There are numerous ways to tune a lap steel guitar.
Invented in Hawaii around 1885 by Joseph Kekuku, the lap guitar (also called "Hawaiian" or "lap steel" guitar) has remained a popular instrument in many musical genres. Tuning of the 6-string lap guitar is dictated by player preference, as there are many tunings in use. A list of alternate tunings to experiment with is helpful to all players, and an electronic guitar tuner is recommended to help fine-tune the instrument. Although there is no standard tuning for lap steels, a common tuning is "open G", also called "Dobro" tuning. Open G tuning from lowest to highest pitched strings is G, B, D, G, B and D.
Instructions
1. Plug the lap steel guitar into the guitar tuner with a standard guitar cable. If your lap steel is not electric, position the tuner on your lap or tabletop so the microphone in the tuner will capture the string sound.
2. Play the lowest (thickest or sixth string) string and turn the tuning peg until the tuner reads a G. The note is in tune when the tuner's electronic meter or LED read-out is in the center position.
3. Continue in the same fashion for the remaining fifth (B), fourth (D), third (G), second (B) and first (D) strings.
4. Double-check the tuning on all six strings.
Tags: steel guitar, also called, guitar tuner