The Steel Guitar Forum

Hello

I'm looking for suggestions on beginner C6 lap steel instruction for an 8 string guitar. Any advice on good resources, books, DVDs or websites?

Thanks very much

Tom

Hi Thomas,
I've found Cindy Cashdollar's DVD's to be very useful.
Keith.

At the risk of appearing self-serving ....

http://www.volkmedia.com/Volkmedia.com/ ... _Book.html

Note: the book is written for 6-string but totally applicable to 8-string guitars.

Andy Volk wrote:At the risk of appearing sel-self-serving ....

http://www.volkmedia.com/Volkmedia.com/ ... _Book.html

Note: the book is written for 6-string but totally applicable to 8-string guitars.

Awesome Book. I thoroughly recommend.

Mike Auldridge's DVD for 8 string resonator has an excellent C6 section. But that begs the question of which 8 string C6 tuning you want to use. If you can find Buddy Emmons' stuff for C6 psg, you will get a lot of excellent stuff for non pedal as well.

Another 100 plusses for Andy's book, I just got it and it's beyond excellent. Dewitt Scott's Mel Bay book is very good for beginner/intermediate study with lots of songs to practice with. I just put up my spare copy for sale: http://bb.steelguitarforum.com/viewtopic.php?t=288794

if you're into Hawaiian styles, look into Jerry Byrd's "Big Book", it goes into the evolution of C6 tuning through the simpler earlier open tunings, informative and loaded with his great stylistic ideas.

Hi Thomas - my name is John in Calgary - I have just starting learning to play again after a 40-year hiatus - I have a Jackson pedal steel guitar with C6th and E9th 10-string necks. I am fond of Hawaiian music and that is mostly played in C6th so I have been looking for C6th lessons. On my 10-string C6th neck, without pedals, I figured out strings 2-3-4-5-6-7 are the C6th 6-string tuning of E-C-A-G-E-C. I bought lessons from Georgeboards which I find easy to follow including some songs like Hawaiian Wedding Song, Blue Hawaii and Song of the Islands - his downloads are not expensive. I am learning these Hawaiian songs as C6th 6-string right now and they sound great. I also bought some C6th song lessons from Troy Benninger for $10 each with a discount if you spend over $50 and I find them easy to follow as well. As a fellow beginner I recommend both to you.

Could someone tell me how a 6 string instruction book can be used by someone with an 8 string guitar? I am embarrassed to ask this question because I know there is a logical answer. I figured I would give you guys a chuckle this evening. I know I could have asked this question privately, but maybe I am not the only one wondering the same thing.

6 string is C-E-G-A-C-E.

If you are playing 8 string C6, that usually winds up being A-C-E-G-A-C-E-G......so the core C6 is in the middle or somewhere in an intact version.

While there are some variants on tuning philosophy, Stephen nails it. And of course anything you can play on the top three strings of the 6 string tuning (chords, scales, etc.) can be found on the bottom three strings of the 8 string tuning, both being A,C,E. Takes a bit of thought but that's a healthy part of the learning curve.

I'm a newbie, and I tune mine G-A-C-E-G-A-C-E. That's the normal C6 tuning with two extra strings on the bottom. Works for me. Most of the lessons out there are for six string, and I had trouble wrapping my mind around having those six strings in the middle, and numbered 2 thru 7!

Mike Spieth wrote:I had trouble wrapping my mind around having those six strings in the middle, and numbered 2 thru 7!

I play the high G version of C6, but I usually write out TAB on standard 6 line tab paper. Any note on the 1st or 8ths string, I put on a ledger line above or below that. That helps me keep my 6-string C6 home base visually "centered" on the staff. And frankly, many songs I play never stray beyond those 6 strings.

Also, in my head, instead of 1-8, I think of the strings in terms of 0-7, again, preserving the 6-string center as 1-6. Weird, perhaps, but it has served me well.

Stephen Abruzzo wrote:6 string is C-E-G-A-C-E.

If you are playing 8 string C6, that usually winds up being A-C-E-G-A-C-E-G......so the core C6 is in the middle or somewhere in an intact version.

Stephen, thank you for that. Now I'm lost because I too am a beginner and my Peterson tuner has not yet arrived. My C6th lessons from Troy Bettinger list the C6th scale as C-E-G-A-C-E exactly as you said. My C6th lessons from Georgeboards show the C6th scale as E-C-A-G-E-C and so does the C6th blank tabs sheet on this forum. Now I don't know which is which.

Additionally, Georgeboards and the blank tab sheet on this forum both show C6th 10-string and 8-string as D-E-C-A-G-E-C-A-F-C. I am playing the Hawaiian Wedding Song from Georgeboards, as well as the scales and chords in his lessons, and they do sound correct on my steel guitar. Please tell me too why there is this difference between the two lessons.

John,

The problem is one of how one lists a tuning.....Troy shows C-E-G-A-C-E which is low string to high string.

Georgeboards has his tuning listed as high string to low string.

It's the SAME tuning, just looks different depending on how you spell out the tuning; lo-to-high or high-to-lo.

Stephen Abruzzo wrote:John,

The problem is one of how one lists a tuning.....Troy shows C-E-G-A-C-E which is low string to high string.

Georgeboards has his tuning listed as high string to low string.

It's the SAME tuning, just looks different depending on how you spell out the tuning; lo-to-high or high-to-lo.

