{"id":1261,"date":"2023-05-16T09:25:23","date_gmt":"2023-05-16T07:25:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/heartelier.de\/?p=1261"},"modified":"2023-05-31T09:37:38","modified_gmt":"2023-05-31T07:37:38","slug":"the-strange-12-string","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/heartelier.de\/en\/the-strange-12-string\/","title":{"rendered":"The Strange 12-String Guitar"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

On a recent trip to San Marcos, Texas (a community about 30 minutes south of Austin), my friend, stepdaughter and I were browsing through the bins at Sundance Record Lagoon (a great little record shop; do go if you\u2019re in the area). Among the new releases and stacks of used records, my friend discovered a particular gem: \u201c12 String Guitar\u201d by Billy Strange.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The cover was a \u201ctypical\u201d 60s folk or country album cover with a picture of Mr. Strange holding his guitar, the track listing in big font and bold colours, and some photos and copy on the back of the jacket. However, it was the text on the back of the album (courtesy of Cliffe Stone) that caught our attention:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe present popularity of the 12-string guitar is a direct offshoot of the Folk Music sounds of today. The 12-string guitar has been around for hundreds of years, but only recently has it reached great public acceptance… I feel that the potential of the 12-string guitar has just barely been tapped and the future will bring us more of the wonderful, earthy sounds of the 12-string guitar.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Billy
Billy Strange I 12 String Guitar I heartelier I magazine<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Of course, we thought this is silly and absurd! Recently reached great public acceptance? Were previous players considered social pariahs? We laughed, and there was no way we were NOT getting this record.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mr. Stone made some bold statements. So much so that I felt like digging a bit to see if there was any sense to this \u201cabsurdity\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So, 12 strings?<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

For those who are unfamiliar with the instrument, a 12-string guitar looks no different from its 6-stringed counterpart. The tuning is the same (though more on that in a second), and the way the guitar is played is the same (more or less).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As far as how the instrument is set up and tuned, each string has a double (two \u201cE\u201d strings, two \u201cA\u201d strings, and so on), each double being an octave higher on the lowest four strings and tuned in unison on the highest two. The instrument is still tuned to E-A-D-G-B-E for standard tunings, but the pitches are E3<\/sub> – E2<\/sub> – A3<\/sub> – A2<\/sub> – D4<\/sub> – D3<\/sub> – G4<\/sub> – G3<\/sub> – B3<\/sub> – B3<\/sub> – E4<\/sub> – E4 <\/sub>(remember that middle C is C4<\/sub>). Having these pairings adds additional notes in different octaves to standard chords, making them sound bigger. The sound is further widened by the slight variations in pitch between the main strings and their pairings, creating a \u201cchorusing\u201d effect.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You can find both electric and acoustic versions of these instruments, though acoustic versions are the ones that are seen more often.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Instruments with paired strings have existed for a long time, such as lutes and mandolins<\/a>, as well as the bajo sexto<\/a> and guitarra s\u00e9ptima<\/a> from Mexico. The later instruments likely influenced the development of the 12-string guitar, which saw its beginnings in the late 19th century, eventually finding its way into folk and Latin music. So, hundreds of years? Possibly the instruments that influenced the guitar itself, though the guitar has certainly not been around for hundreds of years. Sorry Cliffe, you\u2019re a bit off on that one.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What Came Before 12 String Guitar<\/em><\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

The album was released in 1963, so there were only 12-string outcasts before then (supposidly). So, what came before this \u201cseminal\u201d album dropped?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While not outcast, there wasn\u2019t much music being made on the instrument before then, though it was certainly associated with certain players. Probably the most famous being Huddie Ledbetter<\/a>, aka Lead Belly. The 12-string guitar played just as important a part in his sound along with his voice and delivery. When it came to folk and blues, Led Belly was the real deal, as you can hear in songs such as \u201cGoodnight Irene\u201d and \u201cHouse of the Rising Sun\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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