12 String Universal Tuning Instruction Material

Ollin Landers · From: Willow Springs, NC

Why are there only a few limited instructional materials available for the Uni player?

I know Jeff Newman and Joe Wright both have excellent instructional material for the Universal tuning. I have them and there is a LOT of information there.

Beyond the basics of what the Universal is and how the tuning works there's not much out there.

Is it assumed that if one wants to pursue the Universal then that player is advanced enough to work it out on their own?

Working it out on your own is arguably the best way to do it but it does take, at least for me a lot more time.

I guess what I'm trying to describe is simplified instruction like you find for the E9 or C6 but written more in the one big tuning context.
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Niels Andrews · From: Salinas, California, USA

If you know the notes of the chords or scales and where the notes are on your guitar, yes it is pretty much up to you. If you want the paint by numbers approach you can transcribe tab E9 or C6 for your tuning. As far as doing this with less time involved, well good luck and let me know how that works out. Very Happy

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Ollin Landers · From: Willow Springs, NC

Lane Gray · From: Topeka, KS

I also have never seen such, although several of the Bb6 players (not sure why they more than the other tuning: except for one rests with the {flatted} Es lowered) they're VERY similar) are good at flowing from one bunch of pockets to the other.
Unfortunately, David Wright and Junior Knight don't seem to have any instruction materials.

If you're going to go uni, I think you'll have to learn each sets of pockets separately and integrate them on your own.
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Pete Burak · From: Portland, OR USA

Can you be more specific about what you want to be able to play in the context of One Big Tuning?

As a starting point, you could get a rhythm track for a song like San Antone Rose, learn all the chords in a few different positions in both E9th and B6th, then play along while melding your chord-position selections into One Big Tuning.

Ollin Landers · From: Willow Springs, NC

Lane,

I've been playing a Universal since 2004. I was just posing the question as to why there is no real instructional material for Uni. I have both Newman videos and one Joe Wright video. But they don't go much beyond the basics.

Newman's introduction video is just that, an introduction. The second Newman course is basically a B6 audio course.

Joe Wrights video is a little more in depth but not much.

Now both of them approach the instrument from different perspectives. But AFAIK neither one ever did any tab for Universal.
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Ollin Landers · From: Willow Springs, NC

Pete,

I'm not looking for anything in particular. I was just posing a question for a forum topic.

I already play basically what you're saying.

My band does several tunes like Lee Roy Parnell's version of "Take These Chains". I play the backup and fills sort of in B6. I take the first solo as a melody using mostly E9th. On the second solo I jazz it up mostly playing B6.

Another one "Your Cheatin' Heart". I play a mix of E9 and B6 fills and licks. When I play the solo break I usually do the first part in E9 and the bridge in B6.

I thought if there were more instructional material written specifically for the Universal we would maybe see more players taking it up.
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I spent half my money on gambling, alcohol and wild women. The other half I wasted. W.C. Fields

Pete Burak · From: Portland, OR USA

I might be wrong about this, but I think the days of new Instructional Material being developed and sold by Pro players, for any Pedal Steel configuration or tuning, is pretty much over.
More often these days I see seminars being offered at Steel Conventions... Some players offer one on one lessons by skype or in person... Forum Members posting Instructional stuff on Websites or YouTube... that type of stuff.

chris ivey · From: california (deceased)

it seems to me that universal as one big tuning is a natural.
first of all you can approach it from the 9th tuning perspective and look to see how the extra strings and changes can be added to the already existing potential.
then look at it from the 6th angle and realize,'oh wow..i've got these other strings and changes i can add to the tuning!'.
ok..now you've quadrupled the potential of the one universal tuning.
if you can't find pretty much any chord and note in that messs, you're just not trying.
now take all that stuff and play music that pleases you.
it's an incredible pallet for an artist.

Lane Gray · From: Topeka, KS

Pete, I suspect some will continue to put out instruction for sale, and tab on paper won't die. It's just more convenient than tab on a Kindle.
The folks who put it out in the 70s etc were, I submit, motivated less by lucre than by a drive to spread the knowledge of how to wring music out of these crazy things.
I think that drive is still there: how else do you account for Mickey Adams? And somebody will put it on a page because that's how they order their thoughts.
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Pete Burak · From: Portland, OR USA

I'm pretty sure were saying the same thing.

Ollin, I don't think there is a One Big Tuning instructional source, but fwiw, most of the existing instructional materials out there can be adapted to S12U in a One Big Tuning mindset. As a long time S12U player I'd say you just get used to pulling out what you want/need from any (non S12U specific) Instructional material.
One thing that Jeff Newman used to say, if you are using C6th tab, count from the bottom up on your S12U, (string-12 on your S12U is the same as string-10 on a D10 C6th), and for E9th tab, count from the top down.

b0b · From: Cloverdale, CA, USA

Even on my little 8 string D6th, I either have my foot on the E9th pedals or the C6th pedals, depending on the style of the song. I'm not even sure what the "one big tuning mindset" is.
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John De Maille · From: On a Mountain in Upstate Halcottsville, N.Y.

