Open G chord tuning

Charles Shafer · Post by **Charles Shafer** » 24 Apr 2014 11:38 am

hello everyone, I am new, I think you guys have a great forum, a lot of information. Ok, I bought my one and only lap steel the other day, a RK rg-32. I've read the good and the bad here, I am just having fun with it. I am not a new guitar player but have never played a steel. Like many I might presume, I am completely in awe of Gilmour and what he can do with strings. Anyway, that was my bait and I got hooked. So, being quite the rookie, I haven't figured what strings would I need to take my little RK to an Open G chord tuning? There is so much info on strings here I am way out of my league, flat vs round, thick vs thin, would someone like me at my level even see a difference in what I want to play, which a gilmourish, bluesy, dire straits kind of sound. Any advise will be well received, thank you.

Dave Harmonson · Post by **Dave Harmonson** » 24 Apr 2014 12:49 pm

You'll most likely get several different answers. For me I use the standard Dobro tuning low to high GBDGBD and use standard electric round wound strings.
Generally you use a heavier guage for steel than you would for the same pitch on a standard guitar.
Most dobro sets are something like .016 .018 .028 .036 .044 .056. I like to go heavier on the first two and use .018 .020 on the high D and B strings.
This tuning is very versatile with minor and major 3rd intervals, 4th interval and octave intervals available without using slants. With the addition of slants it has infinite possibilities

Dave Harmonson · Post by **Dave Harmonson** » 24 Apr 2014 12:50 pm

I should also say the first two strings are plain and the rest wound.

Charles Shafer · Post by **Charles Shafer** » 25 Apr 2014 7:56 am

Thank you very much for your replies. I always have strings for my guitars around, thinking I needed something different or special had made me feeling somewhat apprehensive but I am anxious to just replace what came with it with some Ernie Balls or GHS's. Thanks again.

Chris Walke · Post by **Chris Walke** » 25 Apr 2014 10:03 am

Gilmour plays in minor keys often, probably more often then not. You can change one of those Ds to an E (which would be a G6 tuning). I wouldn't be surprised if he played in open Em or standard 6-string guitar tuning.

Personally, I like the low bass open G, low to high:
D-G-D-G-B-D. Gives big open chords that are neither major nor minor when you don't play the B string. The other instruments, esp bass, will determine whether those chords sound major or minor.

As for a string set, I go to these, at $3.99 per set:
http://www.musiciansfriend.com/accessor ... ar-strings

Chris Walke · Post by **Chris Walke** » 25 Apr 2014 10:10 am

Oh, on a side note, I recently re-discovered this nice dark gem from the 80s. Lap steel solo is VERY reminiscent of Gilmour/Pink Floyd. Red Ryder's steel player was Ken Greer.

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

Charles Shafer · Post by **Charles Shafer** » 25 Apr 2014 12:03 pm

Wow, what a great song, this dates me but this tune was a big hit when I was in high school. I liked it then and always have enjoyed it but to be honest, it never occurred to me that the solo was played on steel, at the time I must have thought it uncool to like a steel guitar. Obviously, I have done a complete 180 on that, I think it is one best sounds in music. Thanks for the tune, that was a pleasant memory. I didn't think of "drive by's", "al-Qaeda", or $4.00 a gallon gas prices for a few minutes there. This is my best example of "the love of steel", sorry about the commercial. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EeTz6ARNBmw The steel doesn't come up front until around 5:20 but it is nice.