Patsy Cline's I Don't Wanta, 8 String Tuning

[Rob Jardine]

Does anyone know what tuning was used on Patsy Cline's song I Don't Wanta. I have tried Don Helms E6 tuning:A, C#,E,G#,B,C#,E,G#, but I don't think I can get all the chord voicings right. Did Don use any other tunings? Thanks RJ

[Stephen Baker]

Rob, have you got a particular version your listening to because the version I have has no steel. It was recorded on the 23rd of May 1957 and the band for that session were -
Harold Bradley (Electric Bass); Owen Bradley (Piano); Farris Coursey (Drums); Hank Garland (Electric Guitar); Anita Kerr Singers (Vocals); Grady Martin (Electric Guitar); Bob Moore (Acoustic Bass); Jack Shook (Acoustic Guitar)

Steve

[Rob Jardine]

Hi Stephen: The copy I have is from this session:
January 5, 1956:
I Love You, Honey
(Eddie Miller)
Come On In
(and Make Yourself At Home)
(V.F. Stewart)
I Cried All The Way To The Altar
(Bobbie Flournoy)
I Don't Wanta
(Eddie Miller, W.S. Stevenson,
Durwood Haddock)
Session Personnel:
Harold Bradley (Acoustic Guitar); Owen Bradley (Piano); Farris Coursey (Drums); Don Helms (Steel Guitar); Tommy Jackson (Fiddle); Grady Martin (Electric Guitar); Bob Moore (Acoustic Bass)
I could not find my version on Utube. Thanks RJ

[Carl Mesrobian]

See if this helps you:

http://www.well.com/user/wellvis/donhelms.html

Here's a great video with Don interviewed by James Vest:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8LD62WHm ... ature=plcp

[Ric Nelson]

Yes, Don used another tuning for some of her sessions:

B-13th
high to low
E
C#
A
F#
Eb
B
A
F#

Also used this one as well as E-6th on sessions for Hank Williams,Ray Price, to name a few.

Ric

[Ric Nelson]

Rob:
I just noted that Don's E-6th tuning is different than yours (and mine for that matter).

His E6th, high to low was:

G#
E
C#
B
G#
E
C#
A

So you may want to tune to this first before you try the B-13th

Ric

[Ric Nelson]

The January 5, 1956 version of "I Don't Wanna" was not released, but I understand that shows up in box sets of her material.

After 1956, her sessions were minus a steel guitar and fiddle, since the producers wanted "The (new) Nashville Sound" which they felt had a wider appeal.

I've got to say that Patsy was not a happy camper, at least at first, about all of this. The hard thing was that, once she was back home and playing the Washington D.C. area, we didn't particularly produce that "Nashville Sound" and she always insisted that we sound like the recordings. So around here (in D.C.) she still had a fiddle and steel guitar until she moved to Nashville for good in 1959.

At first, I thought that Don Helms was playing a pedal steel, which I didn't, and I found sounding like him on some of the intros and licks, difficult.

But once I found out he didn't have a pedal, because my E6th and his E6th and B13th tunings were different, I still only came close. Thank goodness it was close enough for "The Cline."

I changed to an E7th tuning.

Ric