Bands tunes down 1/2 step

Drew Howard · From: 48854

More and more of the bands I sit in with are, like myself, rockers who now play country. Unfortunately some of the "rock" is left over, like excessive stage volume. Here's a new one, a band I sit in with tunes down a half-step, common among rock bands, but among country bands? It's weird, because the singers all have excellent range. I guess they want to save their voices, but something tells me their tuning is a left-over from rock band days.

????

Drew

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Fessenden D-10 8+8 / Magnatone S-8 (E13)

Pete Burak · From: Portland, OR USA

I found out that The Derailers tune down a half step (on the first song of the set when I sat in with them a few years back).
If you know in advance, I would say just tune down a half step (and be sure to tune evey pedal/lever change, because the lower tension will make the travel slightly different).
I understand the reason The Derailers do it, is because "That's the way Buck did it".

Gerry Hogan · From: Burghclere, Hampshire, England

Drew, my first steel was a used, white Fender 400, the type with the static bridge. Thus, the pedalled strings sawed backwards and forwards across this! I couldn't get a string to last very long as the high F# for a D9th tuning - and then I realised that all the Buck Owens tunes I was desperately trying to play guitar and steel to, were a half-tone flat anyway. At first I questioned my record player, but I tuned my steel and Telecaster down a half-tone anyway, so I could get the open strings that Don Rich and Tom Brumley were using. Hence, I had a C#9th tuning!

Years later, in 1993, when Tom came to play at my Steel Guitar Festival (and he played as wonderfully as I had always expected!

), I asked him about their tuning and he told me that they had tuned a half-tone flat back then, too - he had a Fender 1000 and so, I assume they did it for the same reason.

I bought my Fender 400 from a great "Mooney"-style player, serving in the USAF, stationed at High Wycombe, England. His name was Gerry Ford and I wonder if he is still playing and where is he living today? He was posted away from England in 1966 and so, he sold me his steel at that time.

John McGann · From: Boston, Massachusetts, USA * R.I.P.

Hendrix got it from Buck

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Chris Schlotzhauer · From: Colleyville, Tx. USA

Yeah the Derailers did it alot. When I started playing with them, they never say what key the song is in. They just said "kick it off" and I would just like the record. A couple of times we were all surprised by the results. You are right Pete. They did it because Buck did. Why not?
Stevie Ray tuned to Eb, and I think Dale Watson did on some tunes.

Gerry Hogan · From: Burghclere, Hampshire, England

I forgot to mention that, of course, everyone else in the band tuned down a half-tone too!

James Pennebaker · From: Mt. Juliet, TN

I would say most rock players who tune down do it because of Hendrix and Stevie Vaughan.

I used to play guitar with Lee Roy Parnell for many years and played pedal steel on a few tunes in the live show. Lee Roy started tuning down a half step after having some voice problems. Tuning down made it easier on the old vocal chords. Anyway, it was somewhat of a challenge at first but I found playing "between the cracks" to be a good experience. A few years ago I subbed for the DeRailer's steel player on a week long cruise trip. In hindsight, the experience with Parnell paid off for me as I wasn't at all spooked by their "Buck Owens" tuning!

JP

Stu Schulman · From: Ulster Park New Yawk (deceased)

I heard that Poco used to tune down also.

Pete Burak · From: Portland, OR USA

Having heard Poco live recently, I was thinking they need to bring it down another half step. Whew... they have some high ones!
For some reason I thought I heard SRV tuned down a full step, and used really heavy guage strings.
A half doesn't seem like much on an instrument, but makes a pretty dramatic difference in vocal range.

Dave Grafe · From: Hudson River Valley NY

So THAT's the reason TB did "Bud's Bounce" in E?

Learn something EVERY day!

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Dave Grafe - email: dg@pdxaudio.com
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Pickin', etc.

1978 ShoBud Pro I E9, 1960 Les Paul (SG) Deluxe, 1963 Precision Bass, 1954 Gibson LGO, 1897 Washburn Hawaiian Steel Conversion

John Daugherty · From: Rolla, Missouri, USA

I heard a quote attributed to Bob Wills: "If a singer can't shift a half tone to sing in a key that makes it easy for the band, they should get off the bandstand".
AND..... Dave, I always played Buds Bounce in "E" on my "E9" tuning............JD

Chick Donner · From: North Ridgeville, OH USA

Guess I got out of Nashville just in time; never did tune down (or up) or anything.

Jerry Overstreet · From: Louisville Ky

I read somewhere that SRV used a .013 string set. Yeouch! I was under the impression that he only tuned a half step down, but I may be wrong.

Some like the feel of a tuned down and capoed neck I hear.

James Pennebaker · From: Mt. Juliet, TN

Stevie tuned down a half step. He did it because Jimi Hendrix did. Sorry for the "no steel" content. :>)

JP

Jay Fagerlie · From: Lotus, California, USA

Van Halen also tuned down a half step.
Diamond Dave needed all the help he could get......
J

Leslie Ehrlich · From: Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada

All of my guitars are tuned to concert pitch except the pedal steel. I tune the pedal steel down a half step to reduce the chance of strings breaking.

