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Topic: Most common/easiest tuning |
Charlie Hansen
From:
Halifax, NS Canada and Various Southern Towns.
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Posted 30 Jan 2022 6:15 am |
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What would be the most common/easiest tuning for a six string lap steel. It’ll probably be used for old country mostly. It’s tuned C6 right now but I find it hard to transfer what I know from other instruments to C6.
_________________
I don't know much but what I know I know very well.
Carter S-10 3X5, Peavey Nashville 112, plus Regal dobro and too many other instruments to mention.
Bluegrass Island CFCY FM 95.1 Charlottetown, PE, Canada, on the web at cfcy.fm.
A Touch Of Texas CIOE FM 97.5 Sackville, NS, Canada,
on the web at cioe975.ca. |
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Brian Evans
From:
Nova Scotia, Canada
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Posted 30 Jan 2022 6:29 am
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If you play guitar in normal spanish guitar tuning (EADGBE)then a really easy tuning to learn is EGDGBD. Just two strings lowered a tone, you have open G with the root on the 5th string so you can play an awful lot of stuff with that, you have the characteristic sound of the B-D on the second and first strings, an awful lot of licks use that minor third., and you have minor 7 chords with the root on the E 6th string. Mentally you don't tend to get lost, it's really easy to go to the fifth fret and have a C chord and an Am7 chord right there.
BTW, Tatamagouche. |
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Jeff Mead
From:
London, England
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Posted 30 Jan 2022 9:34 am Re: Most common/easiest tuning
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| Charlie Hansen wrote: |
| What would be the most common/easiest tuning for a six string lap steel. It’ll probably be used for old country mostly. It’s tuned C6 right now but I find it hard to transfer what I know from other instruments to C6. |
If you want to play old country (Hank Williams style) then a 6th tuning is a must.
As a guitar player myself, I found A6 much easier to relate to than C6 - I imagined playing an A shape on the top 3 strings and so i instinctively know I'd find D on the 5th fret and F on the 8th etc. Starting from C, I'm counting on my fingers.
I like the makor chord on the top 3 strings and the relative minor on strings 234 (whatever major chord you are playing, the minor version is 3 frets higher on strings 234).
There are other tunings that are easier to relate to guitar - espeially for single note playing but they aren't good for classic country. With A6 (and C6), some of those Don Helms licks fall right under the bar. In fact, the tuning is basically the opening notes of "Walking After Midnight" or "Panhandle Rag". |
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Glenn Wilde
From:
California, USA
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Posted 30 Jan 2022 9:52 am
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| A major tuning would be the most familiar open tuning, High bass G or A would be my suggestion for most stuff, I'll second the A6 recommendation for western swing. |
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Allan Revich
From:
Victoria, BC
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Posted 30 Jan 2022 10:01 am
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If you’re already an accomplished guitar player, there’s probably no easier tuning than the guitar Open G, DGDGBD. Not ideal for country, but perfect for blues. If you try, and like, that tuning you might experiment with raising one of the D strings to an E. That will give you the 6th for “countrification”.
The other easy tuning is open D, DADF#AD. This can be countrified by raising on of the A strings to B.
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Current Tunings:
6 String | G – G B D G B D
7 String | G6 – e G B D G B D (re-entrant)
https://papadafoe.com/lap-steel-tuning-database |
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Charlie Hansen
From:
Halifax, NS Canada and Various Southern Towns.
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Posted 30 Jan 2022 12:17 pm
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I'm new to lap steel but I've played several other instruments for 60 years. I play pedal steel (a bit), guitar, dobro (a bit), mandolin, and bass. I'd like a different tuning from the dobro. If I used the middle six strings of the E9 tuning what would that do for me. thanks for the suggestions.
_________________
I don't know much but what I know I know very well.
Carter S-10 3X5, Peavey Nashville 112, plus Regal dobro and too many other instruments to mention.
Bluegrass Island CFCY FM 95.1 Charlottetown, PE, Canada, on the web at cfcy.fm.
A Touch Of Texas CIOE FM 97.5 Sackville, NS, Canada,
on the web at cioe975.ca. |
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Allan Revich
From:
Victoria, BC
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Posted 30 Jan 2022 12:39 pm
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I don't play pedal, or E9... but are these the six strings that you're thinking of?
B E F♯ G♯ B E
from,
B E G♯ B E F♯ G♯ B E G♯ D♯ F♯ |
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Samuel Phillippe
From:
Douglas Michigan, USA
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Posted 30 Jan 2022 1:37 pm
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| I prefer A6 on my lap top 8 string, and changed my 6 strings to A6 also.....I like the tone |
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Charlie Hansen
From:
Halifax, NS Canada and Various Southern Towns.
