The Steel Guitar Forum

would love a chord chart, any resource really. im as rookie as they come. (although ive been playing guitar, bass , synths, vocals, sax) all my life.


i like this tuning chiefly because of the major triad at the top. cant find any books on it(most are c6 iirc)

im not great with video learning. would rather have a book/chord chart in front of me i reckon!!

i know this is a dumb premise... but I do a whole lot of "post rock" "indie" "folk", lanois like stuff too. is there a tuning that would perhaps be better suited for this type stuff...that didnt sound as western swingy, hawaiian, etc?? i do play country as well, but just curious!

again im a rookie, sorry for the dumb question.

//thanks Mr. Robert Allen @Melbert Steel Guitars, for making me my first hand built instrument!! Great, great guy, him. //

Given that almost all lap steel material focuses on either open G ("dobro") or C6 lap steel, I don't think what you want exists. Closest would be the two videos from Cindy Cashdollar, her Western Swing units.

These use the same intervals you ask for but at C6. Most C6 material use the 3rd (E) on top so Cindy teaching with the major triad on top is quite unusual.

They come with booklets which have charts and good tips (you may even be able to get these independently) but most of the education is in the videos.

Each video is about an hour long and there is enough in there to get started. Although the focus is on Western Swing, the material is applicable to any style. I think you'll get value for money with those and with your musical experience, applying what you learn to A6 is not a huge leap (I took exactly this route).

The "6" tuning is very bright and yes, Western Swing is its home base but don't write it off as unsuitable just yet. You need to learn how to play steel before applying it to a musical style.

Consider that transition from A6 to B11 is quite easy (top 4 strings are the same) and with B11 you have more moody chords that may suit your tastes. I use my B11 neck with G# and E on strings 7 & 8. This gives you a nice ii-V-I at every position (and a whole lot more incl. Diminished).

"Open" tunings like E or D are definitely more "rocky" but minor chords can be awkward. I believe there is limited educational material outside of YouTube available for those tunings.

https://www.lessonswithtroy.com/-1-Intr ... Steel.html

https://anewsongmusic.com/products/laps ... ard-poster

Some good info on A6 on the Billy Hew Len tapes:

https://archive.org/details/LenThree03

And an 8 string tuning chart, previously posted on this forum. Note the 2 low strings, a quick retune from F# and A:




Also if you can find a chord chart for C6 with a high G, it's the same pattern as A6 but a minor 3rd up.

There was a topic about Herb Remington's dvds being available through Texas Music Supply. Not sure if it's for A6 but here's the link to volume 1: https://www.texasmusicsupply.com/nonped ... ume-i.html

Long out of print, but Herb Remington’s Tough-Tabs (sp?) were available in A6 with a bunch of pretty cool western swingy arrangements.

A6 should work fine for the more “ethereal” stuff. Notes are all there and the lower pitch fits better than C6 with a high G.

Check out Eddie Rivers videos on A6th tuning. Very slick.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rARCcW3I0K4

For chords, download the Steel Sidekick app.

https://steelsidekick.com/

I have a song book called "16 Songs for Lap Steel Guitar" that features three different tunings. A6 is one of the tunings. There are 8 songs in A6.

It's not a method book that teaches "how to play" A6 tuning, it's a song book. But a lot of people have told me they've learned chord positions, harmonies, and slants by playing through the songs.

More info on the book here: ---> http://playsteelguitar.com/book3-16-songs/

E
C#
A
F#
E
C#

(A6 is an easy re-tune "to or from" C6)

I also play some A6 tunes on my YouTube channel:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6zIU7t2gZ0k

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XQz6Q5hlG8Q

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Esz2tVd7Pdo

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y8JivjKVBIg

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E-1z9qctxGw

I have some arrangements in A6th as well on my site. A few
are in both A6 and C6 for comparison.

Doug Beaumier wrote:I have a song book called "16 Songs for Lap Steel Guitar" that features three different tunings. A6 is one of the tunings.

Andy Volk wrote:I have some arrangements in A6th as well on my site. A few
are in both A6 and C6 for comparison.

I can say both of these folks' materials are worth studying. Thanks for the fine work.

Thanks David!

Ditto, David!

Doug Beaumier wrote:Thanks David!

Andy Volk wrote:Ditto, David!

You're welcome, but y'all deserve the thanks for all the effort you have put into high quality lap steel teaching products.

Wholeheartedly agree with Mr. Brown. Both Andy's stuff and Doug's stuff is top notch. I have learned lots from each of them.

Much appreciated, Jack.