West African Guitar Tunings

Ali Farka Toure (Mali)	G-A-D-G-B-E
Taara No.1 (Open C)	C-A-D-G-B-E
Taara No.2 (Open F)	F-A-D-G-C-E
Jarabi (Open F)	F-C-D-G-C-E
Cinquete-Six (Open G)	D-G-D-G-B-E

In West Africa: The guitar is wide spread from Mali to Namibia from Tanzania to Madagascar. Often local guitarists may use several open tunings who are influenced both by playing techniques of ethnic instruments such as the Kora, N'Goni in Mali. In Mali the Songhai, Tuareg and other neighboring groups use the GADGBE tuning they play a varient of a pentatonic scale that lacks a third. In contemporary "Tuareg rock music" they would use the GADGBE tuning on the second guitar and the lead guitar tuned in standard would play the melody. The Songhai who Ali Farka Toure (b. 1939 d. 2007) is a member of guitarists also favor the tuning GADGBE to play Djambala music. "In an interview with Ali Farka Toure he stated that the D'jambala should not be played after midnight, or this would awaken the spirits". Through out West Africa from Senegal to Guinea Cuban music arose in popularty since the 1950s. Established bands like the Orchestra Baobob (Senegal), Bembaya Jazz National (Guinea) and other "orchestras" would employ the standard EADGBE tuning. Capo's are widely used not just to match the singing capo's are also used also to play the melodies on the fifth fret or sometimes higher; this is a common practice amongst guitarists in the continent of Africa.

In South Africa: Maskanda (or maskendi) is an urban music originated from the migrant workers since the 1920s in which the music evolves with the time. The word Maskanda comes from the muskant which in Afrikaans means "musician". Often the guitar is accompanied by the violin, and sometimes concertina. When alternate tunings are used the term for them is "chuning". Maskanda guitarists would often tune their guitars to EADGBD the name of this tuning is "Double First". In playing Maskanda music the thumb plays the lower bass notes on the "E-A-D" strings independently from the index finger which plays the highest pitch notes "G-B-D". One other Maskanda tuning involves the highest E string tuned to D which becomes drop-D although with a twist. A home made capo hand carved from wood is placed on the 2nd fret in which a notch for the highest E string is carved so then the drop D then becomes D-B-E-A-C#-F#. The use of alternate guitar tunings are widely shared amongst the Maskanda musicians. Using capos to achieve tunings also seems to be a practice among some African guitarists. Older Maskanda melodies were slower in tempo then in recent times.

Malagasy Guitar Tunings

	E-A-D-G-B-E
	E-A-D-G-B-D
	E-G-D-G-B-D
	C-G-D-G-B-E
	C-G-D-G-B-D
	C-G-D-G-C-D
	D-F-D-F-F-C
	E-G-A#-G-A#-D
	E-G-E-G-G-D
	Bb-F-C-F-Bb-C
	Bb-F-C-G-C-E

in Madagascar: The guitar has its role as a solo instrument or in accompaniment with the valih, morovani, kabosi, percussion and vocals. Although this is debated its believed much of the guitar playing may have been based on the early piano playing of French-Colonial era Madagascar. Notable players of Malagasy guitar include Germain Rakotomavo, Dama, D'Gary and Solo Razaf.

 

 

 

In Insonesia: The guitar was later introduced by the Dutch and Portuguese; as is in many cases alternate tunings are used in Indonesian guitar playing often reflecting on the region of where this style of guitar playing originated. The "stem" means "Tuning" in Bahasa Indonesia. A series of CDs released by the Smithsonian Institute focuses on a wide range of traditional, regional, folk and some contemporary musics includes a disc specific to Indonesian guitar.

 

 

 

Papua New Guinea Tunings

	E-A-B-E-G-#E
	E-A-B-F#-B-D
	F-A-D-G-B-E
	F-Bb-C-F-A-C
	F-Bb-C-G-C-E

 
In Papua New Guinea: In one article on the International Guitar Seminar forums the renowned slide guitarist Bob Brozman mentions these tunings used in Papua New Guinea.

 

 

In Myanmar (Burma): Little is recorded on the traditional music of Myanmar along with the recently introduced Western instruments from the guitar to mandolin, piano were introduced approximately some 100 to 200 years ago.  One of the tunings used for Burmese slide guitar is F-G-C-F-G-C. Maybe either tuned a quarter tone below and or quarter tone above the desired pitch. The technique involved in playing in this tuning is based upon the Saungauk (traditional Burmese harp). A 3 disc CD series recorded by music producer and ethnomusicologist Rick Heitzman the “Burma Series” feature a wide array of traditional and western Instruments often played in alternate tunings.

in Vietnam: The guitar in Vietnam is sometimes called "Ghita", "Dan-Ghita" or "Luc huyen cam". This type guitar is has its origins with in the Vietnamese American community in mainland America. During the early 1930s the Vietnamese American's at the time were looking for something to which they could be play and adapt to their own traditional music. So they had scalloped the frets and tuned the Vietnamese guitar in a low "Open C" tuning C-F-C-g-c.

Citations: Bibliography - Mande Music by Eric Charry published by The University of Chicago Press ISBN 0-226-10162-2 / New Grove Dictionary > Discography: Sithsonian Folkway's, Music of Indonesia - Indonesian Guitars Vol. 20