Quick Chord Demo. Alkire tuning on 6 string dobro

Bill McCloskey · Post by **Bill McCloskey** » 25 Apr 2022 8:11 am

Here is an example of some of the chord possibilities playing the Alkire tuning on a six string dobro.
https://youtu.be/99yIf_8X4wk

Dane Carlson · Post by **Dane Carlson** » 25 Apr 2022 10:14 am

My understanding is that Alkire tuning was developed on a 10-string guitar, so which pitches are you using on a resonator guitar?

Bill McCloskey · Post by **Bill McCloskey** » 25 Apr 2022 11:48 am

The top six strings of the tuning Dane. That is actually how Eddie Alkire began teaching the tuning. He assumed you'd start on 6 strings and work up and his lessons are geared that way with 75% of them written for 6 strings. Bottom to top G, G#, A, B C#, E. Chords in this demo include minors, major, dominant, and diminished chords. All straight bar, all 4 string chord voicings.

Doug Taylor · Post by **Doug Taylor** » 25 Apr 2022 1:02 pm

Nice Bill, good to see you still at it!

Bill McCloskey · Post by **Bill McCloskey** » 25 Apr 2022 1:10 pm

Thanks Doug. I'm working on creating a soup to nuts course on the Alkire tuning on my youtube channel and thought that it would be easier for people to get started if they could start on 6 strings with whatever steel they have lying around. And work up to 10 strings.

I'm playing the chords to All Of Me which includes 4 note voicings of major, minor, diminished and dominant 7 chords, all in straight bar position, no slants. All on a 6 string.

Tim Toberer · Post by **Tim Toberer** » 26 Apr 2022 8:26 am

Thats some nice chord work! Can you explain what is the theory behind the Alike tuning or direct me somewhere that does? The Leavitt and Alkire tunings are anomalies in the world of steel tunings, they seem to bring a whole new world of possibilities, but at a steep learning curve.

Bill McCloskey · Post by **Bill McCloskey** » 26 Apr 2022 8:42 am

Sure Tim. That is a big question. I have a dropbox with hundreds of pages of Alkire Eharp lessons which I can give you access to (just pm me your email address to get added. ) There are some tutorials on my youtube page which is devoted to the tuning. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCKR7dv ... wREitVw9Og

Besides lessons you will find recordings of other eharp players, and some of my own recordings using the full tuning. But I will be building out many more Eharp tutorials and will start doing a lot more work just on the 6 string version of the tuning (the top six strings of the 10 string tuning). I think allowing people to start who don't want to commit to 10 strings is the way to introduce this tuning to a wider audience , so I'll be working out a lot of arrangements for jazz standards using just a 6 string dobro. This tuning allows me to play full four note voicings in major 7ths, minor 7th's, 6ths, diminished, four note dominant chords. Working on Autumn in New York now and it is mind blowing the chord subtitles you can get with only six strings.

Stefan Robertson · Post by **Stefan Robertson** » 26 Apr 2022 2:54 pm

Tim Toberer wrote:Thats some nice chord work! Can you explain what is the theory behind the Alkire tuning or direct me somewhere that does? The Leavitt and Alkire tunings are anomalies in the world of steel tunings, they seem to bring a whole new world of possibilities, but at a steep learning curve.

Tim the Alkire tuning has a very spaced out approach to voicings - missing are a lot of modern jazz voicings

Leavitt has common jazz voicings - from standards - chord melody playing - (embedded it on the low end of my E13 as well)

Both bring a refreshing take to chord choices for a song and something different to a standard 6th tuning.

Both tunings are extremely capable of chordal playing.
I recommend to visually see the fretboard by plotting out the C Major scale on both and decide for yourself after you have a play with both.

I don't see a straight bar 4 note dim7 (there is a 3 note voicing though which is fine) or many other common chords or voicings However strings (6, 4, 3, 2, 1) Is essentially the core of the E13 tuning and there is quite a bit in there.

I commend you Bill on your journey and will be following your journey

Steven Pearce · Post by **Steven Pearce** » 26 Apr 2022 6:49 pm

Speaking as a player, it’s beyond my skill level,
As a listener, well it’s just plain hot!
Thank you Bill

Bill McCloskey · Post by **Bill McCloskey** » 27 Apr 2022 3:50 am

Thanks Steven. I'm having great fun playing the alkire tuning on a 6 string.

