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I have a six-string lap steel that so far I have kept in C6 (CEGACE). I like it because I can play major or minor on it, but the tuning is seemingly built for hawaiian and classic country work, and that's not really where my interests are.

But, it seems like going to an Open D or Open G Vastapol or Spanish tuning would be a step backwards, toward tunings with all roots, thirds and fifths.

One rock player I know of with steel guitar interests is David Gilmour, but even if I knew his tuning, It wouldn't so much matter, because what I've seen is single-note stuff, so it almost wouldn't matter if he didn't have the other strings, so his preferred tuning isn't useful.

I get that the lap steel is not the most forward-looking instrument out there, but what are some tunings that would work in a more progressive or modern rock style?

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If you're interested in David Gilmour, check this out gilmourish.com/?page_id=69 – Anonymous Mar 7 '11 at 13:37
I thank you for the page. It's a neat thing. Don't know that it really directly addresses the question, but still, cool. – VarLogRant Mar 9 '11 at 2:33
@ekaj, moved your answer to here, since its a comment, not an answer. – DRL Mar 11 '11 at 19:00

2 Answers

up vote 2 down vote

How about standard dobro tuning?

G B D G B D

or

EDIT:

C Diatonic (this should give you a lot of chord possibilities)

F G A B C E

Here is one source with a lot of alternate tunings

BTW: You can play minor on the Open D as well by leaving out the only third

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I have it in C6 at the moment. There's benefits, like I have both major and minor and I don't have to be too careful to distinguish the two, like I would if the major and minor thirds were in adjacent strings. The problem is that most everything I do sounds like a poor 50s honkytonk imitation, which is fine if you're looking to sound like 50s honkytonk, but if you want to sound not out-of-place in a rock environment, it isn't so good. I haven't spent time with dobro tuning, but that's just major triads, which makes it less versatile than even C6. – VarLogRant Mar 10 '11 at 18:00
Sorry Completely my bad! I obviously did not read the question properly... will edit to fit the question.. – mrbuxley Mar 11 '11 at 6:31
+1 for the link...I was trying to remember the Berklee tuning earlier, and I see that it's there. – Anonymous Mar 11 '11 at 18:36
up vote 2 down vote

I personally enjoy the G6th tuning (D G D G B E). The D and G notes seem a tad repetitive at first, but it adds a lot of interesting variance in the tone. It is acclaimed by some Gilmour fans because it is versatile for Gilmour-style solos or for chords, allowing not only the primary triads of G (D G D) and E-Minor (G B E) but also a plethora of other phrasings. It could be interpreted as a step back for you from the more versatile C6th Tuning, however I find it to be an excellent compromise between the more modern-adapted G or Dobro Tunings and the 50s-eske style of the C6th.

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