rssBach may be important not just as a supreme historical figure in western culture, who did what he could with what he had, but also in the way he epitomises a particular mode of thinking, a complex of beliefs about how the world coheres that almost amounts to a musical form of holism. - John Butt
2006, September 17
Scordatura
Alternate tunings of stringed instruments
The standard (or Italian) tunings of the violin strings are G D A E. Other tunings are common in folk music and have a long history. Their use in "classical" music has been limited, however. Bach did employ an alternate tuning for the Fifth Cello Suite, changing the highest string from A to G. Standard pitches of the cello are C G D A; the altered tuning gives C G D G.
Altering the pitches of the strings makes it possible to play chords that would be difficult or impossible with the standard tuning, and chords were written into more string music in early times.
Links: Scordatura
Wikipedia.org definition of scordatura
Discussion and examples
Definition and example
