Anyone seen this tuning?
Moderator: Brad Bechtel
- Andy DePaule
- Posts: 2576
- Joined: 20 Jun 1999 12:01 am
- Location: Saigon, Viet Nam & Springfield, Oregon
- Contact:
Anyone seen this tuning?
Anyone seen this tuning?
Seems a little like C Diatonic, but not that.
The top 4 strings are just like C6/Am7.
My friend Ralph Novak, a well known luthier had built a simple 8 string lap steel using a bass pickup he had around his workshop.
Told me he tuned it in thirds. It has most of the chords from the C or G scale on any 3 or 4 string tight grip. I'm certainly going to give it a try. Would be easy to retune from a 6th tuning by just lowering the 4 bottom strings, some a whole tone and some just 1/2 tone.
From the bottom up... G B D F A C E G
Ralph invented the Fan Fret system that some player are crazy about. He is also quite a good musician too. Not afraid to try new ideas. This is his web site:
https://novaxguitars.com/info/history.html
http://www.novaxguitars.com
Seems a little like C Diatonic, but not that.
The top 4 strings are just like C6/Am7.
My friend Ralph Novak, a well known luthier had built a simple 8 string lap steel using a bass pickup he had around his workshop.
Told me he tuned it in thirds. It has most of the chords from the C or G scale on any 3 or 4 string tight grip. I'm certainly going to give it a try. Would be easy to retune from a 6th tuning by just lowering the 4 bottom strings, some a whole tone and some just 1/2 tone.
From the bottom up... G B D F A C E G
Ralph invented the Fan Fret system that some player are crazy about. He is also quite a good musician too. Not afraid to try new ideas. This is his web site:
https://novaxguitars.com/info/history.html
http://www.novaxguitars.com
Inlaid Star Guitar 2006 by Mark Giles. SD-10 4+5 in E9th; http://luthiersupply.com/instrument-gallery.html
2017 Mullen SD-10, G2 5&5 Polished Aluminum covering. Custom Build for me. Great Steel.
Clinesmith Joaquin Murphy style Aluminum 8 String Lap Steel Short A6th.
Magnatone Jeweltone Series Lap Steel, Circa 1950? 6 String with F#minor7th Tuning.
1956 Dewey Kendrick D-8 4&3, Restoration Project.
1973 Sho~Bud Green SD-10 4&5 PSG, Restoration Project.
2017 Mullen SD-10, G2 5&5 Polished Aluminum covering. Custom Build for me. Great Steel.
Clinesmith Joaquin Murphy style Aluminum 8 String Lap Steel Short A6th.
Magnatone Jeweltone Series Lap Steel, Circa 1950? 6 String with F#minor7th Tuning.
1956 Dewey Kendrick D-8 4&3, Restoration Project.
1973 Sho~Bud Green SD-10 4&5 PSG, Restoration Project.
- Allan Revich
- Posts: 1120
- Joined: 2 Nov 2018 7:04 pm
- Location: Victoria, BC
- Contact:
I experimented with a 7 string version of that tuning for a while.
GBDFACE
There are a ton of useful chord combinations n there.
GBDFACE
There are a ton of useful chord combinations n there.
Current Tunings:
6 String | D – D A D F# A D
7 String | D/f – f D A D F# A D
https://papadafoe.com/lap-steel-tuning-database
6 String | D – D A D F# A D
7 String | D/f – f D A D F# A D
https://papadafoe.com/lap-steel-tuning-database
- Joe A. Roberts
- Posts: 194
- Joined: 24 Mar 2021 6:23 pm
- Location: Seoul, South Korea
hi-to-lo E C A F D B is a tuning that dates back to the late 30s, early often called G11th.
It was used by some Hawaiian players, like Andy Iona and David Kelii.
https://archive.org/details/78_hoomanaw ... Oness.flac
A great female player named Lovey Lui Conn also used this tuning:
https://wwe.youtube.com/watch?v=8XD0wuO3Qe0
There’s been some threads on this tuning, I remember this one:
https://bb.steelguitarforum.com/viewtop ... c50f060de0
It was used by some Hawaiian players, like Andy Iona and David Kelii.
https://archive.org/details/78_hoomanaw ... Oness.flac
A great female player named Lovey Lui Conn also used this tuning:
https://wwe.youtube.com/watch?v=8XD0wuO3Qe0
There’s been some threads on this tuning, I remember this one:
https://bb.steelguitarforum.com/viewtop ... c50f060de0
Last edited by Joe A. Roberts on 17 Jul 2023 8:58 am, edited 1 time in total.
