Lowell George's open A tuning...

[Jon Sawyer]

Hello, as green as I am on E tuning and steel guitar in general, lately I've been obsessing on Lowell George's tone and am wanting to experiment with his open A tuning/sound.

I found this interview transcription from Guitar Player magazine 1976.

<i>You are an unusual guitarist because you stick exclusively to slide playing on stage. When did you begin playing, and how do you account for your unique sound ?</i><br>

Actually, I was in a session, and I used to play a lot of open D tuning, and a friend of mine said "Watch this." He tuned the A string down to G, and in fact it was an open G tuning! the he went, "see this!" and he picked up an old flower vase and went whee!!! I said to myself, "That's it!" and that's what started it about six years ago. I use an open A tuning which is an open G tuning moved up a whole step. Instead of moving the first, fifth, and sixth string down, I leave them alone and move all the other strings up a whole step. There's a lot more tension on the strings, and it gets a much cleaner and brighter sound.

<hr>
and I see on Brad's page of steel where Open A tuning is noted as this:

E
C#
A
E
C#
A

I couldn't quite decipher Lowell's explanation about the A string; moving the first, fifth, and sixth string down and leaving the others alone. Was he referring the change from open G to open D?

Anyway, if anybody knows if that open A tuning noted above is the same one Lowell used? Also, can anybody recommend any steel guitarists and/or cd's that feature open A tuning?

BTW, the full interview is here: http://www.lynx.bc.ca/~jc/lowell.html

Thanks in advance for any info, Jon Sawyer

[Brad Bechtel]

Moved to Music from Steel Without Pedals, as the great Lowell George never played lap steel (as far as I know).

I believe the tuning I've listed on my website is valid, but if you search for "lowell george tuning" you'll find many different interpretations, including this video of him discussing his tuning and technique.

[Jon Sawyer]

TY

[Alvin Blaine]

Hello, as green as I am on E tuning and steel guitar in general, lately I've been obsessing on Lowell George's tone and am wanting to experiment with his open A tuning/sound.

I found this interview transcription from Guitar Player magazine 1976.

<i>You are an unusual guitarist because you stick exclusively to slide playing on stage. When did you begin playing, and how do you account for your unique sound ?</i><br>

Actually, I was in a session, and I used to play a lot of open D tuning, and a friend of mine said "Watch this." He tuned the A string down to G, and in fact it was an open G tuning! the he went, "see this!" and he picked up an old flower vase and went whee!!! I said to myself, "That's it!" and that's what started it about six years ago. I use an open A tuning which is an open G tuning moved up a whole step. Instead of moving the first, fifth, and sixth string down, I leave them alone and move all the other strings up a whole step. There's a lot more tension on the strings, and it gets a much cleaner and brighter sound.

<hr>
and I see on Brad's page of steel where Open A tuning is noted as this:

E
C#
A
E
C#
A

I couldn't quite decipher Lowell's explanation about the A string; moving the first, fifth, and sixth string down and leaving the others alone. Was he referring the change from open G to open D?

Anyway, if anybody knows if that open A tuning noted above is the same one Lowell used? Also, can anybody recommend any steel guitarists and/or cd's that feature open A tuning?

BTW, the full interview is here: http://www.lynx.bc.ca/~jc/lowell.html

Thanks in advance for any info, Jon Sawyer

That tuning is the standard bluegrass dobro tuning just up a whole step, instead of GBDGBD. So you could just listen to just about any lap style resophonic(Dobro) player and learn something.

[Michael Maddex]

... I use an open A tuning which is an open G tuning moved up a whole step. Instead of moving the first, fifth, and sixth string down, I leave them alone and move all the other strings up a whole step. ...

I believe what Lowell is describing here would give this tuning:

<tt>E
C# (up one whole tone from B)
A (up one whole tone from G)
E (up one whole tone from D)
A
E </tt>

This tuning is simply up one whole tone from the tuning often called 'Open G' or 'Spanish'. It works great for finger-style, slide or lap-style. This was Muddy's preferred tuning in his acoustic days. HTH.

[Mike Neer]

That's right, Lowell's 6th string was an E. Spent a lot of time with his records in the 80s.

[Bill McCloskey]

Most of the old blues guys played open G (this is not the same as the dobro open G) , less open D. It is the slide tuning you hear on Robert Johnson records and pretty much the only tuning I used when I was playing bottle neck when I was used to play National tricone. Muddy Waters, Robert Johnson, pretty much any of the old delta or chicago blues guys plays in open G.

[Joachim Kettner]

I think Michael is right.
Seems to work well on "Lafayette Railroad":
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HWJhbCFXrdc

[David Mason]

Due to 54-year-old fingers rode hard & put up wet, I'm going fully slide-centric and yes, Lowell is

E
C#
A
E
A
E

and rascally Keith is

D
B
G
D
G
???

Duane & Jimmy

E
B
G#
E
B
E

capo & a Hipshot, you're good to go.

[Erv Niehaus]

The A tuning was the original Hawaiian tuning for lap steel. There is an A "high bass" and an A "low bass". tuning. I'm not sure which came first.
I tune my resonators to A. There was a dobro player on the Grand Ole Opry who used an A tuning. I don't know if it was Cousin Jody or Bashful Brother Oswald.

[John Mulligan]

I'm pretty sure that in the video clip Lowell says he tunes:

D
G
D
G
B
G

Seems weird, but I'm sure that is what he says.