Now I feel really stupid! My heart was in the right place offering my ideas to Thomas Webb but I should stifle myself and not pretend I know more than I do.

John, we beginners are allowed to goof up, but we have to learn from it! Bottom to top and top to bottom caught me unawares too.

Actually, George gives us the player's point of view in his videos, while Troy shows it from the audience side. No wonder they label things differently! I've decided to settle on one tuning and learn from there. I'll save other tunings for later.

Steel is the only instrument that I know of that there is even an argument over which direction to list strings. Every other instrument is low to high.

Hello from Professor Boardez

Please note I always call the Strings from Low To High.

In my limited 35+ years experience, It Makes Since in the Form of Musical Visual.

I teach the middle 6 strings on an 8 as the CEGACE main tuning, and add top and bottom extras.
In my personal taste , A on the Low and D on the High.

I ship my instruments with a High G string, as that seems to be a standard.

When I get a request for 2 lower strings I go with F A C E G A C E.

In my DVD Movies I try to always call the Name of the String and the Fret name of what ever note opposed to calling a String Number.

We use a method called Counting Up, which means - let's say you are on the C String and already know the half and whole steps formula of a Major Scale (WWHWWWH) to find the various Major Chords in C6 Tuning , count up.

Example you are looking for a G Chord , count up the C string to G at the 7th Fret.
That is where you will find the G Major position. Making sure you play the 1-3-5- notes and Skip the 6th notes.

Or you think of it as Skipping the A String for major chords and the G String for Minor Chords.

We use the A String to Count up for Minor Chords. (WHWWWHW)
Open is A-minor , so let's say you are looking for a B-minor then count up 2 frets to the 2nd fret to find B-minor Position.
Make sure you skip the G string.

Hopefully this adds to the Conversation.

Dustin Rhodes wrote:Steel is the only instrument that I know of that there is even an argument over which direction to list strings. Every other instrument is low to high.

Okay, one more thing I learned from this thread; I didn't know all other instruments followed the low-to-high convention.
I knew "standard tuning" for 6-string guitar is E-A-D-G-B-E (sometimes written as "G-B-e"), although strings are numbered high E to low E.

I've used the mnemonic "Elephants And Dinosaurs Go to Bed Early" for years now. I haven't seen one for CEGACE, but just saying it as it as "Seg-Ace" works for me. (Although I s'pose it could be "Keg-Ace." )
I should probably move that to the Humor section so those wo are so inclined can have some fun with it.

If you have a 6 string with C-E-G-A-C-E and 8 string A-C-E-G-A-C-E-G, then the string gauges would be the same except for the top and bottom strings correct? And if this is correct, what would the string gauges be?

Good Question, and there are many answers to follow I am sure.

GeorgeBoards go a little heavy on the lows , 22.5 scale

A- 046 - C- 038 E 032 - G - 026w - A -020p C - 017 - E - 014 - G - 011 (D 015) Low F 052w

It can vary some, and longer than 22.5 scale can also add an element to the formula.

Some of the Hawaiian folks go for Flat Wounds.
My preference is Nickel Wound D'Addarios,
I have some Pure Nickels but never tried them yet.

GB is a D'Addario OEM Dealer so that is our brand to use, and They are made on Long Island NY.

Hopefully others will chime in with their take on gauges - scale length and what ever else.

Whether it's musically correct or not, steel guitarists have listed their tunings from high to low for many years. I think it evolved that way because of how the tunings evolved. The original Hawaiian tuning was A Major with high E on string 1. Several other tunings evolved from there: E7, C6, B11, A6... all with high E on string 1. String 1 was the constant in those tunings, so I think the players would state their tunings starting with string 1. That's my theory on it! Anyway, it is what it is. That's how I learned it. I understand that chords are normally listed low to high in music theory, but in the geeky, esoteric world of steel guitar we do things our own way. We're like a cult! .

Wow, I didn't know all that. For me, without any real experience, it makes sense to go from top to bottom or high to low. But now I know to look at it both ways to see what the writer or instructor is doing.

GeorgeBoards Educational Web Site is www.steelguitarcamp.com

We made up some Chord Locator Pages for FREE

Give it time to load in to hear the sounds and little song at the bottom.

Hopefully this will help some folks that are exploring the C6 Tuning.



Major Chords C6 Tuning << CLICK <<

Minor Chords C6 Tuning << CLICK <<

George Piburn wrote:Good Question, and there are many answers to follow I am sure.

GeorgeBoards go a little heavy on the lows , 22.5 scale

A- 046 - C- 038 E 032 - G - 026w - A -020p C - 017 - E - 014 - G - 011 (D 015) Low F 052w

It can vary some, and longer than 22.5 scale can also add an element to the formula.

Some of the Hawaiian folks go for Flat Wounds.
My preference is Nickel Wound D'Addarios,
I have some Pure Nickels but never tried them yet.



GB is a D'Addario OEM Dealer so that is our brand to use, and They are made on Long Island NY.

Hopefully others will chime in with their take on gauges - scale length and what ever else.

Not part of the quote:

This is my favorite C6 8 string tuning, BTW. I highly recommend that you try it. It is the one Mike Auldridge explores on his DVD and the first 8 strings of Buddy Emmons' C6 tuning. A-C-E-G-A-C-E-D . If I'm not mistaken, George also has some instruction in this tuning.