Favourite Slide Tunings?

[Allan Revich]

Now that we have forum section for “almost” steel guitars, I guess it’s time for a new tuning poll! Here it is…

[Allan Revich]

I prefer open D tunings on my lap steels, but the extra string tension of open E keeps the slide off the fretboard better on the “armpit” guitars. So, it’s E for me, on slide.

[Dave Mudgett]

I mostly use open 5 1 5 1 3 5 and 1 5 1 3 5 1 tunings, tuned up and down pretty much interchangeably, to get open strings in different keys.

For standard guitar, 5 1 5 1 3 5 would typically run between open G and open A, but might go as low as E/B-bottom and as high as B/F#-bottom. 1 5 1 3 5 1 would typically run between open D and open E, but might run as low as open C and as high as open G.

I have a couple of baritone guitars that I sometimes use for slide. Again, 5 1 5 1 3 5 and 1 5 1 3 5 1 but obviously roughly a half an octave down.

String tension needs to be kept reasonable - by that I mean not too slack (less than 20 lb/string is too slack for me), but not too tight - much of anything more than 35 pounds/string is too much for me. I prefer around 23-30 pounds/string. So I have a bunch of cheap guitars that I use for different slide tuning ranges.

If I'm OK with reduced range top-to-bottom string, I sometimes use standard dobro GBDGBD - or occasionally will set something up in a 7th tuning - this gives an easy 6th interval fretting behind the slide. But that works better with a 7- or 8-string guitar - I do not like losing the root in the middle of the tuning. I've had a few 7/8-strings set up like this over the last 10 years. The downside of most 7/8 string guitars is that the pickups are notoriously overwound for down-tuned metal players, which is fine for metal, but that's not what I'm doing, ha. So I got rid of them a while back. If I ever do that again, I'll seek out some custom pickups (probably old lap/console steel guitar pickups) and do whatever routing/filling is needed to fit them in.

I don't generally like standard tuning for slide. Of course, there are some things that can be done. But it doesn't really fit my style of slide playing. I will sometimes just quickly tune down the A string to G when I don't have a specific 'slide guitar' with me. That at least gives the low G root of a basic 1 5 1 3 tuning on the middle 4. And of course, it gives a 6th on the outside strings too.

[Jack Hanson]

A neat trick I learned somewhere a long time ago -- so long ago I forgot where I heard about it...

If there's enough space between the first string slot and the treble edge of the nut, cut a really shallow slot in the narrow space to insert the first string for playing slide. Depending on the instrument, there may be enough space or there may not. The combination of the first string closer to the edge, and higher off the fingerboard does make a difference. It's simple to detune a tad, and pop the string out and back into either slot, and retune.

Works for me.

[D Schubert]

I'll generally play bottleneck slide with Sevastapol (open D) tuning and intervals (151351). Depending on the guitar and the setup, I might tune down two frets to C or tune up two frets to E. Did Eb once for a special occasion with a horn player. For a very short excursion into "Hawaiian" sounding chords, raise the 2nd string two frets to make a sixth chord.

[Erv Niehaus]

I tune to A, high bass.
Erv

[Richard Alderson]

My "something else" is All of the above.... Except tuning G up to A, strings won't take that without restringing for lighter gauge, and also not Open C, and not the standard guitar tuning either.

My "slide" guitar was a square neck Dobro, I would play as if it were a standard Spanish six string, upright under the arm, and not on my lap, but with a chrome plated metal "bottle neck" slide that made a brassy ringing sound and not muted at all like a glass slide. I was Elmore James, except with a Dobro. Basic tunings were open E and open G. Then sometimes I would tune down E to D. Each tuning used to get 3 or 4 songs, then I would have to re-tune. I did not own an electric guitar until about 2010. These days I do the same stuff on a Melobar electric lap steel, but I play it lying flat. I have never had the pleasure of both fretting and sliding on the same instrument...

If I would have had to choose one tuning and play all night long on that tuning it would have been open E however, that's the most necessary one.

[Samuel Phillippe]

I usualy use open E and sometimes D... depends on the songs I might be singing. With the open E(or D) I can play it bottle slide or dobro (lap) style.

Sam

[Garrett Foster]

I prefer open D and anything with like intervals. I have open C on an acoustic and open E on a parlor guitar. I find it great for octave lines, single note lead lines, finger style lines, and lap-style slide playing. You can bend behind the bar for pedal-like lines. It was also similar enough to E9 PSG tunings, so it made transitioning to pedal steel easier.

[Miles Lang]

G6 high bass - GBEGBD

[Allan Revich]

I usualy use open E and sometimes D... depends on the songs I might be singing. With the open E(or D) I can play it bottle slide or dobro (lap) style.

Sam

I also like my round neck resonator for this reason. It’s great to be able to flip it into my lap. When doing this I prefer to use my finger slide, even when playing lap steel.

[Tom Keller]

G tuning GBDGBD