| Favorite 6-string Blues Tuning |
| C6 - CEGACE |
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16% |
[ 7 ] |
| D - DADF#AD |
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6% |
[ 3 ] |
| E - EBEG#BE |
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25% |
[ 11 ] |
| G - Dobro - GBDGBD |
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23% |
[ 10 ] |
| G - Low Bass - DGDGBD |
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6% |
[ 3 ] |
| A - Low Bass - EAEAC#E |
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0% |
[ 0 ] |
| A6, E6, or other “6†|
|
11% |
[ 5 ] |
| None of the above |
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9% |
[ 4 ] |
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| Total Votes : 43 |
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| Author |
Topic: Favorite 6 String BLUES Tuning? |
Allan Revich
From:
Victoria, BC
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Posted 5 Sep 2019 4:56 pm |
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Just wondering what other lap steel blues players like to tune their six strings to for blues. The ever-popular C6 doesn’t make much sense to me for six string because the bottom is so high... For those of you playing on more than 6 strings, I can see why it makes sense.
_________________
Current Tunings:
6 String | G – G B D G B D
7 String | G6 – e G B D G B D (re-entrant)
https://papadafoe.com/lap-steel-tuning-database |
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David M Brown
From:
California, USA
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Posted 6 Sep 2019 5:11 am
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Open D or E are quite useful!
But I love that old-school E7 for blues:
L-H
B D E G# B E |
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David Knutson
From:
Cowichan Valley, Canada
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Posted 6 Sep 2019 1:56 pm
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If I'm playing and singing blues songs it's my tri-cone in low bass G, or my Dobro in D. But in a multi instrument blues jam I will go to my 8 string in G6 (mostly not using the bottom two strings).
L - H
E G B D E G B D
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David K |
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Brooks Montgomery
From:
Idaho, USA
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Posted 6 Sep 2019 2:34 pm
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I like open D & open E (E’s nice for my dull mind and knowing where I am on the neck without having to think about it).
Great thing about D, for me, is I just capo at 2 for an E neck).
Gives me good options.
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A banjo, like a pet monkey, seems like a good idea at first. |
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G Strout
From:
Carabelle, Florida
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Posted 6 Sep 2019 4:28 pm
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For Blues I tend to use the G (dobro tuning) on my 6 lap steels or a G6 tuning on my 8 string. I can play blues in C6/A6 but the harmonies that I need are not under my bar. E..... well it just doesn't get it for me.
Gary
_________________
Melbert 8, Remington S8, Silk 6 string, Rick B6, Tremblay 6 lap steel, Marlen S-10 4&4, Prestige Guild M75 and Artist Award, Benedetto Bravo, Epiphone Century Electar (the real one) and a bunch of old lap steels.... mostly Ricks and Magnatones' |
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Mike Neer
From:
NJ
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Posted 8 Sep 2019 6:33 am
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I voted C6 because it serves as a gateway to C13. However, another tuning I would recommend would be E7–open E tuning with string 5 tuned to D. This configuration mirrors the low 5 strings of the C13 interval-wise. The only thing missing is the 3rd on top and 6th. Slants would be a huge part of the equation, and would easily take you from I to IV or V to I.
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Links to streaming music, websites, YouTube: Links |
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Allan Revich
From:
Victoria, BC
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Posted 11 Sep 2019 7:43 pm
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After experimenting with Dobro G, and Low Bass G, I’ve returned to Open D for everything except noodling at home, where I’m keeping one lap steel tuned to Dobro G.
(Edit)
I may change that one to GBDF#AD as per b0b below. If I’m going to keep one lappy in a different tuning, it may as well be in what I consider to be the ideal tuning for me.
_________________
Current Tunings:
6 String | G – G B D G B D
7 String | G6 – e G B D G B D (re-entrant)
https://papadafoe.com/lap-steel-tuning-database
Last edited by Allan Revich on 12 Sep 2019 6:34 pm; edited 2 times in total |
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b0b
From:
Cloverdale, CA, USA
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Allan Revich
From:
Victoria, BC
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Posted 12 Sep 2019 5:58 am
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I think of this tuning as, “just about perfectâ€. 2 major triads on every fret. Minor and minor 7 on every fret. 6 on every fret. And those are just the straight bar options.
Unfortunately for me, my skill level isn’t developed enough to take advantage of all these options “on the flyâ€; ie/when playing live.
_________________
Current Tunings:
6 String | G – G B D G B D
7 String | G6 – e G B D G B D (re-entrant)
https://papadafoe.com/lap-steel-tuning-database |
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Peter Jacobs
From:
Northern Virginia
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Posted 12 Sep 2019 4:27 pm
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My issue with dobro G is that lowballs B string x makes it hard to slide into power chords on the low strings (which is why Keith Richards uses only 5 strings for open G). Low G tuning has that low D, which I never use.
I use a G add 4 tuning (G D G B D C low to high). The high C let’s me suspend chords without always having to do pulls, and it stays out of the way until I need it. It works for me, anyway.
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Peter
---------
www.splinterville.com
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@splinterville6278/videos |
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Roy Thomson
From:
Wolfville, Nova Scotia,Canada
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David Knutson
From:
Cowichan Valley, Canada
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Posted 14 Sep 2019 12:27 pm
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That's a sweet little piece, Roy - and a VERY interesting tuning. I'm going to have to spend some time in A9. Thanks, it's always good to hear your forum offerings.
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David K |
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b0b
From:
Cloverdale, CA, USA
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Posted 14 Sep 2019 12:40 pm
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Very, very cool, Roy.  |
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Allan Revich
From:
Victoria, BC
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Posted 14 Oct 2019 5:34 pm
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| David M Brown wrote: |
Open D or E are quite useful!
But I love that old-school E7 for blues:
L-H
B D E G# B E |
Interesting... since I posted this poll, I’ve come around to that E7 too, well sort of. I’m tuned now to D7
ACDF#AD |
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Robert Sands
From:
New Jersey, USA
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Posted 14 Oct 2019 6:55 pm
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| I live in Open D on all of my slides. Weissenborn, lap steels and dobro as well as bottleneck. I play a lot of Delta Blues and D is perfect for that style. I do have a Baritone Pogreba Weissenborn that gets tuned to Open C because it has a 27" scale. |
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Andy Volk
From:
Boston, MA
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Posted 15 Oct 2019 2:07 am
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Very cool, Roy! Who knew? In lieu of a steel, I grabbed my Tele for a quick run through as its already almost in that tuning. Been also meaning to try your tuning Bob. I've experimented a little with with Celtic guitarist El McMeen's tuning (low to hi) C G D G A D which is similar to the tuning popularly called "Dad Gad" ....D A D G A D.
I like D or D9th and C6th for blues and surprisingly, discovered a few months back that the Leavitt tuning offered some nice blues sounds (see arrangement below).
If you're playing mostly single notes, the tuning is less important than the way idiomatic scales and licks lay out. You can play some great single note blues in C6th. Here's Mike Neer killing it in C6th with a low D: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YGp9zzj3egA
My arrangment of Back to the Chicken Shack in Leavitt:
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Steel Guitar Books! Website: www.volkmediabooks.com |
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