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Topic: Suggestions for tracks in E tuning? |
Bill McCloskey
From:
Nanuet, NY
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Posted 11 Jan 2005 5:36 pm |
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| I just strung my 6 string lap steel in E tuning and I was wondering the group can make any suggestions of particular tunes I can listen to for inspiration played in this key. I'm aware that Lindley and Ben Harper play in this key, but if you have a favorite song that that they've done on the lap steel in this key, I would appreciate it. |
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Ron Victoria
From:
New Jersey, USA
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Posted 11 Jan 2005 5:46 pm
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I like S&J's SchoolDays. Not sure what he used, but E lends itself nicely.
Ron |
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Paul Arntson
From:
Washington, USA
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Posted 11 Jan 2005 7:13 pm
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If you're into extremely funky deep blues in E tuning, check out Hop Wilson's Houston Ghetto Blues.
He plays in that tuning but in a number of weird keys (like Bb) to get easy fingerings. Very educational and mind blowing.
You can also play all of Elmore James' bottleneck in that tuning, as well as most of JB Hutto.
I think our very own Dan Tyack plays in that tuning too. Am I right, Dan? |
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Bart Maloney
From:
Houston, Texas
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Posted 11 Jan 2005 8:05 pm
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Derek Trucks, who plays with the Allman Brothers, plays in open E. He plays slide on a roundneck, but it transfers it self really nice to lap steel.
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"Keep on Keepin' on"
www.bartmaloney.iwarp.com
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Travis Bernhardt
From:
Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
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Posted 12 Jan 2005 12:35 am
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If you're willing to tune it down to D (you can use the same strings) that opens up a few more possibilities. For a good novice song, try Harper's Pleasure and Pain. It's easy and short, but nice, and it works on electric lap steel (originally written for Weissenborn). Lindley's Play it All Night Long might work on the electric, and it's also very easy. His electric playing on Brother John is pretty inspiring, too, and that might actually be in E.
For more of a challenge, Lindley's original electric version of Mercury Blues might be fun. Or you could tackle one of Lindley's open D epics, like Rag Bag, or How Can a Poor Man Stand Such Times and Live? Those two are probably best suited to the acoustic, though.
You could also try playing some of Ben Harper's more rockin' numbers, like Forgiven.
If you have a style you prefer, that might help us figure out some stuff you might like.
-Travis |
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Bill McCloskey
From:
Nanuet, NY
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Posted 12 Jan 2005 4:44 am
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For this tuning, I'm definitely interested in the funky, rocky, Lindley type music, so all of your suggestions are right on target and what I was hoping for.
That being said, I'm also interested in other types of music as well. I have a GeorgeBoards 8 String that should be here any day now, and I will looking for different suggestions once that arrives. |
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Denny Turner
From:
Oahu, Hawaii USA
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Posted 12 Jan 2005 8:40 am
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Assuming your E tuning is spanish guitar open E 151351 (or 351351) ...and not 135135 nor detuned spanish guitar open D 151513:
Dwayne Allman played allot in open E; Statesboro Blues a classic. Joe Walsh did also; Rocky Mountain Way another classic. Most of the classic triad-tuned Blues/Rock slide tunes and licks can be emulated in open E; Tush a good and simple tune to exercise techniques such as slide-ups/downs, bar bounce and blocking. Steel Guitar Rag, In The Mood and I'm Not Lisa lend well to a country Steel sound in that tuning.
Aloha,
DT~
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Travis Bernhardt
From:
Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
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Posted 12 Jan 2005 2:19 pm
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If you're looking for more advanced material, one thing to try is to take a regular guitar song you like and try to adapt it for the lap steel. I did this with Don Ross's Afraid to Dance--an acoustic song, but he does play it in E, I think (I play it in B, C or D)--and I was surprised how much I was able to keep. Also, Jerry Douglas plays Little Wing on his dobro, in either an open G or D shape tuning, so that one might be a good one to try, too.
-Travis |
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Bill Blacklock
From:
Powell River, British Columbia, Canada
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Posted 12 Jan 2005 4:38 pm
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My all time favourite player in that shape (151351) is Ron Wood of the Rolling stones, his early stuff with the Faces and Rod Stewart is brilliant (Lady Day) even by today’s standard. It’s a shame his name is almost never mentioned when it comes to the greats of slide guitar. I would bet dollars to donuts that both Cooder and Lindley have “Gasoline Alley” sitting in the back of there closets. (151351) works well in several keys depending on the scale length. My T logo Ricky is in E, regular weissenborn in D, baritone weissenborn in A and national tricone in C. I like to put the key at the fifth fret, so in a E tuning I would play in the key of A, that gives me notes above and below the root plus open notes to bounce off. Anyways, it’s all great fun maybe one day I’ll get it figured out. Good picken, Bill
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Paul Arntson
From:
Washington, USA
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Posted 13 Jan 2005 12:00 pm
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One really fun thing in this tuning (151351) is to play on the key of the second fret, F#.
