The Steel Guitar Forum

Jesse Pearson · Post by **Jesse Pearson** » 31 Mar 2003 11:24 am

I like the difference in feel I get from certain tunings. You can take one tuning and play pretty much anything if it's set up that way, but it's still gonna have a different feel to it intuitively. For example, I like F#9 cause it's real close to C#m7, I can get the real feel of Dick McIntire and Sol Hoppii etc. Certain tunings have this charm to them. I own cheapo Magnatones so I can check out a bunch of different tunings and study them to choose which ones I'm gonna stick with for the long term. I am convinced I wouldn't be happy with just one or two tunings. I like to learn tunes that I can get paid to play and that have the sound of the original recording. I don't think it's that big a deal to spread out if that's what turns you on. Yea, if you stick to just one tuning yer gonna be a mother on it, but your gonna be boxed in and I don't like that feeling at all. Leons E13 is alot different than C6, but each of those tunings has alot of individual charm to them. I think if you really have a handle on music theory and play more than one instrument as it is, different tunings is not that hard to get good on.

Page Wood · Post by **Page Wood** » 31 Mar 2003 3:21 pm

Jesse- I got the Don Helm's book&tape, so I strung up my short scale Sierra to his E13 for the first time. First thing I did was pop two 13's trying to reach that G#, so I used an 11; man, that's a thin sounding little weasel! I then noticed the relationship was the same as C6 with the hi G dropped, and I know a lot of C6 guys drop that G anyway (because it sounds thin!)- so I'm wondering what's the point? Don's E13 is just a higher version of C6; is LeonE13 different?

Jesse Pearson · Post by **Jesse Pearson** » 31 Mar 2003 7:42 pm

Page, I buy GHS guitar strings by the box, Heavies and extra lights for my strats and teles. I took the heavy first three strings and the extra light last three strings to come up with a set for my DH E6. I have a .012 for my high E string, the whole set has alot of tension which I really like. You can't get that HW sound right without that high E6 tuning. Leon's E13 has a different feel all around, but it's becoming one of my favorites. Cindy Cashdollar was using C6, DH E6 and Leons E13 with asleep at the wheel. When I get up around the 17th fret in C6 on my short scale, it's just seems to loose alot of everything, thats why E6 bridges the gap if you will.

Page Wood · Post by **Page Wood** » 31 Mar 2003 8:47 pm

Oops- I hadn't read your previous post, I'm on 8 strings. I assume DH E6 (6string) is DH E13 (8 string) with the bottom 2 strings dropped:
G#,E,C#,B,G#,E
I can see how Leon's might be preferable for 6 strings

Jesse Pearson · Post by **Jesse Pearson** » 31 Mar 2003 9:18 pm

Don Helms had 8 strings but never used the 7th and 8th strings. I've never played Leons E13 on 8 strings, but it sure works great on a 6 stringer.

Ray Montee · Post by **Ray Montee** » 1 Apr 2003 9:52 am

Well thought out comments........with a lot of value.
In the historical days of country steel guitar, McAuliff, Remington, Murphy, etc., the TUNING meant EVERYTHING. A lot of emphasis was "on the SOUND" this tuning provided over another. Ease of playing a wide variety of tunes was also a factor.
BOOT HEEL DRAG in C#min.
B.Bowman Hop in what, A6th?
The sounds of Hank Thompson in a variety of different sounding tunings.
Southern Steel Guitar (N.Boggs) E7th, etc.

JERRY BYRD has utilized VARIOUS TUNINGS in order to enhance the melody sounds he desired.
TODAY however, NEARLY EVERYONE SOUNDS ALIKE. An increasing variety of tunings and styles will likely bring back "personality" in our music as long as new minds and motivations are cultivated.
KEEP UP the good work! Sound like "YOU"!

Steinar Gregertsen · Post by **Steinar Gregertsen** » 1 Apr 2003 10:34 am

"TODAY however, NEARLY EVERYONE SOUNDS ALIKE."

Very good point.
I may be going off topic here, but as a guitarist for 30 years and owner of a digital studio I've noticed that NEVER before in history has the possibilities for finding your own voice been greater, yet NEVER before have musicians sounded so uniformed as today, especially in the "popular music" culture.
A little creepy, actually.......

Mike Ihde · Post by **Mike Ihde** » 1 Apr 2003 9:02 pm

"TODAY however, NEARLY EVERYONE SOUNDS ALIKE."
I couldn't agree more. I had a booth in the main room at the ISGC one year and sat there hour after hour after hour. The ONLY time I looked up to see who was playing was when somebody played something extra fast or when it was harmonically interesting (nice chord substitutions). I didn't look up very often.(sigh)
Maybe it's a "Pedal Steel" thing, but they all are trying to get that special tone, which unfortunately, they all find and then end up all sounding the same.
Lap Steel is truely an individual instrument. We play each note from the heart and slide to and from them when WE feel like it, not when the pedal does it for us. Of course after saying this, I love playing Pedal Steel as well. It's really a separate animal with it's own special beauty, but, Lap has more to offer, to me anyway.

Jesse Pearson · Post by **Jesse Pearson** » 2 Apr 2003 7:13 am

Being a cover musician at heart myself, I find it hard to think that after all these years I have my own voice. I really like jamming on guitar with what I call "Countrified blues funk", down south black juke music for dancing. I know deep theory for all kinds of styles and I know alot of signature licks and songs from famous players, but I have never played anything that I would say is something I made up out of the air. To be honest, I can trace alot of peoples influence's regardless of who they are.

