Why eight strings for starting out (vs. six)?

Brad Bechtel · From: San Francisco, CA

In a couple of other discussions, people have commented that six string lap steels aren't good for starting players, and that eight string guitars are the best way to start.

I asked for reasons why, but I wanted to start this discussion so the existing topics didn't drift.

Please use this topic for your reasoning as to why you'd recommend eight strings over six strings for someone starting on lap steel.
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John D. Carter · From: Canton, Ohio, USA

I have only played 6 string and it is all I know at this point. I would have to relearn some things, of course, to play an 8 string efficiently. So I suppose that the advantage to starting with 8 would be that you would not have to relearn. But then again, could someone who only knew 8 strings immediately be proficient on a 6 string? There is something special about making great music with less, in my opinion.

Ron Whitfield · From: Kaaawa, Hawaii, USA

I find it to be a happy medium/compromise between the basic 6 string and the twilight zone. There is so much great music to be had on just 6 strings, and then 8, that if someone can grasp all that and still have room and time for more, then have at it. But 8 strings will be more than enuf for most players, and a student should get familiar with it asap.

John, I'll say that if a player knows his fretboard, then there would be no limiting his playing as you mention.
And, yes, sometimes the most simple melodies are sublime.

Don Barnhardt · From: North Carolina, USA

The tuning is the main consideration rather than the instrument. A six string "tuning" A,E,G,or D is best for a beginner to learn the basics. 8 stringers can be tuned to an open tuning.

Rick Aiello · From: Berryville, VA USA

I'm a six string steel guitar enthusiast ..

C6/A7 ... to be exact.

For me ... I got it all there in six ... Razz

E
C
A
G
E
C#

And if I ever had a student ... that's what he/she would learn from me ... Laughing

Heck, I routinely take two strings off my 8 stringer steels ... just don't like looking down at that many strings ...

Just my personal preference ...

But if someone wants ... 7, 8, 10, 12, 13 strings ...

Their prerogative ... and when asked, I will make a guitar and/or pup to accommodate their choice.

To each his own ... Mr. Green

Eddie Cunningham · From: Massachusetts, USA

I happen to have two 7 string tunings on my D-8 that work out well for my style of playing. D-7 s are hard to find and I can always jump up to 8 strings if I want or drop back to 6 strings . IMHO a D-8 is the best of all worlds. There are quite a few D-8s , a few D-6s and fewer D-7s available!! My thoughts !! FWIW !! And actually I have installed a lever/cam operated tuning changer on my D-8 that gives me 3 seven string tunings !! Eddie "C" ( the old non-pedal geezer )

Tom Pettingill · From: California, USA (deceased)

I think one thing to consider is price and availability of beginner instruments.
There is just not a lot of decent and affordable 8's out there.
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Brad Bechtel · From: San Francisco, CA

True, there aren't a lot of low end eight string lap steels. Elderly Instruments sells the Gold Tone, Blue Star and Morrell eight string steels, all for less than $600.
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Rocky Hill · From: Prairie Village,Kansas, USA

I bought a GFI SM-10 I was learning E9 on it and I always liked the sound of the old time steel,and I wasn't getting the satisfaction out of it I thought I would.

I purchased an Epiphone Les Paul Special II, I cut a new bone nut up high and set the bridge high and started learning C6. I got the Cindy Cashdollar beginning video to start at the basics.

That video is done on a 8 string, so I adapted what I learned to my 6 string. I ended up stringing my GFI pedal steel in 8 string C6th and play it as a non pedal guitar. I play both the 6 and 8, but ultimately I think that all you really need in the long run is 6. I guess you can be a little more creative with the 8, but even most of the tabs I have seen for an 8 string mostly don't use the top or bottom.

there are pluses to both of them.

Rocky

Todd Clinesmith · From: Lone Rock Free State Oregon

Good topic Brad.
I like 8 string guitars and actually would like to build a 9 string, but believe starting out with 6 string was a good way to learn a 6th tuning for me . To start any instrument the melody is always most important in my book, 6 strings steels have plenty of melody in there.
IMO the same would apply to pedal players as well. I think learning a non pedal tuning before bringing pedals into the mix helps a player understand the tuning and the changes .
Todd

Keith Cordell · From: San Diego

If you have a grounding in guitar I think that 8 strings might take a little longer than 6 but should be grasped fairly quickly. I never really connected the dots with patterns and runs until I went to 8 strings. I still like 6 string guitars but my 8 is my constant companion.

Michael Johnstone · From: Sylmar,Ca. USA

8 strings are minimum for me. It's really always a compromise even then. But with 8 you can strike a balance between range and intervallic possibilities and with a clever tuning you can play a lot of changes.If you just want to play melody and a few thirds and sixths harmonies,a 6 string 6th tuning will do that in the right hands.But those extra 2 strings can make a huge difference when you want to step up your game.You can always take off two strings till you're ready for that.

Edward Meisse · From: Santa Rosa, California, USA

I began with 6. And I still mostly use those 6. They are the heart of my tuning. Depending on what you want to do with the guitar 6 may be enough. But I tend to be the, "Horn section," in the little groups I play with. I have come to rely on those extra two strings for certain necessities. Little by little I am using them more.
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Matt Kidney · From: Galway, Eire

As a complete beginner I can say my choice for an 8 string was the fact that I thought it's easier to ignore 2 strings when needed than try and add them at a later date.
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basilh · From: United Kingdom

Good move Brad ..

Now you should start another as to whether one or two pick-ups are better or worse and why !!