[Mark Eaton]

I interpreted from the video Lowell's version of Open G as:

low to high: D-G-D-G-B-G

Because just prior to spelling out that tuning he talked about standard tuning as in E-A-D-G-B-E, low-to-high, the way I think most of us learned it, with helpful hints like "Eat A Darn Good Breakfast Early."

Brother Oswald used Open A, and Cousin Jody might have as well, don't know - but Os most definitely did.

[Steve Ahola]

I interpreted from the video Lowell's version of Open G as:

low to high: D-G-D-G-B-G

That is two frets down from the Open A (low bass) tuning posted earlier in the thread:

low to high: E-A-E-A-C#-A

I think it is common for slide players to move their preferred tunings up or down 2 frets to accommodate the range of a singer or a song.

Steve Ahola

P.S. Although Lowell George evidently never played lap steel I think that his playing transfers over to lap steel quite well, and that rock and blues guys learning lap steel would do well to study his playing.

P.P.S. As for Keith Richards' tuning it is just the 5 notes listed. My question is which string did he drop- the first string or the sixth string? I wonder if he has custom teles that are designed for just 5 strings...

[David Mason]

He dropped the bottom string, there was always somebody else to get those notes... he has some 10-string acoustics too. Like most rock stars nowadays he gets an interesting custom build from some luthier or another, plays it for a tour and a few YouTube hits and the next month he's got one just like it that says "Martin" or "Gibson" on it. It must be an agonizing problem, constantly having people send you fantastic guitars and trying to decide which one to play.

[Frank Freniere]

Great thread but help me out here.

LG's solo on the song "Sailin' Shoes" sure sounds like a resonator to me. Is there any evidence that he ever played or recorded with one?

Second, if I'm not mistaken "Sailin' Shoes" is in the key of C so how does that square with the tunings mentioned above? Did he use the fifth fret in a G tuning as home base?

[Mike Neer]

In Lowell George's words from a Guitar Player interview:

Actually, I was in a session, and I used to play a lot of open D tuning, and a friend of mine said "Watch this." He tuned the A string down to G, and in fact it was an open G tuning! the he went, "see this!" and he picked up an old flower vase and went whee!!! I said to myself, "That's it!" and that's what started it about six years ago. I use an open A tuning which is an open G tuning moved up a whole step. Instead of moving the first, fifth, and sixth string down, I leave them alone and move all the other strings up a whole step. There's a lot more tension on the strings, and it gets a much cleaner and brighter sound.

[Mike Neer]

Great thread but help me out here.

LG's solo on the song "Sailin' Shoes" sure sounds like a resonator to me. Is there any evidence that he ever played or recorded with one?

Second, if I'm not mistaken "Sailin' Shoes" is in the key of C so how does that square with the tunings mentioned above? Did he use the fifth fret in a G tuning as home base?

Frank, with regard to that recording, he's playing an acoustic guitar tuned down lower--in fact I think I can hear him play a low C, so I'm not sure of the tuning there. I would guess he tuned to C, which would be Vestapol tuning (D) tuned down a whole step. I wish I had the recording with me, but I don't. On the live recording of Sailin' Shoes on Waiting For Columbus, they play it in A and Lowell is tuned to A tuning.

[Frank Freniere]

Vestapol tuning?! I learn something new every day.

But wouldn't the strings be awfully floppy in C? Especially when the bar is applied?

When I get home tonight I'll try to post the studio recording of the solo.

Thanks, Mike.

[Jon Sawyer]

That would make sense to me, as a lot of the video footage I have seen shows Lowell using a capo on his 2nd fret.

I interpreted from the video Lowell's version of Open G as:

low to high: D-G-D-G-B-G

That is two frets down from the Open A (low bass) tuning posted earlier in the thread:

low to high: E-A-E-A-C#-A

I think it is common for slide players to move their preferred tunings up or down 2 frets to accommodate the range of a singer or a song.

Steve Ahola

P.S. Although Lowell George evidently never played lap steel I think that his playing transfers over to lap steel quite well, and that rock and blues guys learning lap steel would do well to study his playing.

[Frank Freniere]

Here's the "Sailin' Shoes" solo from the album of the same name. It just sounds so different from the slide guitar in, say, "Mercury Blues" by Alan Jackson.

Here's Vestapol.

[Mike Neer]

Definitely Vestapol (but I think down a whole step)tuning on that solo. You can hear in the second verse (and right after the solo) the acoustic slide guitar is playing the low C.

[Jerry Hayes]

I have one of my Epiphone Les Pauls fitted with Keith/Scruggs tuners on all six strings. Each one lowers the string a whole step except the third string which I lower a half step from G to F#. With this set up I can get the complete open D, open G, dropped or double dropped D, D A D G A D and other uses. I sometimes when playing in C will lower the 4th and 5th strings to C and G respectively and solo on the 1st three strings and use the 5th and 6th for "drone" notes. This guitar also has a set of Bigsby Palm Pedals on it as well as a phase switch and coil tap on board. I call this guitar my "Buck Trent" LP. Here's some shots of it..........JH in Va.

[Frank Freniere]

That is one tricked-out ax, Jerry.

Do you ever do slide on it?

[Jerry Hayes]

Hey Frank, yes, the open D and G tunings are used mostly for slide. Sometimes I do a Dobro part with a metal slide in the G tuning. For that I turn on the phase switch for that nasal sound and it does a pretty fair Dobro sound.........JH in Va.

[Joachim Kettner]

If my ears and eyes aren't mistaken, E.C. uses this tuning also on "Motherless Chidren":
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LIdpLi7BSu4