Which tuning would be best suited for no slants?

John Bushouse · Post by **John Bushouse** » 20 Aug 2008 10:51 am

David Doggett wrote:... For that stuff, Carl is right, C6 or A6 are the tunings of choice, not just for the 6th chords (which have a very dated sound), but for the minor chords and major 7ths.

it may be a dated sound, but it's definitely an appealing sound.

David Doggett · Post by **David Doggett** » 20 Aug 2008 12:11 pm

In the right context, I agree.

Fred · Post by **Fred** » 20 Aug 2008 1:48 pm

A bit off the topic - but in trying to choose a 6-string lap steel tuning to go with, my main consideration would be the ability to play Blues type of stuff, especially single-note 'lead', mostly pentatonic-based lines. Any thoughts on this?

I had been fooling around with the Leavitt tuning at the end of last year when I went to a blues jam. I had intended to re-tune to C6 or E13, but things got going and I just started playing.

The Leavitt tuning worked great for blues. With four dominant chords and four of the five notes of the pentatonic scale at each fret it's easy to run back to a "safe place" if you get a little lost.

It's not so good for playing solo, but with a band I highly recommend it.

Fred

Bill Hatcher · Post by **Bill Hatcher** » 20 Aug 2008 7:27 pm

Fred wrote:
AI had been fooling around with the Leavitt tuning at the end of last year when I went to a blues jam. I had intended to re-tune to C6 or E13, but things got going and I just started playing.

The Leavitt tuning worked great for blues. With four dominant chords and four of the five notes of the pentatonic scale at each fret it's easy to run back to a "safe place" if you get a little lost.

It's not so good for playing solo, but with a band I highly recommend it.

Fred
Surely you jest about the Leavitt tuning not being good for playing solo. I have posted several selections here playing the extended Leavitt tuning solo with only a bass. I have it strung up on 6, 8, 10 and 12 string guitars. You can remove the bass part and the Leavitt tuning still holds it own. Did you not listen to any of these? I could play none of these in this manner on C6. I have several more that I have posted if you do a search. Listen to them and tell me that the Leavitt tuning is no good for solo non pedal steel.

http://www.mediafire.com/download.php?dianolxezml

http://www.mediafire.com/download.php?qzbwrk47yoj

http://www.mediafire.com/download.php?59jtbwwdmj4

Edward Meisse · Post by **Edward Meisse** » 20 Aug 2008 7:46 pm

My advice is to abandon this way of looking at things and make up your mind to learn every technique available. C6 and A6 can play the blues without using those, "Dated sounds," if you are willing to slant and to play single strings. Leon McAulliffe's and Tom Morrel's E13 tunings are very good all around tunings as well.
I think Leavitt tuning would be a great 2nd tuning. It is absolutely an extremely good no slant tuning. But I'll bet you could get even more out of it if you were willing to slant.

Fred · Post by **Fred** » 20 Aug 2008 7:46 pm

For Bill

Surely you jest about the Leavitt tuning not being good for playing solo.

I've listened to your recordings and they're incredible. They are part of the reason I started exploring the Leavitt tuning more seriously.

I was thinking of the traditional blues bass line and and melody doesn't work so well with the Leavitt on six strings. I miss the bass notes.

Bill Hatcher · Post by **Bill Hatcher** » 21 Aug 2008 2:11 am

Thank you Fred.

Have you strung up an 8 string with Leavitt and added two bass strings? Might give you what you want.

Can you post an MP3 of an example of what you want to hear with the bass strings.

Fred · Post by **Fred** » 21 Aug 2008 2:44 am

Bill,

I don't actually want to play solo blues, blues solos yes, but not solo playing

I have tried adding an F on top to get a second m7 and the full Bb triad on top. It opens up some familiar sixth tuning territory.

For an eighth string I've been trying an out-of-order B on the low end of the tuning, like Joaquin Murphey's C6. Both of these work on a guitar that was already tuned to Murph's C6.

Fred

Bill Hatcher · Post by **Bill Hatcher** » 21 Aug 2008 4:26 am

Fred. I will be thinking about some blues on the Leavitt.

Fred · Post by **Fred** » 21 Aug 2008 5:46 am

Fred. I will be thinking about some blues on the Leavitt.

I'll be waiting

Rick Schmidt · Post by **Rick Schmidt** » 21 Aug 2008 6:25 am

Me too!

Edward Meisse · Post by **Edward Meisse** » 21 Aug 2008 8:07 am

That

out of order B string

(known in the trade as a re-entrant) is a great idea. In Murph's C6 it gives most of the benefits of both C6 and E9 on one neck. At first glance it appears to add alot of great stuff to Leavitt also. The most exciting idea I've seen. But it does depend a little on what you're aiming for. If you want to play

solo

in the same sense as a keyboard or classical guitar might, you need some bass strings down there. But if you're playing

solo

more in the traditional steel guitar style as in more like what would be called

the lead

, then I think this idea is excellent. And I think the F on top is the best way to get the 6/m7 chord out of this tuning. But I've strictly been an experimenter with this tuning.

C Dixon · Post by **C Dixon** » 21 Aug 2008 9:14 am

Dear players,

The following I may get flamed for, but I believe it needs to be considered, and few may realize it.

When you add strings ANY where in the tuning of a Steel Guitar, that string CAN give out sublte overtones, EVEN when not picked.

Jery Byrd and Buddy Emmons (and others) knew this early on. This is one of the reasons the so-called "chromatic" strings are OUT of order in the standard E9th PSG tuning to this day.

Unfotunately for me, I can hear these tones even when not picked; particularly IF I slide the bar to the next note or notes. Some can't hear them. Praise Jesus for this, since I consider their inablitly to hear what drives some of us nuts, is a blessing indeed.

So if you have a propensity for hearing even tiny, almost inaudible, nuances in music, (particulaly "beats") you may wish to consider this.

Finally, unless you tune ET. the more strings you add in a "chromatic" sense to a tuning, the more grossly out of tune some strings are going to be in relation to other strings. Since the 12 notes in our "Western" system of music can NOT be tuned beatless across all intervals.

An example of this is: If JB had added that often NEEDED "D" note in his "diatonic" tuning, there is NO way that D can be tuned to be "beatless" with the A and the G notes, IF one tunes JI.

I will always believe that is why he chose NOT to put it in there. But then I could be wrong.

For what ever it's worth.

c.

George Keoki Lake · Post by **George Keoki Lake** » 23 Aug 2008 9:14 am

Speaking of SLANTS....'nuf said !

Hawaiian Steel Guitar by Billy Robinson

Check out his You Tube...BEAUTIFUL !

Rob Stein · Post by **Rob Stein** » 29 Aug 2008 8:28 am

Thanks to all for the replies to my 'single-note blues-friendly tuning' question - compiling all those would add up to a really thorough book on the subject, I would say. Was my first posting on the forum and really knocked out by all that clear thinking; that sorts me out pretty good!