The Steel Guitar Forum

While I'm waiting for my 8 string lap steel to arrive, I was wondering if y'all could give me some pointers as to what different tuning options I might have available to me with the guitars current setup and strings gauges.

It currently has:

1. E (.15)
2. C (.18)
3. A (.22p)
4. G (.26w)
5. E (.32)
6. C (.38)
7. A (.42)
8. G (.46)

I want to learn this tuning, but I was also would like to know if something I could relate to a regular guitar was possible in order to jam around with some friends playing.

Really - all tunings possible with these strings

thanks Steve

For that C6 standard tuning, it's great for learning the left and right hand techniques, and still sound very capable. The basic reason is that it's a good tuning with 2 octaves (top 4 strings are tuned 1 octave apart the bottom 4 strings).

Alternatively, just drop this tuning down 4 notes to A6 (C -> B -> Bb -> A), for a little different sound (looser strings). The strings are tuned with the exact same relative notes as C6, so anything you learn in C6 you can play in A6.

Recently, I switched to an E tuning, which has a Root-3-5-1 relative tuning. Orville has some great advice on playing alternate tunings - where you search for the same relative notes on strings in the new tuning (like R-3-5). It helps.

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Mark Tomlinson
mark@careytomlinson.org www.careytomlinson.org



<font size="1" color="#8e236b"><p align="center">[This message was edited by Mark Tomlinson on 05 October 2006 at 08:44 PM.]</p></FONT>