is there any biography written by any author about him?
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who is ralph patt? He was an American jazz-guitarist who introduced major-thirds tuning. what is the notable feature of the tuning mentioned ? It packs the chromatic scale onto four consecutive frets of three consecutive strings. has he played in any albums? No, but he has played with touring bands. has he been involved in anything other than music? Yes, geology. has he contributed anything in the field? Yes, he specialized in ground-water contamination from nuclear waste; as a research hydrogeologist, he accepted assignments worldwide.
wiki:18461273
Ralph Patt [SEP] Return to geology
As a studio musician in the 1970s, Patt had to play less jazz and more rock and roll, and so he changed careers. He returned to geology while continuing to pursue jazz as an avocation. Around 1975 he began working on his doctoral degree in hydrogeology. Employed by the US Department of Energy, he specialized in ground-water contamination from nuclear waste; as a research hydrogeologist, he accepted assignments worldwide and had extensive travels in Ukraine and Russia. He was employed by Oregon's Department of Water Resources, where he served as its expert on the risks to the Columbia River from the Hanford Site.