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Topic: Input on my tuning. |
LaVern Skarzenski
From:
North East,Pennsylvania, USA
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Posted 21 Jun 2017 7:41 pm |
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Hi all,
I hope this is the right place to post this. I play E9th pedal steel, but as some of you may have seen I have built several different lap steels over the years. I have tried in the past standard dobro, GBDGBD, also C6th CEGACE, on six string, and on 8 string I've also tried several different ones, FACEGACE, Don Helm's E6th and I'm sure there were others that I can't remember just now. My problem is after playing E9th pedals I can't seem to do anything with these non-pedal steels. I do enjoy building them but if I could come up with a tuning I can "understand" and at least play a melody or something that sounds like it belongs.
Any way after trying out the FACEGACE and not getting any where. I've come up with this that I tried to base it on my familiarity of E9th. Low to high, B,C#,E,G#,B,E,G#,D. With this I am able to get my 4 grips of E, a C#m and a E7th. My mind sees the 765 as the A pedal on E9th and the 123 grip as the Eb to D lower on the pedal steel to get a 7th. So far I've been able to do some pretty good stuff based on my knowledge of the E9th pedal steel. I won't really know how it goes until I try it out with our band this Friday. Has any one ever tried this and found out it is a waste of time? Coming from E9th pedal it makes sense to me, where as the E9th non-pedal tunings I've found on line don't. What do you think?
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GFI S10, BSG S10, Nashville 112, Digitech 155, DOD DFX9 Digital Delay, Goodrich L 120. |
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Stefan Robertson
From:
Hertfordshire, UK
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LaVern Skarzenski
From:
North East,Pennsylvania, USA
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Posted 22 Jun 2017 5:07 am
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Hi Stefan, I'm sorry, can you further explain? I followed your link. Are you suggesting a tuning? If so what 8 strings? Or are you naming my tuning? Thanks for the reply.
LaVern
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GFI S10, BSG S10, Nashville 112, Digitech 155, DOD DFX9 Digital Delay, Goodrich L 120. |
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C. E. Jackson
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Stefan Robertson
From:
Hertfordshire, UK
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Stefan Robertson
From:
Hertfordshire, UK
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Posted 22 Jun 2017 6:43 am
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Still think you are missing out on looking for pedal sounds/grips with so few strings.
I use 12. But the 8 I recommended you are the gravy of the tuning.
The meat and potatoes are the other strings
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Stefan
Bill Hatcher custom 12 string Lap Steel Guitar
E13#9/F secrets: https://thelapsteelguitarist.wordpress.com
"Give it up for The Lap Steel Guitarist" |
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Stefan Robertson
From:
Hertfordshire, UK
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Larry Phleger
From:
DuBois, PA
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Posted 22 Jun 2017 7:42 am
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| I agree with C. E. This is the same as E9 pedal steel with pedals A and B down on strings 4-8 and string 10 is the same as the 6th string on the 6 string A6 tuning. I went from playing non-pedal to pedal steel and thinking in these terms helped me with understanding the E9 copedant. |
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Bill Groner
From:
QUAKERTOWN, PA
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Posted 22 Jun 2017 8:48 am
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I am new to playing or should I say, trying to play lap steel. I noticed on the Night and Day video the tone bar was pushed forward toward the high string. Is this due to the additional strings and the tone bar isn't long enough to reach all the strings? Please don't mind the dumb questions. 
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Currently own, 6 Groner-tone lap steels, one 1953 Alamo Lap steel, Roland Cube, Fender Champion 40 |
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LaVern Skarzenski
From:
North East,Pennsylvania, USA
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Posted 22 Jun 2017 8:49 am
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Thanks everybody for the responses. I guess I'm going to need to study up on this for a while.
_________________
GFI S10, BSG S10, Nashville 112, Digitech 155, DOD DFX9 Digital Delay, Goodrich L 120. |
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Rick Abbott
From:
Indiana, USA
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Posted 22 Jun 2017 9:28 am
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Just to add my meager $.02: I have been using a different variation of E13 for a while and it really works well for "lead" playing.
Low to High: D E G+ B C+ E G+ F+
It shares a bit of the Nashville E9, pedals up/down feel, based on how you approach it. The re-entrant F+ feels pretty normal and can still work with the B to get you most of a 5 chord when in a hurry.
Works for what I'm doing...mostly non-traditional.
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RICK ABBOTT
Sho~Bud D-10 Professional #7962
Remington T-8, Sehy #112
1975 Peavey Pacer |
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James Kerr
From:
Scotland, UK
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Rick Abbott
From:
Indiana, USA
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Posted 30 Jun 2017 12:48 pm
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I decided to do something I've never had the nerve to do: I'm putting up a short clip of my playing... 
I really like the tuning I mentioned above: D E G+ B C+ E G+ F+. I think it's a valid tuning. Here's a short clip of a solo. There was no "mixing" as it was direct off a board into a cassette recorder. No pedals or volume pedal.
https://soundcloud.com/user-741938594/im-so-lonesome-i-could-cry
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RICK ABBOTT
Sho~Bud D-10 Professional #7962
Remington T-8, Sehy #112
1975 Peavey Pacer |
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LaVern Skarzenski
From:
North East,Pennsylvania, USA
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Posted 30 Jun 2017 9:05 pm
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Rick, that sounds pretty good. How long have you been working with this tuning? Sounds like you are fairly comfortable with it.
As for my tuning I took my lap steel last Friday to my regular Friday night jam session and as long as I was familiar with the song or had the chords in front of me, and the song wasn't a fast one, I did pretty good. But when they started playing new songs or started off without announcing the key I had a heck of a time as compared to my pedal steel. With the pedal steel I can usually find something that works, and keep up with the song, not so on the lap steel. I suppose familiarity is the key. Maybe in time I could get a better handle on it, but I must admit that I left it home tonight.
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GFI S10, BSG S10, Nashville 112, Digitech 155, DOD DFX9 Digital Delay, Goodrich L 120. |
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Jerry Wagner
From:
California, USA
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Posted 1 Jul 2017 9:32 am
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Hi LaVern,
Since you're most familiar with E9th: Low to high: B,C#,E,G#,B,E,G#,D and just for kicks, try a variation on a clever tuning that b0b came up with a few years ago. See:
http://bb.steelguitarforum.com/viewtopic.php?t=228821&sid=1f33d58a6f77de2f8457703a28e7bf11
It'll give you the Low to Hi 6,1,3,5,1 intervals you're used to and a similar range. Maybe it'll feel & sound familiar to you.
I use a similar G6/C7 tuning: Low to High (for 7 Strings): Bb,C,E,G,B,D,G
Jerry |
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Rick Abbott
From:
Indiana, USA
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Posted 1 Jul 2017 9:47 am
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I think I put the tuning on a year and a half ago? My thought was to use the pedals-up and down positions to guide my ears. G major is on frets 3 and 10. The 6th on 3 becomes the 3rd on 10. The inversions work about the same, not exact. I had used it about 3 hours before recording. Trust me, I didn't show you a whole song for a good reason  I have no other recordings at this time.
I use it for all sorts of music. Drop the D to C+ and it's more 6th-ish. I do that on a single 8 string; it gives me a tad more mileage from one tuning.
_________________
RICK ABBOTT
Sho~Bud D-10 Professional #7962
Remington T-8, Sehy #112
1975 Peavey Pacer |
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