Standard tuning strings. This is done to simplify fingering. A few guitarists, mostly those using tapping, play without this interval, instead tuning in all fourths; thus on a six-string guitar the top two strings become C and F instead of B and E. Other unusual tunings include all major thirds, all minor thirds, and various other choices. In standard notation, the guitar sounds one octave lower than it is written. This is to avoid switching between treble and bass clef, or using ledger lines or 8vb, since it is very common to play past the 12th fret on the E string (E)
Fingerboard McLaughlin played with Shakti, along with Indian violinist L. Shankar, using an acoustic guitar with a fully scalloped fretboard. McLaughlin explained that this feature increased the ease and range of string bends by eliminating friction between finger and fretboard. The scalloped fretboard also facilitates the rapid, microtonal variation that is important in Indian music, as exemplified by classical Indian Sitar music. Without scallops, the guitarist must play microtones by sliding the string sideways on the fret. Experimental luthier Yuri Landman made an electric guitar for John Schmersal of Enon called the Twister with a partial scalloped neck for only the