Strings change? to play in different keys!

Steve Buchholz · From: Maryland, USA

I've been trying to learn lap steel for many years now and getting help on YouTube, find that there are so many different keys you can play in. My question is do you have to change strings whenever you want to try a new key if you only have one lap steel or will strings stretch enough say if you want to go from open D to open G. Seems like a lot of wasted strings if you have to change. Maybe I aught to choose one key and stick with it but you hear people playing such cool stuff in so many different keys.

Thanx

Erv Niehaus · From: Litchfield, MN, USA

The key you're playing has nothing to do with the strings.
However, if you change the tuning you are playing in, chances are you might need to change some string gauges.
Erv

Glenn Wilde · From: California, USA

A medium/heavy standard guitar set should do open D or High bass G. If you change tuning alot though it will cause them to wear fast. If you size your own string sets you should be able to make the optimal set to go between tunings.

Stephen Cowell · From: Round Rock, Texas, USA

You can't do a close-harmony tuning like a 6 tuning with a normal armpit-guitar set... spanning two octaves is way different from spanning an octave and a third. When in doubt, go looser rather than tighter... if you tighten strings too much they stretch and sound funny, even when loosened. Use the John Ely string gauge chart when in doubt.
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Jeff Highland · From: New South Wales, Australia

A 16 to 56 nickel resonater set will do you for both Open D Or Open G (High Bass or Low D)
I prefer to sub in a 60 thou low string and keep it at D for low Bass G

Jeff Mead · From: London, England

You can tune each string a couple of semitones higher or lower with no problems - maybe more - which allows quite a few different tunings but big changes like going from a major tuning to a close harmony tuning like a 6th requires different string gauges. So, for example, going from A major (E C# A E C#A) to E major (E B G# E B G#) is no problem, going from A major to A6 (E C# A F# E C#) requires different strings.

The overall sound of a tuning doesn't change as much going from one major chord to another as it does changing to different types of chord - A, A6, A7 which all have different "flavours".

Noah Miller · From: Rocky Hill, CT

Yup, Jeff nailed it - slight changes in tuning/tension can work without restringing, but major changes require new strings. Or a multi-necked steel... or several lap steels... or fifty lap steels, twenty guitars, eleven mandolins, eight banjos, and a partridge in a pear tree. Very Happy

There is - well, was - a great website by D'Addario for calculating string tensions. I use it all the time for putting together custom sets. Of course, now that I want to share it, it's down for a makeover - not surprising, since it did tend to crash a lot.

Dave Mudgett · From: Central Pennsylvania and Gallatin, Tennessee

Yeah, the very useful D'Addario tension calculator is "Under Construction" while they work on improvements - hopefully it will come back shortly. But the tension chart is still out there - https://www.daddario.com/globalassets/pdfs/accessories/tension_chart_13934.pdf

The chart's guitar string tensions are based on a 25.5" Fender-type scale length. But it's easy to convert to different scale lengths using the string tension equation:

T = (UW x (2 x L x F)^2) / 386.4

where ^ is exponentiation, T is the string tension in pounds, UW is string unit weight in pounds per linear inch, L is the scale length in inches, and F is the pitch frequency in Hz.

So to get the tension for a different scale length L, just multiply by (L/25.5)^2.

And - there is another string tension calculator as a function of scale length and gauge here - https://tension.stringjoy.com/

For different types of strings, there will be variations in unit weight and thus tension based on the wrap/core ratio, exact string materials, winding method (e.g., flat vs round wound), how tightly the strings are wound, and probably some other variables. But this calculator should get you in the ballpark.

Neil Overholser · From: Nevada, USA

When I recently discovered that the D'adarrio string tension guide was no longer available a google search turned up a useful calculator.

https://stringtensioncalculator.com/

It allows one to create tunings with more than 6 strings, and set different scale lengths. It even displays the calculated tension in various colors to indicate whether you are straying too low toward unmanageable slackness or high enough to be in imminent danger of dealing with a sharp broken string end whipping toward your face. It's undoubtedly preset with a bias toward tensions comfortable to fingers pressing down on strings. Steel players may want to venture a bit further into the red zone. You may have noticed that nobody is marketing steel guitar string sets with the word "slinky". How tight is right? I have no idea. As others have mentioned , let pitch stability and tone quality be guides to choosing best tension.

Jeff Mead · From: London, England

This is my favourite for choosing string gauges.

https://www.hawaiiansteel.com/learning/gauges.php

JB Bobbitt · From: California, USA

But how does one measure string tension?
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Dave Mudgett · From: Central Pennsylvania and Gallatin, Tennessee

If you're not satisfied with the string tension formula and are hell-bent to measure the string tension, here's a basic and simple approach - https://prgomez.com/how-to-measure-string-tension-easily/

Technically, this gives the tension of the bent string, which is longer than the un-bent string. But it's simple enough to compute how much longer it is (depending on the angle the bent string makes with the straight string) and use the string tension formula to correct that to the un-bent string length.

Personally, I find the string tension formula approach works very well. As noted above, relatively small variations in string tension are not a problem, to the point where doing minor tuning changes works well on the same set of strings. For example, C6 with 3rd on top, A6 with 5th on top, and E6 with root on top are pretty close to each other. I've found I can tune between them without changing strings and still maintain a good feel on the strings.

And if you want easier, using John Ely's string gauge guide - https://www.hawaiiansteel.com/learning/gauges.php - works just fine. I tend to make a correction for a 22-23" or a 26" scale guitar. If you look at most steel-specific string sets and calculate the tensions, they tend to come out in the general 25-30 pound per string range.

Steve Buchholz · From: Maryland, USA

You all are great! Thank you for the reply's and suggestions! It helps a lot!

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