Tunings: Bit more detailed description

[zimbodel]

I played steel guitar for years only using a few tunings.
I want to expand to and try a lot of alternate tunings.

What I battle to find is tunings with printed Scientific Pitch Notation octave data or written out notation of the tunings.
E.g. Lets take trusty C6 variant tuning: All I can get on the web is tunings with just e.g.

E
C
A
G
E
C

This is fine if I know in which octaves the notes needed are, but I would really appreciate it if someone can point me to a detailed list of tunings that include octave data and or notation e.g. for the above it would be:

E4
C4
A3
G3
E3
C3

I already broke 2 strings misunderstanding some of the exotic tunings after changing to the correct gauge strings, and I want to avoid further breaks.
Why is the web full of ambiguous descriptions of tunings ?
Scientific Pitch Notation, Octave data or notation will make things way clearer.

Thanks

[U_twelve]

I don't know if there is a detailed list for all the alternate tunings in any one place but this old post from the Steel Guitar Forum has some information that should set you off in the right direction https://bb.steelguitarforum.com/viewtopic.php?t=264468
Probably best to ask for info on a specific tunning bearing in mind that gauges may have to be adjusted dependent on the scale length of your instrument.

[zimbodel]

Thanks that is a helpful site, but still doesnt publish the exact pitches needed for the different tunings.
It is very useful information regardless and effectively address gauges/scalelength and general range.
I looked at android apps to see if someone maybe did all the tunings, but that doesnt exist either.

I can write an android app that will make all these tunings as clear as daylight and act as a tuner for steel guitar.
Do you think it will be useful from your perspective.

Since noone posts the exact pitches together with Tunings I can see that it is indispensable for the myriad of pitches around.

[U_twelve]

I would have thought would be able to extrapolate what you need from those tables. Google turned this up from a simple search https://pages.mtu.edu/~suits/notefreqs.html. It may be usful?
Unless I'm missing the point over what it is you're after.

I don't have any issues with tuning because I have one of these https://www.petersontuners.com/products/stroboplus/

[zimbodel]

There are many octaves of a note and each string listed can be tuned to at least 2 octaves.
Tunings are never listed in Scientific Notation or even just Musical notation which is odd.
Therefore if you get some random tuning from someone without e.g. C4 or E3, there is a lot of ambiguity.
I am trying to remove the ambiguity.
I am sure there are tunings where someone uses a specific string at an octave higher or lower, but it is still written exactly the same.
That is the problem.

My initial post clearly shows the difference between imo doing it correctly versus just using alphabet.

[U_twelve]

You are quite right there does not appear to be a definitive listing of tunings against string gauges & octaves. Maybe you could produce one...

You Say

There are many octaves of a note and each string listed can be tuned to at least 2 octaves.

But only one is fit for purpose (usable). It's the like "Goldilocks & The Three Bears" ... you try to tune to the octave above & your string could break. Tune to the Octave below & the string will be too slack. Middle octave is just right

From the info. given earlier I have produced a tab of three common tunings and have filled in values for C6th & E13. I'm sure you will be able to complete the A6

TAB: SELECT ALL
Tuning	C6th		
			
Note	Octave	Gauge	Hertz
E	4	0.014	329.63
C	4	0.017	261.63
A	3	0.021	220
G	3	0.024	196
E	3	0.030	164.81
C	3	0.036	130.81
			
Tuning	E13		
			
Note	Octave	Gauge	Hertz
G#	4	0.011	415,30
E	4	0.015	329.63
C#	4	0.018	277.18
B	3	0.020	246.94
G#	3	0.026	185.00
E	3	0.032	164.81
D	3	0.036	146.83
B	2	0.042	123.47
			
Tuning	A6th		
			
Note	Octave	Gauge	Hertz
E		0.014	329.63
C#		0.017	277.18
A		0.021	220
F#		0.026	185
E		0.030	164.81
C#		0.036	138.59
A		0.042	110
F#		0.046	92.5

Hope this helps

[zimbodel]

Thank you very much, this is exactly what I am looking for.
However as you found out it is quite a lot of work to to write frequencies for a tuning, so software would be better as there must be over 100 tunings.

I am willing to write the software for pc or android whatever is needed and make something useful better than a printed list, but I dont have the information as I am not the person with the knowledge, which makes this moot. So either people on this list needs to help me with notation, scientific pitch notation or frequency to pin down a tuning exactly. So basically a pedal/lap steel tuning application.
It might be silly for you experienced pedal steel users but for newbies moving from lap to pedal, you are going to pay about a $100 of broken strings to try out different new tunings.
Here is an already extensive but far from complete list "http://www.scottysmusic.com/tunings.htm"

I am a 6 string lap player trying to venture into the full pedal steel world, and I will break at least 2 strings before I get a tuning right. You can never predict when you are too high and strings break if you dont have actual pitch to tune to.

[JohnDavisStringsHere]

At last this thread has come down to a level where I can offer some input!
If you are talking about the most common and widely used you get to E9th 10 string...C6th 10 string or extended and the 12 string uni now this bit is simple buy the Buddy Emmons signature series as he already has done the R&D work on it and I still say anything that was good enough for the big E is surely good enough for me.... are you reinventing the wheel?

[zimbodel]

Sorry, no clue what you are talking about. Maybe we misunderstand each other.
I am not trying to copy Emmons's steels, I am just looking for frequency or notation specific descriptions of tunings so I dont have to break strings trying the printed tunings as the printed tunings are clearly ambiguous and not injective.
That's all.
If you read my original post, you will clearly see the problem.

What U_twelve posted in his last post above is exactly what I want for ALL tunings. There is no ambiguity and I can use the string gauge list he providfed earlier and then use the accurate unambiguous tunings to get to the correct pitch immediately.
The point is that accurate frequency or notation descriptions for each note in a tuning doesnt exist in written form for steel it seems.
This is odd and ambiguous and totally unnecessary.

[zimbodel]

I will use this "http://steelguitaramerica.com/instruction/tuning/tuninghistory.shtml" and convert all to Scientific Pitch Notation, frequency and Standard Notation and create an application with pitch generation for tuning. It will be extremely useful for me and others moving to pedal steel from lapsteel.