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Post new topic E7th Tuning on 8 string Lap Steel
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Author Topic:  E7th Tuning on 8 string Lap Steel
Wayne D. Clark

 

From:
Montello Wisconsin, USA
Post  Posted 14 Mar 2011 8:34 pm    
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The memory is not what it was! There was a time I knew the E7th tuning for an 8 string Lap Steel. You will ask what is the Root. Well what is the popular set up for today. E, G, A, F, ect. I am missing a string for example Root is "E" low to high. E,G#,B, blank, E,G#,B,E. I don't rember the [Blank]

Wayne D. Clark
usnyn2nd@frontier.com
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William Lake

 

From:
Ontario, Canada
Post  Posted 14 Mar 2011 8:43 pm    
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I have never used that tuning, but the 7th of E is D.
Dominant 7th, that is.
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Andy Sandoval


From:
Bakersfield, California, USA
Post  Posted 14 Mar 2011 9:43 pm    
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How about this?

1 - E
2 - B
3 - G#
4 - E
5 - D
6 - B
7 - G#
8 - E
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HowardR


From:
N.Y.C.-Fire Island-Asheville
Post  Posted 14 Mar 2011 9:52 pm    
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Here is Lonnie Bennett's E7 Sacred Steel tuning...


1. E
2. D
3. B
4. G#
5. E
6. E
7. B
8. E
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Matt Berg


From:
Pennsylvania, USA
Post  Posted 15 Mar 2011 7:57 am    
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Taking a tip from the Freddie Roulette playbook, I use a tuning like the one Andy's indicating, but move the middle octave D to the 8th string. That prevents my sounding it accidentally. Oddly, the nut on the National D8 I recently purchased seemed to be cut to accommodate this on the front neck.
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b0b


From:
Cloverdale, CA, USA
Post  Posted 15 Mar 2011 10:05 am    
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Leonard T. Zinn plays this tuning, and Jagwire makes a set of strings for it:

www.SteelGuitarShopper.com/products/Jagwire-E7th-L.T.-Zinn-nickel-wound
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Steve Ahola


From:
Concord, California
Post  Posted 15 Mar 2011 1:36 pm    
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Matt Berg wrote:
Taking a tip from the Freddie Roulette playbook, I use a tuning like the one Andy's indicating, but move the middle octave D to the 8th string. That prevents my sounding it accidentally. Oddly, the nut on the National D8 I recently purchased seemed to be cut to accommodate this on the front neck.

Joaquin Murphey used a similar arrangement but I can't remember what exactly it was off the top of my head.
As with Freddie, I think he does it to facilitate some of the slant positions.

Steve Ahola
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Jay Yuskaitis

 

From:
Massachusetts, USA
Post  Posted 15 Mar 2011 2:25 pm     E7th
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E7th was the beginning of the modern tuning on my "Steel" after struggling with the low bass "A" my Father played long before I was born. My first 8 stringer was tuned EG#BDEG#BE. Lots and lots of fun with this tuning for quite awhile. At a point a while back, Eddie Cunningham suggested, instead of a "D", tune to "C#". What a difference this made! Jay Y.
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Wayne D. Clark

 

From:
Montello Wisconsin, USA
Post  Posted 15 Mar 2011 6:57 pm    
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Thanks Andy and Jay. I havent played Lap Steel for years, Just DoBro and PSG. Thought I'd try Lap steel again. Remembered I used E7th during the 40' & 50's but could not remember the set up. Thanks again Gentelman. Come to the Forum to get the answer, it always works.

Wayne
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George Keoki Lake


From:
Edmonton, AB., Canada
Post  Posted 15 Mar 2011 10:25 pm    
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If any of you can recall the HARMONY ISLE radio program of the mid thirties, featuring a young DICK McINTIRE, he used the standard 6 string E major tuning and it sounded beautiful on those shows... Hi to Lo: E B G# E B E. Those shows were transcribed on large 16" discs which I still have. Smile
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John Bushouse

 

Post  Posted 15 Mar 2011 10:52 pm    
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Matt Berg wrote:
Taking a tip from the Freddie Roulette playbook, I use a tuning like the one Andy's indicating, but move the middle octave D to the 8th string. That prevents my sounding it accidentally. Oddly, the nut on the National D8 I recently purchased seemed to be cut to accommodate this on the front neck.


My 1936/37 7-string National I sold recently had the same setup. It's also the setup that Al Dodge uses.
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Wayne D. Clark

 

From:
Montello Wisconsin, USA
Post  Posted 19 Apr 2012 8:48 am    
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Jay, I know this is over a year later but Changing the [D] string on the E7th tuning to [C#] is just what I did, and your right "What a Difference" It gave me just that option that adds a little interest to the tuning. Thanks for the Tip.