I think that 6 sting for blues and single string work is the norm, but if you want to play the stuff from the "Golden Era of Hawaii Calls" a la Barney, Billy, JULES, Danny et al, then 8 strings is essential.
Likewise the early country non pedal is best on an 8 string.

As far as a beginners guitar goes I've always commended that one should invest in the best possible instrument after initially trying out a guitar to see if the aptitude is there..

Some wise words from the "EMERALD ISLE'

Dave Bader · From: Pennsylvania, USA

I struggled learning on a six string but had no problem on eight. Everything made more sense. I've recently started back on six and find it much easier to get around on now.

The Cashdollar DVDs recommend dropping the low A and C when playing six string but dropping the low A and high G works better for me. That is low to high C E G A C E. I think it leaves more possibilities for two note chords.

Andy Volk · From: Boston, MA

I've played standard guitar for 34 years and lap steel for 20. I've owned multiple 6-string lap steels and several double-8 console steels. My personal experience is that while I loved the extended chordal possibilities of the 8-string instrument,s I was somehow distracted by them; the rich chords I could get sent me in directions that made it harder for me to just get down to playing music.

Having the limitations of 6-strings was easier for my brain to wrap around, and seemed to help me get back to playing music instead of being distracted by how good an 8-string major 7th chord sounded. I'm not really explaining this well but while I value the extra window that two extra strings can open, for me, it was a trap rather than an opportunity. As soon as I limited myself to six strings I started finally getting better as a steel player. Twenty years down the road, on standard guitar, I can still play rings around myself on steel but I am improving in micro steps.

Greg Cutshaw · From: Corry, PA, USA

On my 6 string lap steel I use E C A G E C# mostly. With the low C# I end up playing more chords and styles than I would on an 8 string.

When I played an 8 string lap, I used a traditional G E C A G E C A and ended up just duplicating the single string stuff I played on the pedal C6th guitar. Of course I could still have tuned the bottom C to C# and maybe added a high string.

If I had stuck with the 8 string lap steel. I am convinced I would never have realized all the benefits of the low C# note and stuck to the same old country style.

I have a 12 string SuperSlide on order to be strung up with Maurice Anderson's 12 string C6th tuning. so I will end up with a 6 string and a 12 string lap steel. Guess with that scenario I jsut don't see the need for an 8 string but again it depends on the style you want to play. Someone wanting to learn Hawaiian music might want to stick with the 6 string. Someone wanting to learn western swing would probably want a few of the low notes available on the 8 string tuning.

Greg

George Piburn · From: The Land of Enchantment New Mexico

Gerald Ross · From: Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA

I think six strings are enough.

I've played eight strings before and found the visual aspect confusing. To my mind's eye, eight strings may as well be 800 strings. I've been a guitar player for 35 years so the six string model is tatooed on my DNA.

Also with 8 strings I have to think while I'm playing. I try very hard not to think while I play.
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Steinar Gregertsen · From: Arendal, Norway, R.I.P.

My personal preference is definitely 6 strings, but I think for someone looking for the ability to play big fat chords an 8 string is a must. And if that's the goal then I don't see any reason not to start on an 8 string, no point in starting on 6 if 8 is what you want to play.

One day I'm gonna get one of those 4 string acoustics that Debashish makes, can't remember the name - as long as I have 1351 present I'm fine.. Smile

We're all different, but for me the limitations of simplicity in an instrument makes me work harder and inspires my creativity as a player.

Steinar
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Ray Montee · From: Portland, Oregon (deceased)

Personally, I find the 7-string to be the perfect set-up. As far as any string above the top E, I find them in the way, for me. My Emmons' top string on C6th broke shortly after I purchased it. Never reinstalled it. Never missed it. Don't use it. Don't need it. I think I can hold my own in a country swing band.......

The 7-string allows for: (top to bottom)
E
C
A
G
E
C#
C

All the versatility one could possibly want.

How many of you play on the bottom 7th & 8th strings anyway? I wonder.........

Listening to this flew-flaw, is like listening to a bunch of would-be 'Admirals' talking about how there 'boat' is two feet longer than someone elses.
Or, RV'ers, bragging about their land cruiser being at least two feet longer than that other guys sled.

It's NOT how long it is; or, how thick it is, it's what you do with the g'tar. Can you play it? Or do you just talk about it alot?

And since when, is a bar supposed to lie covering all 6, 8, 10, 12 or 14 strings........ANYWAY??

Gerald Ross · From: Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA

A ukulele has only four strings. Cool

Size doesn't matter.

It ain't the meat, it's the motion.
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'Northwest Ann Arbor, Michigan's King Of The Hawaiian Steel Guitar'

A UkeTone Recording Artist

CEO, CIO, CFO - UkeTone Records
Gerald's Hawaiian Steel Guitar/Ukulele Website

Michael Papenburg · From: Oakland, CA

While I own 6 & 8 string lap steels, I definitely prefer 6 strings. I don't feel limited by 6 strings in any way and I love the simplicity (and actually appreciate the limitations). I play with a lot of singer/songwriters, though, where I'm expected to be part of an ensemble rather than take up all the sonic space with bigger chords.

That being said, I can see why some people would prefer 8 strings if you played jazz or wanted complex chord possibilities. It's just not my thing. I could see picking up a 7 string at some point, though, so I could add a low G to the G6 tuning that I use.

Bill Creller · From: Saginaw, Michigan, USA (deceased)

My D8 is actually a "D7" Very Happy

(I'm with you Eddie Very Happy

) But the old "really" old timers (the dead guys)made great music with six. Just a matter of opinion and taste I would think. I do like the lush chords on 8 strings, just can't find them Very Happy

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