The Evolution of Steel Guitar Tunings

[Roy Ayres]

It would be interesting to know how the various steel guitar tunings evolved over the years. Let me start this thread by reciting my own journey through the tunings, and inviting you to challenge any erroneous presumptions or generalizations. While these musings are quite subjective and no one of us may really know the true evolution of the more popular tunings, I thought it might be fun to swap our individual experiences. Feel free to correct and/or challenge what I have to say here. While I have my own, preconceived ideas about the evolutionary process, there should be more authoritative information out there somewhere.

I believe that our Hawaiian friends started the whole thing off many years ago, and based on some of the well-known Hawaiian songs and stylings, I would guess that the Amaj tuning came first. I know that in the late 30 or early 40’s the Oahu Publishing Company was publishing the old Hawaiian guitar charts in either the Amaj High-Bass tuning [high to low notation] (E, C#, A, E, C#, A) or Amaj Low-Bass (E, C#, A, E, A, E). They also published a few songs (e.g., Steel Guitar Rag) in the Emaj tuning – which was the same as an “open E” on guitar. I learned the Amaj tuning in the mid 30’s and recall having to retune to Emaj to play Steel Guitar Rag. Another point to support my thoughts that Amaj came first is that Pete (Oswald) Kirby ‘s work sounded like the Amaj tuning. (Lately, a lot of Dobro players use a Gmaj tuning – identical in voicing to Amaj but a whole tone lower. I have always assumed that Oswald used Amaj, although it’s possible that it was Gmaj. Some of you old-timers can probably clear this up.) I eventually went to Emaj as my primary tuning, as that allowed me to not only Steel Guitar Rag but also to copy Roy Wiggins’ work.

At some point early in my music career a guy from Memphis showed me that I could add a little variety to my playing by raising the second string of my Emaj tuning from the fifth tone to the sixth tone. He called it a C#min7 tuning, which was Greek to me at the time – especially that little pound sign in the middle of the name. I learned later that it was, in fact, an inversion of a C#min7 – but to me it was just an E6. (I think that whoever started that C#min7 thing was just trying to show off his knowledge of chord construction.)

I liked the Emaj and the C#min7 – but I kept having to tune that second string up and down, and I soon got tired of that. I finally got smart enough to figure out that I could “have my cake and eat it, too” if I just put the C# note on the second string, the B note on the third string, and finished the rest of the strings out as in the Emaj tuning. That led to doing the same with the Amaj tuning: working a sixth tone between the fifth tone and octave root.

Then Joaquin Murphey and Jerry Byrd came along and colored my world with two vastly different but equally outstanding styles – both using variations of the C6 tuning.

When I got my first double-necked steel (a post WWII National D-8) a lot of my tuning problems were solved: I put the C6 on the inside neck and the A6 on the outside. As I suppose it is with a lot of steelers, the thought of developing my own style based on my own knowledge and limitations hadn’t dawned on me during my “formative” years. My mind had been focused on learning to copy my favorite licks and chords from the work of Joaquin, Jerry, Noel, and some of the other early greats.

Moving to a 10-string pedal steel in later years, I chose to go back to the old E6 as my basic tuning and set two of my eight pedals up to give me the A6 and C6. The other six pedals and two knee levers raised or lowered one or two strings here or there to give me sevenths, ninths, diminished, augmented, etc. to allow nice, smooth transitions. (With this setup, I could fall back on a straight A6 or C6 when I lost my place trying to figure out which of those dang pedals to use.)

While I have not been active in music for some 45 years, I have gathered that it was Buddy Emmons who popularized the modern E9 tuning as the basis for pedal steels. (Tell me if I’m wrong.) It’s a great setup and allows you guys who use it to do some marvelous stuff. As for me, I’ll stick to what I already know. Based on the 30 years or so it took me to become an average player the first time around, I calculate that if I started now at 73 I should be able to go out and look for a job using E9 on steel about the time I reach 103.

Know anybody looking for a MATURE steel man?

Roy

[Paul Graupp]

Roy: I enjoyed reading that and it of course took me back to my beginnings. I too was on a National D-8 but my first two face to face teachers were Leon McAulliff and Bob White. I suppose the bigger influence was Bob since he had a Bisby pedal steel and that was where I was headed.

Leon explained the EM and A6th tunings and Bob gave me an idea for the C6th. He said I could put a tenor guitar string in front of the E string and tune it to a G and have the same thing as A6th but in the key of C. I took that route.

