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Topic: Sleepwalk Tuning? |
Dennis Gurwell
From:
California, USA
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Posted 27 May 2011 8:20 am |
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| Anyone know what tuning Santo and Johnny used on Sleepwalk? |
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Brad Bechtel
From:
San Francisco, CA
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Posted 27 May 2011 8:40 am
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As discussed previously, he used C#m7 tuning.
1. E
2. C#
3. G#
4. E
5. C#
6. B
7. G#
8. E
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A web site devoted to acoustic & electric lap steel guitars |
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Greg Booth
From:
Anchorage, AK, USA
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Posted 3 Mar 2014 10:48 am
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I'm curious why this is called C#m7 and not E6. The E on the bottom with the 3rd, 5th, and 6th tones stacked. I realize that the two chords contain the same notes but with the E in the bass.......? Something tells me this has been discussed before, if so, sorry to rehash it again!
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Greg
Kathy Kallick Band
www.youtube.com/user/aksliderdobro |
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James Hartman
From:
Pennsylvania, USA
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Posted 3 Mar 2014 11:31 am
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| Greg Booth wrote: |
| I'm curious why this is called C#m7 and not E6. The E on the bottom with the 3rd, 5th, and 6th tones stacked. I realize that the two chords contain the same notes but with the E in the bass.......? Something tells me this has been discussed before, if so, sorry to rehash it again! |
It could be logically called either. I presume early players using versions of it (Hoopii, McIntire) somewhat arbitrarily chose to call it "C# minor". |
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Stefan Robertson
From:
Hertfordshire, UK
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Posted 4 Mar 2014 7:13 am
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Steel players traditionally look at the tuning from hi to lo. string 1-8
Guitarists look at the tuning lo to hi. 6-1 |
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Michael Kienhofer
From:
Goulais River,Ontario,Canada
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Posted 4 Mar 2014 9:02 am
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If I think of this tuning other than a E6th,
My brain gets a cramp!  |
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Greg Booth
From:
Anchorage, AK, USA
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Posted 4 Mar 2014 9:53 am
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| James Hartman wrote: |
It could be logically called either. I presume early players using versions of it (Hoopii, McIntire) somewhat arbitrarily chose to call it "C# minor". |
I think you're right James, that's what it boils down to. They even called this tuning, (E B E G# C# E) C#m7 even though it only has one C# note in it, it's the second to the highest note and there are 3 E notes including the E in the bass. It's a convention that began with the early players.
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Greg
Kathy Kallick Band
www.youtube.com/user/aksliderdobro |
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Jerome Hawkes
From:
Fayetteville, North Carolina, USA
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Posted 4 Mar 2014 10:13 am
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my WAG is that since this was based off the old E / E7 tuning by raising the B to C# it got called that along with the minor character. I dont know, just to avoid confusion you would have E to E7 to E6. the same deal really with the Am7 tuning being C6 but C6 became the common name.
plus, remember, these were originally 6 string tunings - when you start adding 2 more strings to the bass end, the chord naturally gets more defined.
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'65 Sho-Bud D-10 Permanent • '54 Fender Dual-8 • Clinesmith T-8 • '38 Ric Bakelite • '92 Emmons D-10 Legrande II |
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Doug Beaumier
From:
Northampton, MA
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Jack Aldrich
From:
Washington, USA
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Posted 4 Mar 2014 10:21 am
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I have often commented on the forum that C#min7 and E6 are the same. Sol Ho'o'pi'i called his tuning C#min7 back in the 30's, and maybe that's how it got started. Jerry Byrd claimed that he invented the C6 tuning, but that really consists of tuning the E6 down to C, and replacing the Bb with a C, IMHO.
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Jack Aldrich
Carter & ShoBud D10's
D8 & T8 Stringmaster
Rickenbacher B6
3 Resonator guitars
Asher Alan Akaka Special SN 6
Canopus D8 |
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Doug Beaumier
From:
Northampton, MA
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Posted 4 Mar 2014 10:48 am
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Yes, I too always thought that E6 was a more appropriate name for the tuning.
It's funny how things evolved in the steel guitar world. Another quirky thing is Listing tunings from high to low. That's how I learned it in the early 70s when I started playing and I still think that way. I assume that came to be because String 1 (high E) is the common thread in most of the early Hawaiian tunings: A major, A7, E major, E7, C#m, C6, B11, A6, etc. It seems that most of the tunings were offshoots of the original Hawaiian A (low bass A) tuning. So a player would start with high E and re-tune from there... maybe that's how the high-to-low listing evolved? Anyway, I have that system permanently locked in my brain and it's too late to change now! 
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Jack Aldrich
From:
Washington, USA
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Posted 4 Mar 2014 10:59 am
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| Doug Beaumier wrote: |
Yes, I too always thought that E6 was a more appropriate name for the tuning.
It's funny how things evolved in the steel guitar world. Another quirky thing is Listing tunings from high to low. That's how I learned it in the early 70s when I started playing and I still think that way. I assume that came to be because String 1 (high E) is the common thread in most of the early Hawaiian tunings: A major, A7, E major, E7, C#m, C6, B11, A6, etc. It seems that most of the tunings were offshoots of the original Hawaiian A (low bass A) tuning. So a player would start with high E and re-tune from there... maybe that's how the high-to-low listing evolved? Anyway, I have that system permanently locked in my brain and it's too late to change now! |
Doug - Have you seen Jerry Byrd's chart on selecting string gauges that can be used for all of those tunings? I have a hand written one I got from one of Jerry's non-famous students, and, I believe exists in his instruction manual. - Jack
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Jack Aldrich
Carter & ShoBud D10's
D8 & T8 Stringmaster
Rickenbacher B6
3 Resonator guitars
Asher Alan Akaka Special SN 6
Canopus D8 |
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b0b
From:
Cloverdale, CA, USA
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Posted 4 Mar 2014 11:13 am
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I think that early players preferred longer names for their tunings to impress their students. C#m7 sounds more impressive than E6.
I can't imagine playing Sleepwalk without the B string. I learned it 40 years ago on my first lap steel with the 2nd string tuned to B, but I soon realized that I needed the C# to get some of the harmonies right. My next guitar was a D-8 with the high E13th (B D E G# B C# E G#), and all of the positions in that tuning are permanently burned into my brain.
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Jack Aldrich
From:
Washington, USA
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Posted 4 Mar 2014 11:38 am
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| b0b wrote: |
I think that early players preferred longer names for their tunings to impress their students. C#m7 sounds more impressive than E6.
I can't imagine playing Sleepwalk without the B string. I learned it 40 years ago on my first lap steel with the 2nd string tuned to B, but I soon realized that I needed the C# to get some of the harmonies right. My next guitar was a D-8 with the high E13th (B D E G# B C# E G#), and all of the positions in that tuning are permanently burned into my brain. |
I,too, learned it in an E tuning back in 1975 on my Fender Champion S6.
_________________
Jack Aldrich
Carter & ShoBud D10's
D8 & T8 Stringmaster
Rickenbacher B6
3 Resonator guitars
Asher Alan Akaka Special SN 6
Canopus D8 |
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Ron Whitfield
From:
Kaaawa, Hawaii, USA
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Posted 4 Mar 2014 11:48 am
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| Doug Beaumier wrote: |
| It's funny how things evolved in the steel guitar world. |
And they still are in some odd circles, sometimes in 'non' funny ways. |
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Doug Beaumier
From:
Northampton, MA
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