i have question

Calvin Walley · Post by **Calvin Walley** » 28 Oct 2015 8:58 am

not knowing anything about lap steels i thought i would ask

why are 90% of the lap steels tuned to C 6
i heard one on youtube recently and it was tuned to open E
since i like "classic country " this tuning sounds better to my ear
is it that most lap steelers are simply into the western swing music ?

Stefan Robertson · Post by **Stefan Robertson** » 28 Oct 2015 12:35 pm

just like the pedal steels you owned.

Lap Steel Guitar tunings can vary

Some c6th
some E13

Many other variations than pedal steel. We were here first. Plus lots more choices without restrictions from pedals/levers. So endless possibilities.

If you prefer E find a tuning plenty to chose from.

Erv Niehaus · Post by **Erv Niehaus** » 28 Oct 2015 12:40 pm

When I was playing non-pedal, I tuned my T-8 Stringmaster to A6th, C6th and C#m7 (a variation of the E tuning).

Calvin Walley · Post by **Calvin Walley** » 28 Oct 2015 1:43 pm

of course i know there are variations

but i guess what i was asking was why C 6 seems to be the dominant tuning

Steve Green · Post by **Steve Green** » 28 Oct 2015 2:18 pm

I guess I'm just the opposite. I chose C6 because I like classic country -- think Jerry Byrd, Little Roy Wiggins, Don Helms, early Billy Robinson.

Most western swing players use either a variation of A6 (Eddie Rivers, Asleep At The Wheel) or E13 (Leon Macauliffe)

I associate open E strictly with blues & rock. In fact, I can't think of any classic country steelers who use open E.

C6 is also an extremely versatile tuning. Unlike open E, you can get minor chords under a straight bar.

You can also access several other tunings from C6 by just retuning a string or two, i.e. C6, A6, B11, Leavitt, etc.

David Matzenik · Post by **David Matzenik** » 28 Oct 2015 3:41 pm

Steve has hit the nail on the head. C6th popularity is due to its versatility. There is a choice to be made with the various 6th tunings, and as Basil H once said, it comes down to the tonal centre of the tune you wish to play.

Calvin Walley · Post by **Calvin Walley** » 28 Oct 2015 4:15 pm

thanks for the info

Dom Franco · Post by **Dom Franco** » 28 Oct 2015 7:37 pm

Any "6th" tuning will give you the advantage of major and minor triads, which is important if you are going to try to play songs that have a relative minor chord in the progression. (Most popular songs do)

The only differences in G6, A6, C6 or E6 are the fret positions you will have to land on to play a song in a particular key.

Figure out what keys you and your bandmates favor, and then pick a tuning that give you the best playing positions.

Dom

Jeff Mead · Post by **Jeff Mead** » 29 Oct 2015 12:00 am

I prefer a 6th tuning for classic country - the sound of the old Hank Williams records (and many more).

It's definitely not just a western swing tuning.

Erv Niehaus · Post by **Erv Niehaus** » 29 Oct 2015 7:10 am

Dom kind of hit the nail on the head. A lot of the times I chose a particular tuning according to the key the song was written in. I like to play in the middle of the neck.

Calvin Walley · Post by **Calvin Walley** » 29 Oct 2015 9:09 am

there are 3 types of music is simply hate
(1) western swing
(2) jazz
(3) Hawaiian
don't jump on me is just my personnel taste in music
i am "pure country " from the 60s and 70s
love the "Bakersfield sound

Erv Niehaus · Post by **Erv Niehaus** » 29 Oct 2015 9:13 am

Calvin,
You need to be prayed for.

Doug Beaumier · Post by **Doug Beaumier** » 29 Oct 2015 9:25 am

As far as the C6 tuning, on pedal steel guitar C6 is primarily a swing/jazz tuning because the pedals give you diminished, 9th, augmented, etc. chords very easily. E9 is the "country" tuning on pedal steel. But on non-pedal steel the C6 tuning is plays a different role IMO. Without pedals, we look for tunings that will give us the greatest number of chords, majors, minors, 6ths, etc. The 6th tunings are best for that. C6 lap steel tuning is not stereotyped as a jazz/swing tuning. Not as much as C6 pedal steel guitar tuning.

If you like classic Country, check out my C6 lap steel video of "Send Me the Pillow". No swing/jazz there, just country ---> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GO2Tf8KLJ14

Doug Beaumier · Post by **Doug Beaumier** » 29 Oct 2015 9:32 am

there are 3 types of music is simply hate
(1) western swing
(2) jazz
(3) Hawaiian

Don't be a hater!

