When seven-time Grammy-winning musical wizard Jacob Collier picks up a guitar, he doesn’t reach for the standard six-string instrument most players know. Instead, Collier has pioneered a unique five-string guitar approach that has revolutionized his compositional and performance style. In this comprehensive guide, we explore Jacob Collier’s innovative five-string guitar technique, his new Taylor signature models, and how you can incorporate these concepts into your own playing.
The Jacob Collier Taylor Signature Five-String Guitars
Jacob Collier has partnered with Taylor Guitars and master builder Andy Powers to create two stunning signature five-string models. These guitars represent years of experimentation and refinement, bringing Collier’s imaginary instrument to life.
The collection includes a full-sized model featuring beautiful koa wood that Collier describes as looking “like a poem,” along with a more compact GS Mini version. Both guitars maintain a standard six-string neck width, providing extra space between strings that makes fingerpicking and chord voicings more accessible, especially for players with thicker fingers or those learning to bar chords.
Understanding the DAEAD Tuning System
The foundation of Collier’s five-string approach is his signature DAEAD tuning. This symmetrical tuning creates what Collier calls a “mirror” effect, where the middle A string serves as the axis of reflection.
Standard Five-String Tuning (Low to High):
- String 5: D
- String 4: A
- String 3: E
- String 2: A
- String 1: D
This tuning philosophy follows Collier’s mantra: “Five fingers, five strings.” Each finger can address one string simultaneously, opening up unique voicing possibilities that aren’t available on traditional six-string guitars.
The Mirror Principle
One of the most fascinating aspects of the DAEAD tuning is its symmetrical nature. With the E string in the middle, the surrounding strings mirror each other perfectly. Any voicing played on one side of the middle string can be flipped to the other side, creating instant inversions and new harmonic possibilities. This mirror principle has become central to how Collier conceptualizes chord voicings and melodic movement on the instrument.
Essential Chord Voicings for Five-String Guitar
Major Chord Voicings
The five-string guitar excels at creating open, resonant major chords. Barring across all five strings produces a clean major sound, and the extra spacing makes it easier to add color tones like the major third without muting adjacent strings.
Collier frequently uses simple triadic shapes that can move horizontally up the neck, taking advantage of the guitar’s natural inversions. The three-string approach (using just the top three or bottom three strings) creates particularly clear, bell-like major voicings.
Minor Chord Approaches
For minor tonalities, Collier favors voicings that include the eleventh, creating rich, jazzy sounds. One of his signature minor voicings places the eleventh in the middle of the chord, producing what he describes as “sweet as a nut” harmonies.
The tuning’s neutral quality (less automatically major than open D tuning) makes it especially versatile for minor key work. You can easily shift between major and minor territories by making minimal finger adjustments.
Extended and Altered Harmonies
Collier’s approach to complex harmony on the five-string guitar often involves thinking about passing tones and voice leading. He demonstrates how diminished and augmented sounds can be contextualized through stepwise motion, transforming seemingly dissonant voicings into emotionally powerful progressions.
His favorite progression includes a diminished major seventh chord sandwiched between two consonant voicings, with the bass line and inner voices moving in contrary motion to create that characteristic Collier sound.
Fingerpicking Techniques for Five-String Guitar
The 1-2-3-4-1-5 Pattern
Collier has developed unique fingerpicking patterns specifically for five-string guitar. His signature pattern follows a 1-2-3-4-1-5-3-2 sequence, utilizing four consecutive fingers. This approach takes full advantage of the five-string layout, where you don’t run out of fingers as you might on a six-string instrument.
This technique opens up arpeggio possibilities that feel more natural and ergonomic than traditional six-string patterns, particularly for complex rhythmic subdivisions.
Travis Picking Adaptations
When applying Merl Travis-style alternating bass patterns to five-string guitar, the missing string creates an interesting challenge. The bass line operates differently, and players need to recalibrate their spatial awareness. However, this limitation often leads to creative solutions and unexpected musical choices.
Left-Hand Techniques
Collier emphasizes left-hand techniques, including tapping, hammer-ons, and pull-offs. The wider string spacing on the five-string guitar makes these techniques more accessible and reliable, especially on an acoustic instrument where such techniques are typically more challenging.
Alternative Tunings for Different Keys
While DAEAD works beautifully in the key of D, Collier has developed alternative tunings for other tonal centers.
The E-A-E-A-E Tuning
When working in the key of A, Collier sometimes uses E-A-E-A-E tuning. This tuning creates a more open sound and changes the pedal tone from D to E, opening up different harmonic possibilities while maintaining the five-string philosophy.