Wayne D. Clark
Melbert 8 Console
Goodrich Pedal
Peavey 110
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Greg Cutshaw


From:
Corry, PA, USA
Post  Posted 19 Apr 2012 9:31 am    
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Here's my attempt at playing the 8 string E7th tuning using strings purchased from this forum:


E7th tuning in action!

E7 Tuning:

Gage Note (Scale In Key Of E)

.014 E (Root)
.022PL B (5th)
.024 G# (3rd)
.030 E (Root)
.032 D (Dom 7th)
.042 B (5th)
.044 G# (3rd)
.054 E (Root)


The tuning has a lot of range but I like the E13 tuning a lot more for both single string and chord work.


Greg
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Steve Ahola


From:
Concord, California
Post  Posted 19 Apr 2012 12:42 pm    
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Greg Cutshaw wrote:
Here's my attempt at playing the 8 string E7th tuning using strings purchased from this forum...

The tuning has a lot of range but I like the E13 tuning a lot more for both single string and chord work.

Sounds great! I hear 3 or 4 different steel sounds in your Frypan Medley. Is that all your frypan in E7th?

You can jazz up the E7th tuning by raising the middle E (4th string) to F#. I've been doing the same trick with the Little Roy Wiggins E13th tuning and the C13th tuning (which is similar to C6 but with the low A raised to Bb):
Tab:
 E13   C13
1 G#    E     3rd
2 E     C     Root
3 C#    A     6th
4 B     G     5th
5 G#    E     3rd
6 E/F#  C/D   R/9
7 D     Bb    b7
8 B     G     5 


Although the intervals are the same between the E13th and C13th tunings I usually like to use the 9th(F#) for the 6th string with E while I usually use the root(C) with C. (Those two tunings along with E9th are the three 8 string tunings I find indispensable.)

Thanks for all of your contributions to the steel guitar community- the tabs for your recordings are very much appreciated.

Steve Ahola
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http://www.box.net/the-culprits
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Greg Cutshaw


From:
Corry, PA, USA
Post  Posted 19 Apr 2012 5:05 pm    
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The ninth and an added 6th would be great with 10 strings if the spacing could be maintained. I like the 7th note on the bottom and the 6/9 notes in the middle. All the tabs and song on this page are E7 tuning. I have a nasty habit of bumping the tone knob on the guitar and killing all the treble. In ever bump it all the way at once so the tone slowly degrades as my playing session progresses. I'd like to swap the tone and volume controls!


Greg
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Steve Ahola


From:
Concord, California
Post  Posted 19 Apr 2012 7:50 pm    
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Greg Cutshaw wrote:
The ninth and an added 6th would be great with 10 strings if the spacing could be maintained. I like the 7th note on the bottom and the 6/9 notes in the middle.

The E13 tuning I'm using is basically what I've been using on my Valco Alkire 10 string but minus the bottom 2 strings (E and G#.) I went through a lot of different tunings like the Morrell E13th and E9th with added strings on top (1-F#, 2-G#) which was very slick, too. Enough for 10 string tunings.

The E13th tuning has elements of the Little Roy E13th, the McAuliffe E13th and the Noel Boggs E13/C#m7-9; I am learning how to be more selective in my picking for this to work. I really like the B-D-F# B minor triad on the bottom 3 strings of the E13th spelled out above. I have those same 3 notes on the bottom of the E9th six string tuning I use so its like old home week. While it is nice to have the low E and G# on the bottom, I really don't miss them with this tuning- I have another 8 string with the E9/E7th tuning when I want to get down and dirty.

Steve Ahola

P.S. I switch back and forth between E9th and E7th all of the time depending on whether I want the root or the ninth in the middle so I will enjoy working through the E7th tabs on your site. BTW the Valco Alkire 10 string E Harp has string spacing of ~.382" (wider than most 8 strings!)
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Billy Earl Amos

 

From:
Maryland, USA
Post  Posted 19 Mar 2021 11:23 am     E7/e9
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Tune your 2nd string from the bottom to F# for both E7&E9 .
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Allan Revich


From:
Victoria, BC
Post  Posted 19 Mar 2021 8:43 pm     Re: E7/e9
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Billy Earl Amos wrote:
Tune your 2nd string from the bottom to F# for both E7&E9 .


A zombie thread awakens. I guess this is a good example of “better late than never”. The question was asked ten years ago! Mr. Clark hasn’t posted in SGF since 2017.
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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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