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Topic: Chris Scruggs tuning? |
Tony Lombardo
From:
Alabama, USA
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Posted 13 Jun 2020 4:33 am |
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| About four months ago, Chris Scruggs came into the music store where I work. I asked him if he wouldn’t mind playing my lap steel. He enthusiastically agreed to do so. I took it out of the case and handed it to him. He strummed it open once and knew it was in A6. For about five seconds, he turned the keys until he heard what he wanted to hear and started playing some beautiful country, Western swing, and Hawaiian music. After a few minutes I asked him what tuning he was in, and he said C6/A7. |
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Paul McEvoy
From:
Baltimore, USA
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Posted 19 Jul 2020 8:27 am
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| John Goux wrote: |
I love Kayton’s playing and attitude. I’m a big fan of Chris, too.
Here is the master himself from a 1993 interview in Steel Guitar World magazine:
“ KR: Yes, it’s a 1951 Fender...it’s my only steel. That steel is 41 years old. I had another one time that burnt up in a fire.
SGW: I see you’re still using your old DeArmond foot pedal.
KR: Yes, Shot Jackson rebuilt that for me before he passed on and it keeps going. I just can’t seem to wear it out.
SGW: How about your tunings, can you share those with us?
KR: Well, my main tuning is C6th, that’s my bread and butter neck. It has a little variation. Staring with the first string on the small end: E, C, A, G, E, C#, A, A (an octave lower). You will notice that I have two A’s together...the second is real low for that boom effect. It’s almost like a big third more than anything else. I use it only occasionally when I’m doing some thump style. Getting back to that C#, normally if you’re playing this C6th tuning and you rake across it, it will sound out of tune. But, if you rake across the strings and leave the second string out, then you’ve got a whole new tuning...and you see that second string there, the C, if you pull that a half step, it will fall right in tune with that tuning. You can really play some jazzy sounding stuff with it. It makes a whole new ball game. It’s like having a dual tuning. And on the other neck I’ve got a special tuning...it’s for rides and special things. The first string is F, D, A, F, G, Eb, C, F, but I couldn’t remember these if I didn’t right them down. I keep a list at home in case someone calls and wants to know. Don’t mind sharing these cause I don’t have any secrets. Of course, Hank doesn’t like notes played on the high register, so I’m usually limited to playing on the lower end.†|
Is he saying he's doing a behind the bar bend on the high C string to fit the A7 Chord? |
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John Goux
From:
California, USA
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Posted 19 Jul 2020 9:22 pm
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Yes.
When he says “out of tune†he means that C is dissonant to the the A7. He bends it up to C#.
Any video of Kayton you can see him bending the string behind the bar with his third finger.
Here is one.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=vOckHegt3-U
Chris is really good at this technique as well.
John |
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Paul McEvoy
From:
Baltimore, USA
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Posted 20 Jul 2020 3:34 am
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| oh that's cool. I never thought of the C being the blue 3rd of the A7 chord before. That was great. |
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Ryan Forster
From:
British Columbia, Canada
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Posted 9 May 2023 6:07 pm string gauge
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| does anyone know the string gauges chris scruggs uses for his C6/A7 neck and his F13 neck? wanting to string up my D8 to the same tuning. |
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Chris Scruggs
From:
Nashville, Tennessee, USA
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Posted 18 May 2023 2:33 pm
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I use the same gauges as Kayton did. It’s really best if you have a 22.5” scale guitar. The string pulls don’t work out as well on longer scale guitars.
.015
.018
.020plain
.022wound
.030
.034
.034
.068 for C6/A7, .056 for F13 |
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