What are the uses of various tunings ?

Ed Altrichter · Post by **Ed Altrichter** » 6 Apr 2004 6:17 am

As a Dobro picker who is used to plain ol' Dobro tuning, I'm wondering why steel guitar players prefer certain tunings, for instance: why is C6 preferred for western swing and E9 for country ?
I can see using a certain tuning to get a fuller minor chord... "Greensleeves" sounds pretty thin in GBDGBD tuning; but what effects do other tunings have ?

Ray Montee · Post by **Ray Montee** » 6 Apr 2004 6:50 am

Surely you jest?

The tuning selected, generally speaking, defines what the player is going to sound like. The E9th is capable of providing the "sound" that most Nashville players and wanna-be's select. The high chromatic strings are the "signature sound", I'd say.
The C6th gives a generally fatter sound and a lot of western swing players often prefer it. Lap steel players often select it also for its easy to play MELODY capabilities
C#min was also a popular western swing and Hawaiian sound in bygone years, as was E7th and A6th.
That's one guys SIMPLE explanation and I'm sure there are at least 4,000+ other opinions on this topic. Go give a listen to some old Leon McAuliff, Noel Boggs, Herb Remington records, 78's to be sure, for a clearer "SOUND" interpretation; easier to hear and understand.
This is not to say, that today's many fine steel players, Emmons and Green to mention but two, can't get that fat sound out of E9th, for they certainly can. I'm making reference to a sound typical to those two tunings and nothing more.
IN years past, it was quite easy to determine who was playing what by the tuning you could identify with. Today, it's not that easy to do any more.

Harry Williams · Post by **Harry Williams** » 6 Apr 2004 7:31 am

Ed:
Ray is absolutely right - but why did bluegrass only end up with one standard tuning? Is it a "specialized" musical form where one tuning covers everything? I don't think so, because bluegrass also borrows from many other genres. IMHO there are two reasons: 1. there are a lot of bluegrass purists who declare that if it doesn't sound like Bill M. it's not bluegrass (i.e. don't mess with it) and 2. the most successful bluegrass dobroists (sp?) play in that standard tuning i.e. Jerry Douglas. However Jerry also does spectacular things in other tunings like open D: D-A-F#-D-A-D (high to low). My suggestion, just for fun, on your standard G tuning, lower your middle G to an F# (Gmaj7 tuning), or raise one of your D's to an E (G6 tuning), and play around with the different sounds! And do it at your next jam session just to bug the purists!!

HW

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[This message was edited by Harry Williams on 06 April 2004 at 08:32 AM.]

Andy Volk · Post by **Andy Volk** » 6 Apr 2004 7:45 am

What are the uses of various tunings?

Their primary purpose is to confound, confuse and annoy steel guitar players allowing them to waste years of their lives in futile searches for the ultimate configuration of notes. Tunings also give steel guitar players something to talk to one another about besides politics, religion and the weather.

Their secondary purpose is to offer the opportunity to arrange tunes to take advantage of open strings, make single string runs more fluid - without big string gaps - or facilitate close-voiced harmony. For folk-oriented acoustic styles, the placement of roots, thirds, 5ths, or leaving out the third, makes it easier to play certain kinds of music. For some Hawaiian & swing music, tunings can make it easier to certain get higher color notes ... 9ths, 11ths, 13th, etc. On a non-pedal instrument, you're essentially playing a guitar with one finger so you need all the advanteges you can get. Tunings help level the playing field.
[This message was edited by Andy Volk on 06 April 2004 at 08:48 AM.]

C Dixon · Post by **C Dixon** » 6 Apr 2004 9:04 am

All of the above....plus..

Since the steel guitar originated from the spanish guitar, it has always suffered from the disadvantages of a single fret (Bar) as oppossed to multiple frets and the almost unlimited finger combinations.

This along with the fact that the top string on a regular guitar is E, that string became a "root" note for most of the myriad of tunings that ensued.

IE, if one simply maintains the top note E, how are you going to tune the other strings using a staight bar, so you can play music? Well, the first most likely choice would be a B. And it probably was. But I believe most would agree that the third note would not have been a G. Rather a G# was probably correct. And so on.

Now as others explored and changed the 2nd note away from a B, it then evolved endlessly in other strings then each string change begat further routes and it took on many different paths. So you have an evolutionary "family tree" of steel guitar tunings. Each contributing more (or less) to the music we are trying to play.

I do not believe the type of music mostly spawned the tuning. IMO it was probably the other way around, more or less. But the real driving force was trying to get "that chord" or chords not possible on the other tunings. Of course pedals became, and is the panacea for the almost ultimate freedom in this case.

Of all the lap tunings ever created, C6 was probably the greatest to evolve. So we owe an extreme gratitude to Jerry Byrd for this contribution. For NO other tuning is as flexible (save the PSG and its home grown proprietary E9th)) as C6th and how it fits into music, than this incredible tuning.

