Anyone Tuning Using Only Malleus, Incus and Stapes?

[Tony Russell Davis]

I tune each note on the steel guitar (pedal or non) by listening to it within the major chord it's in Then check the minors, which are usually right by then.

. . . if I understand correctly, after tuning a reference E, you'll tune the B strings while holding a Bmajor (in it's different inversions?) up the neck, then on through the other strings before changing to minor chords?

Yes, just about, but I only tune the open strings, not up the neck. On an E9th pedal guitar, as you say, I tune all the strings that make an E chord, then the D# and both F#s referenced from the B already tuned. Then it's only the D (9th) against an F#. Then I listen to the D as a 7th in case it needs tweaking. All the pedals are then tuned by ear holding a "pedals-down" chord and referenced to an already tuned open note or an already tuned pull; all at the nut position. The easiest example is tuning A and B pedals together against the E. Then it's B and Es lower for the 7th; A and Es raise for the inversion, etc. So it's all done by hearing that the chord I play, whatever it is, sounds right.

[Danny Mitchell]

Thanks for that clarification, Tony. I get it now, it takes me a while but I generally get there in the end.

[Zumbilly(Murdoch)]

First of all let Me point out that I am gifted with cloth ears !!
When I received My first pedal steel I knew nothing about tuning offsets etc., I only knew the names of the relative strings so, using My boss TU 12 I tuned everything bang on. There ensued a battle with learning the basics of the beast and since My intonation was poor I progressed non tunefully. I later was given a magazine in which there was an explanation on tuning the beats out so I had a go at it.I really do not know if it made any difference. I had become well enough to play regularly in a pub band and one of My close(steel playing) friends told Me My tuning was "out" As the years advanced I read many articles on tuning and eventually bought My first Peterson tuner and tried the Jeff Newman settings. I still had fellow players telling Me that My tuning was "out" one guy gave Me a copy of His tuning offsets and when I checked it against one of the Newman settings I could only find a difference of a few cents. I visited Dallas for several years and had the opportunity of sitting in close proximity to the world's greatest players and I never heard any of them out of tune.Emmons had been tuning straight up since the eighties,why was He not out of tune? I now tune straight up with the G# about three cents flat and it seems to wok for Me. Willie Gamble visits Me fairly often and always has a sit at My guitar and whilst He tunes differently from Me He has never sounded out out tune on My guitar. My conclusion is that the guitar has to be in tune with itself and when Moving up to a higher register You are compensating by using Your ears.I do not argue that My tuning is right,find out what is right for You and pay more attention to Your bar placement.Whilst the Peterson tuners are very accurate I think that some player get their y fronts in a twist when they see a string is one or two cents flat. I thank My upbringing in the shipyards of the Clyde for providing Me with the ability to play out of tune on any guitar.

[Ken Byng]

Good post Billy. There are many dozens of threads on the Steel Guitar Forum on tuning pedal steels. No general agreement on any of them as far as temperament tuning is concerned, and I reckon that it's because we all hear things differently. The best pair of ears I seen and heard was that of Lloyd Green. He turned up at Jeff Surratt's picnic party, assembled his guitar, took it out of the case, plugged it in an amp and tuned it up completely by ear in a minute or less. No tuner to be seen. He must have perfect pitch to get his base E notes spot on. The rest of the band later tuned their guitars with tuners and guess what? Lloyd was spot on in tune with the band, including the piano. The reason why I use the SE9 setting on my Peterson is because the setting was taken from Lloyd's guitar by Jeff Newman. It works for me, both on pedals and levers. But, because we all hear things differently it won't work for everyone.

[Danny Mitchell]

Thanks for the posts, gents. I must salute the perseverance of you players that started back in the days before the Internet, and the sea of information it contains, I don't know if I'd have even been able to assemble the damn thing, without that crutch.

And, Billy, I once had occasion to have Willie G play my guitar and amp at a wee pub gig, and he sounded just like the full Gamble usually does. Intonation. Tone, (but that's another cauldron of fish, maybe for another time )

[Donny Johnston]

I can add a personal note to this, in 1979 when I turned pro, I had known Willie about 6mths, He came to me along with others for lessons, in a group session, once Willie had the notes of the tuning in his head I never had to correct his tuning that I can recall. Willie is a musician no matter what he's playing,although he doesn't realise it, he is a monster. Donny.

[Haddock]

Interesting stuff on pitch and tuning as always. However, here’s a new thing to obsess about! There is a whole branch of physics called ‘psychoacoustics’ and some work by Terhardt showed that there is a link between perceived pitch and loudness. As an example, I’ve noticed a mix I’m working on seems to raise in pitch as it fades. Also when playing with my looper, if I stand up and go for a walk about the room, I could swear the pitch has changed. Perhaps this is why I have my sweetened Peterson right in front of me at all times plus a second tuner set to ET for chromatic reference.
Madness, all of it!
Cheers
Calum