| Common or Not so Common? |
| Open D or Open E |
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9% |
[ 4 ] |
| Open G (Low G or Dobro) |
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12% |
[ 5 ] |
| C6 |
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43% |
[ 18 ] |
| Something Else |
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34% |
[ 14 ] |
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| Total Votes : 41 |
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| Author |
Topic: Another Pointless 6-String Tuning Poll |
Allan Revich
From:
Victoria, BC
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Posted 18 Mar 2020 7:48 pm |
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This one is just for fun.
I’m curious to learn what proportion of Steelers use a “ standard†vs special tuning as their go-to six string tuning.
I know that there are a few other fairly common tunings, like A6 and Open A, but I’ve limited the “standards†to the most common tunings only.
_________________
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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Frank James Pracher
From:
Michigan, USA
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Posted 18 Mar 2020 9:15 pm
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C6 is my home, but for certain songs I'll move a string up or down to get something I need.. for example when I play "Rattler" by Santo and Johnny I'll drop my low C to B.. If I play "Hilo March" I'll raise the high C to C#
_________________
"Don't be mad honey, but I bought another one" |
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David M Brown
From:
California, USA
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Posted 19 Mar 2020 6:25 am
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| Something else, as in A6 as my go-to, although I use those other tunings at times. |
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Allan Revich
From:
Victoria, BC
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Posted 19 Mar 2020 9:03 am
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My current 6 string tuning is an Open D7
Low to High = DADF#AC
Similar to my 7 string, which is in D9 = DADF#ACE
_________________
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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Brian Evans
From:
Nova Scotia, Canada
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Posted 19 Mar 2020 11:15 am
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| My tuning is Em7/G. EGDGBD low to high. I have minor 7 chords if I use the E root, and G chords if I use the G root, which is basically low G dobro tuning without the low D, which I never got the point of in the first place. But I am an extreme rookie, so I find the ability to do a I - VI - IV - V sequence (Sleepwalk), or the old I - VI - II - V turnaround so easily kind of handy. |
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Jack Hanson
From:
San Luis Valley, USA
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Posted 19 Mar 2020 8:45 pm
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| I have separate instruments dedicated to all of the above tunings and more. On my 6-stings, I spend the most time working out of C6 and tweaking a string or two up or down to achieve A6, B11, C6/A7, D9, etc. |
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Tom Breitenfeldt
From:
Germany
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Posted 20 Mar 2020 1:28 am
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What about this one?
E
B
G#
E
C#
F# |
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Dom Franco
From:
Beaverton, OR, 97007
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Allan Revich
From:
Victoria, BC
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Posted 22 Mar 2020 9:15 am
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| So far it’s interesting to see just how popular the C6 tuning is! Almost as many people use it as their go-to as all the others combined. |
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b0b
From:
Cloverdale, CA, USA
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Posted 22 Mar 2020 9:37 am Something Else
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I've settled on D/G for 6-string, D6th for 8- and 10-string. This puts me in the comfort zone for all. It should be the standard, IMHO. 
| Tab: |
6 8 10
E
F# F#
D D D
B B
A A A
F# F# F#
D D D
B B B
G G G
D |
Retuning standard dobro G to this is just a matter of slacking 2 strings.
_________________
-𝕓𝕆𝕓- (admin) - Robert P. Lee - Recordings - Breathe - D6th - Video |
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Peter Jacobs
From:
Northern Virginia
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Posted 22 Mar 2020 10:26 am
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Gsus4 for me. I never use the low B in dobro tuning, so I just left it out (like Keith Richards). That gives me power chords on the low end. Iadded a C as the “first†string so I can suspend chords without pulling the high B. Otherwise, it stays out of the way. Low to high: G D G B D C
_________________
Peter
---------
www.splinterville.com
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@splinterville6278/videos |
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Jim Fiegen
From:
California, USA
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Posted 22 Mar 2020 10:57 am
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C6/A7 for everything C#EGACE bottom to top Thank you Jerry Byrd!!
_________________
http://jimfiegen.com |
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Allan Revich
From:
Victoria, BC
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Posted 22 Mar 2020 11:54 am
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| Peter Jacobs wrote: |
| Gsus4 for me. I never use the low B in dobro tuning, so I just left it out (like Keith Richards). That gives me power chords on the low end. Iadded a C as the “first†string so I can suspend chords without pulling the high B. Otherwise, it stays out of the way. Low to high: G D G B D C |
That’s a cool tuning, and looks versatile too. I think it’s a Gadd4 rather than sus4, since you still have the 3rd (B) in there, but it definitely makes sus 4 chords easy to play with a straight bar.
And of course Gsus is the holiest of chords! |
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Allan Revich
From:
Victoria, BC
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Posted 22 Mar 2020 10:21 pm Re: Something Else
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| b0b wrote: |
I've settled on D/G for 6-string, D6th for 8- and 10-string. This puts me in the comfort zone for all. It should be the standard, IMHO.
| Tab: |
6 8 10
E
F# F#
D D D
B B
A A A
F# F# F#
D D D
B B B
G G G
D |
Retuning standard dobro G to this is just a matter of slacking 2 strings. |
b0b, I actually agree with you that your (Gmaj9?) GBDF#AD should be the standard! There is nothing that can’t be done with that tuning. I just wish that I wasn’t too thick to wrap my head around it in real life. :-/ |
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Peter Jacobs
From:
Northern Virginia
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Posted 23 Mar 2020 3:59 am
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| Good point, Allan --Gadd4 makes sense. This tuning lets me attempt to cop some Sonny Landreth licks (which is why I tried it in the first place) and I can sound a little pedal steely, which can be fun. |
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Allan Revich
From:
Victoria, BC
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Posted 24 Mar 2020 2:43 pm D7sus2
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DADACE
Good for blues, which is what I mostly play. Nice to have a full A minor triad for minor blues. The two octaves of DA cover nicely for the 3rd that’s missing on the major chords. |
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Paul Spafford
From:
Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
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Posted 24 Mar 2020 6:32 pm
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C#-E-G#-B-C#-E
I call it "Double E6" tuning. I’m not very good yet, but it seems to get me through most of what I want to play at this point. |
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Allan Revich
From:
Victoria, BC
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Posted 27 Mar 2020 10:25 am
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I’m surprised that there aren’t more 11th tunings in here. I’m just now learning about them, and how versatile they are! Two major triads and a minor triad on every fret using only consecutive strings - plus a whole bunch of other chord types on each fret.
As with b0b’s Gmaj9 tuning, I’m not quite ready to tackle a tuning with so many options... I end up getting confused by them and losing my way in songs. But it seems to me that something like B11 (or Gmaj9 GBDF#AD)would be more versatile than C6, and about as easy to learn after the major chord tunings.
EDIT
After spending a day experimenting with 11th tunings, I ended up at G11. GBDFAC.
As expected, it was nice, but a bit too much going on for me to stay on top of. So I raised the C to D to make it a G9 GBDFAD. Kinda like b0b’s tuning but with a D minor on top instead of a D major. I’m gonna leave that tuning in place to see if it sticks.
2nd Edit:
G9 — GBDFAD I like it. That’s all. |
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