David Doggett
From:
Bawl'mer, MD (formerly of MS, Nawluns, Gnashville, Knocksville, Lost Angeles, Bahsten. and Philly)
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Posted 24 Apr 2007 11:42 pm |
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You can use a guitar tuner to tune your E strings, and then tune the rest by ear to give good sounding chords. A method for doing this is given below. Using such chord harmonies, you will probably get close to what is known as Just Intonation (JI), which is the natural tuning system based on harmonics. Fixed pitch instruments such as pianos use a different system called Equal Temper (ET), and that is what a chromatic tuning meter will give you. There is a certain amount of dissonance built into the ET scale that helps pianos play in tune in all keys. You should try both tuning systems and see which you prefer. You can do a web search on Just Intonation or Equal Temper and learn more about these systems. Some chromatic tuners come with presets that approximate JI, and blank settings that allow the user to program in a customized tuning that can compensate for slight mechanical imperfections in each instrument. This stuff is nice to have, especially in a noisy environment where you cant hear to tune by ear; but you don't have to have such a tuner. Eventually it is good to get some kind of chromatic tuner, so you can play around with it and see what the differences are between what the meter says, and what your ears might prefer.
Mike, you are not necessarily putting your instrument "out of tune" when you depart from the straight up meter (440). Historically JI has been considered "in tune" and it is actually the meter that is intentionally "tempered" slightly out of tune. If you start with a rough tuning by the meter, then listen to the chords and adjust to get the pure beatless harmonies of JI, you are actually putting your guitar more in tune than the meter is. Meters are a compromise designed for fixed pitch instruments, but steel guitar is not a fixed pitch instrument.
Tuning E9 Pedal Steel by ear:
1. Take the root note of the tuning, E (strings 4 and 8 on E9), and tune that note alone to a tuning reference (tuning fork, electronic tuner, keyboard).
2. Now play an E chord on strings 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, 10, and tune all the strings so that chord sounds nice to your ears, without changing the Es on strings 4 and 8.
3. Play a B chord on strings 1, 2, 5, 7. String 5 is the reference. You have already tuned it in the previous step, so do not change it. Tune the other strings so they make a nice chord with string 5.
4. There are multiple ways to tune string 9, but the simplest is to play an E chord on strings 4, 5, 6, 8, 10, and tune string 9 so it sounds nice as the 7th of the E7 chord. Or, make a Bm chord with strings 7, 9, and 10. Tune sring 9 to sound good as the minor 3rd of that chord.
5. Press the A and B pedals to make an A chord on strings 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, 10. Strings 4 and 8 are unaffected by those pedals, and have already been established as your reference strings, so do not change them. Tune the pedal stops on the other strings to make a nice sounding A chord with the unchanged strings 4 and 8.
6. Press pedals B and C to make an F#m chord on strings 3, 4, 5, 6, 7. Tune the C pedal stops on strings 4 and 5 to sound nice with that chord, and do not change strings 3, 6, 7.
7. If you have an F lever (raises the Es ½ step), activate it with the A pedal to make a C# chord on strings 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, 10. Tune the F lever stops on strings 4 and 8 to sound nice with that chord without changing any other strings or stops.
8. If you have an E lower lever (lowers the Es ½ step), activate it to make a G#m chord on strings 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, 10. Tune the stops on strings 4 and 8 so that chord sounds nice, without changing any other strings or stops.
9. Any other pedal or lever stops are tuned by the above principles. Find the most common chord the change is part of, and tune the stops to that chord without changing any other strings or stops.
The F# on string 7 cannot be tuned perfectly with both the B chord of strings 1, 2, 5 and the F#m chord of B and C pedals. I tune my 7th string perfect for the B chord, which also makes it perfect for the E scale and E9 chord. For the BC pedal chord, I pull the E on string 8 up to F# on my C pedal, and tune it perfectly as the root of that F#m chord.
Last edited by David Doggett on 25 Apr 2007 8:38 am; edited 1 time in total |
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