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Topic: Tuning suggestions for double 6 |
Aaron Brown
From:
Massachusetts, USA
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Posted 28 Apr 2023 9:36 am |
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Hi, I've been playing an open D acoustic and a homemade lap steel 2x4 in C6 for 3-4 years now (guitar , bass for decades) . I just bought a double neck 6 string lap steel. Anyone got good suggestions for complementary tunings? one neck will likely be in A6 or C6.
Thank you! links to places in the forum are great, if thats convenient for you.
AEB |
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Andy Volk
From:
Boston, MA
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Posted 28 Apr 2023 9:38 am
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What kind of music do you want to play?
_________________
Steel Guitar Books! Website: www.volkmediabooks.com |
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Bill McCloskey
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Posted 28 Apr 2023 10:04 am
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Put the same tuning on both necks and then pretend to jump back and forth. Impress the ladies. I think some of the guys who played quads did that.  |
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Bill McCloskey
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Posted 28 Apr 2023 10:08 am
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| Actually I'm only sort of partly kidding. Putting variations of a single tuning to give you more 6 string options is what I would do. People get slowed down trying to learn too many tunings well when they start. If you have a G tuning on one neck, put a G minor or a flat 7 on the bottom, or something to give you a more options for the limitations of a 6 string tuning. That way, all the chords remain in the same places. |
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David Matzenik
From:
Cairns, on the Coral Sea
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Posted 28 Apr 2023 1:16 pm
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What Bill said. And remember Jerry Byrd said "Learn one tuning thoroughly, before moving to another."
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Don't go in the water after lunch. You'll get a cramp and drown. - Mother. |
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Allan Revich
From:
Victoria, BC
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Posted 28 Apr 2023 10:46 pm Edited April 30
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I’d keep one neck in the tuning you’re already familiar with, and the other in C6.
EDIT: Just noticed that you already play in C6!
Since C6 on six strings doesn’t have any bass notes, you might want to consider a low bass tuning on your second neck.
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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
Last edited by Allan Revich on 30 Apr 2023 8:23 am; edited 1 time in total |
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Andy Volk
From:
Boston, MA
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Posted 29 Apr 2023 2:47 am
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I'd put a 6th tuning on one neck (C6th, A6th or G6th) and a tuning that features rich dominant 7th voicing on the other - like B11th or D9th. Another way to go is a 6th tuning g one one neck and Open D or E on the other. The type of music you want o play can influence this choice.
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Steel Guitar Books! Website: www.volkmediabooks.com |
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Aaron Brown
From:
Massachusetts, USA
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Posted 29 Apr 2023 8:07 am
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| Hey Thanks everyone! As I said i was going to do C6 on one, I like the idea of a very similar tuning on the other. I kinda want to try to play over some Bossa Nova. So like m7? |
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Aaron Brown
From:
Massachusetts, USA
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Andy DePaule
From:
Saigon, Viet Nam & Springfield, Oregon
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Posted 30 Apr 2023 5:52 am Maybe?
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I think most steelers would have a C6th or other 6th tuning on one and a version of the E13th on the other, maybe?
I like A6th and E6/9th best, but I'm kind of weird and don't play all that well. A little below average I say.  
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Inlaid Star Guitar 2006 by Mark Giles. SD-10 4+5 in E9th; http://luthiersupply.com/instrument-gallery.html
2017 Mullen SD-10, G2 5&5 Polished Aluminum covering. Custom Build for me. Great Steel.
Clinesmith Joaquin Murphy style Aluminum 8 String Lap Steel Short A6th.
Magnatone Jeweltone Series Lap Steel, Circa 1950? 6 String with F#minor7th Tuning.
1956 Dewey Kendrick D-8 4&3, Restoration Project.
1973 Sho~Bud Green SD-10 4&5 PSG, Restoration Project. |
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Allan Revich
From:
Victoria, BC
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Posted 30 Apr 2023 8:31 am
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| Andy Volk wrote: |
| I'd put a 6th tuning on one neck (C6th, A6th or G6th) and a tuning that features rich dominant 7th voicing on the other - like B11th or D9th. Another way to go is a 6th tuning g one one neck and Open D or E on the other. The type of music you want o play can influence this choice. |
9th tunings are fun alternatives to 6th tunings. Maybe D9;
D9 – A D F♯ A C E
D9 – D E F♯ A C E
Or E9;
E9 – D E F♯ G♯ B E
These provide nice low bass notes that you don’t have in C6, as well as major and minor triads and dominant 7 chords.
