8 String Lap Steel
Overview
Tuning Steps
Sweetened Tunings
Products
More Info
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8 String Lap Steel
Overview
The lap steel guitar is very versatile and it is possible to generate many triads and altered chords at the slide or slant of a bar. Many seasoned professional steel players “tweak” the tuning to improve their sound; we call this “Sweetened Tuning”.
Because the steel guitar is a fretless instrument, it does not need to conform to the same compromises as regular fretted guitar is subjected to. The flaws of Equal temperament reveal themselves primarilly when major or minor thirds are played, and the long sustained tones produced by the lap steel guitar show up these flaws more than pretty much any other instrument, many players aim and strive to eliminate these flaws by tuning their steels using special cent offsets for each string to take advantage of the sweetness of these intervals and tune them so that they are totally beat-less and consonant.
No matter what method you use, an accurate tuner is a necessity. Peterson Tuners have been used for many decades to tune the open strings, on lap steel guitars, they are programmable and already feature several preset tuning settings for steel guitars using already established and accepted systems like Just intonation. There is no need to note any settings or use any charts.
Begin with C6 tuning. The first string, if you’re right-handed, is located furthest away from you when sitting with the steel in your lap - the normal playing position, plug your tuner into the steel and select the LC6 preset.
How To Tune Your 8 String Lap Steel
- Pluck to sound the 1st string and observe the tuner display, check that the note “E” is displayed. With your left hand, adjust the tuning peg to stop the strobe pattern image from moving contuously in any one direction, continue to adjust until the strobe pattern is motionless.
- Repeat the above for the 2nd, 3rd, 4th , 5th, 6th, 7th & 8th strings until all strings are tuned.
Standard And Alternate Tunings for lapSteel family instruments
8 String Lap Steel
6 String Lap Steel
10 String Lap Steel
12 String Lap Steel
F#2 A2 C#3 E3 F#3 A3 C#4 E4
A6 Tuning (Herb Remington)
C3 E3 G3 A3 C4 E4
C6 Tuning (DeWitt Scott)
F1 A1 C2 E2 G2 A2 C3 E3 G3 D4
C6 Tuning (Billy Robinson)
D1 F1 A1 C2 E2 G2 A2 C3 E3 G3 B3 D4
C6 (Reece Anderson)
B2 D3 E3 G#3 B3 C#4 E4 G#4
E13 Tuning (Don Helms)
E2 A2 E3 A3 C#4 E4
Hawaiian A Tuning
E2 D3 E3 F#3 G#3 B3 C#4 E4 F#4 G#4
E13 Tuning (Tom Morell)
E2 G#2 D3 F#3 G#3 B3 C#4 E4
E13 Tuning (Leon McAuliffe)
A2 C#3 F#3 A3 C#4 E4
A6 Tuning
C#3 E3 F3 F#3 G3 G#3 A3 B3 C#4 E4
E Harp (Eddie Alkire)
C3 D3 E3 F3 G3 A3 B3 C4
C Diatonic (Jerry Byrd)
A#2 E3 G3 A3 C4 E4
C13 Tuning
B1 D2 E2 F#2 G#2 B2 C#3 E3 G#3 F#4
E6 Tuning
B2 A2 C#3 E3 G3 A3 C4 E4
C6/A7 Tuning (Joaquin Murphey)
E2 A2 E3 A3 C#4 E4
Open A Tuning
E2 G#2 B2 D3 E3 G#3 B3 D4 E4 G#4
E7 Tuning
G#2 B2 D3 E3 F#3 G#3 B3 E4
E9 Tuning
D2 A2 D3 F#3 A3 D4
Open D Tuning
A1 D2 F#2 A2 C#3 E3 F#3 A3 C#4 E4
A6 Tuning
G2 A2 C#3 E3 F#3 A3 C#4 E4
A13 Tuning
E2 B2 E3 G#3 B3 E4
Open E Tuning
D2 G2 D3 G3 B3 D4
Open G Tuning
E2 D3 E3 G#3 B3 E4
E7 Tuning
8 String Lap Steel
F#2 A2 C#3 E3 F#3 A3 C#4 E4
A6 Tuning (Herb Remington)
B2 D3 E3 G#3 B3 C#4 E4 G#4
E13 Tuning (Don Helms)
E2 G#2 D3 F#3 G#3 B3 C#4 E4
E13 Tuning (Leon McAuliffe)
C3 D3 E3 F3 G3 A3 B3 C4
C Diatonic (Jerry Byrd)
B2 A2 C#3 E3 G3 A3 C4 E4
C6/A7 Tuning (Joaquin Murphey)
G#2 B2 D3 E3 F#3 G#3 B3 E4
E9 Tuning
G2 A2 C#3 E3 F#3 A3 C#4 E4
A13 Tuning
6 String Lap Steel
C3 E3 G3 A3 C4 E4
C6 Tuning (DeWitt Scott)
E2 A2 E3 A3 C#4 E4
Hawaiian A Tuning
A2 C#3 F#3 A3 C#4 E4
A6 Tuning
A#2 E3 G3 A3 C4 E4
C13 Tuning
E2 A2 E3 A3 C#4 E4
Open A Tuning
D2 A2 D3 F#3 A3 D4
Open D Tuning
E2 B2 E3 G#3 B3 E4
Open E Tuning
D2 G2 D3 G3 B3 D4
Open G Tuning
E2 D3 E3 G#3 B3 E4
E7 Tuning
10 String Lap Steel
F1 A1 C2 E2 G2 A2 C3 E3 G3 D4
C6 Tuning (Billy Robinson)
E2 D3 E3 F#3 G#3 B3 C#4 E4 F#4 G#4
E13 Tuning (Tom Morell)
C#3 E3 F3 F#3 G3 G#3 A3 B3 C#4 E4
E Harp (Eddie Alkire)
B1 D2 E2 F#2 G#2 B2 C#3 E3 G#3 F#4
E6 Tuning
E2 G#2 B2 D3 E3 G#3 B3 D4 E4 G#4
E7 Tuning
A1 D2 F#2 A2 C#3 E3 F#3 A3 C#4 E4
A6 Tuning
12 String Lap Steel
D1 F1 A1 C2 E2 G2 A2 C3 E3 G3 B3 D4
C6 (Reece Anderson)
Sweetened Tunings
Sweeteners For Lap Steel Guitar
Products With Lap Steel Guitar Sweeteners
StroboClip HDC
$79.99
StroboStomp Mini
$119.00
StroboStomp LE
$169.00
StroboPLUS HDC
$179.99
StroboStomp HD
$149.00
StroboClip HD
$59.99
StroboPLUS HD
$149.99
iStroboSoft (iOS)
$9.99
StroboSoft 2.0
$49.99 - $99.99
Things to check to get the most out of your instrument’s tuning
2. Tune UP - not down – when tuning to the pitch of a note.
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