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Topic: D7 / E7 |
Allan Revich
From:
Victoria, BC
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Posted 12 Oct 2019 3:24 pm |
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While searching for a tuning to take advantage of the 7th string of my new (to me) Rickenbacker B7, I tried a few variations on open D, which has been my go-to tuning for 6 strings. I settled on a D7, DACDF#AD. Being primarily a blues man, I’ve fallen head over heels for this tuning! I liked it so much that I wanted to find a D7 tuning that I liked for my six strings.
I’ve settled on ACDF#AD. I miss having the low D at the bottom, but did not like the sound of DCDF#AD, didn’t want to lose the D on top for DADF#AC, and didn’t like having the C in the middle as in DACF#AD. So far I like it a lot and haven’t had trouble adjusting to having the V on the bottom instead the I.
I learned that all of the above tunings were once more popular tuned up a tone to E7, and found this interesting old thread https://bb.steelguitarforum.com/viewtopic.php?t=159466&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=25&sid=0832fea2be9ed18d98663f5756c27e97
It seems that the 7th tunings have been replaced by 6th tunings (or 9, 13, etc), but I’m curious if any of you are currently using either E7 or D7 on your lap steels, and if you do, where do prefer to have the dominant 7 string?
_________________
Current Tunings:
6 String | G6 – e G D G B D
7 String | G6 – e G B D G B D
https://papadafoe.com/lap-steel-tuning-database
Last edited by Allan Revich on 10 Apr 2022 9:28 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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C. E. Jackson
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Posted 12 Oct 2019 5:29 pm
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Allan, I have a 1946 Rick B7 and like it very much. I tune mine to A6 for the following reason. I learned to play with the 6 string A tuning.
A tuning: A C# E A C# E
With the A6 7 string tuning all my original positions are the same frets, but I added new positions by tuning as follows:
A6 tuning: A C# E F# A C# E
I really like the A6 tuning.
C. E. Jackson 
_________________
My Vintage Steel Guitars
My YouTube Steel Guitar Playlists
My YouTube Steel Guitar Songs
A6 tuning for steels |
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Allan Revich
From:
Victoria, BC
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Posted 12 Oct 2019 6:32 pm Thanks C E!
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That makes a lot of sense, CE. From what I’ve learned here, it seems like there are a lot of tunings that are more versatile and practical than D7 or E7.
For myself, the D7 tuning I’m using seems to magically make the sounds I hear in my mind flow through my fingers so that they match the sounds I hear with my ears. A musician can’t really ask for much more than that.
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* note to self; have good excuse ready when you retune again. |
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Bill Sinclair
From:
Waynesboro, PA, USA
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Posted 13 Oct 2019 7:48 am
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| I've been moving in a similar direction, Allan. If you drop your C to a B between songs, you've got a pretty serviceable D6 tuning for the swingy stuff. If you go one step further and drop the low A to a G (along with the C to B), you've got a Gmaj7 for the jazzy stuff. I really like having the tonic on string one from playing so much in open E. The harmonized scale between the 1st and 3rd strings is kind of a go-to for me. |
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Jack Hanson
From:
San Luis Valley, USA
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Posted 13 Oct 2019 8:08 am Re: D7 / E7
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| Allan Revich wrote: |
I’ve settled on ACDF#AD. I miss having the low D at the bottom, but did not like the sound of DCDF#AD, didn’t want to lose the D on top for DADF#AC, and didn’t like having the C in the middle as in DACF#AD. So far I like it a lot and haven’t had trouble adjusting to having the V on the bottom instead the I.
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| C. E. Jackson wrote: |
A tuning: A C# E A C# E
With the A6 7 string tuning all my original positions are the same frets, but I added new positions by tuning as follows:
A6 tuning: A C# E F# A C# E
I really like the A6 tuning.
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I would consider trying the D7 tuning, but would severely miss the root on the bottom string. A 7-string instrument would solve the problem. I agree with Mr. Jackson, and really like the A6, 7-string tuning. |
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Andy Volk
From:
Boston, MA
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Posted 13 Oct 2019 9:36 am
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Allan, people are still using 7th and 9th tunings, though perhaps not as much as 70 years ago. Here's E9th tuned down to D9th:
(Low to High) C, D, E, F#, A, D
_________________
Steel Guitar Books! Website: www.volkmediabooks.com |
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Allan Revich
From:
Victoria, BC
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Posted 31 Mar 2022 3:52 pm D7; DACF#AD anyone?
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I rolled back around to a D7 tuning today. One that I’ve never seen referenced before. D A C F# A D. As an E7 it would be E B D G# B E.
With the “4” on string 4, there is a nice minor6/dim7 chord on the middle 4 strings. IE/ open you have A C F# A, which can be either Adim7, or Am6. Also a Cdim7 on strings 4-3-2. Of course, the same notes are present in every other D7/E7 tuning, but this way you’ve got the two Dim7 chords in root position.
Even without the diminished chords, this inversion of D7 makes a very nice blues tuning.
_________________
Current Tunings:
6 String | G6 – e G D G B D
7 String | G6 – e G B D G B D
https://papadafoe.com/lap-steel-tuning-database |
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Joe A. Roberts
From:
Seoul, South Korea
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Posted 31 Mar 2022 8:53 pm Re: D7; DACF#AD anyone?
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| Allan Revich wrote: |
I rolled back around to a D7 tuning today. One that I’ve never seen referenced before. D A C F# A D. As an E7 it would be E B D G# B E.
With the “4” on string 4, there is a nice minor6/dim7 chord on the middle 4 strings. IE/ open you have A C F# A, which can be either Adim7, or Am6. Also a Cdim7 on strings 4-3-2. Of course, the same notes are present in every other D7/E7 tuning, but this way you’ve got the two Dim7 chords in root position.
Even without the diminished chords, this inversion of D7 makes a very nice blues tuning. |
Dick McIntire used this E7th and it is likely that many others did as well, considering that it can be reached using the standard low-bass set of strings that was most commercially available.
This is pretty:
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Allan Revich
From:
Victoria, BC
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Posted 1 Apr 2022 7:33 am Re: D7; DACF#AD anyone?
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| Joe A. Roberts wrote: |
| Allan Revich wrote: |
I rolled back around to a D7 tuning today. One that I’ve never seen referenced before. D A C F# A D. As an E7 it would be E B D G# B E.
With the “4” on string 4, there is a nice minor6/dim7 chord on the middle 4 strings. IE/ open you have A C F# A, which can be either Adim7, or Am6. Also a Cdim7 on strings 4-3-2. Of course, the same notes are present in every other D7/E7 tuning, but this way you’ve got the two Dim7 chords in root position.
Even without the diminished chords, this inversion of D7 makes a very nice blues tuning. |
Dick McIntire used this E7th and it is likely that many others did as well, considering that it can be reached using the standard low-bass set of strings that was most commercially available. |
Thanks for that Joe! I figured that it was much too logical to be a “new” discovery. Funny that I haven’t noticed it on any of the lap steel tuning web resources before. |
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