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Old Steel Guitar Chord Charts (in various tunings)

Posted on July 30, 2014 by Mike Neer

While cleaning out my studio/library, I came across these cool chord charts that were published back in the 1940s. A friend of mine had given me these photocopies years ago, and I thought I would share them with the world before they are lost forever.

These charts can be very useful for each of these tunings, which are F#9, C# Minor, E7 and B11. The charts cover chords created with a straight bar, as well as with slants and in combination with open strings. Very good tools to get you inside the tunings. Once you are in, you will discover you own chords.

The first chord folio is for F#9 tuning (used by Dick McIntire and Bernie Kaai, who lent his name and image to this booklet). F#9 tuning is essentially C# Minor tuning, but with strings 5 and 6 tuned differently (E C# G# E A# F#, from treble to bass).
(Click on each image to enlarge).

Click to enlarge
Click to enlarge
Click to enlarge

Click to enlarge

The next set of chord charts comes from an unknown source, but note that each page has the Fator’s name on it–Fator is a name affiliated with Dickerson steel guitars, as the owner of the company was Gaston Fator.

E7 tuning
C# Minor, p1
C# Minor p2

B11 p1
B11 p2

Note that the C# Minor tuning actually resembles E13–essentially, the E7 tuning with the second string raised to C#. The C# Minor tuning (Sol Hoopii) is spelled: E C# G# E B E

I hope you find these charts useful.

Posted in Fresh baked thoughts | Tagged chords lap steel guitar | 5 Comments

5 thoughts on “<span>Old Steel Guitar Chord Charts (in various tunings)</span>”

  1. David Weisenthal

    7/28/19
    7:19 pm
    July 28, 2019
    7:19 pm

    Reply

    David Weisenthal says:

    Great stuff Mike. Thanks. I’m tuned up to the c#m7 now. The top 4 strings are the same as F#9!… So many tunings are quite close to one and other.

  2. 7/23/17
    4:42 pm
    July 23, 2017
    4:42 pm

    Reply

    Mike Neer’s blog another huge resource for lap steel players – Henry Senior: Pedal Steel Guitarist in London, UK says:

    […] http://www.lapsteelin.com/2014/07/30/old-steel-guitar-chord-charts-in-various-tunings/ […]

  3. Mike Neer

    7/31/14
    11:13 pm
    July 31, 2014
    11:13 pm

    Reply

    Mike Neer says:

    Thanks, Lenny. BTW, it’s a Clinesmith, not a Kline (I do have a Kline pack-a-seat, though). Clinesmith is made by Todd Clinesmith in Oregon.

  4. Len Amaral

    7/30/14
    6:48 pm
    July 30, 2014
    6:48 pm

    Reply

    Len Amaral says:

    Hi Mike:
    Always enjoy your playing. Hope to get a Kline in the future.

    Regards,

    Lenny

  5. Len Amaral

    7/30/14
    6:47 pm
    July 30, 2014
    6:47 pm

    Reply

    Len Amaral says:

    Hi Mike:

    I always enjoy your playing. Have an MSA D-12 and hopefully get a Kline like yours in the future.

    Regards,

    Lenny

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