Ron Randall · From: Dallas, Texas, USA

I played rhythm guitar for Chuck Berry in '66 and again in '67. He was tuned down a 1/2 step.

One can use bigger gauges and still bend the strings. Nothing to do with vocal range.
IMHO

Allen Peterson · From: Katy, Texas

SRV tuned down a 1/2 step because he used heavy gauge strings and he couldn't bend as easily as with the standard tuning. He used a 13 on top. Ever tried to bend a 13 gauge string? It will shread your fingers pretty quickly. One of the reasons he didn't have a keyboard player in his band for a long time was that he couldn't find a keyboard player that could play well enough in Eb. Too many black keys. Finally, keyboards were made tuneable and this solved the problem. The reason for tuning down to Eb was for the tone he got with heavy gauge strings vs light gauge strings. I don't think it had anything to do with vocal ranges. A lot of blues band have gone to this for the same reason; they like the "growl" they get from heavy gauge strings. I don't know what the advantage would be for a country band to do this.

James Pennebaker · From: Mt. Juliet, TN

Allen,

You are right that Stevie tuned down to get the tone from the heavier strings. (I believ that's why Hendrix did it too) However, Stevie could bend those .013s tuned to pitch. I witnessed him do it many times when he sat in with the group I was playing with in the 1980s (Delbert McClinton's band). He tuned his guitar up to standard when he sat in with us. I was always amazed at what he could do with the heavy strings. Also, Reese Wynans was our keyboard player at the time and he left Delbert to join Double Trouble. I have known Reese for more than 20 years and he never transposed or "tuned" his keyboard. He played Hammond B3 and Piano at the same time with Stevie and you can't "tune" a Hammond. Reese lives here in the Nashville area now and I still work with him from time to time. He will not use the transpose button. He plays the piano in the key of the song, period. Stevie's addition of a keyboard was because he wanted to "fill out" the sound of the band. He was growing tired of the "trio" format.

JP

[This message was edited by James Pennebaker on 29 December 2004 at 10:50 PM.]

Pete Knapton · From: Otago, New Zealand

Don't forget that each key has its own 'personality'.
I prefer Eb to E. Its only a half step down but its got a different sound, different feel.
(Or maybe i'm just tired of someone calling "blues in E").
Anyway, keys are all different, for different uses and feels.
Pete

Emmett Roch · From: Texas Hill Country

I toured with a band that tuned down a half-step and I saved money on .11's as well as the time normally spent replacing them. I liked the tone I got too.

I did a tour with Dale a few years ago and he tuned his guitar down a whole step.

Jerry Hayes · From: Virginia Beach, Va.

I played in a band in SoCal in the late 70's which had a chick singer and a drummer who were featured vocalists. Our other two singers played instruments and always sang their songs in major keys. We got together one night and said we'll see what happens if we do the songs in major keys without them knowing about it. One night at a gig our drummer called out "Girl Like You, C#". We just gave the key sign for C and did it there and he never knew the difference. Our girl called out "Sweet Dreams, Ab" to which we signaled each other with one finger up for the key of G and did the tune and she didn't suspect a thing. What little singing I've done has never been bothered by a half step up or down, well maybe to the audience. As far as the heavy strings on a guitar. If I used a .013 on the first string for playing a half step down I'd just use a .012 for standard pitch. I have one Telecaster which has a HipShot Trilogy bridge unit on it which you can set each string for three separate tuneable note. I've got it set to lower each string a half and then a whole step and it works fine for those situations. I just have a standard set of .010-.046 strings on the thing. Some keys I can't stand especially the key of B. I'd rather play in Bb anyday and I don't care for open E on pedal steel but I love it for guitar....JH

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Livin' in the Past and Future with a 12 string Mooney Universal tuning.

Dave Ristrim · From: Whites Creek, TN

I did a stint with McBride and the Ride in 2002. Awesome band, pristine vocals, tuned down 1/2 step. As far as I know, it was to save voices from shredding. You gotta figure some of their hits were cut almost 20 years ago and reaching for those high notes can wear you down. What a great bunch of guys with talent just oozing out of their pores.
I left the pedal steel in standard, but tuned my lap steel to open Eb.
Dave

Drew Howard · From: 48854

I totally forgot about The Derailers & Buck Owens tuning down. Thanks for reminding me!
Drew

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Fessenden D-10 8+8 / Magnatone S-8 (E13)

Allen Peterson · From: Katy, Texas

Thanks James for your corrections to my post. I guess most of what I posted was heresay. SRV was an amazing guitar player and he had to have had a lot of hand strength to bend those heavy gauge strings whether tuned down or not. I didn't know that about Reese. He, too, must be an amazing musician to be able to play without the tune-down knob. I didn't think about the B3 and what you said now makes a lot of sense. Thanks for putting me straight.

Allen Peterson

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