5ths First Music Co. - Education, Instrument Sales/Rentals, Studio.

5ths First Music Co. founded by songwriter and mandolinist J. Carmichael was born out of a simple idea: music is simple. Not effortless, and not without investment, but simpler than most institutions and the music industry would have us believe. The gateway to this simplicity is a tuning system that’s deeply rooted in music history but lost the popularity contest: fifths tuning. Learning on fifths‑tuned instruments; ukuleles, mandolins, tenor guitars, and guitars in New Standard Tuning, offers a way to study music that’s more accessible for beginners and a powerful tool for experienced musicians.

Most people who’ve struggled with guitar haven’t failed at music. They’ve just been handed the hardest version of the problem first.

Standard tuning on the guitar is not the most friendly on ramp to learning music. In recognition of this there has also been a trend the past several years of teaching young students on ukulele which is great at first glance. The problem is that the chords don’t transfer well to other instruments. Once the student moves to another instrument they have to essentially start over. Contrast this with fifths tuning, and the student is learning the same system used on mandolin, mandola, octave mandolin, tenor guitar, tenor banjo, mandocello, and more. On top of all of that it can give the student a solid early foundation if they would like to move into classical string instruments, or the guitar in New Standard Tuning.

I have been playing mandolin for over 20 years and guitar for about 30. I have toured, recorded and produced, worked in studios from Seattle to Austin to Nashville and beyond. A few years ago I set out to make an album without any 6 string guitar anywhere on the album (you can hear that album here). Most people hear mandolin, or think of fifths tuned instruments and get a picture of bluegrass players, fiddle festivals or classical orchestration. The record I made was more of a Rock/Americana record. 5ths is not just for bluegrass and classical. Ask Warren Ellis, Modest Mouse, The Decemberists, Robert Fripp and more. A few years before making that album I began teaching my kids music on ukuleles in 5ths tuning. Over time I became convinced that this can give students a stronger overall musical foundation to grow from. As a result in 2026 I wrote and released the first edition of my new book 5ths First String Theory. It will be available on Amazon soon in paperback. BUT, if you order from me directly here you can get the spiral bound edition that will lay flat on a music stand.

The book is partly instructional, partly philosophical and historical. It may go through a few iterations as I continue to share this information with students and educators. That said the spiral bound Workshop Edition 1 is available now!

You can learn this on a $100 ukulele, a $300 tenor guitar, or a six-string in set up in Robert Fripp’s New Standard Tuning.

Once you know the language, it can transfer across all of them a wide variety of instruments. Giving beginners the opportunity to become multi-instrumentalists faster than they might expect, and experienced players find a new way into music theory and have a new tool in their kit.

This isn’t just for beginners.

It’s for the guitarist who feels stuck. The worship leader who needs simpler tools for their team. The songwriter who wants to write melodies faster. The studio musician who wants another voice in the room. The classical string player who wants to pick up a fretted instrument without starting over.

If you are interested in lessons in person in the Boise, ID / Boise County area you can book an intro lesson here. Zoom also works!

What you’ll find here

For now, 5ths First Music Co. primarily offers the book 5ths First String Theory. We are also in the process of building an inventory of fifths‑tuned ukuleles. As well as ukulele strings in 5ths tuning, custom 5ths friendly nutand and saddle sets for popular ukulele models, and soon an online course to accompany the book.

Why the ukulele?

In fifths, the ukulele becomes a cost‑effective, beginner‑friendly way to learn fifths tuning without the expense of a mandolin. Many affordable mandolins are hard to play and enjoy, while there are plenty of budget‑friendly ukuleles that can be set up to play well and not feel like toys. The catch is that, right now, you’ll rarely find ukuleles sold or rented already set up in fifths.

5ths First Music Co. is changing that. We’re acquiring instruments, setting them up in fifths, and upgrading hardware, nuts, and saddles where needed so they play and sound like real instruments, not disposable starter gear. We don’t have a permanent storefront yet, but we’re regularly at the Garden Valley Farmers Market on summer Saturdays and also see customers by appointment to view and try our fifths‑tuned ukulele inventory.

Studio

In addition to our educational offerings and instrument sales/rentals 5ths First is also home to a small but mighty recording studio tucked into the mountains of Boise County, Idaho.

At the center of the room is a dedicated Pro Tools rig with Chameleon labs 7602 (Neve Clone) outboard preamps and a tube compressor. The studio features a number of instruments that inspired 5ths First Music Co: Dammann Custom Instruments Mandocello and Altomando, Weber Bitterroot mandolin, a brazillian made 5 course mandolin, tenor banjo, tenor guitars, fifths‑tuned ukes, electric tenor guitar, 7 string electric in New Standard Tuning and a handful of other stringed instruments that find their way onto projects when it serves the song. On top of this we also have some high quality guitar amps, a full drum set, bass guitars and quality microphones. The studio also features a fully treated isolation room for vocals and acoustic recordings, and our “workshop/woodroom” can also be utilized as a live room for drums and other instruments when we want a more live sound.

When you book here we can accommodate clients for several days if needed with a tiny house with 2 loft beds and 2 main‑floor beds, stocked with coffee, drinks, snacks etc as well as an extra bed and space for air mattresses etc in the studio itself.

All of this surrounded by multiple ways in which to recreate: from hiking and kayaking to fishing or even hunting for those who may be more adventurous (non-guided, those adventures would be on you). There are vendors in the area that will rent UTVs and mountain bikes, guided river rafting trips, and not too far away, there are opportunities for backpacking if you want to extend your time in the area.

For a full gear list or to set up an appointment shoot us an email today!