Tuning

[Richard Dempsey]

Okay, I am starting to get my head wrapped around this instrument and have a tuning question.. I have an MSA extended E9. I use a VSam Petersen tuner in the E9 temperament. Still, when I bring it up to tune, chords sound awful. I find that if I flat the "B"s and tweak the "G#"s by eliminating the beats, it sounds fine in open tuning and pretty good with pedals (I have tweaked them a little, but not much seems necessary after the open tuning tweaking. Am I on the right track? I have not subjected my bandmates to my playing, but the tuning I am using seems okay with CDs. Any advise is appreciated!

[Ian Rae]

not much seems necessary after the open tuning tweaking. Am I on the right track?

Yes. If it sounds right, it is right. If you can't tell what tuning method a player is using, then it's a good one. We listen to what we play with our ears, so it makes sense to tune with them.

[Warning! - if you plan to perform to an audience made up entirely of tuning machines, then none of the above applies.]

[Dave Meis]

Your theory is correct..that said, I found a tuning that worked great if I was playing solo (6th comma meantone), but didn't sound good when playing with 'temper tuned' instruments. But if you tuning is 'just', you can just play ahead or behind the fret marker, or tune your open Es to your tuner (or your guitar player!), and repeat what you just did.

[Henry Matthews]

There are oodles of threads on tuning but I still tune by ear when I can and just tune all the beats out, except for the 7th string, F#. On it you just have to pick a happy medium. I tune my E's to 440 with pedals down and the same with C's on C neck, then tune rest of guitar to them. I tune my 9th string to 6th with pedals down.
I have two Peterson tuners, a flip top and one of the new ones. Neither will tune to perfectly match my ears but in a noise situation will tune plenty close enough to play. With the Peterson tuner, the B strings and G# strings usually wind up a little flat to my ears.
Straight up 440 will not work at all for me and don't see how it would for anyone. Also, playing in C#, the whole band sounds out of tune. I don't think C# is a chord, LOL. We do "Jones on The Juke Box" in C# to D. While we're in C#, everything sounds out and when it goes to D, everything just magically comes into tune. My be how my ears hear it, don't know.

[Ian Rae]

While we're in C#, everything sounds out and when it goes to D, everything just magically comes into tune.

That'll be them, not you. However you set up your steel, you carry that with you to any fret. Some of the band must be doing something in the different key that throws them out.