If you tune down to D you will be playing in E that way. You have some great notes (formally, you are in Dorian Mode) like 2,4 and flat 7 as open strings. I have played "Baby Please Don't Go" (Mose Allison arrangement) on spanish guitar using this position for about 30 years. (Never got it right, but it's fun.)
(Had to correct my arithmetic here).[This message was edited by Paul Arntson on 13 January 2005 at 08:47 PM.] |
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Steinar Gregertsen
From:
Arendal, Norway, R.I.P.
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Posted 13 Jan 2005 12:09 pm
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Yeah, that's one of the reasons I choose to tune to open-D instead of open-E, you can get some very cool stuff going in the key of E.
Also, since there's a whole lot of songs in the key of F, it's much more comfortable to play from the third fret in D tuning, compared to the first fret in E tuning,- there's not that many songs in the key of Eb....
Steinar
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www.gregertsen.com
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Tim Tweedale
From:
Vancouver, B.C., Canada
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Posted 13 Jan 2005 12:49 pm
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To echo Travis' sentiments, Ben Harper's song Pleasure and Pain (he plays it a full step down in open D), is a great study of some of the chordal and melodic possibilities of this tuning, and some stuff you can do combining open and closed strings. Incidentally, it was the first song Ben Harper wrote.
Regarding Play it all Night Long: that is in DADGAD, or in your case, EBEABE. (Hey, check out that e-babe.)
Oh. Monkey Let The Hogs Out, by Jerry Douglas is good too. His version of Little Martha is good too. As is Tribute to Peador O'Donnell. Both in this shape of tuning. Look So Good, by David Lindley is a beautiful chorale kind of piece to learn too.
What else what else... The beginning of Rag Bag on David Lindley's Official Bootleg #1! It's like a Weissenborn Overture.
This is a good thread.
-Tim[This message was edited by Tim Tweedale on 13 January 2005 at 12:57 PM.] |
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Tim Tweedale
From:
Vancouver, B.C., Canada
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Posted 13 Jan 2005 1:00 pm
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And how could we forget Tiki Torches at Twilight?
-Tim |
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Bill Blacklock
From:
Powell River, British Columbia, Canada
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Posted 13 Jan 2005 5:45 pm
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| Looking forward to seeing Lindley at the Courtenay Music fest on Vancouver island this summer.It sounds to me like most of his new stuff is in C(151513)tuning? What ever the tuning it sounds great. |
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Travis Bernhardt
From:
Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
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Posted 13 Jan 2005 7:06 pm
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Yeah, 151513 is his most used tuning these days, I'd say.
And Look so Good is kind of mandatory. I don't know how I forgot about it. In one short, simple piece you learn the building blocks of solo playing in open tunings. Ben Harper's Pleasure and Pain probably wouldn't exist without Look so Good.
-Travis |
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Bill Blacklock
From:
Powell River, British Columbia, Canada
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Posted 13 Jan 2005 7:27 pm
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| Look So Good ? I missed that one. Lindley tune ? |
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Bill McCloskey
From:
Nanuet, NY
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Posted 13 Jan 2005 7:36 pm
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| Yes, last tune on the Win this Record album. Short beautiful little tune. |
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Denny Turner
From:
Oahu, Hawaii USA
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Posted 13 Jan 2005 7:40 pm
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I just wanted to add (for some folks that might not have considered it), that a set of medium-heavy string gauges for spanish Guitar (with a similar scale length to a given Steel Guitar), will suffice on Steel for all fretted spanish Guitar open chord voicings up to about the 3rd fret. (Unless exacting timbre is being sought).
Aloha,
DT~
[This message was edited by Denny Turner on 13 January 2005 at 07:43 PM.] |
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Bill Blacklock
From:
Powell River, British Columbia, Canada
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Posted 13 Jan 2005 9:00 pm
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| Thanks Bill, I'll give that short beautiful tune a good long listen. By the way a freind (man of many guitars) dropped off a couple of steels for me to fool with yesterday, one was a 1928 national tricone S1 (very nice) and the other was this very weird thing.The name the head stock is "Concord".It's a lap steel he weasled out of Harry Manx, its made in India and has 22 string (I think), the sound is beautiful, really a lovley instrument to play.I haven't had the urge yet to sit on the floor cross legged and chant along but after a couple of jiggers of scotch who knows. |
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