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Topic: New guitar, new tuning |
Keith Cordell
From:
San Diego
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Posted 14 Mar 2007 5:12 am |
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| I recently made a trade that will land me a National Dynamic 6 string. My Oahu Tonemaster is tuned to open E and that tuning is a real comfort zone for me; I have been using it for a couple of years. The National is going to be for another tuning to learn. I have no interest in C6 or Leavitt as I play pretty much straight ahead rock and blues stuff and I have tried them; they just don't do it for me. I have read that Lindley uses C*G*C*G*C*E at times, anyone ever tried that? Any other thoughts, maybe minor tunings? I like tunings where I can get good string tension, and ones where I can get good bass. The Oahu has a set of .14 to .58's on it, and is pretty firm. |
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Bill Creller
From:
Saginaw, Michigan, USA (deceased)
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Posted 14 Mar 2007 6:03 am
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| When I was learning steel in the 40s, I used E major a lot. I'm sort of getting into it again because the third string tuned down is C# minor which I'm into these days (besides C13th). So it's easy to use both tunings on one neck. |
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Mike D
From:
Phx, Az
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Posted 14 Mar 2007 7:09 am
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I use that tuning Keith and love the sound of it. I'm not good at playing in keys other than the tuning I'm in so I can't tell you how easy it is to transpose, but I love it for Blues and Rock in C.
Like you said, the low C needs to be a pretty stout string to get the tension. |
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Michael Lee Allen
From:
Portage Park / Irving Park, Chicago, Illinois
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Posted 14 Mar 2007 9:27 am
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REMOVED
_________________
"Wisdom does not always come with age. Many times age arrives alone."
Last edited by Michael Lee Allen on 28 Feb 2011 12:55 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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Keith Cordell
From:
San Diego
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Posted 14 Mar 2007 9:30 am
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| That's almost what I am using now. Looks interesting... |
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Bill Leff
From:
Santa Cruz, CA, USA
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Posted 14 Mar 2007 10:21 am
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I use one similar to Michael's that's really good for rocking out on the top three strings. It's a variation on Calvin Cooke's tuning:
Low to high: E E G# B D E
The top three strings give you a minor pentatonic. Lower the second string to C# and you have major pentatonic. |
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Keith Cordell
From:
San Diego
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Posted 14 Mar 2007 10:23 am
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| What string gauges do you use for that? Looks intriguing, and Calvin is a big favorite. |
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John Billings
From:
Ohio, USA
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Posted 14 Mar 2007 2:03 pm
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| A tuning I like on my Airline Rocket is (Low to High) D-A-D-G-B-D. The 1st, 2nd, and 3rd strings are great for licks in E, and the E minor seventh is played by barring the low three strings on the 2nd fret. I discovered it when I had a session where the 12 string player was hammering on from open to E minor. I later discovered that the tuning worked very well for many other songs. |
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Bill Leff
From:
Santa Cruz, CA, USA
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Posted 14 Mar 2007 2:57 pm
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Keith:
I don't have a good answer for you on string guages for the modified "Cooke" tuning as I just usually play around with whatever I happen to have on the guitar (providing the strings are light enough for tuning up in pitch if needed). This is sub-optimal in terms of tone and playability, but I make can usually make due with what I have in front of me. If I was serious about keeping a guitar in this tuning I'd consult Bobby Lee's or John Ely's string guage chart. Note that the E on the sixth strings is an octave below the E on the fifth. Handy for one-string "bass lines".
If you decide to try it out, your "money" positions for pentatonic licks are the root position and the position a fifth down from the root(or fourth up depending on how you look at it). |
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Michael Papenburg
From:
Oakland, CA
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Posted 14 Mar 2007 3:01 pm
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I really like G6 or open G for rock or country.
BDEGBD
or
GBDGBD |
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Randy Cordle
From:
Illinois, USA
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Posted 15 Mar 2007 5:41 am
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Open E for me, but I sometimes lower the third string 1/2 step for open Em. I have a 1/4" slightly tapered brass bar rounded at the top that slides quickly under the third fret position to change to open G. It only raises the strings about 1/16", so it provides a good capoed sound with little or no adjustment necessary in the tuning. This has been the best compromise I've found for playing in a band situation where I need to go quickly back and fourth between keys.
_________________
www.Bluestemstrings.com |
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