“Playing a six-string is like driving a truck, but a four-string tenor is like driving a sports car.” The tenor guitar, with its four strings, is making a comeback, thanks to modern players like Neko Case and special events like the annual Tenor Guitar Gathering held in Astoria, Oregon every May.
While most guitars come with six strings, or occasionally twelve, the tenor guitar is a unique exception with only four strings. Popular during the original jazz age, this instrument was championed by iconic figures like Tiny Grimes and Eddie Condon. It continued to maintain a presence through the folk movement, with prominent players like Nick Reynolds of the Kingston Trio performing with a signature Martin tenor.
Though the tenor guitar eventually became more niche, played by a select few such as David Grisman, Ani DiFranco, and Neko Case, its resurgence has been gathering steam. A passionate subculture of tenor guitar enthusiasts, many of whom attend the Tenor Guitar Gathering, now celebrate the instrument. The event, organized by the Tenor Guitar Foundation (TGF), draws people from all over, and it’s put on annually in Astoria, Oregon, just after Memorial Day. Founded in 2009 by the late Mark Josephs, the TGF helps promote awareness and appreciation for the tenor guitar. To learn more about the instrument’s revival, we spoke with TGF president John Halovanic and Donna Josephs, Mark Josephs’ sister and a TGF board member, who offered valuable insights.
Fostering Musicianship with Four Strings
The Tenor Guitar Foundation’s motto, “Fostering musicianship four strings at a time,” speaks directly to its mission. The tenor guitar community shares more in common with players of the ukulele, bass, and tenor banjo than with traditional guitarists. While there are various styles and sizes, the key feature of the instrument is its four strings. Tenor guitars come in diverse forms, including flattop acoustic guitars, resonators, hollowbody archtops, and solid-body electrics.
The tenor guitar has its roots in the mandolin and banjo craze of the early 20th century. It combines a guitar body with the neck of a tenor banjo, featuring a scale length of approximately 23 inches. The design proved perfect for banjo players looking for a warmer tone, while mandolin players appreciated its deeper, single-string sound—similar to the mandola, the larger ancestor of the mandolin. The instrument’s popularity is rumored to have surged during the Prohibition era, as it provided a quieter, mellower alternative for musicians playing at speakeasies, helping avoid detection by the authorities.
Popular Tunings: Standard, Irish, and Chicago
The three most common tunings for the tenor guitar are standard, Irish, and Chicago. Standard tuning, C G D A (low to high), is in fifths, much like the tuning on a tenor banjo, mandolin, or violin.
Irish tuning, a fourth below standard, is G D A E (low to high) and is favored by many players, including John Halovanic, who explains, “It brings you closer to a regular guitar within three frets, and you can play almost any guitar piece, except for a few notes.”
Chicago tuning, which mirrors the top four strings of a guitar (D G B E), is often used by players transitioning from six-string guitars. Halovanic points out that “lots of players coming from six-string guitars opt for Chicago tuning.”
The open-string, fifth-based tunings give the tenor guitar a more spacious sound, with fewer redundant notes in the chords. This also makes single-note runs feel more fluid, often played along a single string. The technique of droning an open string while playing a melody on an adjacent string is common among tenor players, much like on the mandolin. The instrument’s sound complements six-string guitars, almost as if there is a second guitar playing in tandem.
A Unique Sound and Feel
In a recent interview, Ani DiFranco described the tenor guitar as having a “midrange sort of sound.” She added, “How much room it leaves is cool for a change, and it makes me play different things.” John Halovanic, too, compares playing a tenor guitar to driving a sports car: “Most chords only need three or four notes. On a six-string, you often repeat notes while strumming. But with a four-string neck, everything feels so much lighter and sweeter.”
Halovanic goes on to say, “When a six-string player switches to a four-string, they often find the six-string ‘like a club’ in comparison.”
Manufacturers and Modern Players
Eastwood is the largest modern manufacturer of tenor guitars, and their collaboration with the Tenor Guitar Foundation resulted in the PG-150 Archtop Electric Tenor. Other notable manufacturers include Gold Tone, known for its beautiful acoustic tenors, and Blueridge, which also produces high-quality acoustic instruments. Craven Tenor Guitars handcrafts a variety of tenor guitars, and Kala, renowned for its ukuleles, offers the KA-GTR acoustic tenor in two wood combinations.
While Martin and Gibson were once major players in the tenor guitar world, they no longer produce these instruments. However, vintage tenors from these brands can still be found and are often more affordable than their six-string counterparts. Soares’y Guitars has long produced excellent tenors, though their availability is limited.
A Growing Community
The renewed interest in tenor guitars has attracted a diverse range of players from different backgrounds and ages. While older generations gravitate towards the instrument’s jazz and folk roots, Halovanic notes, “A lot of younger players, even in rock and roll, are picking up the tenor guitar now.”
Neko Case, for example, plays a variety of tenor guitars, including a tenor Gibson SG in folk-rock settings. Her song “Lady Pilot” from the 2002 album Blacklisted, which appears in the 2022 compilation Wild Creatures, has accumulated millions of Spotify streams. Watch her use the tenor SG in a more recent, energetic rendition of “Lady Pilot.”
Peter Harper, the singer-songwriter and younger brother of Grammy-winning Ben Harper, is another vocal advocate for the tenor guitar. Growing up in the Folk Music Center, Peter was exposed to numerous global instruments, ultimately choosing the tenor guitar as his primary songwriting tool.
Mandolin legend David Grisman is another fan of the tenor guitar. He boasts an impressive collection of tenor instruments, including many tenor guitars. His latest release, Tone Poems, features a variety of tenor guitars played by Grisman and Tyler Jackson, who became involved with the instrument through the banjo. The collaboration, Tenor Madness, was released under Grisman’s Acoustic Disc label.
The Tenor Guitar Gathering: A Community Celebration
The Tenor Guitar Gathering in Astoria, Oregon, is at the heart of the modern tenor guitar revival. The event, now in its 15th year, draws attendees of all skill levels, from beginners to seasoned professionals. This year’s gathering, scheduled for the final weekend in May 2025, will include workshops, jam sessions, and concerts. The event also features a trolley ride through Astoria, a gourmet lunch, and performances by the local Tenor Guitar Orchestra at the Astoria Sunday Market.
The Gathering emphasizes a welcoming, community-oriented vibe, where experienced players help newcomers and participate in open jam sessions. Kala, Gold Tone, and D’Addario generously contribute instruments and strings, and Kala donates a tenor guitar to the recipient of the Rising Star Award.
The event continues to grow in popularity, with notable confirmed players like Nashville’s Tim May and Grant Flick, who plays an innovative five-string instrument with an extra low string.
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