wasting my time in this E tuning?

Francisco Castillo · From: Easter Island, Chile

hi folks
quiet newbie in Lap Steel, but enjoying a lot...

i met this E tuning(Lo-->Hi) some months ago.
B-E-F#-G#-B-E

it's close to what JByrd uses in his book, and i seem to understand the tuning a little bit. i've been studying it last few weeks and i'm starting to learn the basic shapes n pockets for I-IV-V. plus its super easy to strum major chords.

2 questions,

1.- what would be the name?

2.- is it worth spending my time?? or just move on and learn something useful as A6 or C6 (which i haven't studied yet)

thanks a lot
maururu rahi

David M Brown · From: California, USA

Sheesh...I'm first.....

Well, any tuning you really learn to play and use is good.

However, I am not familiar with your E tuning. That's OK, I certainly do not know every tuning.

I've seen these close but common tunings:

B-D-E-G#-B-E

B-D-E-G#-C#-E

and there are TABS and info on both tunings.

As for strums, get them where you can!

Most steel playing uses a lot of muting and blocking and not a lot of plain old strumming. (Well, there are those Hawaiian strum tunings)

I hope the experts chime in.

Doug Beaumier · From: Northampton, MA

Regarding the Jerry Byrd book, keep in mind that he covers several tunings in his book and ends up on C6, a tuning the he devised and formatted.

IMO 6th tunings are the most versatile, all round tunings: C6 or A6. Full major and minor chords, convenient slants, two note harmonies, etc. E major is good for rock & blues, G for bluegrass. You can play any song on any tuning but some tunings are better suited for certain styles.
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Bill McCloskey · Posted 18 Sep 2018 10:59 am

Basically an E9th tuning. Not sure this is the tuning I'd spend too much time with. If it was me, I'd do either C6, G, or D tuning.

Ken Pippus · From: Langford, BC, Canada

Reinventing the wheel can give you some interesting perspective, but it's a lot faster to just buy a BMW.

Stephen Abruzzo · From: Philly, PA

Francisco, you may try knocking that 5th string E down to D. Lo-to-hi...B-D-F#-G#-B-E

Call it E9 with a Bm chord on the bottom.

Great for everything from Elmore James, Allman Brothers to Buddy Emmons.

Forumite Mike Neer did some stellar work in this version of E9 a number of years ago, when he re-did a couple of Buddy Emmons numbers.
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Francisco Castillo · From: Easter Island, Chile

Roger that !!!
thanks everybody. You slapped me in the face so gently that i hardly noticed it. I was losing my time doing other things, moving land and rocks instead of going by the paved road.

It's a hard road anyway so why do it harder than what it already is?

Neck went straight to C6.

PS: not all the time was lost, i do recognize the shapes derived from the upper strings of the previous tuning, the 3-5-1 of those high strings now are somewhat "hidden" in the middle strings.

JB Bobbitt · From: California, USA

As far as unusual tunings go, the most unusual I've heard is very common: It's called "Palmer modal tuning", and goes:

E E E E B E

Steven Stills used it a lot: Suite Judy Blue Eyes, Carry On, Four and Twenty, and others.

Palmer was the original bassist in Buffalo Springfield

Larry McFall · From: Huntsville,Alabama, USA

Francisco, donâ€™t think your time is wasted in the area of E Tunings. The tuning has been very true over the years to new players specially, Lap six string. I personally wrote in one of my articles that I ignored my E7 roots for many years and lately I have been getting some great sounds out of my Fender D8, inboard neck tuned to E7 *
E-B-G#-E-D-B-G#-E.

Going back and working in the E7 is like a spiritual revival to me. I just canâ€™t get far away from it.

However, I do love my outboard tuned to C6 specially for playing good ole traditional country music. Most of singers like that. I am writing some instrumentals in E7 that I hope has a pleasant to others than just me.

Youâ€™ll do fine in any tuning you use as long as you just keep pick away at it with the love that we all have for the sound of the steel guitar.
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Francisco Castillo · From: Easter Island, Chile

thanks a lot for all you replies, suggestions, comments and good words.
Maururu rahi.

Jim Cohen · From: Philadelphia, PA

JB Bobbitt · From: California, USA

I don't know the exact notes, but Stills had a dedicated guitar for it. From Wikipedia:

EEEEBE a.k.a. "Bruce Palmer Modal Tuning" (as named and used by Stephen Stills in "Suite: Judy Blue Eyes", which appears on Crosby, Stills & Nash Â©1969 Atlantic Records. Stephen Stills' six-string guitar is tuned to EEEEBE ("Bruce Palmer Modal Tuning") whilst the other six-string guitar is tuned to standard E.[22])

E modal: E-B-E-E-B-E
E modal alternative: E-E-B-B-B-B (used by Soundgarden on the songs "The Day I Tried To Live", "My Wave", and "Been Away Too Long")

David M Brown · From: California, USA

[quote="Jim Cohen"]

Nic Neufeld · From: Kansas City, Missouri

EEEEBE, resisting the bad joke about it being the Scared Cockney tuning. ('eebie jeebies...dangit, resist better next time, Neufeld!)

I think the JByrd book is a bit about a journey...I doubt Jerry spent much time later playing professionally in some of the "early" tunings. Maybe on resonator or acoustic, I suppose. But the sixth tunings (and others) gave him more versatility.

This is one of the very best walkthroughs I think from Jerry's student Alan Akaka:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2G8qAmotF_c

He does show pretty well...when you're a good player, you can play in just about any tuning you know...
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