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Posted 30 Jan 2022 1:45 pm
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[quote="Allan Revich"]I don't play pedal, or E9... but are these the six strings that you're thinking of?
B E F♯ G♯ B E
from,
B E G♯ B E F♯ G♯ B E G♯ D♯ F♯[/quote
They would be E F# G# B E G#. Same notes, different order.
_________________
I don't know much but what I know I know very well.
Carter S-10 3X5, Peavey Nashville 112, plus Regal dobro and too many other instruments to mention.
Bluegrass Island CFCY FM 95.1 Charlottetown, PE, Canada, on the web at cfcy.fm.
A Touch Of Texas CIOE FM 97.5 Sackville, NS, Canada,
on the web at cioe975.ca. |
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Joe A. Roberts
From:
Seoul, South Korea
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Posted 31 Jan 2022 5:55 am
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[quote="Charlie Hansen"]
| Allan Revich wrote: |
I don't play pedal, or E9... but are these the six strings that you're thinking of?
B E F♯ G♯ B E
from,
B E G♯ B E F♯ G♯ B E G♯ D♯ F♯[/quote
They would be E F# G# B E G#. Same notes, different order. |
This tuning would be too high for me! It might be worth trying the old lap steel E7th.
High-to-low: E B G# E D B. This tuning dates back to the late 30s and is the grandaddy of the E9th pedal tuning.
You could tune this to E B G# F# D B for an easy E9th as well. |
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Allan Revich
From:
Victoria, BC
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Posted 31 Jan 2022 11:44 am
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| Charlie Hansen wrote: |
They would be E F# G# B E G#. Same notes, different order.
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Besides being a high tuning, without the D (7th) I think that it's "E(add 9)" rather than E9. This only matters because I'm not sure what advantages there might be to an "add 9" tuning on lap steel?
From my perspective, it looks like a step towards more complexity rather than less, compared to C6.
Of course, as someone who is constantly experimenting with new tunings, obviously I like the idea of finding your own "perfect" tuning.
_________________
Current Tunings:
6 String | G – G B D G B D
7 String | G6 – e G B D G B D (re-entrant)
https://papadafoe.com/lap-steel-tuning-database |
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Dom Franco
From:
Beaverton, OR, 97007
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Posted 31 Jan 2022 6:21 pm
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Charlie; if you already play pedal steel (Carter 3 pedal) then A6 would be very easy to relate to. It's almost exactly the same as your E9 with A+B pedals down.
LOW TO HIGH: C# E F# A C# E
You would also be able to use the exact same string gauges as C6th if your tuning is: C E G A C E
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https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCYG9cvwCPKuXpGofziPNieA/feed?activity_view=3 |
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Charlie Hansen
From:
Halifax, NS Canada and Various Southern Towns.
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Posted 31 Jan 2022 7:00 pm
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I’ve been sort of moving between C6 & A6 to see which one works for me. I guess it’s one way to find out.
Thanks for all the replies. It’s helped a lot in my search.
_________________
I don't know much but what I know I know very well.
Carter S-10 3X5, Peavey Nashville 112, plus Regal dobro and too many other instruments to mention.
Bluegrass Island CFCY FM 95.1 Charlottetown, PE, Canada, on the web at cfcy.fm.
A Touch Of Texas CIOE FM 97.5 Sackville, NS, Canada,
on the web at cioe975.ca. |
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Stephen Cowell
From:
Round Rock, Texas, USA
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Posted 31 Jan 2022 8:24 pm
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| Charlie Hansen wrote: |
| I'm new to lap steel but I've played several other instruments for 60 years. I play pedal steel (a bit), guitar, dobro (a bit), mandolin, and bass. I'd like a different tuning from the dobro. If I used the middle six strings of the E9 tuning what would that do for me. thanks for the suggestions. |
The problem with that is E9 is 'designed' to be played with 'pedals down'... without pedals down you have two strings *way* apart. With pedals down you're in the I... let the pedals up and you go to V... slip down two frets and you're at the IV... money neck! Of course there's a 2-fret box for pedals up as well... the point is, it needs pedals.
Starting out, I'd say go with E-chord or A-chord. Lots of good stuff in E-chord! Soon enough you'll see the need for 8-string C6... close interval chords are where steel guitar lives.
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New FB Page: Lap Steel Licks And Stuff: https://www.facebook.com/groups/195394851800329 |
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