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Thread: Slide tenor tuning

  1. #1

    Default Slide tenor tuning

    Hello guys, presently looking at slide options for tenor guitar. The most common choices seem to be modal: DADA, DGDG etc.

    As a long-time Little Feat song I'm keen on a major chord, so I'd like to slip a third in there. I'm inclined to go for DF#DA, which I can reach easily from CGDA. But DF#AD seems more popular, presumably because having #1 tuned to the tonic is a Good Thing.

    Any perspectives welcome.

  2. #2

    Default Re: Slide tenor tuning

    I don't have the experience to know why one would want to play
    slide on a tenor guitar, but I would not want to discourage it.

    A search suggests D F# A D which they call "open D" would be good,
    though E G# B E ("open E") seems to be preferred. Read about it there.
    --> open D slide guitar tuning
    Thanks,
    sounds_good

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  4. #3
    Registered User DavidKOS's Avatar
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    Default Re: Slide tenor tuning

    If you do want to play slide on a tenor guitar, you could use D F# A D as it relates to common 6 string guitar slide tunings of open D (and E, same pattern.)

    And you could retune to "Chicago" tuning for regular playing, DGBE.

  5. #4

    Default Re: Slide tenor tuning

    Quote Originally Posted by niftyprose View Post
    Hello guys, presently looking at slide options for tenor guitar. The most common choices seem to be modal: DADA, DGDG etc.

    As a long-time Little Feat song I'm keen on a major chord, so I'd like to slip a third in there. I'm inclined to go for DF#DA, which I can reach easily from CGDA. But DF#AD seems more popular, presumably because having #1 tuned to the tonic is a Good Thing.

    Any perspectives welcome.
    I’ve become fond of ADAD. The low A is nice for blues slide. GDGD is an alternative if you like playing in G.
    Tenor Guitar & Lap Steel Freak
    https://papadafoe.com/tenor-guitar-tunings

  6. #5

    Default Re: Slide tenor tuning

    A good resource for this is to look up information on 4-string cigar box guitar, as a lot of CBG players play slide. There are a few books out, and tons of videos on YouTube.

    I've been playing around with GDGB–one of the oft-recommended CBG tunings–on my normally-GDAE-tuned tenor. GDGD and ADAD are also nice, but since I tend to use those for adapting fiddle tunes to the tenor a lot, it's been fun (and surprisingly helpful to mentally keeping track of what I'm doing) to have a different tuning for blues slide.

  7. #6

    Default Re: Slide tenor tuning

    DGBD, like a five-string banjo's main four. DF#AD is great, very bluesy. CGCE, however, is the most beautiful on a tenor in my opinion. All of these slide tunings are a simple shift from DGBE.

  8. #7
    Registered User Freddyfingers's Avatar
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    Default Re: Slide tenor tuning

    Eastwood has a page on their site that shows a few different tenor tunings that Warren Ellis uses. They include what gauge strings work as well.
    Its not a backwards guitar.

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