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Topic: Beginner lap steel tuning for Nashville fan |
Daniel Bennett
From:
Austin, Texas, USA
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Posted 14 Jan 2006 8:15 pm |
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A friend is interested in learning how to play his six string lap steel, and he'd like to know what tuning to start off with. He likes Nashville-style country music like George Strait, which to me sounds like E9 pedal steel! I will encourage him to consider learning the pedal steel instead (get a Carter Starter) since that's the sound he likes, but for now, being broke and understandably intimidated by the pedal steel, he has a 6 string lap steel and a choice to make.
What tuning do you think he should start off with? |
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Olli Haavisto
From:
Jarvenpaa,Finland
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Posted 15 Jan 2006 12:51 am
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I`ve always felt that if you want to emulate pedal steel sounds on another instrument, an electric guitar with light strings is a better choice than lap steel. So you`re right , your friend needs a PSG 
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Olli Haavisto,
Finland
[This message was edited by Olli Haavisto on 15 January 2006 at 12:53 AM.] |
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Rick Alexander
From:
Florida, USA, R.I.P.
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Posted 15 Jan 2006 10:58 am
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Try E tuning for starters - E B E G# B E
It's as good as any tuning to learn picking, blocking, grips, slants, harmonics, vibrato etc. |
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Steinar Gregertsen
From:
Arendal, Norway, R.I.P.
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Posted 15 Jan 2006 11:21 am
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Agreed on the E-tuning, and there's some very cool "old-time" country sounds in there once he learns some basic slanting.
Steinar
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www.gregertsen.com
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John D. Carter
From:
Canton, Ohio, USA
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Posted 15 Jan 2006 5:09 pm
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| I have been playing lap steel for about 4 weeks. (I had never held a bar in my hand before this.) I love steel in country and gospel. I started with E7 and found that it works good for gospel. However, I am getting my best early "Nashville" sound with C6. I am working on some of the Hank Williams songs in C6 with good results. Not too suprising because I think Williams' steel player (Don Helms?) used a E6 tuning? I will try to post a Hank Williams clip in C6 soon. |
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Junior King
From:
Osceola, Iowa, USA
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J D Sauser
From:
Wellington, Florida
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Posted 16 Jan 2006 1:07 am
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Right, your friend would probably need a 10 string pedal steel with at least 3 pedals and 4 to 5 knee levers.
However (since this is the non pedal forum), E9th sounds have been played on non pedal by those who did not get immediate acces to a pedal steel in the old days, just after Bud Issacs surprised everyone with his new sounds... so if your friend wants to dabble on a 6 or 8 string and explore some of these sounds, this may be possible. How? Well, I'd need some help from the board here to refresh my memory, but I do remember Buddy Emmons or somebody else in his name posting one of his non pedal tunings elaborated just for that. It was an "inside out"-tuning, meaning that it had some additional middle strings out as strings 1 and 2, much like the so called "chromatics" on standard E9th today (but tuned differently) , which gave some more space for quick and accurate pedal snapping like slants over 1 and two frets. Sound clips have been posted too somewhere. I tried it back then (maybe 6 or 7 years ago?) and it worked quite easy. Still, it will just give you a basic E9th sound... playing styles have evolved quite a bit since then.
Jerry Byrd has played an open 8 string non pedal E9th tuning emulating much of the later slow and more complex E9th pedal playing styles... but I am not going to suggest for your friend to try to emulate JB just for starters 
... J-D.
[This message was edited by J D Sauser on 16 January 2006 at 01:12 AM.] |
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