Tim Toberer · Post by **Tim Toberer** » 27 Apr 2022 4:23 am

I have a dropbox with hundreds of pages of Alkire Eharp lessons

Thanks for doing all the legwork! It's ironic that one of the least used, most mysterious tunings has such a developed teaching method. I can see myself messing around with this tuning. Especially the 6 string version. it would be cool to have this on a double neck 6 with a high bass tuning on the first neck for single note stuff.

Bill McCloskey · Post by **Bill McCloskey** » 27 Apr 2022 4:46 am

I will get you access to the lessons today Tim. About half of them are specifically 6 string lessons. Eddie assumed most people would start on a 6 string lap. I am having a gas playing jazz standards on my dobro.

Gino Marozzo · Post by **Gino Marozzo** » 27 Apr 2022 6:28 am

What gauge of strings do you use on the dobro for the six string version of this tuning?

Bill McCloskey · Post by **Bill McCloskey** » 27 Apr 2022 6:35 am

26, 24, 22, 20, 18, 16

Tim Toberer · Post by **Tim Toberer** » 27 Apr 2022 8:10 am

A quick look at this on https://www.studybass.com/tools/chord-s ... e-printer/ makes me think the tuning is an A Major 9th tuning with a dominant 7 on the lowest string. (There may be another way of looking at this if I am missing something) There are lots of options for 2 and 3 note inversions as it moves up the neck. There is a nice shell voicing for a 7b9. I see a full half diminished chord, a rootless minor 9th and a full 6th chord with the root on the top. So much to work with there and that is just a quick look. Thanks for all the work you are putting into this!

Bill McCloskey · Post by **Bill McCloskey** » 27 Apr 2022 9:27 am

The full tuning is Really a combination of A and E chords. C# E F F# G G# A B C# E: The A7 chord: A C# E G and E7: E G# B Db (C#)

Dane Carlson · Post by **Dane Carlson** » 27 Apr 2022 2:44 pm

Bill McCloskey wrote:26, 24, 22, 20, 18, 16

Bill, which of those are wound strings?

Bill McCloskey · Post by **Bill McCloskey** » 27 Apr 2022 2:50 pm

the 26.

Tim Toberer · Post by **Tim Toberer** » 28 Apr 2022 4:36 am

The full tuning is Really a combination of A and E chords.

Ok that makes sense. I can see why it's such a great tuning for jazz with the 7th chords and modulating using the circle of fifths. For me thinking of the tuning as a chord just makes it more approachable. This could also box you in if not looking at the bigger picture I suppose.

Bill McCloskey · Post by **Bill McCloskey** » 28 Apr 2022 5:09 am

The easiest way to think of the Alkire tuning is that it is more like a piano than a chord. It is specifically designed NOT to have it's own specific flavor, like a six tuning, but to be neutral. I think that is why it sounds a bit strange at first to people used to listening to chord based tunings. Both have their place, but I simply could not play the stuff I want to play on any other tuning. It is also the only tuning I know designed to grow with you: 6, 7, 8, and 10 strings, each additional string adding additional capabilities off of the base 6 string.

I just took 4 strings off one of my eharps so can focus on just the 6 strings for a while. I've also strung my dobro and put a nut raiser on my Martin D28, and tuned them all to the top 6 strings of the tuning. I've started working on demos of America the Beautiful, Autumn in New York, and Crazy just to show the range and it is literally blowing my mind what you can play on just six strings.

I hope to put together a series of showing the same tune playing on 6, 7, 8, and 10 string configurations so people can hear the how each string adds, but that the 6 string tuning is, in itself, incredibly powerful.

Bill McCloskey · Post by **Bill McCloskey** » 28 Apr 2022 6:11 am

Attached is the Harmonic resources available on the top six strings of the Alkire tuning, including fingerings for those who want to get started playing the 6 string version: As you can see there are two major forms, two minor, Dom7th, 9ths, min6, min7, maj6, Dom 13, and Dim7 chords, all three and four note voicings straight bar, no slants.

Tim Toberer · Post by **Tim Toberer** » 29 Apr 2022 5:36 am

Wow, that is nice to have this resources available! Mr. Alkire obviously put a lot of time and thought into his tuning. Very inspirational.