Tunings for Modern Country?

Steve Howard · From: High Ridge, Missouri, USA

I need some help as I am new to steel guitar and the PSG I just bought happens to have a non-pedal neck on the back (originally an SD-10 customized to a D-10, but pedaless back neck).

So, I as I am 26 and in a country band that plays a lot of new stuff, I am trying to think of what tuning would be most useful on my non-pedal neck.

There is of course getting to be a lot more dobro in modern country so I was thinking about an open G tuning or an open D tuning. Songs like "What Was I Thinkin" and many others we play use a dobro. But what is pretty standard for bottleneck slide guitarists? Songs like "Boot Scootin Boogie" have a lot of slide fills and I am not sure what tuning they often use.

And I do have 10 strings, so a combination of some sort might be nice as well.

Any help would be appreciated. Thanks.

Ray Montee · From: Portland, Oregon (deceased)

Bottle slide guitar artists, or those who double with pocket knife or wood stick or stone, require only but one string, with full volume and full treble capabilities.

Why not remove the other nine strings, make the guitar lighter weight and slide up and down the neck on Boot Scootin' Boogie. Much less conflicts when tuning up, as well.

Seriously tho'.........with some 350 or more tunings out there, why not simply sit down with a hundred or so tunings and find one that really pleases YOU! If it plays well and gives you lots of versatility for the type of tunes YOU play, then stick with it
for awhile. If it fails to hold up under your hectic play list, then try another. NEVER be completely satisfied. Playing steel guitar is an open door to taking risks and going where others have never before tred.

WE ALL have our favorites based on this or that kinda reasoning, but it does not necessarily mean it will meet your personal criteria. Be versatile; take some time; and seek a SOUND that will be uniquely YOU!

Slim WHitman's old steel player rose to fame with a one note, one string, one octave slide
and before long, hundreds were copying his "style". Stand out from the crowd rather than becoming lost in it.

David L. Donald · From: Koh Samui Island, Thailand

If it were me... I would try either a bluegrass G 135 135
or the same in E 135135
Put that in the middle 6 strings of your 10 strings.

Then add some alternate harmony notes. Two notes both above and below it.
Things like 6ths 9ths or dom7s.

if you have a 6 alternating with a 7 above your top 135, then you have either a blusey or western/jazz sound by tuning up or down a half step.
Add maybe the 9th above that for a bit of Nashville.

Below could be the 5th again,
or a root that gives you a minor chord

But you will still have that bluegrass tuning in the middle.

You can also look at the E13 tuning, it is pretty hip by itself.

[This message was edited by David L. Donald on 13 November 2004 at 03:32 PM.]

Travis Bernhardt · From: Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

If it's just slide fills, then any tuning is fine. As long as you've got at least two strings that are a minor third apart, you've got most stock slide fills covered. In fact, with just that interval and the ability to do a forward slant you could play an entire gig.

The advantage of using a straight major tuning like open E (low to high: EBEG#BE) is that you'll be able to play along much quicker. The power chord on the bottom means that you'll be able to comp right away--something that can get tricky on a sixth tuning. Playing dobro style is much easier on a straight major tuning.

Seeing as how the other half of your guitar is a pedal steel E9, I would probably recommend going with a straight major tuning of some description, since this will give you what is lacking on your E9. Namely, a low bass note and a power chord, and the ability to strum.

What David suggests is a good idea, but it might be a little confusing at this point. There's nothing wrong with keeping it simple for now. Your E9 neck will give you all the complexity you could ever ask for.

If you want to use more strings, you could add a low B and another low LOW E (if the string fits in the tuning peg!), and maybe a high G# and a D on the first string (pitched just below your top, third string E). That's about as complicated as I would get, for now, and a tuning like that would be extremely powerful for rock or country.

E B E B E G# B E G# D

-Travis

[This message was edited by Travis Bernhardt on 13 November 2004 at 04:21 PM.]

Steve Howard · From: High Ridge, Missouri, USA

Thanks for the suggestions guys. I guess with all the open tunings I may not ever get 100% of what I want, but a solid versatile tuning is a great start.

I like both the 135135 and 151351 tunings. I will most likely go with the latter as it is somewhat familiar. Hopefully it will still be able to give some of the sounds I hear in some dobro stuff.

If we play a lot of drop D stuff (some at least) I wonder if it would be helpful for me to tune down to D? Just a thought, probably not that big a deal, I don't know of a whole lot of steel fills that get real deep on the guitar so I can always go up to 10th fret and take care of it.

And as far as the one string theory, sounds great in theory, but I think there are probably many great bottleneck players that would take offense to that.

Travis Bernhardt · From: Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

If you play a lot of drop D stuff then you should tune down to D. You'll get the open string licks that way. If you want open string licks in the key of E--that's what capos are for.

I think you'll be quite happy with a 151351 type tuning. And with those extra strings, you can experiment and see what you find useful.

-Travis

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