The Steel Guitar Forum

Any suggestions would be much appreciated. I play slide on my resonator and telecaster in open G where I tune the 6th and 5th strings to G. Working on my Supro lap steel playing now. Should I keep with an open G, maybe GBDGBD? Playing with a blues/folk/country band. Stay safe out there.

There's a lot of material around for open G (GBDGBD), basically the bluegrass dobro tuning. It's versatile in some ways (Megan Lovell uses it for rock and blues...but more because she came from bluegrass and knew the tuning well). There's more you can do with a 6th tuning in terms of chords and harmony, I think, but if you're familiar with it now, I'd stick with it at first and you can explore other tunings later.

There's an awful lot of good music hiding in open G tuning. Try playing with it for a while and see what you get.

I started out using open E (bass to treble E B E G# B E), but I switched to open G when I started playing with other acoustic guitarists.

Megan from Larkin Poe works mainly in open G.

Bob

Hey, Max - hope you’re having fun with the Supro (I love mine). I use G (or a variant) for lap steel, because I come from a ( ) banjo background. I find it’s pretty versatile for the music I play, which sounds similar to what you’re doing. I will admit to sometime using a capo, to make use of open strings as we change keys, but it’s not necessary. I say stick with it, since you’re already familiar with it, as Nic said.

I agree on there being "a lot of music" hiding in open triad tunings...another thing to bear in mind is that of the early Hawaiian tunings, one of the most popular was open A "high bass"...which is just a step up from open G, the exact same intervals. I sometimes goof around playing Hawaiian style on my open G dobro. It takes some getting used to, not having and intervening strings in that big jump from the 5th to the root from strings 4 to 3...I'm used to having a nice sixth in there so its a bit easier to walk up...

...

I play a variation of Dobro. G9. GBDFAD.
Gives me minor chords and dominant 7 chords.

b0b, the forum administrator, plays a different variation;
Gmaj9. GBDF#AD. Also gets minors etc.

GBDGBD for me also, even when playing in a jazz band...I like the graphically clear scale patterns there..and that way my dobro and lap steels are the same...
...to get the more interesting chords, you can use slants (forward and reverse), and split slants...so, simple tuning, more work to get fancy chords... it is a matter of personal preference.

I guess it depends on how open you are to new things. Got a lap steel, learn C6 tuning. There's a lot of cool genres that sound great in C6. Listen to Jeff Au Hoy for Hawaiian songs in C6. Lots of learning material out there because it's a powerhouse of a tuning. Don Helms of Hank Williams fame played in E6 tuning. Same tuning only different string gauges up a major 3rd. Lots of free educational stuff about C6 tuning here on the SGF.

Hi.
Jerry Byrd's course solves this question. Starts in major tunings, then C sharp, B11, C6, (and barely touches other).
Explains the evolution of tunings, and the dvantages of including other tones other than 1 - 3 - 5.
Hope it helps.
Iorana

I had that same sort of dilemma. I am a banjo player that went to dobro. I wanted to learn lap steel, but I did not want to relearn the fretboard as I already knew where everything was. I got frustrated with the 6 string lap steel, then it hit me... I can get an 8 string and have both the regular dobro tuning and get that 6th sound too! I tune mine (high to low) DBGEDBGE. that is a G6th. Now you have your familiar dobro fretboard and the E note in there gives you the 6th. I also have one tuned in C6th and one in A6th. You know, a man just cannot have too many instruments! Right guys?

The majority of my music is played on GBDGBD dobro, so I tuned my 6 string lap low to high BDEGBD. I miss the low root but I only have to change string grips, not fret positions and that I can do. Also allows for the 2 common forward slants on the high side, just like dobro, along with other slants as long as one take into account that additional (to dobroists) E string. And minor triads, too, just like any 6th tuning.

I also Highly reccomend All Of Doug Beaumier's books. Doug's books have a mixture of country, Hawaiian and gospel songs along with a track of the arrangement as well as a rhythym track. His arrangements will work for the 6 or 8 string.

Brian McGaughey wrote:The majority of my music is played on GBDGBD dobro, so I tuned my 6 string lap low to high BDEGBD. I miss the low root but I only have to change string grips, not fret positions and that I can do. Also allows for the 2 common forward slants on the high side, just like dobro, along with other slants as long as one take into account that additional (to dobroists) E string. And minor triads, too, just like any 6th tuning.

Sounds to me like you need a 7 string!

Francisco Castillo wrote:Hi.
Jerry Byrd's course solves this question. Starts in major tunings, then C sharp, B11, C6, (and barely touches other).
Explains the evolution of tunings, and the dvantages of including other tones other than 1 - 3 - 5.
Hope it helps.
Iorana

A shorter, free version of something similar...Alan walking through tunings historically:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2G8qAmotF_c

Hi Max,
I started on Dobro too, and now play GM6/ C7 combination tuning on a 7-string guitar, Lo to Hi: Bb, C, E, G, B, D, G. My Hi G string gage is .013. The other strings are from a typical C6 string set. Lots of range, and convenient 2-fret slots with straight-bar I, IV & V chords between the treble & bass side. It's a versatile tuning, but I don't know of anyone else using it. Otherwise, I'd suggest A6 tuning; it should seem familiar. And check out Eddie Rivers on YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rARCcW3I0K4