There is a small but significant repertoire for the guittar in G tuning, that is GBDgbd, a fourth lower than the regular C tuning. James Oswald wrote for it, and there are very interesting pieces in G tuning in the Jean Kirkpatrick manuscript.

Finding an original guittar in G for sale proved impossible – it is larger than the C model – and commissioning one from a luthier was financially beyond me. Many thanks are therefore due to Alison Littleboy, a former student of mine, who sponsored a commission! The Irish luthier, Paul Doyle, was chosen as he had made a few G guittars before, and had made technical drawings of the larger guittars in the Collins’ Barracks in Dublin. Unfortunately, the task proved beyond the talents of Mr Doyle, and the guittar he made was not at all playable. I returned it to him for improvement, but it came back even worse. This was very disappointing, and I cannot recommend him as a luthier.

For two years the instrument lay under my bed, until my friend Jelma van Amersfoort, suggested I send it to Sebastian Nunez of Utrecht. Sebastian did a wonderful job! He transformed the instrument completely, with a new head, new strings he made himself, and gave the instrument the perfect set up. Finally I have a guittar in G that works.

The videos from the Jean Kirkpatrick manuscript below also appear on the page dedicated to that manuscript, HERE. More recordings are planned, including some by James Oswald, so do look back at a later date.