I find it interesting that Lifeson used 4ths and 5ths as his main test intervals. Why? In an interview in the November 2012 issue of Guitar Player magazine. Lifeson said:
I’ve got my J-150 in the other room tuned to DADAAD and I can play in that tuning for hours and not get board (154).
Notice that DADAAD consists of 4ths and 5ths.
- In the rock opera, the character heavily relied on 4ths and 5ths as test intervals for the 2112 guitar tuning.
- Likewise, in the 2012 interview, Lifeson says that he enjoys playing in the tuning DADAAD.
- This, along with his viola experience, could explain his favoring 4ths and 5ths when tuning.
Does Lifeson think about these things consciously? I doubt it. It sounds like he goes on instinct:
I don’t think in terms of what kind of scales I’m playing. I’m not trained that way, and I don’t give it much thought… Ged and I start playing, we pick a tempo and a key, and we play and play and play until we lock into something and slowly start to develop the structure of what it is. (p. 78 -79)