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Topic starter
09/10/2006 7:17 pm
I need yet another. Ive been listening to jams I played in from 2002. I was playing my first lap steel.it was tuned to open E.
there is something I like about that tuning...not so much fpr the playing. listening to it sounded great.
there was a familarity. perhaps because it was in E.
so I am thinking of playingin that tuning again.
anyone else start out in open E.
what are the strengths and weaknesses you have experienced?
09/10/2006 11:19 pm
In my experience the major strength and weakness of the E tuning is the same - the simplicity.
One thing is that it makes you play more along the fretboard as opposed to the C6 where it's more natural to play across the fretboard because of how it is laid out,- this may seem like "more work" but I also feel that this is one of the things that brings out more personality in your playing.
There are a lot more triads available in the E tuning than one gets the impression of at first glance. Now that I've played it almost exclusively for 2-3 years (tuned down a step to D) I have no problems hitting minors, major 7th, dominant 7th (both in major and minor), 6ths, plus implied two-note harmonies like sus4 and dim - there's a lot of stuff there, but you will have to practice those slants, both forward and reverse ones...
You can also play some beautifully harmonized scales on strings 1 and 3, and then of course it's the ultimate Power Chord tuning - either on strings 4, 5 and 6 or strings 1, 2 and 4.
All in all I'd say it's a very underrated tuning that is mistakingly viewed as a "simple blues and rock" tuning - there's a lot more to it than that....
Steinar
Topic starter
10/10/2006 10:45 pm
last evening I retuned a lap steel to open E just to see what I heard on my recording. and I came to the very same conclusions you post this morning.
I did find myself playing 'along' the fretboard. it was just as you wrote. ( I do have a C6 tuning).
there was a familiarity with the tuning that I liked.
then I tuned down to open D, which I will keep now.
two resons: the darker sound and the shift in the fretboard octave measure (I like the E at the second fret).
'octave measure' I dont know how else to express that.
forward and reverse slants are coming naturally now, although I have a bit to go suss them out with this new tuning.
later today I will grab a pencil and write out the fret board; each string each note. I do that to find the triads because it has demystified tunings in the past.
after working out the harmonic scale in open G, I doubt I will have a hard time locating the scale notes.
so thanks Steinar.
11/10/2006 2:51 am
This friend of mine makes an excell spredsheet with the cells real small and puts the scale notes in the boxes; sorta like a tab. then for different tunings, he copies and pastes to the next colum until h ee has 6 strings worth and then colors the boxes differtn for differnt chord shapes. Guess its kinda far to go but he can print it in color and get the shapes pretty easy.
Practice; don't ask, just practice
Topic starter
11/10/2006 10:57 am
understanding the fret board is essential stuff.
one doesnt have to delve deeply into theory either.
it has helped me to diagram simply...then what I know about standard tuning can be applied.
simple jotted notes for slants that I can glance at has helped alot.
ssshh, did it once at a gig when I first brought my lap steel to stage.