7 string tunings & 7th string gauge for hawaiian style ?

[alexandre]

Hello,
As a friend of mine recently got a vintage squareneck resonator with 7 strings (a Regal model 19 with lug cone & long spider bridge), we would appreciate to have suggestions about the tunings it could use to play Hawaiian style...

I remember that Jerry Byrd was playing with that kind of tunings, but not more...

By the way, would you have any suggestion on the gauge to use for the 7th string (I guess it could depend of the tuning...) ?

Thank you from an Hawaiian style novice !!

[Michael Messer]

Hi Alexandre,

The person on this forum to answer your question properly, is Brad.

I have been around 7 and 8 string lap steel guitars, but never really spent time with them.

I think Jerry Byrd used a major scale diatonic tuning - E F G A B C E, but I have no knowledge of how to use that tuning.

From spending time with pedal steel players, I know more about pedal steel tunings than about 7 string lap steel tunings.

Shine On
Michael

[pete1951]

What open tuning do you like best? I`m an open G person , so would chose something G-ish . maybe (low to high) G B D E G B D . Like a dobro but with a 6th (the E) in the middle. This gives a major triad on top, then the relative minor, and the root note is on the bottom.
The Jerry Byrd tuning looks interesting, if you play piano you should get along OK, but it would not be for me.
PT

[alexandre]

Thanks to Michael and Pete,
As a novice Hawaiian player, I only play in DGDGBD at this day, so the tuning proposed by Pete could be a good starting point with 7 strings...
... And I will try to contact Brad ASAP.

[Michael Messer]

Hi Alexandre,

I would always advise a novice Hawaiian guitarist to start in low bass G tuning DGDGBD and then to move on to high bass G tuning GBDGBD. From there you can move on to 7, 8, 10, strings, but IMO not until you have become familiar with 6 string tunings.

Shine On
Michael

[alexandre]

Actually, the only track that I work & play is the "Dobro chimes" of Bashful Brother Oswald. I'm also playing another Hawaiian melody that I've heard but I don't know the name, and that's all !!
... I guess I will have to spent more time on that kind of playing to understand anything about tunings: actually, I don't think about tunings, I just try to play something.
But here's this 7 string guitar and a new challenge !!

[Brad Bechtel]

Usually with a seven string guitar the extra string is used for either a sixth note in the tuning (ex. bass to treble G B D E G B D) or for an additional note complimenting the existing tuning (ex. bass to treble G B D G B D G).

If I owned a seven string guitar, I'd probably use a sixth tuning like C6th (bass to treble A C E G A C E). As you guessed, the string gauge to be used would depend on the tuning you're using and where the extra string would fit in the range of strings.

[alexandre]

Hello & thank you for the information Brad.
I'm curious to play in C6th tuning, but I'm convinced that playing in a G-ish tuning before would be wiser, like was suggesting Michael...
C6th with 6 string lap steel is CEGACE, but the gauge to use is different than the "regular" one, isn't it ?

[Brad Bechtel]

That's correct, Alexandre. The C6th tuning uses a much higher pitched set of strings (not surprising, considering the low C string is one whole step below a standard guitar's fourth string).

Here's one string set specifically for C6th tuning:
www.steelguitarshopper.com/JP-L6C/

E .015
C .017
A .020
G .024p
E .030w
C .034

If you'd be using a G tuning based on your previous experience with open G, you might try G6 with the E in the bass (bass to treble E G B D G B D). You could pitch the E string below the other strings (which would require a pretty heavy string) or pitch it between the third and fourth strings (a "re-entrant" tuning).

Lots of ways to experiment with a seven string tuning, but if you're going to be playing Hawaiian style, the C6th tuning is very much the standard tuning.

[pete1951]

The top string on an ``average` guitar is about .013" on a reso/lap steel a little larger .015 maybe. this is the starting point of most tunings. So most guitars have a top string tuned to D or E if they use `standard` strings on a `standard` scale. If you go to most guitar shop they can sell you `custom ` size strings (if you can`t get a CEGACE set) A standard set could be .014 .018 .026w .038w .048w .058w . The top string would be ok for C6th (a little light on a short scale), the .018 is one step up from B so that would do, .026 is two steps up (getting a bit tight) .038 has to go up 5 that's too much. Use the .026 as the 4th string (it was marked G after all) and put a `custom` .022 or .024 as a 3rd. the .038 is just 2 steps up as your E and .048 will be a bit tight as a C ( you could use a .040 ) . Once you have a `balanced` set on your guitar , you will find out if they are too light (tune up a tone ,or buy some a bit larger) or too heavy (go down a tone or buy lighter strings)
This is how I find out what strings I need.
PT
PS: I like lightish strings on my lap steel, I do not use picks and the light strings are `softer` on my picking hand

(took too long writing, Brads post is more `to the point` please take more note of his)