- Fred Treece
- Posts: 3920
- Joined: 29 Dec 2015 3:15 pm
- Location: California, USA
It's a C scale in thirds. All the diatonic chords in a major scale are there. I fooled around with it a long time ago because I wanted more chords without a lot of bar movement.
I gave up on it because there are no inversions without a lot of movement. And I'd rather have more dominant chords if possible.
I ended up extending the Leavitt tuning to eight strings. That worked for me but to each his own.
I gave up on it because there are no inversions without a lot of movement. And I'd rather have more dominant chords if possible.
I ended up extending the Leavitt tuning to eight strings. That worked for me but to each his own.
-
- Posts: 172
- Joined: 17 Jan 2006 1:01 am
- Location: Toronto, Ontario, Canada
I gave this a try once and there are a lot of chord possibilities, but yes, as mentioned, few inversions.
It could work for someone who doesn’t mind using equal temperament. I prefer the sound of just intonation, but the tuning becomes quite spread out, with about 22 cents difference between the 2 G strings.
I too ended up using Leavitt on 8 strings, with an F added on the top, and a reentrant Eb on the bottom.
It could work for someone who doesn’t mind using equal temperament. I prefer the sound of just intonation, but the tuning becomes quite spread out, with about 22 cents difference between the 2 G strings.
I too ended up using Leavitt on 8 strings, with an F added on the top, and a reentrant Eb on the bottom.
- Cody Farwell
- Posts: 95
- Joined: 12 Nov 2018 3:01 pm
- Location: Sunland, CA
- Contact:
That's the 'G11' tuning but with an added G on top and on bottom. It's used in a lot of old Hawaiian music.
Lovey Lui played this tuning
https://youtu.be/f8_uzOTaWT4
Lovey Lui played this tuning
https://youtu.be/f8_uzOTaWT4
- Fred Treece
- Posts: 3920
- Joined: 29 Dec 2015 3:15 pm
- Location: California, USA
- Joe A. Roberts
- Posts: 194
- Joined: 24 Mar 2021 6:23 pm
- Location: Seoul, South Korea
Is my post blank there for everyone else?? It looks blank to me, but when I go to edit, it shows all the text… I’ll try again:
——
hi-to-lo E C A F D B is a tuning that dates back to the late 30s, early often called G11th.
It was used by some Hawaiian players, like Andy Iona and David Kelii.
https://archive.org/details/78_hoomanaw ... Oness.flac
A great female player named Lovey Lui Conn also used this tuning:
https://wwe.youtube.com/watch?v=8XD0wuO3Qe0
.
There’s been some threads on this tuning, I remember this one:
https://bb.steelguitarforum.com/viewtop ... c50f060de0
——
hi-to-lo E C A F D B is a tuning that dates back to the late 30s, early often called G11th.
It was used by some Hawaiian players, like Andy Iona and David Kelii.
https://archive.org/details/78_hoomanaw ... Oness.flac
A great female player named Lovey Lui Conn also used this tuning:
https://wwe.youtube.com/watch?v=8XD0wuO3Qe0
.
There’s been some threads on this tuning, I remember this one:
https://bb.steelguitarforum.com/viewtop ... c50f060de0
-
- Posts: 605
- Joined: 23 Oct 2021 11:58 am
- Location: Nebraska, USA
- Andy DePaule
- Posts: 2576
- Joined: 20 Jun 1999 12:01 am
- Location: Saigon, Viet Nam & Springfield, Oregon
- Contact:
Thanks guys...
Thanks guys...
Guess this tuning was only new to me.
I enjoyed reading through all the posts.
Best wishes,
Andy
Guess this tuning was only new to me.
I enjoyed reading through all the posts.
Best wishes,
Andy
Inlaid Star Guitar 2006 by Mark Giles. SD-10 4+5 in E9th; http://luthiersupply.com/instrument-gallery.html
2017 Mullen SD-10, G2 5&5 Polished Aluminum covering. Custom Build for me. Great Steel.
Clinesmith Joaquin Murphy style Aluminum 8 String Lap Steel Short A6th.
Magnatone Jeweltone Series Lap Steel, Circa 1950? 6 String with F#minor7th Tuning.
1956 Dewey Kendrick D-8 4&3, Restoration Project.
1973 Sho~Bud Green SD-10 4&5 PSG, Restoration Project.
2017 Mullen SD-10, G2 5&5 Polished Aluminum covering. Custom Build for me. Great Steel.
Clinesmith Joaquin Murphy style Aluminum 8 String Lap Steel Short A6th.
Magnatone Jeweltone Series Lap Steel, Circa 1950? 6 String with F#minor7th Tuning.
1956 Dewey Kendrick D-8 4&3, Restoration Project.
1973 Sho~Bud Green SD-10 4&5 PSG, Restoration Project.