10 String Tuning

James Harrison · From: New Brockton, Alabama, USA

I have an elderly friend, who is not a forum member that has been trying to learn Pedal Steel on a Carter Starter. He just cannot get the pedals and levers to do the right things. He can play some non pedal tunes and likes the B,E,G#,B,E,G# on 10,8,6,5,4,3,. What would you use on 1,2,7,and 9 strings? To keep it simple for him how would B,E,G#,B,E,G#,B,E,G#,B or is that too much repetition, but he could still use the pedals some for some chord changes, remember he will not be playing paid gigs, just a few local jams. I welcome any reccomendations. James

Dion Stephen · From: Kansas, USA

my advice would be the C6 tuning that they use for 10 string pedal steel guitar.

chas smith R.I.P. · From: Encino, CA, USA

This one works for me:

F#
E
C#
B
A
G#
F#
E
C#
B

I think of it as E9 with pedals up and down.

Edward Meisse · From: Santa Rosa, California, USA

When Tom Morrell went from pedal to non, he went to G#-F#-E-C#-B-G#-F#-E-D-E from top to bottom.
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Amor vincit omnia

Fred Bova · From: Connecticut, USA

Let him leave off the 1st and 2nd strings and then follow the Ralph Mooney tuning with the g# on top on down. Who says he has to have 10 strings if 8 work fine.

James Harrison · From: New Brockton, Alabama, USA

Thanks guys for the suggestions, I thought I would have more than this, but I guess it matters being unknown. James

Rick Abbott · From: Indiana, USA

James,

I have posted a tuning that I use without much feedback about it. Tunings are just too personal. It might make sense to one person and look like sheer stupidity to another. My 2 non-pedal 10 string tunings are (from low to high) E-G-B-D-E-G-B-D-E-G and G+-B-E-F+-G+-B-E-G+-D-F+ and they both make sense to me! BTW, that high G on the first tuning ends up being a .011 or .012, so that is the highest pitch that is safe for the string tension. Find the old string gauge chart on the forum. I have copies if it's no longer available. It helps to get the right srings and feel of the strings. Just find a tuning and try it, if it is wrong for you and clumsy feeling change it! If it works it's good!! Smile

_________________
RICK ABBOTT
Sho~Bud D-10 Professional #7962
Remington T-8, Sehy #112
1975 Peavey Pacer 1963 Gibson Falcon

Rick Abbott · From: Indiana, USA

I just consulted my handy-dandy sting chart to find that you would have to have avery low tuning to get a B on both ends, .019-.066 or have a tuning that works like the Nashville E9 getting lower on the first string. A G+ would work there with an .011. Or you could try a 6th tuning for flavor.
_________________
RICK ABBOTT
Sho~Bud D-10 Professional #7962
Remington T-8, Sehy #112
1975 Peavey Pacer 1963 Gibson Falcon

Sonny Jenkins · From: Texas Masonic Retirement Center,,,Arlington Tx

I don't know what Billy Robinsons tuning is,,,but he does wonders with it,,,anyone know???

Ben Rubright · From: Punta Gorda, Florida, USA

From lo to hi:

F-A-C-E-G-A-C-E-G-D

The D is a chromatic that is frequency wise between the C and E.

That is the tuning that he told me he used as of ISGC 2006 and I doubt that he has changed it any. Why should he? What else is there to do that he doesn't do?

J D Sauser · From: Wellington, Florida

I think that once you have over 8 strings, it would be of advantage to add "pulls" on the outside... which is commonly referred to as an inside out tuning. Just two out of chord string (you may want to call them "chromatics", if you prefer) can generate not 2 more single notes but a world new chords and handy harmony positions.

Against C6th, B, D and C# have opened worlds to me.

... J-D.

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

I have been in 10 string E lapsteel tuning mode for 2 days now.
So I have been thinking in chord building logic the whole time.
[code]
I have a set of Ricky Davis C6 strings on the 'Thai-ing Pan' at the moment,
maybe not the best gauges.

I had this Low to high L-R :

Michael Lee Allen · From: Portage Park / Irving Park, Chicago, Illinois

Alkire EHARP...
015...E
018...C#
020...B
022...A
024...G# plain
024...G wound
026...F#
028...F
030...E
036...C#

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"Wisdom does not always come with age. Many times age arrives alone."

David Doggett · Posted 22 Jan 2008 8:49 am

Seems like everyone has missed the point. The man only likes the straight E major strings. He doesn't like the pedals, and he doesn't like 6ths, 7ths and chromatics. Rick is right that you can't have anything above the top G#. If you want to completely ignore the pedals and levers, and get rid of all the 7th, 9th and chromatics, you could remove the top two strings, and tune (lo to hi) E G# B E G# B E G#. If you want to keep the strings symetrical on the neck, you could remove the highest and lowest strings, and shift this tuning up one string. Either way the pedals and levers would mostly not work right unless some were shifted to other strings, and I'm not sure you can do that on a Carter Starter. With a pro model, once this player got use to the above pure E major tuning, I think he could easily learn to appreciate A and B pedals set up to pull the G# and B strings to give A, the IV chord. And he could then learn to use the A pedal alone to give the relative minor chord. Eventually he might learn to appreciate a C pedal to get the IIm, and maybe the E-lower lever to get another minor position. This guy just needs it really simple. All the attempts to give him 7ths, 6ths and chromatic strings are just going to frustrate him. He's not interested in the more complicated chords those give him. If he wants to completely give up on the pedals, and go strictly to lap steel playing, he would probably be happiest with a simple Dobro tuning. Or, if he has some guitar background, he might prefer an E major tuning. Again, he is just not going to want extra strings messing up his major chord. If he could learn to tolerate one extra string, then a simple 6th tuning would be good, not necessarily for the 6th, but because it would give him minor chords. Some people just don't like the complication of the extra strings. And if you look at what Dobro players do, maybe not everybody needs the complicated steel tunings.

Ulrich Sinn · From: California, USA

Edward Meisse · From: Santa Rosa, California, USA

1st string is a major 3rd up from the usual E. Probably about a .011. Yes, an octave between 8 and ten. Yes a major 2nd between 8 and 9. You'll have to go to a string chart for other guages.
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Amor vincit omnia

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