The D-A-F#-A-D Tuning
For a true open D major sound, Collier occasionally tunes to D-A-F#-A-D. This tuning brings the guitar closer to traditional open D while maintaining the five-string layout’s advantages.
Adapting Five-String Concepts to Six-String Guitar
Not ready to commit to a five-string guitar? You can explore these concepts on your standard six-string instrument through alternate tunings.
Option 1: D-A-E-A-E-D
This tuning doubles the A strings, bringing you close to the five-string experience while keeping six strings available. You tune your B string down to A and your G string up to A, creating: D-A-E-A-E-D (low to high).
Option 2: D-A-E-A-D-E
This tuning gives you both five-string voicings simultaneously, essentially splitting the difference between the pure five-string sound and traditional six-string playing. It’s not as clean as a true five-string, but offers unique hybrid possibilities.
Jacob Collier’s “The Light for Days” Album
Collier’s commitment to the five-string guitar reached new heights with his album “The Light for Days,” recorded almost entirely with his five-string Taylor signature model. The album represents a deliberate constraint—choosing to “climb inside one instrument” rather than using his typical production approach of layering dozens of instruments.
The recording process was characteristically ambitious: Collier gave himself just four days to record the entire album. He performed live takes standing with a Neumann U87 vocal microphone and a Royer R88 ribbon mic, embracing the natural hiss and character of vintage recording techniques.
The album includes six original compositions plus arrangements of songs from other artists, all exploring the sonic possibilities of the five-string guitar. Collier describes songs like “Heaven (Butterflies)” and his arrangement of The Beatles’ “Norwegian Wood” as perfectly suited to the instrument’s open, resonant character.
Technical Considerations and Playing Tips
Palm Muting and Dynamics
The five-string guitar responds beautifully to palm muting techniques, creating percussive, staccato sounds that translate the guitar’s physicality directly to the tone. Collier emphasizes the importance of dynamic control, drawing inspiration from sitar player Anoushka Shankar and her ability to bend and blend notes.
The Neck as a Percussion Instrument
Collier incorporates percussive elements by tapping on the neck above the nut, creating rhythmic accents that complement his playing. While this technique is unconventional, it demonstrates how the five-string guitar can serve as both a harmonic and rhythmic instrument simultaneously.
Bending and Intonation
The wider string spacing makes bending more comfortable on acoustic five-string guitars than on traditional six-string acoustics. Collier takes advantage of this for both expressive lead playing and subtle intonation adjustments when specific chord voicings need just-intonation rather than equal temperament.
Influences and Musical Context
Collier’s five-string approach draws inspiration from diverse sources. He cites Ted Greene’s solo guitar work for its harmonic sophistication, David Longstreth of Dirty Projectors for left-hand techniques, and contemporary artists like Adrianne Lenker for fingerpicking approaches that translate beautifully to five-string guitar.
The instrument has also influenced how Collier thinks about arrangement and composition, forcing him to work within constraints that ultimately lead to more focused, intimate musical statements.
Getting Started with Five-String Thinking
Whether you’re considering a five-string guitar or want to experiment with these concepts on your six-string, here are key starting points:
- Study Inversions: Understanding how triads move across the strings in different inversions is fundamental to unlocking the five-string guitar’s potential.
- Explore Symmetry: Think about how voicings can be mirrored across the middle string, creating instant variations and inversions.
- Embrace Horizontal Movement: Five-string playing often emphasizes moving horizontally up and down the neck rather than across strings, changing how you approach melodic lines.
- Experiment with Open Tunings: Try the DAEAD tuning on a six-string guitar (tuning your B string down to A and G string up to A) to get a feel for the harmonic landscape.
- Focus on Fingerpicking: Develop fingerpicking patterns that take advantage of the five-finger, five-string relationship.
Conclusion
Jacob Collier’s five-string guitar approach represents a fresh perspective on an ancient instrument. By removing one string and rethinking the tuning system, Collier has unlocked new harmonic territories while creating an instrument that feels intuitive and open.
The Taylor signature five-string guitars make this approach accessible to players ready to explore beyond standard tuning, while the concepts can be adapted to traditional six-string guitars through alternate tunings. Whether you’re a jazz player seeking new voicings, a songwriter looking for fresh inspiration, or an experimental guitarist ready to explore uncharted territory, the five-string guitar philosophy offers a wealth of possibilities.
As Collier himself notes, the greatest joy of the five-string guitar isn’t necessarily in the theory or technique—it’s in picking up an instrument that sounds open and inviting, where you can “just vibe” and discover shapes that feel good without overthinking. In that spirit of exploration and joy, the five-string guitar invites us all to hear familiar sounds with fresh ears and find our own voice within its unique sonic landscape.
