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Topic: What's the point? |
Rick Hanzlik
From:
Utah, USA
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Posted 19 Nov 2009 1:33 pm |
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| OK here's another mindless Newb question; Why have the different tunings? Why should I tune one neck to C6 and another to E7 or E9 or A6? what's the advantage? Just ask'n. |
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Josh Cho
From:
New York, NY (orig. Honolulu, HI)
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Posted 19 Nov 2009 2:19 pm it's the chords
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Rick,
That's funny I was just asked that last night by one of my "regular" guitar students, so your question is actually valid.
The short answer is that in any given tuning, there are only so many combination of notes that are reachable by the straight tone bar.
Certain chords are self evident, others need to be "suggested", still others are not possible.
Example: in C6 it's very easy to get 6th chords--duh, right?
But what that means is that your Dominant 7th (ie flatted 7th) chords are not so easily achievable.
Whereas E13 and E7 tunings, for instance, have readily available big 7th chords.
Hope this helps.
Josh
_________________
Lap-n-Console Steel Guitar Lessons |
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Ray Montee
From:
Portland, Oregon (deceased)
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Posted 19 Nov 2009 9:37 pm Those pesky tunings...................
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I heard from a reliable source many eons ago, that there are likely more than 350 differnt tunings for the steel guitar. TRUE or FALSE, I dunno!
But, I equate a TUNING to a vocalist's VOICE. One probably wouldn't want a Dwight Yokum or Lefty Frizzel trying to sing a starring role in a popular OPRA.
There are tunings that are quite suitable for full chord strums........others like JERRY BYRD's country and/or Hawaiian.......Bud Issacs, Noel Boggs, etc., etc. for western swing style. It's a players' choice.
It's the chocolate syrup on top of the vanilla ice cream. It's the peanuts atop a DQ Peanut Buster Parfait........ |
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Don McGregor
From:
Memphis, Tennessee
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Posted 20 Nov 2009 6:12 am
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When I get my triple 8 built, I plan on tuning all three necks to the same C6 tuning.
I will then switch back and forth between the necks a lot, and people will think I'm really good. |
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Jon Nygren
From:
Wisconsin, USA
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Posted 20 Nov 2009 10:24 am
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Great answers!
In addition to what Josh said....sometimes it's about intervals. Some guys like a 5th interval on the top string(like a6), a 3rd, or a 1st. In addition to the straight bar, some tunings just facilitate playing certain licks easier.
Also,on a double neck i'll usually use a6 and e13. If you play a lot of swing/blues/old country that contain a 5 chord(or I-IV-V progressions), this combination is useful because E is the 5th of A....So if you are playing something in A at the 12th fret, you can jump right up to the 12th fret on the e13 neck and not have to change positions- you have a dominant 5th right there to play with. A is also the 4 chord of E...so i could play something on the E neck, and jump down to the A neck on the 4 chord.
It's all about finding tunings that suit your playing style/musical taste.
Sorry for the rambling! |
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Allan Munro
From:
Pennsylvania, USA and Scotland
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Posted 20 Nov 2009 11:23 am
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| Don McGregor wrote: |
When I get my triple 8 built, I plan on tuning all three necks to the same C6 tuning.
I will then switch back and forth between the necks a lot, and people will think I'm really good. |
That is too funny Don. No names here but there is a very popular folk musician used to play a lot in Scotland. He would turn up with sometimes as many as ten or twelve 'different' stringed instruments. What few of the audience knew was that they were all tuned to the same intervals. (like a guitar) This despite the fact that they LOOKED like all sorts of medieval instruments. I have seen this guy credited with being one of folk music's leading multi-instrumentalists.
Allan.....
_________________
Only nuts eat squirrels.
Television is the REAL opiate of the masses! |
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James Kerr
From:
Scotland, UK
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Posted 20 Nov 2009 11:41 am
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| Allan Munro wrote: |
| Don McGregor wrote: |
When I get my triple 8 built, I plan on tuning all three necks to the same C6 tuning.
I will then switch back and forth between the necks a lot, and people will think I'm really good. |
That is too funny Don. No names here but there is a very popular folk musician used to play a lot in Scotland. He would turn up with sometimes as many as ten or twelve 'different' stringed instruments. What few of the audience knew was that they were all tuned to the same intervals. (like a guitar) This despite the fact that they LOOKED like all sorts of medieval instruments. I have seen this guy credited with being one of folk music's leading multi-instrumentalists.
Allan..... |
Now that sounds like one of the Corrie's to me, Ronnie had strings on everything I think including the Bodran.
James. |
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Alan Brookes
From:
Brummy living in Southern California
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Posted 20 Nov 2009 3:02 pm
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| When you think of tuning you should think of the INTERVALS between the strings, rather than their pitch. C6 tuning has smaller intervals and puts 6 strings in the range that E9 or G tuning puts 5 strings. You notice this particularly if you're used to playing tunes on a Dobro tuned to standard G and you then try picking those same tunes on C6. You have an extra string there which you need to jump. |
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Craig Stenseth
From:
Naperville, Illinois, USA
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Posted 21 Nov 2009 5:51 am
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| The different tunings also help justify owning multiple instruments! |
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Don McGregor
From:
Memphis, Tennessee
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Posted 21 Nov 2009 6:34 am
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| EXACTLY! |
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Alan Brookes
From:
Brummy living in Southern California
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Posted 21 Nov 2009 10:25 am
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| Craig Stenseth wrote: |
| The different tunings also help justify owning multiple instruments! |
By that logic I should be using about three dozen different tunings.  |
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