Pedal Steel Pages - Steel Guitar Tunings

The Pedal Steel Pages

Steel Guitar Tunings

There are nearly as many ways of tuning a steel guitar as there are steel guitarists. Most tunings are minor variations of the "standard" E9th or C6th, but some are radically different. Just adding a knee lever with an unusual change on it can open a wide range of new musical possibilities to the adventurous player.
Of the many tunings listed below, I recommend Bob Shilling's 10-string E9th as a good starting point for the beginner. It includes the most standard pedal and knee changes, and can serve as a baseline reference for studying the other tunings. Also, I've written an article on E9th theory to help get you started.

Click on the tunings listed below to take you directly to the chart of your choice:
"Nashville" E9th Some variation of the E9th tuning is used on most single neck instruments.
	Jimmy Day	Johan Jansen
	Michael Douchette	Mike Jones
	Carl Dvorcek (12)	Bobby Lee (12)
	Buddy Emmons	Jim Lindsey
	Paul Franklin	John McClung (12)
	Mike Fried	Bob Shilling
	Jerry Gleason	Jack Stoner
	Lloyd Green	Tommy White
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"Texas" C6th The C6th is commonly used on the back neck of a double neck instrument.
	Jimmy Day	Jerry Gleason
	Carl Dvorcek (12)	Mike Jones
	Buddy Emmons	Jim Lindsey
	Paul Franklin	Jack Stoner
	Mike Fried
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Unusual Tunings
	Reece Anderson's 12-string Bb6th	Joe Murray's universal B6th
	Ed Bierly's 12-string D13th	Ed Packard's 14-string "13 Series"
	Raybob Bowman's 12-string A6/D9	Herb Remington's 10-string A6th
	Billy Jones' 12-string A6th	Alvino Rey's big band E6th
	Bobby Lee's 12-string F Diatonic	Roy Thomson's 10-string E Diatonic
	Bobby Lee's 10-string F Diatonic
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Universal E9/B6 These tunings combine the sounds of the C6th and E9th tunings.
	Reece Anderson's 12-string universal	Joe "Mac" McHam's 12-string universal
	Lee Baucum's push-pull universal	Danny Naccarato's 12-string universal
	Carl Dixon's ultimate universal	Michael Perlowin's 12-string universal
	Thijs Kappen's 10-string universal	Sierra Instruments for 12 or 14 strings

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Hawaiian, Lap Steel, et cetera
	Brad's Page of Steel non-pedal tunings.	Bobby Lee's double 8
	Reece Anderson's 12 string lap steel	Andy Volk's favorite tunings
	Jeff Mead's Fender triple 8	Mike Fried's double 8 and dobro tunings

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