I guess your own sound is to come up with a unique way of approaching the chord progression like someone singing a never before heard melody that everyone knows is you after just a few notes, and you do it all the time. I have always loved the sound of non peddle steel even before I realized what it was. I'm happy with just being able to groove on it for now and hope one day I can cut Jeff Au Hoy and Ray Montee at a jam!

[This message was edited by Jesse Pearson on 02 April 2003 at 07:17 AM.][This message was edited by Jesse Pearson on 02 April 2003 at 07:18 AM.][This message was edited by Jesse Pearson on 02 April 2003 at 04:19 PM.]

Roy Thomson · Post by **Roy Thomson** » 2 Apr 2003 7:52 am

Tunings are like languages, they sound different but endeavour to say the same
thing.

Some are " more pretty " than others.

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<A HREF="http://www.clictab.com/royt/tabmenu.htm ... abmenu.htm
</A>

Jeff Au Hoy · Post by **Jeff Au Hoy** » 2 Apr 2003 11:12 am

Page Wood · Post by **Page Wood** » 2 Apr 2003 12:11 pm

I've always felt naivete can be a significant ingredient to finding your own sound- the more you know the more polluted you get! Yes, you need to "know the rules" before you break them, but part of the reason everyone sounds alike is because no one is working in a vacuum like the Originals did. When I'm learning a song, I try to just get the basics, then I PUT AWAY the recording or tab- It's fun to compare months later how much has mutated

Ray Montee · Post by **Ray Montee** » 3 Apr 2003 8:49 am

Hey! How did I get in the middle of this "cutting contest"...........? when I didn't even say anything negative, controversial or degrading to everyone's younger kids, or newbies and/or wanna-be's????
Jesse Pearson, have you even heard me play before? If so, where and when. Just curious. I'm not attempting to incite a riot.
With Jeff being the acknowledged pro that
he obviously is I'm at a loss as to why my name would appear in the same line in your post. What do you know that I'm apparently missing? I'm just an old man on social security without a picking job for a dozen years or more.
Keep your posts a comin' tho', as they are always most interesting and a fine contribution here to the Forum.

Jesse Pearson · Post by **Jesse Pearson** » 3 Apr 2003 9:13 am

Ray, I don't mean any disrespect. I like both you and Jeff alot. There are some musicians out there, who bring out a kind of creative tension in me. These guys are what I would call real musicians. We don't always get along, but these kind of guys are the one's you learn the most from and seem to make great music with. I learn alot from you and Jeff and would consider it an honor to jam with ya'll one day, course I's just got ta cut ya'll if'in I can get lucky!

Jeff Au Hoy · Post by **Jeff Au Hoy** » 3 Apr 2003 11:42 am

Jesse Pearson · Post by **Jesse Pearson** » 3 Apr 2003 12:59 pm

Jeff, did you know your bowling scores are up on the internet? It's a small world ain't it. Gee's, I don't know about Ray, but you'd cream me at bowling. I think we'd need a little hadicaping,mmm, say we give ya a 6 pack first and go from there!

P.S. This is a bio from Jeff's band on Jeff, pretty cool background:
http://kilinahe.com/jeff.html [This message was edited by Jesse Pearson on 03 April 2003 at 01:44 PM.]

Jeff Au Hoy · Post by **Jeff Au Hoy** » 3 Apr 2003 2:06 pm

Ray Montee · Post by **Ray Montee** » 4 Apr 2003 12:08 am

Jesse & Jeff: I used to bowl but I recently gave it up for SEX; The balls are lighter and you don't have to keep changing your shoes. Oh well, you brought it out in me. It's not my fault. Down here at the home there's not much to do anymore.

Jeff Au Hoy · Post by **Jeff Au Hoy** » 4 Apr 2003 1:08 am

David L. Donald · Post by **David L. Donald** » 6 Apr 2003 11:50 am

If anyone has any Sol Hoopii tunings for 6 strings I would like them.

In responce to Mike Ihde
"TODAY however, NEARLY EVERYONE SOUNDS ALIKE."
I suspect this is the result of the tunings standarization and the physical limitations of metal.

Even though I am sure I haven't discovered a lot of the "Nashville" E9 in the last 10 days, I am not so thrilled with it already...

I am seriously considering doing something very different with that neck, and putting the C6 up to D6 so it's brighter.

So something from the lapsteel world on the pedal front neck. With the added benifit of pedals. I will entertain any and all suggestions.

Jesse Pearson · Post by **Jesse Pearson** » 6 Apr 2003 12:25 pm

C#m7 is called C#m and was used alot by Sol Hoppii:

E
C#
G#
E
B
E

You can also look at it as E6.

Dick McIntire had a tuning called F#9:

E
C#
G#
E
A#
F#

As you can see, the top 4 strings are the same as C#m7. Dick used this tuning towards the end of his recording career. I like it because it's so close to C#m7. F#9 was also used by Speedy West and others into western swing.

David L. Donald · Post by **David L. Donald** » 6 Apr 2003 12:48 pm

Thanks Jesse.
Much apprieciated. Sol was just such an unusual voice on steel I never quite found the tunings in my little corner of the world here.

I'll stick this on the dobro, since the Supro has just taken over the dobro's tuning this week for a gig.(and it's not I III V, I III V either)

I'm playing with a Jesse here. Another Yank in France.