Who uses Speedy’s F#9 tuning?

[Dave Zirbel]

Todd Clinesmith and my friend Sean have been using it. I’m intrigued by it after hearing Sean use it a little bit.
1 E    .014
2 C#  .017
3 G#  .024w
4 E    .030w
5 A#  .042w
6 F#  .052w
7 D#*  .015p
8.F#*  .013p

Thanks
Dave

[Daniel Baston]

Hi Dave, I spent quite a bit of time with this tuning. In the end, I switched back to E13 but it sounds great and starts to seem less 'weird' after a while. I guess that's true of anything though really ... I also used a couple of variations I spent a good bit of time with this:

E
C#
G#
E
C#
A#
D# (plain)
F# (plain)

The approach I took with this tuning (either variation) was to think of it as two tunings in one. Imagine the top 6 strings as one tuning. Strings 1-4 are similar to C#m and you can play some Hawaiian sounding things, some things that are similar to E13 but that sound a bit different.

Then, in the two frets down position from your I, you have a 9th chord on strings 1-6. When you are in the two frets down position (over a dominant chord), you now also have your 13th and root on the 7th and 8th strings. Then learning stuff that uses the tuning of course, Herb Remington, and Joaquin mainly. I guess some Speedy (definitely "I'll Never Be Free"). I found that I tended to play 'canned' licks that I had learned and I never reached the point of the tuning becoming intuitive to me. I guess long enough with it might have gotten me to that point.

I found that I could get close enough with E13. And E13 felt more 'right' to me. But I do love how F#9 (really more like F#13, technically) sounds. I have a couple clips somewhere, I should dig up.

[Dave Zirbel]

Thank you!

[Roger Fletcher]

Wasn't it Herb Remington who came up with this tuning?

[Dave Zirbel]

Wasn't it Herb Remington who came up with this tuning?

I don’t know. Are you able to point me to any recordings of Herb playing the F#9 tuning? I’m curious to hear it? Thanks

[Andy Volk]

Herb got it from an unknown player in a bar who was using it. Steel sure is an idiosyncratic instrument!

[Jesse Valdez]

I use a very similar nonpedal version of Joaquin’s

E
C#
G#
E
A#
F#
A# (reentrant)
D# (reentrant)

the high A# gives the 3rd a modern voicing I really like and can hear him use. I can copy some of speedy’s stuff as well

[Roger Fletcher]

Are you able to point me to any recordings of Herb playing the F#9 tuning?

I believe he played it on Boot Heel Drag.

[Carey Hofer]

Jesse, what does the word "reentrant" mean?

[Allan Revich]

Jesse, what does the word "reentrant" mean?

Reentrant strings are on the bass side of the fretboard, but pitched higher than the bass strings. Often indicated by lowercase letters.

[Joe A. Roberts]

I made a long post about this tuning in this thread, if anyone’s interested:
https://bb.steelguitarforum.com/viewtop ... 780a708480

[Dave Zirbel]

I made a long post about this tuning in this thread, if anyone’s interested:

Thanks! Super informative!

[Aaron Clinton]

E
C#
G#
E
A#
F#

I put this on an armpit guitar to fool around with because it can be done with a standard set of strings. I could not play lines at all, but I could comp great sounding jazz chords almost instantly.

[Joe A. Roberts]

E
C#
G#
E
A#
F#

I put this on an armpit guitar to fool around with because it can be done with a standard set of strings. I could not play lines at all, but I could comp great sounding jazz chords almost instantly.

That is close to a slack key tuning which I really enjoy, G wahine, which is like an open G major 7th and also good for jazz chords. Up a step, for comparison, it would be:
E
C#
G
E
A
E

I also like it with the A tuned up to B, just like C#minor low bass.

I don’t know too much about slack key, but I wonder how old these slack key tunings variations are. Could a slack key armpit tuning like G Wahine have been the inspiration to lower the 3rd string A on the A major hawaiian guitar tuning to G# all those decades ago?

[Dave Zirbel]

I retuned my C6 neck to this:
E
C#
G#
E
C#
A#
F#

I’m completely lost. I love the way it sounds when someone that knows that tuning is playing it!

[Daniel Baston]

I don’t know too much about slack key, but I wonder how old these slack key tunings variations are. Could a slack key armpit tuning like G Wahine have been the inspiration to lower the 3rd string A on the A major hawaiian guitar tuning to G# all those decades ago?

I don't know too much about slack key either, but that tuning looks very similar to an E steel guitar tuning.

E
B
G#
E
B
E

Raising the B to C# gives you a C#m tuning. I *think* that tuning was used by Sol Ho'opi'i.

Lowering the low B to A# is just like lowering the 5th degree on a 6th tuning. So it is comparable to B11 tuning, relative to A6 tuning for example. F#9 can be approached sort of like B11, in that the top 4 strings are like your major and minor chords and then you add in the lower strings for dominant chords. You can do more than that, but that's a good start and you can play a lot of stuff with that approach. Did that make sense?

[Aaron Clinton]

I retuned my C6 neck to this:
E
C#
G#
E
C#
A#
F#

I’m completely lost. I love the way it sounds when someone that knows that tuning is playing it!

Seven string?

[Dave Zirbel]

It’s an 8 string steel but just using 7 for now.