He also showed me what happened when you raise the high third and lower the low third in either of these 6th tunings. It is probably the most used pedal in the C6th pedal set-up but since I had no pedals on the National I tuned the front neck to B6th and raised and lowered the thirds to get an E9th voicing.

When I got my first Fender 1000, the C6th standards had already been set so I stayed there. But my pedals were already set up like I thought Bob had his and found out years too late that they were backwards to normal arrangements.

I could not find strings to set up the new E9th arrangement with the high G# to A raise.
So I played awhile in D and then when I met Tom Brumley and found out the Buckeroos were all tuned in Eb I went there as well. When guitars and strings had advanced I too got into the Key of E.

At that time I changed from a C6th back to a B6th because I was most familiar with those positions and I am still there a hundred years later. It also gives me a different position for C at the first fret on this neck and I find that to be an advantage as well.

Regards, Paul

[Roy Ayres]

Paul:

One of the amazing things about this unconventional instrument is that those who play it are also pretty unconventional. Steel players are a "thinking" bunch who are never satisfied with what they can do on the instrument and are always looking for ways to improve the instrument and remove limitations. Pedals have led to some degree of standardization in tunings -- but I doubt very seriously if it will end where it is now. Someone someday will find a way to further improve the instrument and further remove any remaining limitations -- perhaps through digital technology. Other instruments such as keyboards and guitar don't have the limitations you and I have had to live with -- but they don't have that heavenly sound of the steel either.

[Gary Walker]

Paul, I too changed my E9 down to Eb9 from the Brumley days. I did this 30 years ago. It makes playing in E & A easier at the first fret and also cuts down on string breakage.

[Dr. Hugh Jeffreys]

Well Roy, that just about parallels my experience. As a child, I used the basic Amaj, later learned to tune to Emaj. But being a big Hawaiian buff (I had all the available records (nylon) of Lani, Dick McIntire, Andy Iona, Sol Hoppi, etc), I got into C#- to play the popular Hawaiian tunes. That was on my Gibson E-5 lap steel. I saw one just like it a couple of years ago at the Smithsonian in D.C. I later got a D-8 National as did Karmit Kea; we used to compare tunnings. I had the I/N tune to some kind of A6 with two small strings on 7th and 8th such that when I played 1,2,7,&8--I got a dom. 9th chord on those strings. When I went to a Multi-Kord, I began to think in terms of chord progressions and tuned accordingly. With my D-10 Sierra (14 P/L) I get a completely different tunning with each pedal/lever or using2 pedals, 2 pedals + 1 lever or 2 pedals + 2 L together, the whole structure changes completely. I use pedals and levers in combination most of the time. Alvino asked for my tuning about 6 years ago, but I don't think he ever did much with it. Sometimes I change tunings 2 or 3 times a year, depending upon what comes to mind.....Hugh

[Wayne Cox]

Roy, your experience is parallel to what a lot of us have experienced. I don't want to start another thread on Zane Beck's tuning,but it should be obvious to all who have explored it that he started with the old,western swing, E-13 as a foundation to build on. My first pedal tuning was a CMaj9.
This was out of ignorance and because I had a "C-pitch pipe". I think my first 6-string tuning was a EMaj.
W.C.

[Wayne Cox]

Re:Gary Walker,
Gary, I experiment more than most,but I have my "mainstays",which are:Eb9 and D6.
After years of playing Eb9,I find that I just can't go back to E9;it just sounds too "tinny". Maybe my ears have changed,maybe they are getting bigger!
W.C.

[Doug Seymour]

What a great thread for us old "been there,
done that" guys. I really enjoyed reading everyone's posts! I remember using E 6th & trying to copy Jerry Byrd (pedals weren't there yet in 1947 &'48) OOPS! one day he played a note lower than my steel had on it?
I tuned down to D6th & put letters @ the frets to keep from getting lost. (I was supposed to be the steel player in the hillbilly band I was working with & I didn't think I should take any chances of being 2 frets off when I hit a fill or a chorus!) Later someone who knew the story told me that Jerry used C6th! Out came the letters on the frets again as I restrung & tuned down to C6th! It has always been my favorite tuning & the one I know best, but I couldn't stand to play it today without pedals! I'd miss all those great chords! I have a S10 tuned C6th, but I still miss the E9th on my D10. They are both sitting in the closet anyway, so I guess it doesn't really matter!
Loved to read all the experiences posted here! "Uncle" Doug