Re:(tuning) PLEASE DON'T LAUGH

I'm sending this again, because the original message didn't came ver in the
usual way. Sorry for that.

Angela, even if this not exactly the "How to play the guitar in one lesson"
list, the subject might interest some people, because it's very essential.
>
>>From what I gather, if I want to tune the top string down, I can easily tune
> the top sting to the d string (ie 3rd string?) or as someone suggested pick
> the note from the fret below... sound right???

The top string is the highest sounding string. The *normal* D is the fourth.
You're mixing up "high/low" and "up/down". The melody goes up when your
fingers go down. Many beginning students logically make that mistake.
There's also an historical example:

Luys Milan (16th century) proposed in one of his vihuela pieces (the Fantasy
XIV) to move the fourth fret "up a little" to get a *stronger* sound from
the notes in that position:

"Esta fantasia que se sigue tanbien es para hazer redobles con dos dedos: y
sienpre q(ue) tanereys el quarto y tercero tono por estos terminos q(ue)
esta fa(n)tasia anda: alcareys un poco el quarto traste de la vihuela para
que el punto del dicho traste sea fuerte y no flaco".

(Can anybody translate this correctly? I use a french translation myself)

We're still not sure what he ment. "alcareys un poco": raise a bit. But in
what direction? Upwards melodically, towards the bridge, or upwards
physically, towards the tuning mechanism? The fourth fret gives a major
third from the open string, so Milan's indication should tell us something
wether he was *meantone* or *Pythagorean*.

You should tune the 4th and the 5th string with your tuner and then compare
the octaves for the other D's and the A. The 4th fret on he 4th string gives
you the F#. If you play D and F# together you hear the major third. Do you
like that sound? Listen to it over and over again. You may tune down the F#
a little. Thus you get the low major third (meantone, natural, 5:4...) If
you tune the F# higher than the fourth fret tells you, you get Jerry
Eskelin's "high" third or even the Pythagorean one. Now strum the whole open
chord D, A, D, F#, A, D.
*My* ears tell me that the low F# tends to disappear, to melt in the
surrounded notes, while a high F# remains clearly distinguishable. Angela,
if all this rings your bell, stay on the list and learn all about it.
>
> I have another question about when a "song is in C#m" for instance and they
> say to just place the capo on the 6th fret. Is that just removing the need
> for tuning each of the strings into that key?

A capo simply transposes the tuning of the open string and adapts what you
play to your voice, if you want to sing at the same time. Of course a capo
works only for upward transposition. To go downwards you really have to drop
the tuning of all the open strings. That's currently done. A good example,
but not known by everybody, is Paul McCartney singing "Yesterday" with his
guitar in standard tuning but a whole tone lower. In this way he plays *in
G* what you normally get *in F* when you buy the music.

--Wim