Who all are playing Diatonic tunings?

Jerry Clardy · From: El Paso, Texas, USA * R.I.P.

I know b0b has some nice examples of Diatonic tunings and their uses. What other players are using this type of tuning and where can examples of the music played on them be found?

Ray Montee · From: Portland, Oregon (deceased)

Jerry Byrd has done a bunch of tunes in a diatonic tuning........Some Ernest Ashworth RCA discs; Slim Whitman stuff, etc.

C Dixon · From: Duluth, GA USA

Yes Ray is correct.

Jerry invented his diatonic tuning.

E
C
B
A
G
F
E

You won't find many pedal steelers with Diatonic tunings for the simple reason that pedals tend to defeat their purpose.

IE, Diatonic tunings are mostly used to grip certain strings as oppossed to others as the music calls for certain chords; and pedals achieve this in a more efficient manner in most applications.

carl

Franklin · Posted 22 Mar 2004 11:23 am

The E9th tuning should probably be called E diatonic with a dominate seventh. With the use of A & B pedals, a knee pedal or two, and out of one bar position we can play the chords within the major scale.

Paul

Ray Montee · From: Portland, Oregon (deceased)

The Forum has a couple of outstanding steel players that have mastered this unique tuning.
Big John Bechtol and Garland Nash are the first two that come to mind.

Jerry Clardy · From: El Paso, Texas, USA * R.I.P.

I guess I'm missing the point. What is the purpose of diatonic tunings and in what way are they not already available on the E9 chromatic tunings as Paul pointed out?

Paul Brainard · From: Portland OR

I saw Tom Morrell in Dallas and was astounted at what he played (and the ease with which he did so) on his 8-string (?) non-pedal. Someone there told me he uses a diatonic tuning - does anyone know if it's the same as the JB one posted above?

This topic probably does belong in non-pedals anyway. . .

Doug Seymour · From: Jamestown NY USA (deceased)

what would you guys call the tuning that used to be around.....oh! oh! senior moment!
Can't think of the guy's name.......
Eddie Alkire! was that it? Seems like a guy on WWVA played it years ago & I almost thought he had pedals?? Was he with Hawkshaw
Hawkins?? @ WWVA? Seems like a guy in Florida who came to Carl Dixon's first jam played a demo for everyone on that tuning on his 30" scale single neck? Am I dreaming that?

[This message was edited by Doug Seymour on 29 March 2004 at 08:03 PM.]

Ray Montee · From: Portland, Oregon (deceased)

A great example of this tuning can now be heard on the JBFC site. The tune is "Estralita". Give it a listen. In the opening phrase, you might get a better hearing view of what it's all about.

John Bechtel · From: Nashville, Tennessee, R.I.P.

Before I recently reacquired my Fender T-8 Custom, I continued to use the C-Diatonic on my Franklin PSG. Although the E9 falls close to it, I did most of my Diatonic playing using only (5) strings instead of (7). One standard pitch, the (B) is obtained on the 3rd. str. w/RKL lowering the C to B. The other note you need, (F) is obtained on my PSG with a pedal that raises str.#6 from E to F. So, everything (all 7 notes)is played on strings #2 thru #5: E-(C-B)-A-G-(F-E) and I also add str. #6 (C), because; my Non-Pedal steel has 8 strs. ea, neck. I've been practicing my Diatonic tunes on PSG ever since I unwisely sold my Fender Custom back in ’89. Fortunately my Custom was returned to me last Aug. And I'm back to playing it for real! I've been telling everyone all these years that some people imitate a PSG on their NPSG's, but; I imitate a NPSG on a PSG. Now I imitate both styles on both guitars! BTW: The one who enlightened me about raising the (E to F) was none other than Sonny Burnett, back when I was working the Opry in ’77-’78! Another Jerry Byrd recording that demonstrates the tuning well is the tune Waltz Tropical. You can play it or any other of his great tunes on either steel and without anyone actually knowing which guitar you're using. Never use either of the two (changes) while a string is ringing. I hope this is helpful and of interest to some of you!

------------------
“Big John” Bechtel
Franklin PSG D–10 (9 & Cool

Fender ’49–’50 T–8 Custom
Fender ’65 Reissue Twin-Reverb Custom™ 15
http://community.webtv.net/KeoniNui/BigJohnBechtels

Bobby Lee · From: Cloverdale, California, USA

The Alkire tuning is more properly called a chromatic tuning. It includes notes that are in between scale notes.

Diatonic refers to a seven note scale. {'Dia' means seven.) To my way of thinking, a tuning needs to have all seven notes within the span of an octave before it can be called diatonic. Jerry Byrd's tuning is close to being C Diatonic, but it doesn't include the D note.

Paul says that the E9th is a diatonic tuning. That's true once you start including the pedal notes. Since it's not diatonic without the pedals, I would say that it's a diatonic copedent. The tuning is pentatonic - it has 5 notes per octave.

Actually, a full E9th copedent can give you any note in its range. I would classify it beyond diatonic. It's fully chromatic.

------------------

Bobby Lee - email: quasar@b0b.com - gigs - CDs, Open Hearts
Sierra Session 12 (E9), Williams 400X (Emaj9, D6), Sierra Olympic 12 (C6add9),
Sierra Laptop 8 (E6add9), Fender Stringmaster (E13, A6),
Roland Handsonic, Line 6 Variax

Paul Brainard · From: Portland OR

Interesting, I guess I always had the impression that "diatonic" referred to the fact that it used the two intervals of a half- and a whole-step. . .of course that would include pretty much all Western scales other than the chromatic. But I just looked the word up in a couple of sources which list the Greek root dia- as meaning "across" or "through", although they also define the whole word variously as a scale of 7 or 8 notes (octave included) with two semi-tones. But it all makes sense, because although I don't think they used the whole scale, if you play "across" all the "tones" of all the ancient Greek modes, what you get of course is the 7-pitch "diatonic" scale.

Ernie Pollock · From: Mt Savage, Md USA

As to Doug Seymours reply above, that was probaly Claude Brownell, he was Alkires #1 Ace student & did have the 'long neck steel' as he like to call it. Claude Stopped by my shop one time a couple of years ago & just blew my mind with that tuning we played for 4 hours that day. Claude passed away about a year ago. We lost a great player there.
Also Doug, how are you doing? good I hope, long time no see!!

Ernie Pollock

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C Dixon · From: Duluth, GA USA

Doug and Ernie are correct on Claude Brownell. He passed away several years ago. And he is sorely missed.

The guitar he played at the Atlanta show had a 30" scale. And indeed he used the Eddie Alkire Tuning. The tuning is UN forgiving but Claude was sooooo very good on it, you would think it forgave him infinitely.

Not only did he play it flawlessly, but he also sang while playing it. He was truly unique. His tuning (Alkire) was unique and his playing was unique. How this man could constantly change those wide awesome grips, without a whimper of a miss, is a mystery to me.

The tuning is:



E


C#


B


A


G#


G


F#


F


E


C#

The following is 3 pictures of an Eddie Alkire Eharp. Sadly some of the mica binding is coming loose from around the guitar and a few of the frets are coming loose. They are inlaid wooden frets.

In addition these guitars were built with a half circle plexiglass hand rest just below the strings. You can see the screw holes. I am in the process of making a new one. The old one simply dissentegrated in the case.

May Jesus rest Claude's soul, and bless all of you,

carl

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