_________________
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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Jack Hanson
From:
San Luis Valley, USA
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Posted 30 Apr 2023 8:56 am
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| Aaron Brown wrote: |
| Hey Thanks everyone! As I said i was going to do C6 on one, I like the idea of a very similar tuning on the other. I kinda want to try to play over some Bossa Nova. So like m7? |
For all indents and porpoises, a 6th tuning and a minor 7th tuning are one and the same. C6 = Am7. |
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Aaron Brown
From:
Massachusetts, USA
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Posted 1 May 2023 3:51 am
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| Jack Hanson wrote: |
| Aaron Brown wrote: |
| Hey Thanks everyone! As I said i was going to do C6 on one, I like the idea of a very similar tuning on the other. I kinda want to try to play over some Bossa Nova. So like m7? |
For all indents and porpoises, a 6th tuning and a minor 7th tuning are one and the same. C6 = Am7. |
Breaking News! I have no idea what I'm doing . Thank you Jack, i come here to learn |
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Aaron Brown
From:
Massachusetts, USA
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Posted 1 May 2023 4:03 am
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| Allan Revich wrote: |
| Andy Volk wrote: |
| I'd put a 6th tuning on one neck (C6th, A6th or G6th) and a tuning that features rich dominant 7th voicing on the other - like B11th or D9th. Another way to go is a 6th tuning g one one neck and Open D or E on the other. The type of music you want o play can influence this choice. |
9th tunings are fun alternatives to 6th tunings. Maybe D9;
D9 – A D F♯ A C E
D9 – D E F♯ A C E
Or E9;
E9 – D E F♯ G♯ B E
These provide nice low bass notes that you don’t have in C6, as well as major and minor triads and dominant 7 chords. |
Hi Allan, so can i buy the same string set to have a C6 neck and a D9 neck? or B11 for that matter?
again , thank you all for the education |
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Nic Neufeld
From:
Kansas City, Missouri
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Posted 1 May 2023 10:35 am
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You absolutely can tune C6 string sets...particularly 6 string...to D9 and B11. I'm a C6/B11 guy myself, when I have a doubleneck...saves you the trouble of retuning.
Well I should say...for the D9 tuning I was taught by Alan Akaka...its a "minimally altered" version that doesn't even have the root in the tuning.
C6 - C E G A C E
C13 - Bb E G A C E (bottom string flat whole step)
B11 - B D# F# A C# E (bottom three strings flat half step, second string sharp half step)
D9 - C E F# A C E (flat fourth string)
C6/A7 - C# E G A C E (sharp bottom string)
A6 - C# E F# A C# E (sharp 2nd/6th, flat 4th string)
On the D9 one as long as you feel confident your bottom string can go up to D you could do that as well. Nice thing about the above set of tunings, you're not going further than a half step with any tunings (other than the Bb for C13 but that is flatting the string, which isn't usually a problem).
_________________
Waikīkī, at night when the shadows are falling
I hear the rolling surf calling
Calling and calling to me |
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Allan Revich
From:
Victoria, BC
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Posted 1 May 2023 3:57 pm
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| Aaron Brown wrote: |
| Allan Revich wrote: |
| Andy Volk wrote: |
| I'd put a 6th tuning on one neck (C6th, A6th or G6th) and a tuning that features rich dominant 7th voicing on the other - like B11th or D9th. Another way to go is a 6th tuning g one one neck and Open D or E on the other. The type of music you want o play can influence this choice. |
9th tunings are fun alternatives to 6th tunings. Maybe D9;
D9 – A D F♯ A C E
D9 – D E F♯ A C E
Or E9;
E9 – D E F♯ G♯ B E
These provide nice low bass notes that you don’t have in C6, as well as major and minor triads and dominant 7 chords. |
Hi Allan, so can i buy the same string set to have a C6 neck and a D9 neck? or B11 for that matter?
again , thank you all for the education |
Aaron, it depends on which version of D9 you want to try. For a lower bass tuning you might need a heavier bottom string. I use John Ely’s string gauge guide to buy appropriate strings.
https://www.hawaiiansteel.com/graphics/pdf/string_gauge_chart.pdf
Lap steel guitars are pretty sturdy, so they will survive most mistakes… but eyes are hard to replace, so it’s wise not to push things too hard, too often  |
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John Viterito
From:
New Jersey, USA
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Posted 1 May 2023 7:39 pm
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One could be some 6th, the other an open tuning of your choice (low or high bass).
_________________
Emerald Solace acoustic laps and Rukavina steels. Can't play, but I try! |
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David M Brown
From:
California, USA
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Posted 2 May 2023 6:26 am
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All great ideas....
For a double 6 I'd have the closer neck strung with a set of strings that could be tuned to C6, A6, C6/A7, the B-D-E-G#-B-E E7 and the variant B-D-E-G#-C#-E, etc.
The far neck would have a set of strings for open A low bass, open E, the E-B-E-G#-C#-E E6, and F#9 F#-A#-C#-E-G#-E, and even just guitar tuning aka Em11. |
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