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Post new topic Lindley's B tuning
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Author Topic:  Lindley's B tuning
Gordon Black

 

From:
burns,oregon,usa
Post  Posted 21 Feb 2002 1:59 pm    
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Went and saw David Lindley again last weekend. Excellent as usual. After the show I asked him what he was using on a flat top Yamaha he had set up to play slide on. He said it was tuned to open B with a .070 on the bottom. When asked about the B, he gave me his open C tuning (CGGGCE Low to high) and said to just lower that. Would that be BF#F#F#BD#? He also plays "Mercury Blues" in open F. He gets such full, meaty chords, I just had to ask. Thanks.
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Michael Johnstone


From:
Sylmar,Ca. USA
Post  Posted 21 Feb 2002 4:01 pm    
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When I auditioned on standard guitar for his band "El Rayo X" back around 1980,I checked out his tunings and it seems like he just had an E chord form in various keys on several lap steels.He played Mercury Blues on a D-8 Supro on legs with only 6 strings strung up on each neck - thru a Howard Dumble tube amp.He had an F chord tuning on one neck w/the nut moved out to about the 3rd or maybe 5th fret serving as a sort of capo - I guess so he could use heavy strings and still get it up to F.
BTW,Bernie Larson ended up in that chair because I didn't have enough background in Reggae music at the time.I haven't seen David in a while but I see Jorge Calderon all the time as we played in a few country bands together before and after "El Rayo X". -MJ-
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Chris Walke

 

From:
St Charles, IL
Post  Posted 22 Feb 2002 8:07 am    
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I don't understand the repeated G's (or F#'s) in these tunings. I imagine the 3rd and 5th strings are octaves? What about the 4th string?

What is the advantage of having 3 fifths in a row?
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nick allen

 

From:
France
Post  Posted 22 Feb 2002 8:20 am    
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I think it probably should read:
C G C G C E

That's a "fairly" standard open C tuning, which Mr Dave has used before on Weissenborns.
Also used sometimes on standard guitar by fingerpickers - Leo Kottke and Richard Thompson come to mind...
Nick
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Gordon Black

 

From:
burns,oregon,usa
Post  Posted 22 Feb 2002 8:42 am    
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I think that's right. Okay then, how do you lower it to "B"? I guess what I'm asking is what's the formula to raise (E to F) or lower (C to B) open chords? Thanks.
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Chris Walke

 

From:
St Charles, IL
Post  Posted 22 Feb 2002 1:31 pm    
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yeah, that open c tuning makes more sense. Lowering to B would just bring everything down 1/2 step....I think:

C G C G C E

each down 1/2 step:
B F# B F# B D#

Kinda like a modified guitar (low bass) open G form of tuning, with the 5ths and roots reversed.

[This message was edited by Chris Walke on 22 February 2002 at 01:33 PM.]

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Wyn Walke

 

From:
VA
Post  Posted 22 Feb 2002 9:25 pm    
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Yes, Nick & Chris got it right. He used that tuning on "Bon Ton Roulie"(sp?) and "Leave Home Girl" on one of his live CD's.
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