Ralph Patt

Ralph Patt
Ralph Patt playing guitar
Background information
Born	(1929-12-05)5 December 1929 Kittanning, Pennsylvania
Died	6 October 2010(2010-10-06) (aged 80) Canby, Oregon
Genres	Jazz
Instruments	guitar, bass guitar, mandolin, banjo, oud, lute, bouzouki
Years active	1950s–2010
Website	http://www.ralphpatt.com

Ralph Oliver Patt (5 December 1929 – 6 October 2010) was an American jazz guitarist who introduced major-thirds tuning, which can simplify the learning of the fretboard and chords by beginners and facilitate improvisation by advanced guitarists. His use of this tuning was first inspired by the atonal music of Arnold Schoenberg, and later by the jazz of John Coltrane and Ornette Coleman.

He graduated with a degree in geology from the University of Pittsburgh. After his career as a guitarist, he worked as a geologist and as a hydrologist, often consulting on projects related to the U.S. Department of Energy.