The Steel Guitar Forum

Joe Burke wrote:Wow - love listening to all the suggestions.

What tuning does everyone use on their tricones?

I have no Tricones, but I keep my single cone tuned to G high bass (Dobro) tuning, mostly to read all the books for that tuning, and my biscuit cone tuned to either A low bass, E, E7, C#m, etc.

Sol Ho'opi'i was just incredible, hands down my favorite.

I play mostly Hawaiian music on my 1930 Tricone squareneck.

I use an open E tuning as follows (from low pitch to high):

E-B-E-G#-B-E aka 1-5-1-3-5-1.

It's an "easy" tuning in the sense that if you are playing major chords/scale with a straight bar there are no "wrong" notes. It has it's limitations but you can do a lot with slants on the 1st and 3rd strings.

From what I understand, (please correct me if I'm wrong), Sol Ho'opi'i used a similar tuning on his tricone with one twist:

E-B-E-G#-C#-E aka 1-5-1-3-6-1

This is usually described as a C# minor tuning, though you could look at it as an E6 I suppose.

I like that tuning too, though I am a little less comfortable/familiar with it. It still gives you the same notes on the 1st and 3rd string as the open E tuning, but now it's easier to throw in a 6.

Mike Neer wrote:This track by George Ku Trio was one of my favorites and one of the reasons I really wanted to buy a tricone.

https://youtu.be/CYWdZMMv3zI

Good call on George Ku Trio. This has long been a favorite of mine for the beautiful tremolo...

Kuu Lei:
https://youtu.be/oKLHhAp1slU

Note that the Jim & Bob (Genial Hawaiians) compilation on Grass Skirt Records that was mentioned earlier in this thread also includes 12 tracks by George Ku and his Pacific Islanders

The CD comes with a really nice 32 page booklet with some interesting history of the group (e.g. their steel player, Charles Opunui, also had a minor film career).

It is definitely a package worth owning if you're a tricone fan. It appears to be readily available from Amazon and other sources.

Just to keep this thread going,
I know it's been played before,
A little touch and tone:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nudiAFnbYg0

Gary Anwyl wrote:Note that the Jim & Bob (Genial Hawaiians) compilation on Grass Skirt Records that was mentioned earlier in this thread also includes 12 tracks by George Ku and his Pacific Islanders

The CD comes with a really nice 32 page booklet with some interesting history of the group (e.g. their steel player, Charles Opunui, also had a minor film career).

It is definitely a package worth owning if you're a tricone fan. It appears to be readily available from Amazon and other sources.

I picked up this CD and am loving it. My favorite is still Kuu Lei by George Ku Trio.