The Steel Guitar Forum

Hello, everyone,i was just wondering if any one could tell me please,what would be the best tuning to use for the hawaiin sound,at the moment i am using c6th on most of my playing,which is mostly done on the six string steel,also i would like to know what is c6th tuning for the eight, stringmaster it,s the 7th and 8th string that is a bit confusing(what to use)
regards.

Hi to low: E C A G E C A G

Hi Michael. B11 is another possibility for some Hawaiian tunes.

Lo to Hi C#,D#,F#,A,C#,E for 6 string.

My feeling is these tunings give a broad representation of the HAWAIIAN SOUND you're talking about:

C13 E C A G E C Bb C

B11 E C# A F# Eb B A B

E13 E C# G# F# D B G# E

You say you are confused about the 7 & 8 strings. First, you need to know what the great players were doing with those strings. I recommend you stock-up on a broad Hawaiian music library, like the many Hawaii Calls albums full of singing & instrumentals, Alfred Apaka usually with Jules Ah See, & you can download some Hawaii Calls shows on Youtube. What comes to my mind about the 7 & 8 strings is you'll hear them doing a lot of full strumming, from string 8 all the way to the top--sort of a signature Hawaiian lick. On the Hawaii Calls shows you'll hear the steel player doing a background strumming thing. That strumming lick is used a lot for endings & intros on songs. Also, the 7 & 8 strings are used for big spread chords. But, as I'm saying you've got to have the library to hear this stuff--take it from me, that's how I learned.

http://www.steelguitarshopper.com/produ ... -Volk.html

I ALWAYS use.......E C A G E C# C and whatever you might want on the 8th string to fit your preference.

You might go to the http//:www.jerrybyrd-fanclub.com
and give a listen to the many Hawaiian musical selections there most of which are performed in the above tuning.

Just a suggestion.......

I use C6/Bb (aka c13). From top to bottom:
G E C A G E C Bb(sometimes A). On my 6 stringeers, I leave out the low C and the high G.

Sorta depends on which style of Hawaiian you want to play. The old-timers used E7th, C#Minor D9th etc
C6th/13th/B11th etc are "modern" tunings, but are more capable.

Hi Michael, I too have been through a few tunings looking for somewhere 'traditional' to hang my hat. For the past year or so i have settled for C sharp minor but a tone down to facilitate use of my weissenborn which is pitched to D. Do give these a listen as I think they can give you a good idea of the capabilities of this tuning. It goes back to the acoustic roots of the instrument yet still lends itself to more contemporary arrangements.
All tracks in the above tuning ( D pitched ) except 3.7.12 Do feel free to contact me if you need any further help, hope you enjoy the tracks.
http://kevinbrown1.bandcamp.com/album/home-and-dry

http://kevinbrown1.bandcamp.com/album/home-and-dry

Kevin Brown new album available on link above.

I checked the above link when I saw it in the above message, it is indeed the Shackdusters / Kevin Brown
new album available now by download for $9.95 US.

The album's tile is "Home and Dry", that took me back to those YouTube videos Kevin shared with us of Shackdusters playing outdoors in the cold winter weather in Bath, UK, after that "Home and Dry" is a good choice of title! I've been waiting for this album since I saw those videos, I really like it!

Bill Creller wrote:Sorta depends on which style of Hawaiian you want to play. The old-timers used E7th, C#Minor D9th etc
C6th/13th/B11th etc are "modern" tunings, but are more capable.

I'd like to point out that C#Minor, particularly C#Minor7, is an E6 chord. Sol Ho'opi'i began using this tuning in the early 30's after he moved to LA. As I have said before, a tuning with a sixth in it is very useful fo a non-pedal steeler. Don Helms used an E6, the Western Swing guys use C6 a lot. Of course, the oldest timers used the Taro Patch slack key tuning, aka the "Low Bass Open G", which is to be expected. - Jack