In comparison, E6th is too trebly and A6 is too bassy for most. C6 falls in that "perfect pitch" nitch. The interesting thing is, E6th and A6th are basically the same tuning. IE, all three are 6th based tunings. Yet to the player (and listener), they do NOT sound at all alike.

Even though adding the D on E6th tunings to make it E13th, and adding Bb on C6 tunings to make it C13th have been tried to some successful degee, not one could compare with C6, (especially when pedals are added); when it comes to the world of musical voicings in our western form of music.

To summarize, tunings probably came into being more as a result of players simply trying different pitchs down the strings; than from deciding beforehand, "I need a 13th tuning" so to speak.

While some of this occurred I am confident, IMO more often than not, it was just too tempting to alter the basic lead guitar tunings and "let's see what this sounds like" that resulted in yet another maiden tuning to have in one's bag of "tricks".

Some became popular while others just became novelties that drifted into the distant past as time etched them into the forgotten sea of yesteryear.

In any case, may Jesus richly bless all who have contibuted and brought us soooo very much, and may he bring all of you joy always,

carl

A Better Way

Roy Thomson · Post by **Roy Thomson** » 6 Apr 2004 9:49 am

To me, tunings are like languages,,, they carry the same message (song) but sound different.

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http://www.houstonsteelman.com/RoyT/

Erv Niehaus · Post by **Erv Niehaus** » 6 Apr 2004 10:21 am

I find that the key the song is written in has as much to do with the tuning as anything. When I played a T-8 Fender Stringmaster, the first thing I looked for was the key signature and that pretty much determined the neck I played.
Erv

Tim Whitlock · Post by **Tim Whitlock** » 6 Apr 2004 10:23 am

Beautifully worded, Carl!

Ed Altrichter · Post by **Ed Altrichter** » 6 Apr 2004 11:19 am

Carl,
You explained that very well. Thank you.
I live way back in the boonies and don't know anyone who plays an instrument of any kind, so no one to ask. There are jam sessions held sometimes around Minneapolis, but that's about a 5 hour drive from here, so my opportunity to ask questions is pretty limited.
Coming to this site seemed like a good idea at the time, but maybe some were offended by the question. If that's the case, I appologize.
Ed

Keith Grubb · Post by **Keith Grubb** » 6 Apr 2004 11:52 am

Ed,

No need to apologize. As far as I'm concerned all questions are valid and welcome.

Take Care - Keith

HowardR · Post by **HowardR** » 6 Apr 2004 12:11 pm

Ed, there's always something to be learned whether the question is basic or advanced.

Ask away. And don't be afraid to ask a silly question, because there's no bashful bones in my body when providing a silly answer...

Welcome to the club....check your pedals & knee levers at the door....

Andy Volk · Post by **Andy Volk** » 6 Apr 2004 1:42 pm

Who was offened? Maybe Howard, he's known for his hair-trigger temper or was that hair-trigger humor? Seriously, most everyone here is happy to help if we can.

Jeff Strouse · Post by **Jeff Strouse** » 7 Apr 2004 3:58 am

Tunings are like ice cream. At times, only vanilla will do and it tastes the best. But, sometimes I get in the mood for strawberry...

You can tune the guitar to any chord and call it a tuning. But, only a handful are "playable" (with good intervals and such). And of those, you can play most any song on any one of them. It all depends upon what your ear likes the best.

Great information Carl! I like your comparison of the 6th tunings.

[This message was edited by Jeff Strouse on 07 April 2004 at 05:01 AM.]

Bob Hickish · Post by **Bob Hickish** » 7 Apr 2004 4:45 am

The things that Dobro players like Mike Aldridge and others can get out of the
G tuning is so fantastic why would they want to change tuning ! BUT They two
will change the tuning for some songs . -- Shot Jackson -{ I understand had a
pedal / lever on a Dobro } so the real guys are like the rest of us looking for the
easy way to get it all to happen . NOW back to the Question ! I use the G
tuning - C6 - E6 --- and find that I will use one over the other for the lay out
some songs work better on a particular tuning . Thats My $0 .02
Bob

Gary C. Dygert · Post by **Gary C. Dygert** » 7 Apr 2004 6:28 am

Good job, Carl. You said a lot in a few words. As for silly questions, I've got a bunch that I'm still too ignorant to ask. As has been mentioned before, certain tunings work for certain people. Jerry Byrd has used about a dozen tunings, for different effects on different songs. As for me, I just don't like the bluegrass G reso tuning, because I'm always looking for the high string that isn't there. Yet look at what the bluegrass masters can do. Other players like the high G# on an E tuning. As JB has said, find one or two you like and learn the heck out of them. I'm still trying.

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No-name lap steel and reso in E6 and E7

Joey Ace · Post by **Joey Ace** » 7 Apr 2004 8:23 am

"Maybe Howard, he's known for his hair-trigger temper"

If he gives you any problem just call Donna and I. We'll have another visit with him.