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Topic: 2d neck tunings |
Miles Lang
From:
Venturaloha
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Posted 21 Mar 2016 11:12 am |
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I was fortunate to buy up some great vintage steels back in the 80's, when the prices were amazing. Now I'm really devoting myself to have a fraction of the skill that justifies such gear!  I have lined up a lanai gig when the weather gets warmer.
My Stringmaster D8 is about ready to come out of the shop, and have to make some decisions about string gauges and tunings. I'm going to run the Stringmaster as a D6 while I wrap my head around it, and then add the extra strings as my skill improves.
I've been playing with a real cockamamie G6 tuning (reso tuning?) on my Champ - lo to hi GBEGBE. This tuning gets me a very authentic Sleepwalk vibe, although I know Santo used a C#m7 tuning for that.
Thanks to the inspiration of my sensei, Kimo Delgado, I've been working real hard on trad C6. I'm learning as many songs as I can in C6, because I feel that's a real steel player's tuning. One of the Stringmaster necks will be C6, for sure. I'm not real thrilled with the sound of Sleepwalk in C6, but maybe I'm doing it wrong.
I'm thinking about stringing up the other neck in B11. I love what I'm hearing from Doug Beaumier and Andy Volk with that tuning. It's just a few strings different that C6, but is there a better choice for this second neck? Should I go with Santo's C#m7? What else can I do in that tuning? |
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Todd Clinesmith
From:
Lone Rock Free State Oregon
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Posted 21 Mar 2016 8:38 pm
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I'd run an E13 as a second tuning if you are looking for a second swing style tuning. It is a lot more user friendly than C#min, and has some similarities.
I am most fond of Vance Terry's E13 which is similar to Leon's.
Vance Terry:
E
C#
B
G#
F#
D
B
G#
Leon:
E
C#
B
G#
F#
D
G#
E
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Paul Seager
From:
Augsburg, Germany
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Posted 22 Mar 2016 8:02 am Re: 2d neck tunings
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| Miles Lang wrote: |
| I'm not real thrilled with the sound of Sleepwalk in C6 |
What do you mean by this? Reason I ask is that I play this song at gigs occasionally and I've always felt there is something missing. I didn't know that the original was in another tuning so maybe that's it but if I can press you, what differences do you find that you can attribute to the tuning?
\ paul
_________________
\paul
Bayern Hawaiians: https://www.youtube.com/@diebayernhawaiians3062
Other stuff: https://www.youtube.com/@paulseager3796/videos |
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Doug Beaumier
From:
Northampton, MA
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Posted 22 Mar 2016 8:37 am
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Most of the song can be played exactly like the original, on C6, because most of it is played in single notes. There is one phrase at the end of the melody that's a little tricky on C6, but it is doable. I think the player's technique is more important than the tuning used for SleepWalk. You need the right amount of vibrato, tone, strong harmonics, and single note playing for this song. It's very tempting to overplay the tune, to fill up those empty spaces in the song with full chords and fills that are not in the original. I play the song on C6 and I think it sounds reasonably close to the original, which was played in C#m7. Here's my C6 version ---> http://playsteelguitar.com/wp-content/uploads/1_Sleepwalk.mp3
_________________
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25 Songs C6 Lap Steel / 25 MORE Songs C6 Lap Steel / 16 Songs, C6, A6, B11 / 60 Popular Melodies E9 Pedal Steel |
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Frank James Pracher
From:
Michigan, USA
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Posted 22 Mar 2016 10:22 am
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| Doug Beaumier wrote: |
| strong harmonics, |
That harmonic at the end kills me. I get it every time at rehearsal... but at gigs it seems that the prettier I play the song, the more likely I am to tank the harmonic at the end of the song 
FWIW. I play it in C6 (learned it from Doug's book!) and it sounds good to my ears. Reverb and a good tube amp help
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Jerry Overstreet
From:
Louisville Ky
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Posted 22 Mar 2016 10:27 am
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| Todd, thanks for that slightly altered E13 Vance Terry tuning. I'll be trying that out soon as I get my Dual Pro back in operation. |
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Doug Beaumier
From:
Northampton, MA
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Posted 22 Mar 2016 12:40 pm
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Yes, that last harmonic in SleepWalk is frightening because the band stops, and the dancers look over, waiting to see what happens... and you're on your own. Either you nail the chime or you get a *thud* and everyone in the place hears it. I've been there many times. Here's what I do... With the bar at fret 3, I play the harmonic with my right hand palm touching the string at fret 15... but I don't look at fret 15. I look at my thumb pick and I place my thumb pick right between frets 9 and 10 and pick there. I know that when I pick there, my right hand palm will be directly over fret 15 and the harmonic will be perfect every time (hopefully)!
_________________
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25 Songs C6 Lap Steel / 25 MORE Songs C6 Lap Steel / 16 Songs, C6, A6, B11 / 60 Popular Melodies E9 Pedal Steel |
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Miles Lang
From:
Venturaloha
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Posted 22 Mar 2016 4:53 pm
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| Doug Beaumier wrote: |
| Most of the song can be played exactly like the original, on C6, because most of it is played in single notes. There is one phrase at the end of the melody that's a little tricky on C6, but it is doable. I think the player's technique is more important than the tuning used for SleepWalk. You need the right amount of vibrato, tone, strong harmonics, and single note playing for this song. It's very tempting to overplay the tune, to fill up those empty spaces in the song with full chords and fills that are not in the original. I play the song on C6 and I think it sounds reasonably close to the original, which was played in C#m7. Here's my C6 version ---> http://playsteelguitar.com/wp-content/uploads/1_Sleepwalk.mp3 |
Your version sounds perfect, Doug (like most of your recordings!). Maybe I'm trying to play too many double stops, and the harmonies come out sounding very Hawaiian and not so Brooklyn. |
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Andy Henriksen
From:
Michigan, USA
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Posted 23 Mar 2016 4:26 am
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| Doug Beaumier wrote: |
| Yes, that last harmonic in SleepWalk is frightening... |
I shouldn't admit this because it's such a hack move, and I'm sure everyone here will groan, but I will be playing Sleepwalk at a gig this Saturday, and even at practice, I can only hit that harmonic like 50% of the time. So, for the gig, I've resigned to, instead, play it as a clean (non-harmonic) phrase an octave higher - starting at fret 15.
After Saturday, I'll continue to try to work on the harmonic at practice, but at the gig, I'd rather hear the right notes without the chime quality, than risk the very real chance of just hearing a dull thud. |
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Paul Seager
From:
Augsburg, Germany
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