How to keep E9 in tune

[Paul Higgins]

Hi every one
how do I keep my E9 steel in tune ?
I live in Wales, England, one minute it is warm the next it is cold expecaly this year Im finding it is alover the place
can enyone give some info
Paul

[Ricky Davis]

[Jon Voth]

You can't!

You have to tune it at every opportunity-between sets-every instance.

Just like every other instrument ever made (except piano, mallets, harmonica, etc.)

[b0b]

I have developed a temperament for E9th that keeps the tuning tolerable if some strings drift more than others. Using it, I very rarely had to retune in mid set. It's not perfect but it's acceptable.

https://b0b.com/wp/2018/08/quick-and-ea ... ed-tuning/

When temperature shifts suddenly there is no way to avoid retuning. I once played outdoors looking west into the sunset. The temperature dropped nearly 10°F in two songs. The whole band had to retune. Except the drummer - he just started playing faster to keep warm.

[Joe Krumel]

I have used b0bs E9 tuning guide for a long time now,and have really liked the simplicity. Like he said,it isn't perfect,but really ear friendly.

[b0b]

It's downloadable for the StroboPlusHD on the Peterson site as BE9.

[Donny Hinson]

My suggestion is to forget staring at the tuner, and use your ears. The reason I say that is that when a guitar is exposed to wide temperature variations, it's normal that all the strings will raise or lower. So what? You shouldn't worry about that, as long as it sounds good! (The other string instruments in the band will probably be experiencing the same thing.) I've seen players do this checking the tuner, retuning, checking the tuner, retuning thing all day or all night. And they usually didn't sound any better or worse than they did hours before. If it sounds good, don't worry if everything is ten cents flat. Don't even look at a tuner as long as it sounds okay. Stop constantly wrestling with physics and just play the damn guitar.

Here's a clip of Buddy playing a guitar that's quite obviously out of tune. Do you see him staring at a tuner in between verses or in the middle of the song, and making repeated adjustments? No! He continues on...like a real trouper, making bar adjustments to compensate as best he can. He's frustrated, and around the 2:00 mark he even laughs out loud because of how "out" it sounds. We might have noticed the problem, but we didn't care. We didn't care because he still sounded fabulous; simple stuff played beautifully.

So, stop constantly bowing to the "Tuner God". Sure, tune as best you can. But know when to "let it go", and just try to play as perfectly as you can.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Ij3_YxSEpA

[Paul Sutherland]

In my experiences of late, all the players of stringed instruments have their own tuners, and tune up before every set. Anything less is simply unprofessional. I often see lead guitar players checking their tuning between songs.

[Asa Brosius]

Some general climate control can mitigate wondering tuning, but it's just the nature of the beast. Some guitars are more reliable than others, but every guitar will have a unique character of predictable ways it goes out, discoverable with time, even left alone in a room. Re:tuners vs ears conversation that's come up here, I keep one in line while practicing- some reference is critical, ie. a drone or a tuner for ear development and learning to tune. A silent tuner in line is critical for live performances- no one wants to hear us chasing down a brown note in between songs.

[Donny Hinson]

In my experiences of late, all the players of stringed instruments have their own tuners, and tune up before every set. Anything less is simply unprofessional. I often see lead guitar players checking their tuning between songs.

It sounds like you're saying that players nowadays sound better, more "professional" (or more in tune) than they did 50 years ago. As I do not concur, we'll have to "agree to disagree" on that point.

[Lynn Kasdorf]

On gigs, I always have a Peterson tuner set up so I can tune silently at any time- even mid-song if I want to. I have a tuner out of my volume pedal that provides full strength signal to the tuner at all times. There is so much noise in between and during songs that ear tuning is not an option for me.
On outdoor gigs especially, I check tuning frequently. My LeGrand SKH Emmons holds tuning well, but sun shining on a black instrument will change tuning of any steel.

[Mark Hepler]

This technique takes monk-like discipline, especially if you're craving a cold one: always tune before you head off stage for your break, while the steel's still at playing temperature. Then you can wander around, relax, watch the other guys tune up their cold axes at the last minute.

Lynn's idea works well too, but if you're a little out of tune—and lucky—climate change can pull your thirds up a hair to mesh with other players . . . something you could never pull off on the fly

And, it's no excuse, but most pickers in a band listen to themselves only, anyway, and have no clue who's in tune or who isn't (unless they're Miles Davis caliber). The audience? . . . enough said. I'm not excusing sloppiness though.