Anyone play nylon guitar over a steel string?

[Peter Frary]

I love playing Renaissance music on my Baritone 6. Yes, tuned G to G it falls in the lute's domain. However, to read directly off the original lute TAB, you need to lower the 3rd string by a half step (tune to A). In fact, many of the pieces are awkward in guitar tuning since you'll have to fret what was composed as an open string.

Many of the original TAB are reversed from modern TAB, i.e., upper line is the 6th string rather than first. I can read Spanish and Italian TAB okay (numbers used), but French TAB is written in alphabets and drives me nuts (a = open string, b = 1st fret, etc.

If you play Baroque guitar music, you can stick to standard tuning, albeit most of it was written for 5-course guitars with the two lower courses in re-entrant tuning.

 

[GVlog]

I just don’t want to go down that buying guitaleles road.

I hear you.

It often starts with just one, ... and then you look around one day and you've got two more (and your wallet is at least $600 lighter).

... but French TAB is written in alphabets and drives me nuts

I wasn't aware that Spanish and Italian tablature used numbers. I started learning from tablature published by The Lute Society and it was written with letters. My brain just adapted to reading it.

 

[AKukecrazy]

True. I’m trying to avoid a new obsession. I like to read tab. It’s actually the only scenario where I can see myself being semi successful with six courses. I just don’t want to go down that buying guitaleles road.

Going down the guitalele buying road now. I started with a Luna EADGBE tuning. It’s a terrible instrument came with buzzy strings and twisted neck. Now I’m trying to find a good one like it to buy. Looking at gretsch and Pomo. Anybody have recommendation?
I started the uke journey with a Luna tenor uke that is absolutely awesome for only a $100. Fell in love with it. But needing that guitar tuning to play with a bluegrass band for it base notes. It seems to have a deeper lower sound than a guitar that works very well to provide a little more bass to the sound. And it sorta has a uke sound on the higher notes when played like a uke.

 

[GVlog]

Anybody have recommendation?

I like the Islander GL6 models for their wider string-spacings, baritone-uke scale lengths, the deeper tone from their larger lower bouts, and their clean build quality.

But, I think you would need to change the strings to get EADGBE tuning. Send a message to Islander and inquire.