up a 5th
10. E up a 5th.

Since I tune at fret #7, however, I'll tap on that fret across the board and use the pitches that are a perfect fifth up from the open string pitches. Turning the tuning pegs with my left hand and tapping with my right, I'll start on string #1 at fret #7 and tune strings #1 to #5 as follows:

1. E above middle C
2. B down a 4th
3. F# down a 4th
4. C# down a 4th
5. G# down a 4th.

Moving to fret #7 on string #6 (the lowest bass string) and switching hands (so I tap with my left and turn the tuning pegs with my right), I'll tune the bass strings on fret #7 as follows (again a perfect fifth up from the open string pitches):

6. G above low bass E
7. D up a 5th
8. A up a 5th
9. E up a 5th
10. B up a 5th.

So that's all there is to it. Now you're in tune and you can happily tap well into the evening.