Frank Gambale (/ɡæmˈbɑːlɪ/; born 22 December 1958)[2] is an Australian jazz fusion guitarist. He has released twenty albums over a period of three decades, and is known for his use of the sweep picking and economy picking techniques.
Gambale has been head of the guitar department at the Los Angeles Music Academy.[3] He joined the Isina mentorship program as head of the guitar department in 2014.[6] During the next year, he started an online guitar school.[7]
Gambale has become identified with sweep picking and economy picking. His interest grew out of a desire to transcend the physical limits of the guitar and borrow from other instruments, such as the piano and saxophone. One advantage of the technique is that it allows him to play faster. He can also approximate the way chords are played on piano by using his invented tuning, the Gambale Tuning, in which "the whole guitar is tuned up a fourth, but the top two strings are down an octave" (A, D, G, C, E, A, low to high).[8]
So, here is GAMBALE TUNING explained...and it only took me 40 years to invent this! ADGCEA. It's the same relative tuning as regular guitar but the lowest string is the 5th string A instead of the regular low E. Also, the 1st and 2nd strings are one octave lower. Here's the suggested string gauges. From low to high use strings from an electric 10 gauge standard set. Use only the A D G and B strings for the 6th, 5th, 4th and 3rd strings. The B string will be tuned up a half step to C. Then for the 1st and 2nd strings use a D and a G string from a standard 09 gauge set. These two strings are to be tuned up a whole step so the D will be tuned to E as the 2nd string wound, and the G will be tuned to A as the 1st string.
Gambale has been featured on the covers of many guitar and jazz-oriented magazines worldwide, while having been cited as an influence by many notable guitarists including Synyster Gates,[10]Dweezil Zappa,[11]Greg Howe,[12] and Pat Metheny.[13] In a 1991 interview with Rolling Stone magazine, guitarist Jerry Garcia stated that Gambale was one of his favourite players at the time, stating, "My personal favorite lately is this guy Frank Gambale, who's been playing with Chick Corea for the past couple of years."[14]
^Gilbert, Mark (2002). "Gambale, Frank". In Barry Kernfeld (ed.). The new Grove dictionary of jazz, vol. 2 (2nd ed.). New York: Grove's Dictionaries Inc. pp. 8–9. ISBN1561592846.
^ abHallebeek, Richard (20 October 2001). "Richard Hallebeek". Richard Hallebeek. Archived from the original on 28 September 2011. Retrieved 23 January 2012.
