E9 2nd string tuned to D

Bill Pillmore · From: Asheville, North Carolina, USA

Is anyone tuning their E9 2nd string to D instead of D#? I am finding I can play a lot more blues and folk type music and still most of the country stuff too. If anyone is doing this what are your levers doing?
Bill

Jon Light (deceased) · From: Saugerties, NY

Yep--E9/B6 Uni. Raise to D# on RKR/front and on the F lever (LKL/front), lower to C# on the E-lower lever (RKL) and also on 8th string E>D lower (LKR/back). Works for me.

b0b · From: Cloverdale, CA, USA

I had it tuned to D for 15 years. One lever raised it to D# and another lowered it to C#.

I changed it back to D# when I discovered that D# was the "right" note in 5 of the 7 scale positions. After 15 years, retraining the knee lever reflexes was difficult. I felt it was necessary, though, to play the hot licks on the top strings with less physical effort. It's hard enough to get the finger patterns right, without having to hit the knee lever twice as often as is necessary.

Terry Bethel and a few other other top professionals tune their 2nd string to D. All instructional material assumes that it's tuned to D#.
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Brint Hannay · From: Maryland, USA

I've tuned my 2nd string to D for 23 years. I have the raise to D# on RKR, lower to C# on LKV; I find it very easy to hold RKR, and I probably use the D and D# notes equally often.

With the string tuned to D, there's no need for a half-stop, which I've always disliked.

Another thing I find advantageous about this tuning is having D# on the 2nd string and C# on the 9th string (also on RKR) at the same time. It makes for some very nice chord possibilities.

Earnest Bovine · From: Los Angeles CA USA

I had D natural on string 2 of E9 on my GFI guitar for several years. On the same guitar were other pulls that emphasized D,G,C chords more than the B,F#,C# chords on the other side of the circle of 5ths. It was a good tuning with lots of potential, and I liked the way it steered me away from the old cliches.

But I made too many mistakes when I switched guitars so now I tune 2 to D# on all my E9 guitars.

Jerry Hayes · From: Virginia Beach, Va.

The late great Jimmy Crawford always tuned his 2nd string to D as does Terry Bethel I believe. I tune mine to C# as does Weldon Myrick, the late Hal Rugg, Mike Perlowin, and some others. I like it much better than the "standard" D#.............JH in Va.
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Michael Douchette · From: Gallatin, TN (deceased)

I had mine tuned that way forever. I disliked the half stop that was never positive enough, I liked the way it gave me the option of the "BooWah" chord on E9 Smile

, and I liked the scale runs it gave me. After I got my P/P, though, and it was setup with the Eb there, the half stop was for real, AND I didn't want to go through the hassle of changing it around... well, I've become used to the Eb now.

But the D is cool, and very useful...
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David Doggett · Posted 8 Mar 2007 5:24 pm

Most of the Sacred Steelers use an E7 tuning with a D up there between the E and B. They raise it to D# on a lever. Having the minor 7th up there open instead of the major 7th works good for blues and rock. But the D# is a regular scale note and works better for me on all other kinds of music. It sort of depends on what kind of music you play most, and what kind of music you want the speed licks for.

Paul Redmond · From: Illinois, USA

I've been using the D 2nd string since I started playing steel in 1978. I do have a trick lock lever on my Whitney prototype S-12 that holds it in D#. The knee lever I use to drop it to C# will drop it there regardless whether it's in D# or D. This was an experimental thing I wanted to try utilizing the dual-changer setup on the guitar. It works very well. On the other guitars I tune it to D and leave it there. On the little BMI S-10 I just added a KL to drop the 2nd D to C# as well as the 7th F# to E. I use it for Gospel stuff primarily. . .nice fat 'non-6th' chords when needed. This is the only real change I've made to my 'short' Uni tuning in about a decade. The KL I just described isn't really necessary, but I like the special effects it allows me to play. When I end a song pedals-down, I allow the strings to sustain, then grip strings 2, 3, and 7. That's a 'wide' IV chord. Then I resolve that IV to a I also with those strings. That KL also allows me to strum pedals-down up thru string 3 for a fat, 2-octave major chord. Not the most useful KL change, but nice to have it there in the 'arsenal'.
PRR

Mike Perlowin · From: Los Angeles CA

As Jerry said, I tune my 2nd string to C# and raise it. This happens to work best for me, but that doesn't necessarily mean it will work for somebody else.

Lie everything else, there is a trade off. I lost a really cool lick when I changed from D# to C#. I feel I gained more than I lost, but I did lose a lick I liked.

You can't have a guitar that can do everything. You have to make some choices.
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