The Steel Guitar Forum

I am looking to learn new songs in the key of D for a six string lap steel. Any suggestions would be helpful

Any song can be played in the key of D.

MR. Neal, Mr. Bob is right. [just my opinion] Any song can be played in any key. If you have to backup a singer you have to play songs in different keys,to accomadate their vocal range.just ONE example would be [CRAZY].If I play it as an instrumental I perfer the key of A ,for a singer I have played it in C, C sharp,D,E,E flat, etc. YOU BETCHA,DYK?BC.

OK, I'll bite: Remington Ride is one--do you have that one? If you're tuned to C6, no problem.

Frankly, I don't quite understand. Why would you want to limit your playing to the key of D ?

I am looking to learn new
songs in the key of D

Neal,

D Minor, or D Major?

Or do it matter?

~Russ

If you are just getting into the steel, and feel comfortable in D, just pick a tune and go for it. You didn't mention which tuning you have on there.

Crazy Arms, HEY!!!!

C jam blues?

Oh, wait...

what tuning? style of music?

I wonder if Neal is referring to the guitar being tuned to D? As in DADF#AD, low to high.

Guys, forgive my ignorance. What I meant was I have a lap steel TUNED to D (DADF#AD). I am looking for songs that go well in that tuning. I am into country and blues.

The D tuning is real good for blues in E. E is at the 2nd fret, and there are a lot of hammer-on and pull-off licks that you can play against open strings. Also, all of the notes at the 5th fret are in the E blues scale. You can play a note at the 5th fret, pull-off to the open string and then hammer-on to the 2nd fret.

Just a few ideas for you to play with.

Get Steinar Gregertsen's CDs, he plays in D tuning.

Open D?
I'll fly away:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BtBcLXfwmxo
or how about Lay my Burden Down:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tTh0HDtCUpY
-

D tuning can accommodate a wide variety of genres and feels .... blues, rock, folk, pop. Are you familiar with Harry Manx and Kelly Joe Phelp's work?

Here are two DVDs that teach some D tuning songs .....

http://www.bobbrozman.com/videos.html#lapslide

http://www.amazon.com/Slide-Guitar-Kell ... B0000776FC

Besides several of my original tunes, some of the cover tunes I play in open D include ...

Dust My Broom
California Dreaming
Sleepwalk
In My Room
Witchita Linema/Lonely Bull medley
Boogie Blues
Sheharazade
I feel Fine
Every Breath You Take
And a few more I can't remember

I also play a couple of tunes in open Dmaj7 - which is reached simply by lowering the 1st string D 1/2 step to C#. Here's a tab for Danny Boy in Dmaj7:

http://bb.steelguitarforum.com/viewtopic.php?t=174576

D tuning is not so hot for swing and Hawaiian (IMHO) but you'd be surprised how versatile it can be once you dig into it. Hope this helps.

As long as you don't want/need to play advanced harmonized lines, you can play pretty much anything in open-D tuning.

Here's a couple of videos with me playing in open-D:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hGEo0TcEP5g

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p0MzkLKXdHA

There's that Christmas Carol "Away in D major"

(better late than never)

Shame on you Guy. That is too funny!

''There's that Christmas Carol "Away in D major"

Good one Guy.............that's some typical laid back Aussie humor for yer.

If I had to pick only one song for you to study for a good grounding in playing solo in D tuning, it would be "Look So Good" from David Lindley's album "Win This Record."

+1 on "Looks So Good".

And props to (wise)Guy... I'll be getting a lotta smileage off that one...

...and there's the Hank Williams song "D Blues Come Around,"