KILLING ME SOFTLY on custom built Clinesmith 8 string

[David DeLoach]

Here is my arrangement of KILLING ME SOFTLY. When I heard Roberta Flack passed away I worked this up.

https://youtu.be/if2BXhx-I-Y

I'm playing my custom Clinesmith 8 string.

[Mike Harris]

Very nice arrangement, well-played!

[David DeLoach]

Very nice arrangement, well-played!

Thanks Mike!

Who would have thought that right hand classical guitar technique you taught me in 1979 at North Texas would translate to lap steel playing in 2025! You were a GREAT teacher who truly shaped my musical life.

[Andy Volk]

Nice arrangement!

[Jared Steele]

Very nice!

[Michael Johnstone]

What is your tuning if you don't mind me asking. I thought I heard a tritone in there and you hit all the changes with little or no bar slanting.

[Mark Eaton]

Well done David!

I would appreciate knowing the tuning as well. I'd like to give it a shot on my own eight string Clinesmith.

I have messed around with the six string dobro version by Mike Auldridge for many years. I had just started on dobro in the mid 1970s and Mike recorded it on his second solo album, Blues and Bluegrass. After I bought the record and put it on the turntable, It was quite a revelation when the track began playing - the song having been a huge hit for Roberta Flack a few years prior I recall thinking, "so you can play stuff besides bluegrass and country on these things?"

Mike's dobro version was the first time I had ever heard anyone drop the 6th string down to E from G, low-to-hi EBDGBD.

[David DeLoach]

About 5 years ago I started experimenting with expanding Bill Leavitt's 6 string tuning (Low to High: C# E G Bb C D) to 8 strings. After a bit of trial and error I concluded the tuning below was the optimal configuration.

Low to High: A C# E G Bb C D Eb

I've arranged over 200 songs in this tuning over the last 5 years.

Navigating the fretboard is a bit of a head-scratcher that requires a bit of thinking, but after 5 years/200 songs I'm starting to feel at home and have come to really appreciate and love this tuning for all the possibilities it presents.

I've written a 320 page jazz guitar textbook that was used at Berklee for awhile, and a couple other guitar books. I'm currently writing a book for this tuning that should help lap steel players save a lot of time in learning their way around with it. I realize there will be a pretty small audience who has interest in this material, yet I feel it is a significant contribution to the world of lap steel playing and needs to be well documented.

Here are a couple other examples of my playing in this tuning. I hope to record/video many more this year.

SOMETHING (George Harrison): https://youtu.be/QBb-4erSVDc

Rock & Roll jam: https://youtu.be/9FmrfyzxoGw

[David Becker]

Absolutely gorgeous, David. Killing me softly with Leavitt . I'll be a purchaser of your book as soon as you announce its availability, for sure.

I'm curious as to what was custom about your Clinesmith 8 string.

Thanks!

another David

[David DeLoach]

Absolutely gorgeous, David. Killing me softly with Leavitt . I'll be a purchaser of your book as soon as you announce its availability, for sure.

I'm curious as to what was custom about your Clinesmith 8 string.

Thanks!

another David

Thanks David!

My Clinesmith has 2 pickups - a Bigsby and a Horseshoe, each with it own tone/volume knob.

[David Becker]

Nice!! I guess if I had looked more closely at the Youtube video, I would have seen that. I was focused on your hands, not the instrument.

[David DeLoach]

This feedback from Cindy Cashdollar made my day

[Justin Wierenga]

Killer!!

[Walter Webb]

Another Leavitt enthusiast here. I keep hankering for a real minor 7th chord. How do you get one of those? You could play C# E and the pull BOTH the G and Bb up a half step behind the bar, but that might be crazy pulling. Or, play G Bb D and pull the Eb up a half step behind the bar. Any advice?

About 5 years ago I started experimenting with expanding Bill Leavitt's 6 string tuning (Low to High: C# E G Bb C D) to 8 strings. After a bit of trial and error I concluded the tuning below was the optimal configuration.

Low to High: A C# E G Bb C D Eb

[David DeLoach]

Another Leavitt enthusiast here. I keep hankering for a real minor 7th chord. How do you get one of those? You could play C# E and the pull BOTH the G and Bb up a half step behind the bar, but that might be crazy pulling. Or, play G Bb D and pull the Eb up a half step behind the bar. Any advice?

About 5 years ago I started experimenting with expanding Bill Leavitt's 6 string tuning (Low to High: C# E G Bb C D) to 8 strings. After a bit of trial and error I concluded the tuning below was the optimal configuration.

Low to High: A C# E G Bb C D Eb

With my version of expanded Leavitt tuning you can get a minor 7th chord like this....

Em7: x-x-x-4-4-4-x-4 (which gives you the notes B, D, E, G)

or...

Em7: 7-x-7-7-x-7-x-x (which gives you the notes E, B, D, G)