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Topic: Lap steel tunings for Hawaiian music |
Larry Behm
From:
Mt Angel, Or 97362
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Posted 29 Oct 2018 4:35 pm |
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Got a student wanting to learn lap, which belonged to here late father. Need string by string tuning. I know there are probably as many tunings as players. Thanks.
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'70 D10 Black fatback Emmons PP, Hilton VP, BJS bars, Boss GE-7 for Dobro effect, Zoom MS50G, Flamma Reverb, Planet Wave cables, Quilter 202 Toneblock, Telonics 15” speaker.
Phone: 971-219-8533 |
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Bill Creller
From:
Saginaw, Michigan, USA (deceased)
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Posted 29 Oct 2018 6:33 pm
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| There will be a lot of opinions on this, but my own would be C6th. All the old fooling around with A major etc seems like somewhat of a waste of time. E 7th might be a step to take, but I'm still inclined to C6th C#m7 is a nice tuning, but doesn't seem very good for all types of music... |
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Scott Thomas
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Posted 29 Oct 2018 7:11 pm
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I agree on C6
Hi to low: (assuming a 6 string)
E
C
A
G
E
C
Traditional Hawaiian music has used many tunings over the years, but I think you and your student will find most modern instructional material for lap steel is for C6. |
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David Matzenik
From:
Cairns, on the Coral Sea
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Posted 29 Oct 2018 7:54 pm
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I would guess there is more material out there in C6th than any other tuning.
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Don't go in the water after lunch. You'll get a cramp and drown. - Mother. |
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Nic Neufeld
From:
Kansas City, Missouri
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Posted 30 Oct 2018 2:37 am
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Agree on C6 as a general starter point for Hawaiian. Plenty of other tunings but it's the best starting point at this point. You can easily return it to other classic Hawaiian tunings without changing strings (A6, B11, C6A7, D9).
Speaking of that though...don't try to use regular strings to tune to C6. You'll snap a string or two. Make sure you get a set for C6 tuning or find the right gauges. Also double check even the C6 ones, a few of them are "high G" which adds an extra top string you likely wouldn't want or need starting out.
Edited to add...just saw your bio and that you're a steel player...I was thinking from the post that you were a regular guitar teacher with no knowledge of steel so apologies if the above sounded overly remedial!
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Waikīkī, at night when the shadows are falling
I hear the rolling surf calling
Calling and calling to me |
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Chris Templeton
From:
The Green Mountain State
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Larry Behm
From:
Mt Angel, Or 97362
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Posted 30 Oct 2018 6:57 am
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Thanks for all of the input, this should get us started. I also play dobro, might tune one neck to C6th and the other to G open. If one tuning stumps them maybe the other might be just the ticket.
_________________
'70 D10 Black fatback Emmons PP, Hilton VP, BJS bars, Boss GE-7 for Dobro effect, Zoom MS50G, Flamma Reverb, Planet Wave cables, Quilter 202 Toneblock, Telonics 15” speaker.
Phone: 971-219-8533 |
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Chris Templeton
From:
The Green Mountain State
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Posted 30 Oct 2018 7:18 am
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C6th would be the tuning I'd start with.
6 string C6th C-E-G-A-C-E 8 string: F-A-C-E-G-A-C-E
Great 3 note forward/reverse slants.
A lot of the other tunings are what they call "strum tunings", which have a distinct sound, but are not as versatile as the C6.
I also like an E tuning without the 3rd on the 5th string:
E-B-E-G#-B-E.
Sometimes, I'll tune the G# to an A (sus) and get rid of the 3rds altogether.
_________________
Excel 3/4 Pedal With An 8 String Hawaiian Neck, Tapper (10 string with a raised fretboard to fret with fingers), Single neck Fessenden 3/5
"The Tapper" : https://christophertempleton.bandcamp.com/album/the-tapper
Soundcloud Playlist: https://soundcloud.com/bluespruce8: |
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Erv Niehaus
From:
Litchfield, MN, USA
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Posted 30 Oct 2018 7:40 am
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The original tuning for playing Hawaiian music on the Hawaiian guitar was A, either high bass or low bass.
When I started my musical adventure, there were only two types of guitars; either the Hawaiian guitar or the Spanish guitar.
One you laid on your lap the other one you stuck under your arm. 
Erv |
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Cartwright Thompson
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Sebastian Müller
From:
Berlin / Germany
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Posted 31 Oct 2018 1:52 pm
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It really depends which era of Hawaiian music someone is interested in. If you want to play acoustic Sol Hoopii tunes A or G tuning is the way to go. All the tunings have a very specific sound and there is no universal tuning that can do it all. I would use the tuning of my favorite player...
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https://hawaiian-steel-guitar.com |
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David M Brown
From:
California, USA
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Posted 31 Oct 2018 4:00 pm
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| Sebastian Müller wrote: |
| It really depends which era of Hawaiian music someone is interested in. If you want to play acoustic Sol Hoopii tunes A or G tuning is the way to go. All the tunings have a very specific sound and there is no universal tuning that can do it all. I would use the tuning of my favorite player... |
Which is one reason I play a lot of A6 for Hawaiian - Billy Hew Len.
However, I also began on A low bass...so I am used to 1-3-5 on top.
If I had to begin playing Hawaiian guitar from scratch, I'd go with C6 as the basic tuning and retune to C6+A7, A6, B11, E7, E13, all with the same set of strings.
The other posts have shown that there is more teaching material for C6 than for other common Hawaiian tunings. |
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Bill Creller
From:
Saginaw, Michigan, USA (deceased)
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Posted 31 Oct 2018 10:09 pm
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| As a young kid in the mid 40s, I used E major, and got along good with it. Never did use A major... I took lessons for about 6 months after that, and the teacher put me unto C6th. Still stuck there ! I'm not good enough to jump around on different tunings ! |
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