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Topic: don helms tunings? |
Michael Phillips
From:
Ohio, USA
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Posted 24 Apr 2011 3:25 pm |
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Would anyone know what tuning don helms used when
he played with Hank? |
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Jerome Hawkes
From:
Fayetteville, North Carolina, USA
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Posted 24 Apr 2011 4:55 pm
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E6
_________________
'65 Sho-Bud D-10 Permanent • '54 Fender Dual-8 • Clinesmith T-8 • '38 Ric Bakelite • '92 Emmons D-10 Legrande II |
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Gene Warner
From:
Texas, USA
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Posted 24 Apr 2011 5:59 pm
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Most of those guys used different tunings at different times in their careers. This is probably a perfect example.
I was fortunate to get to talk with Don Helms many years ago, when I was playing a little non-pedal steel myself. At one of their concerts, I got an old 45rpm EP record autographed by all of Hank's band members. I asked Don about his tunings. He grabbed the record, and wrote the following tunings down for me, in the margins of that album.
inside neck B13th (high to low strings)
A E C# A F# Eflat B A(bass)
I think he meant that he used a larger string for that low one, as this would be three octaves worth of A strings.
outside neck E6th (high to low strings)
G# E C# B G# E C# B
I find on the North West Steel Guitar Association web site, the following tunings attributed to Don Helms.
inside neck B13th (high to low)
E C# A F# D# B A F#
outside neck E6th (high to low)
G# E C# B G# E C# A
A little more research on your own, might turn up date periods for these tunings, and probably even other tunings that he used as well.
Gene Warner
repairman |
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Garry Vanderlinde
From:
CA
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Posted 24 Apr 2011 6:02 pm Fron THE Man himself!
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It doesn't get any better than this 
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Jerome Hawkes
From:
Fayetteville, North Carolina, USA
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Posted 24 Apr 2011 6:34 pm
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Interesting- don notes his g# as a .026 unwound
also - shouldn't there be a g# in that B13 tuning? There is no 13 in there- looks like a B11
_________________
'65 Sho-Bud D-10 Permanent • '54 Fender Dual-8 • Clinesmith T-8 • '38 Ric Bakelite • '92 Emmons D-10 Legrande II |
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Morgan Scoggins
From:
Georgia, USA
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Posted 25 Apr 2011 11:44 am
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Michael,
All you really need for Hank Williams songs played in the Don Helm's style is a 6 string E6, (G# E C# B G# E) hi to low. There is book of Don's arrangements of ten HW songs. It is called "Your Cheatin' Heart and is sold here on the forum or you can get it from Mel Bay or Scotty's Music in St. Louis.
the arrangements are pretty simple with no bar slants and really have the authentic "honky tonk" sound.
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"Shoot low boys, the're ridin' Shetlands" |
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Michael Phillips
From:
Ohio, USA
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Posted 25 Apr 2011 4:42 pm don helms tunings?
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| Thanks for your help! If the tunings would be 440 or would they be tuned high or low of 440? Also what would be a good tuner? Any advise on this? |
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Brian LeBlanc
From:
Falls Church, Virginia, USA
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Posted 26 Apr 2011 5:17 am String sets?
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any packaged sets come CLOSE to the E6 line up?
& also Cashdollars C6..
0.052 to 0.11
_________________
'Frenchy' LeBlanc...
ShoBud & Twins |
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Matt Berg
From:
Pennsylvania, USA
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Posted 27 Apr 2011 10:45 am
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| Jerome Hawkes wrote: |
also - shouldn't there be a g# in that B13 tuning? There is no 13 in there- looks like a B11 |
Yeah, and it hurts my brain less to think of that as a D# rather than Eb. |
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