tempered tuning

Joe Krumel · From: Hermitage, Tn.

does anybody have any ideas to help me understand tempered tunings? I used the chart on the Jeffran page,but still feel out of tune. Sure will be glad when this gets a little easier! Joe

richard burton · From: Britain

John Roche · From: England

It's all here..
http://pages.globetrotter.net/roule/temper.htm

Don Brown, Sr. · From: New Jersey

Joe Krumel · From: Hermitage, Tn.

I'm tuning open first,then pedals and knees. I have a GFI Ultra S-10.Im trying to get as accurate as I can to Jeffs chart using a Korg ca30.Maybe my ear just isnt used to acually being in tune!!!

Don Brown, Sr. · From: New Jersey

Well, most peoples ears don't have too much of a problem hearing in tune, because it sounds much better than being out of tune. Very Happy

Are you certain, you're Korg's not picking up a harmonic?

After tuning, play the 456 strings and see what they sound like open, (no Bar) then push A&B down and see if it still sounds good.. Should change from an E triad open, to an A triad with both A&B pedals down.

If they sound ok, then you might try picking 3,4,5 Then 5,6,8 then 6,8,10. Doing the same with the pedals as you did while picking 4,5,6

When you come to the set of three that doesn't sound good, that will be where to start looking for the reason why it doesn't.

Hope that helps.
Don

richard burton · From: Britain

Jeff's tempered tuning is to suit guitars with significant cabinet drop, not todays guitars, which have much less drop.

Damien Odell · From: Springwood, New South Wales, Australia

Joe,
I have only been playing for 4 years, but already my tuning is totally different to when I first started.

I find that with time your ear for pitch gets better. I now flatten some things etc to suit my ear - and generally the steel sits well with other instruments.

A very experienced player once told me that every guitar is different, therefore it's hard to apply someone elses tuning numbers to your guitar and expect it to sound right. I have 2 BMI guitars and I tune the same strings / changes differently on each guitar.

Try to work on what sounds right to you, if the Newman thing isn't working for you - change things around and you might come up with something that eventually sounds right to you.

Then, once the guitar is in tune, you gotta play it in tune.....

Damien

Ned McIntosh · From: New South Wales, Australia

I have found the Carter SmartStart DVD section on "Just Intonation" tuning (aka "tuning out the beats") is very useful for getting your steel in tune with itself. I really feel half the battle with tuning is getting the steel in tune with itself...after that, use the bar to get in tune with the rest of the band, assuming the band is also in tune!
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The steel guitar is a hard mistress. She will obsess you, bemuse and bewitch you. She will dash your hopes on what seems to be whim, only to tease you into renewing the relationship once more so she can do it to you all over again...and yet, if you somehow manage to touch her in that certain magic way, she will yield up a sound which has so much soul, raw emotion and heartfelt depth to it that she will pierce you to the very core of your being.

Bob Hoffnar · From: Austin, Tx

Jeff's tuning chart is a very good place to start. Just tune to it and start playing. It usually takes around 3 years of concentrated (hours behind the steel everyday) practicing to be able to even hear what in tune is anyway. Its in your ears and hands. There is no right or standard way to tune. Find something that works and over the years adjust a little here and there as your ear gets better.
One experiment to try is record yourself playing slowly on one string only along to a track. If you can get that one string melody sounding really in tune the other strings will fall into place.

Don't go too nuts about tuning. Its a long process.
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Bob

Jerry Hayes · From: Virginia Beach, Va.

I used Jeff Newman's old tempered tuning chart for years, the one which had the G# strings at 436.5 with the E's at 440 and the B strings at 439.5. I was OK I guess until I started getting the urge to learn some Bluegrass things I knew on the Dobro in open A with the pedals down. I found that when I played with other instruments I was flat so I went to his later version which had the E's a couple of cents sharp.

This was OK I guess but for some reason I couldn't remember the settings and was getting some of the old ones mixed in. I heard about another way of doing it which was, everything which doesn't have a flat or sharp in it, tune to 440 (except for the E to F changes)..... Everything else tune to 438. I've been doing that for a long time now and it works great for me.........JH in Va.
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Don't matter who's in Austin (or anywhere else) Ralph Mooney is still the king!!!

Allen Kentfield · From: Texas, USA

Joe,

"In tune" on E9 is actually "un-tempered" tuning. I tune by chords. Tune the 10th string 1hz sharp of "straight up." Tune the B chord, the C#m and major, the Dma7, and A7, in that order. It's an harmonic sequence. You end up with A at 440hz, like the rest of the band. Very Happy

Al Kentfield
Jonestown,Texas

Tracy Sheehan · From: Fort Worth, Texas, USA

Accept the fact no instrument can be in tune in every key unless you stop and re tune every time you change keys.
IMHO many would be players who have no ear for music believe some kind of voo doo tuner is going to solve the problem.Not so.
I have seen too many would be players on any instrument trying to tune when they don't even hear chord changes.I would suggest buying a tuning fork or pitch pipe and see if you can tune two notes together by ear.Then try an electronic tuner and see if you are close,If not take up another hobby and don't spend thousands of dollas on a steel you will never be able to play in a band.
Only trying to be helpful.

Dennis Wallis · From: Arkansas

Why not just buy a Peterson tuner with the tuning already built in ? Problem solved !

Bo Legg · Posted 8 Dec 2008 7:47 pm

Let's look at this mathematically A(B)=C or A(-B)=-C or -A(-B)=C.
(A) if you tune your PSG in tune and (B) you play in tune then (C) you will sound in tune.
(A) if you tune your PSG in tune and (-B) you play out of tune then (-C) you will sound out of tune.
(-A) if you tune your PSG out of tune and (-B) you play out of tune, you should (C) sound in tune.

Mickey Adams · From: Bandera Texas

[url] http://www.petersontuners.com/media/pdf/Stroboflip%20Instruction%20Manual%20English.pdf
If you read this entire section on Sweetened tunings...ye shall be released!...
The only OTHER thing to consider is how much cabinet drop. My Beginner CD volume 1 is going to address all of these issues and will utilize both a Peterson, and a standard Boss tuner, as well as tuning intervals by ear..[/url]
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Paddy Long · From: Christchurch, New Zealand

I'm with Dennis on this -- when your first starting out on PSG you have a lot to try and take in and comprehend -- buy a Peterson Stroboflip tuner with the built in tempered tunings and concentrate on learning to play and not learning to tune !!! That will all fall in to place as you progress.

Smile

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Shane Reilly · From: Melbourne, Australia

I'd suggest getting Buddy Emmons tuning chart and CD from b0b.It will help you tune with YOUR ears to YOURSELF.It's just one more point of view to help you find your's.And the proof is in the pudd,he tunes and plays and he's in tune.Worth the money fer sure.
Cheers,Shane.

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