The Steel Guitar Forum

Just wondering what other lap steel blues players like to tune their six strings to for blues. The ever-popular C6 doesn’t make much sense to me for six string because the bottom is so high... For those of you playing on more than 6 strings, I can see why it makes sense.

Open D or E are quite useful!

But I love that old-school E7 for blues:

L-H

B D E G# B E

If I'm playing and singing blues songs it's my tri-cone in low bass G, or my Dobro in D. But in a multi instrument blues jam I will go to my 8 string in G6 (mostly not using the bottom two strings).

L - H
E G B D E G B D

I like open D & open E (E’s nice for my dull mind and knowing where I am on the neck without having to think about it).
Great thing about D, for me, is I just capo at 2 for an E neck).
Gives me good options.

For Blues I tend to use the G (dobro tuning) on my 6 lap steels or a G6 tuning on my 8 string. I can play blues in C6/A6 but the harmonies that I need are not under my bar. E..... well it just doesn't get it for me.
Gary

I voted C6 because it serves as a gateway to C13. However, another tuning I would recommend would be E7–open E tuning with string 5 tuned to D. This configuration mirrors the low 5 strings of the C13 interval-wise. The only thing missing is the 3rd on top and 6th. Slants would be a huge part of the equation, and would easily take you from I to IV or V to I.

After experimenting with Dobro G, and Low Bass G, I’ve returned to Open D for everything except noodling at home, where I’m keeping one lap steel tuned to Dobro G.
(Edit)
I may change that one to GBDF#AD as per b0b below. If I’m going to keep one lappy in a different tuning, it may as well be in what I consider to be the ideal tuning for me.

G B D F# A D - I use it for everything.

https://b0blee.bandcamp.com/track/i-walk-downtown-2

https://b0blee.bandcamp.com/track/kitchen-blues

b0b wrote:G B D F# A D - I use it for everything.

https://b0blee.bandcamp.com/track/i-walk-downtown-2

https://b0blee.bandcamp.com/track/kitchen-blues

I think of this tuning as, “just about perfect”. 2 major triads on every fret. Minor and minor 7 on every fret. 6 on every fret. And those are just the straight bar options.

Unfortunately for me, my skill level isn’t developed enough to take advantage of all these options “on the fly”; ie/when playing live.

My issue with dobro G is that lowballs B string x makes it hard to slide into power chords on the low strings (which is why Keith Richards uses only 5 strings for open G). Low G tuning has that low D, which I never use.

I use a G add 4 tuning (G D G B D C low to high). The high C let’s me suspend chords without always having to do pulls, and it stays out of the way until I need it. It works for me, anyway.

https://ln2.sync.com/dl/eeb7928c0/vbne3 ... c-gkbuhcz2



This is Bluesy. Note it is A9
Standard guitar tuning with th 4th string dropped 1/2 tone

Roy

That's a sweet little piece, Roy - and a VERY interesting tuning. I'm going to have to spend some time in A9. Thanks, it's always good to hear your forum offerings.

Very, very cool, Roy.

David M Brown wrote:Open D or E are quite useful!

But I love that old-school E7 for blues:

L-H

B D E G# B E

Interesting... since I posted this poll, I’ve come around to that E7 too, well sort of. I’m tuned now to D7

ACDF#AD

I live in Open D on all of my slides. Weissenborn, lap steels and dobro as well as bottleneck. I play a lot of Delta Blues and D is perfect for that style. I do have a Baritone Pogreba Weissenborn that gets tuned to Open C because it has a 27" scale.

Very cool, Roy! Who knew? In lieu of a steel, I grabbed my Tele for a quick run through as its already almost in that tuning. Been also meaning to try your tuning Bob. I've experimented a little with with Celtic guitarist El McMeen's tuning (low to hi) C G D G A D which is similar to the tuning popularly called "Dad Gad" ....D A D G A D.

I like D or D9th and C6th for blues and surprisingly, discovered a few months back that the Leavitt tuning offered some nice blues sounds (see arrangement below).

If you're playing mostly single notes, the tuning is less important than the way idiomatic scales and licks lay out. You can play some great single note blues in C6th. Here's Mike Neer killing it in C6th with a low D: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YGp9zzj3egA

My arrangment of Back to the Chicken Shack in Leavitt: