your the man I've been looking for!
makes sense to me.You can play a lot of stuff in open G(Keith Richards knows this)and of cause E is the relative minor of G.
Played together I believe(G/Em) it comes out as G6th.E being the 6th note of the G scale.At lest ,that is what I remember in music class.Correct me if I'm full of air.
Thanks again!!

ps I've got two lap steels(6 and 8 string).I'm tuning the 6 string to DG's way and plugging in @ hi-watt.