10-String non-pedal Tunings

[Doug Beaumier]

Here's the new link (10 years later!) ----> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=11GvfD93l44

[Doug Beaumier]

Hi Doug,

I’m 10 years late in this discussion, but are these still the 10 string tunings you’d recommend? Also, could you please indicate the string gauges in question?

I don't have a 10-string non-pedal steel anymore, but as far as string gauges... this excellent string gauge Chart by John Ely will show the proper gauges for all tunings. This is what I use when selecting gauges for a new tuning. ---> https://www.hawaiiansteel.com/graphics/ ... _chart.pdf

[LaVern Skarzenski]

I may have been brain dead but that just woke me from my coma. Very nice. Thanks.
LaVern

[Aris Xanthos]

I use Doug Beaumier's E13 shifted down to D13:

Hi->Lo F#, E, D, B, A, F#, E, D, C, A

Gages: .0135, .015, .017, .020, .024w, .028w, .032w, .036w, .040w, .048w

with a target tension of 30 to 32 lb.

Thank you (and all) for these indications. Why did you shift it down by the way?

[David Renson]

I had settled on using John Bechtel's E9/13 10 string non-pedal tuning due to his recommendation for its versatility if i had only one neck. One day i tuned the middle G# up to an A and was kind of shocked at how much better it is. There are E-maj, A-maj, A-maj7, F#-min, D-maj and more chords on one fret. There are nicely lined up major and minor runs all over the place. The 3rd lowest string (D) works great at C# also. You can really rock out some power chords on the bottom 4 strings. Here's the tuning from Low to High:

E B C#/D E F# A B C# E G#

It makes sense that no one stumbled on to this as there are no normal 6th/9th/11th/or 13th tunings that stick the 4 in place of the maj 3rd. i've been playing guitar for 56 years but only a handful of years on the 10 string steel. I hope some of you Pros give this tuning a try and let me know what you think!

Dave Renson

[Mike Neer]

I’ve been playing my D10 a lot lately, which I’ve gotten pretty creative with tuning-wise. The first contains my usual 8 string C13 tuning, but at the very top in slot 1, I have a reentrant string with string 2 empty, so it is a 9 string. It works so perfectly for me for a number of reasons. But that’s not even my point.

I created a 10 string tuning specifically for playing Thelonious Monk, a sort of specialty tuning that serves its purpose in some very interesting ways. I was hoping to introduce it with some videos, but I have actually been slammed lately with gigs, work and other stuff.

The tuning is based on the whole tone scale with an E7 (minus the 5th) on the bottom. From treble to bass, it’s E D C Bb G# F# E D G# E. The reason for using the names C and Bb rather than B# and A# is a personal choice, as the tuning in my mind is a combination of C and E tuning. Anyway, it is difficult to play well but truly sounds amazing in conjunction with my other neck. The deeper I dig, the more I find mindblowing things.

[Stefan Robertson]

13th tunings rock.

Having that high G# is great on the 1st string but not as essential for me as I don't mind the slant for the high 5, 1, 3 Triad.

[Jim Sliff]

I've been wrestling with a 3-neck monster built in the mid-1950's for about a month now - part pedal, and part console - and got the middle neck (8 strings, 3 pedals (worked out in a ultra-simplified version of the Sneaky Pete B6 I use most.

But the front 10-string neck is my biggest problem.

Just to give you perspective - I'm mainly a 6-string guitar and 4 or 5 string bass player. I don't play Hawaiian, Western Swing, standards etc on my 6 or 8-string laps; the 8 strings I rarely play and were really investments more than anything else. And to be honest, I'm terrible pedal steel player - just play enough to record fills and play simple solos on country-rock or rock tunes (I find positions and mash the pedals!)

I do play Dobro and a bit of D tuning on my Weissenborn, but the majority of my "slide" playing in on 6-string in standard tuning or with the high E dropped to D.

Can anyone recommend a 10-string open tuning good for rock and blues (preferably without a lot of slants, which I rarely play even on Dobro)? I'm an ear player so discussions of chord theory in 11th and 13th tunng make my head spin!

The back neck is set up with a lonely pedal on the left that can raise any or all of the 2-4th strings; I was just going to tune it to C6 and not worry about the pedal for the time being.

But there are so many variations of C6 I could use some advice here as well - I'm not locked into using C6, so any other ideas are welcome - I don't know ifr I'll keep or sell it, but want to get it playable for me at the moment while I decide what to do with it!

Thanks! Just to give you a look at probably the strangest steel you'll see today, here's "King Ghadora" It has to be played standing - or sitting on a barstool! :

[Mike Neer]

Jim, I use an expanded C6 on my D10 spelled from the bottom C E G Bb C E G A C E. It’s really great for those low end riffs that you can do on an E9 like Buddy’s Boogie. Not too much clutter and makes for a really good rhythm guitar killer.

[Allan Revich]

Jim, I’d be lost on a 10 string, and I’m no Mike Neer, but as a blues player I’ve become hooked on 9th tuning.
My seven string tuning is G9; DGBDFAD
With a 9th tuning you get bluesy dominant 7 chords, colourful 9ths, plus minor chords. There’s also a jazzy m7b5 chord in there (Bm7b5 on open strings).

With 3 more strings to play with I’m sure there are plenty of interesting additional possibilities. DEGBDFGABD? Em7, and G6 added to the mix.
DFGBDFGABD could work as an expanded G9 tuning for ten strings.

[Jim Sliff]

Jim, I’d be lost on a 10 string, and I’m no Mike Neer, but as a blues player I’ve become hooked on 9th tuning.
My seven string tuning is G9; DGBDFAD
With a 9th tuning you get bluesy dominant 7 chords, colourful 9ths, plus minor chords. There’s also a jazzy m7b5 chord in there (Bm7b5 on open strings).

With 3 more strings to play with I’m sure there are plenty of interesting additional possibilities. DEGBDFGABD? Em7, and G6 added to the mix.
DFGBDFGABD could work as an expanded G9 tuning for ten strings.

If you were to move that to an 8--string what would you add either higher or lower? You can write my theory knowledge on a Post-it note, soI'd hate vto string it up with 7 and find out the higher or lower string I guessed at would be relatively useless!

I use expanded C6...

Thanks Mike - I'll give it a shot. I was pretty well lost when you discussed chord possibilities, though. I play single-notes by ear out of positions, which works fine on Dobro and 8 string/B6 pedal steel -it's using visual "pockets" like I do on 6-string and bass - sort of "geometric structures" rather than scale/chord "algebra".

[Allan Revich]

If you were to move that to an 8--string what would you add either higher or lower? You can write my theory knowledge on a Post-it note, soI'd hate vto string it up with 7 and find out the higher or lower string I guessed at would be relatively useless!

I’d probably add a reentrant “g” at the bass side. Or maybe, DFGBDFAD. I am NOT an advanced player, so tunings that lay out chords sequentially make me happy