Calvin Walley · Post by **Calvin Walley** » 29 Oct 2015 10:00 am

hey !!!

everyone has their own like's /dislikes

i''m certainly not putting what someone else like's down
its just not for me

Doug loved that vidio
and the one called "lonely bull" was just pretty as hell

a couple of years ago during my 3rd back surgery the Doc. nicked my spinal cord and pretty much ended my pedal steel playing
and now i find myself with waaay to much time on my hands so i started thinking about the lap steel

thanks

Keith Glendinning · Post by **Keith Glendinning** » 29 Oct 2015 10:05 am

Hate = Tiny Mind !
Any open minded person will listen to many kinds of music during ther lifetime and either absorb something from it or switch it off because they don't enjoy it, but they don't slag it off. Music from many genres can give you a tremendous lift.
Keith.

Calvin Walley · Post by **Calvin Walley** » 29 Oct 2015 10:14 am

ya know this is what i never liked about this forum
if someone says that they don't like something any and everyone wants to put em down

just like everyone on the forum LOVES all types of music ....YEA RIGHT

Dustin Kleingartner · Post by **Dustin Kleingartner** » 29 Oct 2015 10:16 am

Hi all, I'm new to the forum (long time reader, first time poster).

I also used to think I hated Hawaiian music. But I am a convert now. I am constantly impressed by the technique and tone of the Hawaiian masters.

I agree that C6 is one of the the most versatile for non-pedal. I also think that it is a great tuning if you are in a situation where you are trying to mimic pedal steel.

Look at Cindy Cashdollar, she very frequently uses C6 variations, and I'd say her stuff sounds pretty darn country (and great!). She is also one of those masters of mimicking pedals with non-pedal techniques.

Steve Green · Post by **Steve Green** » 29 Oct 2015 10:21 am

Calvin Walley wrote:
. . . i am "pure country " from the 60s and 70s
love the "Bakersfield sound

Unfortunately, there's not much LAP steel in that vein.

Forum member Mike Neer does some great Bakersfield-style playing on lap steel using an E9th tuning.

Check out his video of Tom Brumley's "Seven Come Eleven"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UGTB9knbOVc

Calvin Walley · Post by **Calvin Walley** » 29 Oct 2015 10:25 am

steve

i watched it and i liked that
i stopped drinking 25 years ago but i still love the old " honky tonk " music ...lol

Dustin Kleingartner · Post by **Dustin Kleingartner** » 29 Oct 2015 10:25 am

Well, when you say you hate three huge genres of music on a forum where people love those types of music, you are going to get some opinionated responses. That is just how the internet works.

Andy Volk · Post by **Andy Volk** » 29 Oct 2015 10:30 am

There several reasons why C6th is popular:

1) History: it naturally evolved with the instrument from its first documented use by Jerry Byrd in the late 30s to the early days of pedals. The tuning allowed for voicing fuller and more complex chords than many earlier tunings. C6th and E9th became codified as the two main tunings during the early days of pedal steel playing when Jerry Byrd's influence was very strong as was the influence of Western Swing masters Boggs, Murphy and Remington - all 6th tuning players.

2) Harmonic Utility: all the major, minor, seventh, major seventh, augmented and diminished chords are available, generally in more than one inversion with additional possibilities available in slant positions.

3)Single note utility: scale tones lie in logical, very playable patterns without string skipping.

4) Tradition: people are used to the sounds people have made on 6th tunings in the past and want to make similar sounds. This is both a good thing and to some extent, holds the instrument back at times.

My two cents.

Doug Beaumier · Post by **Doug Beaumier** » 29 Oct 2015 10:32 am

Thanks, Calvin, I'm glad you like my videos. Yes, classic country is very doable on a lap steel guitar. C6 is a popular tuning, but if you are more comfortable with E tuning, go for it. With E, the major chords would be on the same frets as your pedal steel, E9, no pedals.

Erv Niehaus · Post by **Erv Niehaus** » 29 Oct 2015 10:50 am

And with the A tuning, you have a pedal steel with the A & B pedals down.

Andy Henriksen · Post by **Andy Henriksen** » 29 Oct 2015 10:52 am

The "why 6th?" question, I think has been adequately answered.
As to "why C6th?" I'd suggest that it's because it puts home base for the key of G, perhaps the most common country key, right in the tonal and comfort sweet spot of the 7th fret.