Crafty tuning

[motormind]

Could someone explain what the benefits be of the Trey Gunn's variation of the Crafty tuning? I sure have no idea why you would tune your instrument that way...

[mrINFINITY]

I suppose the main reasons would be:

1. More range with less strings
2. different chord voicings
3. it seems like there would be a problem with 4 note per string scale runs on that big of a scale, but you got 2 hands working on them.

I suppose the downside would be that it might be hard to play two independent parts (unless it was something you composed)

[motormind]

Originally posted by mrINFINITY
I suppose the main reasons would be:

1. More range with less strings
2. different chord voicings
3. it seems like there would be a problem with 4 note per string scale runs on that big of a scale, but you got 2 hands working on them.

I suppose the downside would be that it might be hard to play two independent parts (unless it was something you composed)

I especially wonder about the tuning of the upper two strings: one a minor 3rd up and the other a major 2nd, which very much ruin the symmetry. What is be the benefit of that?

[mrINFINITY]

The second and major third are either there because the range of the instrument is already too maxed out to keep going in straight 5ths (unless you took one of the strings off and only had 7). Also, a major second and minor 3rd in the tuning is great for doing cluster chords that you couldn't normally do on an instrument even tuned in 4ths.
It also might help to play independent parts in each hand because the right hand then could work wth 2 and 3 notes per string in the scales.