When I first started into the universal tuning, I definitely wanted to learn the basics of 6th playing. I dabbled with it with my S-11, E9th tuning. I had an octave low E note for the 11th string, which, didn't really help with the 6th side. It just added a low E, that, I used for E9th. So..... After getting a uni, I devoted to learning the 6th to play one way and still had my E9th to play what I knew best. After a while, I got very comfortable going from one to another seamlessly and it really opened up a new flavor to my playing. Depending on the song I'm playing, I switch from one to the other to suit my own feel and hopefully enhance the texture of the song. I'm still not as proficient as I'd like to be with the 6th tuning, but, I'm having a lot of fun doing it and usually get good feedback from the other musicians I play with. In the beginning, I didn't think of it as one big tuning, but, I have changed my thoughts on that. There are endless amounts of music to be played with the uni tuning and I like the fact that, you can go from one vein to the other without changing necks. After 10 years,I'm still learning and I know there's so much more to learn, so I'll keep experimenting with different ideas. As to why there's not enough info on the big tuning aspect, I think it has to do with the fact that, there's not enough people interested with the uni tuning. It was always an S-10 or a D-10 world. Most pros play D-10's and a few play only S-10's. The U-12's were never popular and are only catching on within the last dozen years or so. I could be wrong with the timeframe, please don't flame me!
Having said all of this, I think if you're good at playing E9th and you're good at playing a 6th tuning, you should be able to work them both together without a problem and negating the issue of one big tuning instruction. But, then again, this is all conjecture from someone who's been playing steel for 38 years and it's late and I'm getting bleary eyed. Sorry for the ranting!

Lane Gray · From: Topeka, KS

Pete Burak · From: Portland, OR USA

I think the most basic concept of the One Big Tuning mindset is when you realize that every single time you use your E-to-Eb lever, you are playing B6th.
Therefore, every single time you use your E-to-Eb lever in combination with any other E9th pedal/lever, you are playing E9/B6 Uni... as "One Big Tuning".

There are plenty of uses for the B6th pedals in E9th, too.
Two basics that come to mind...
Grab an standard E9th open C-chord on strings 4,5,6, Then slide two frets back with P7 to get a C7.
Grab the same E9th open C-chord on strings 5,6,8 and engage P6 to drop string-8 a full step for a C7th.

Listen to the notes in an open G6th chord on Strings 9-4 on B6th (with E-to-Eb engaged).
Now go two frets up with the E9th A+B pedals down and you'll hear same notes on strings 10-5.
All of those open B6th "Pockets" that you riff out of with the E-to-Eb lever engaged, can automatically be transferred to the E9th AB position.
Depending where you are in the heat of the moment you can pivot either direction because it's "One Big Tuning".

Ollin Landers · From: Willow Springs, NC

I went from an S-10 straight to an SD-12. so I've never had the issue of looking at it as two tunings. And yes I can adapt E9th and C6 tab to the Universal.

So what I'm getting from this thread is no one really sees the want or need to create courses or tab for a Universal.

I just see a big gap not being filled. I like to use tab sometimes as a method to see how someone else approaches a musical idea. Not necessarily to play it as written. And I think seeing someone else's approach to those ideas tabbed using a Uni tuning would be invaluable.

I guess Pete's approach is the only way to do it right now. It would need to be tab from someone that has tab for the same song in C6 as we'll as E9. And just blend the two into one tab. Sort of overlay one on top of the other if you will.

As a matter of fact that actually sounds like a pretty good idea.
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Pete Burak · From: Portland, OR USA

fwiw, I've often considered making a home-made One Big Tuning instructional vid, but somehow always get sidetracked by the random distribution of reality.

Tom Gorr · From: Three Hills, Alberta

We all play music for our own reasons. If I was in a cover band and needed to pound out songs to play note for note in assembly line fashion - i'm sure tab would be interesting to me. Been there, done that with six string.

As it stands, I use steel as mostly an improvisational and songwriting tool. Which means I'm more interested in finding grips and lever combinations, and picking patterns that stimulate core musical ideas that can be built into something.

While guided learning probably would put some structure around my rather intermittent progress as a player, truth is...I like leaving this thing as a tool of discovery.

I'm not sure tab learning and soaking in textures are compatible objectives.

Pete Burak · From: Portland, OR USA

Ollin, I think your idea of getting both the E9th and C6th tab for the same song, then melding them into a One Big Tuning type of Tab for S12U, is a good idea that is totally do-able.

Tom Gorr · From: Three Hills, Alberta

Pete Burak · From: Portland, OR USA

Tom Gorr · From: Three Hills, Alberta

Most of all this stuff is just compartmentalization and purely academic.

Truth is the universal tuning does have it's own thing...and our E9 and B6 vocabulary and conceptualization probably relates more to genre identification than the instrument.

I could be more convinced that an E6/E9 copedent is more of the 'one big tuning'.

b0b · From: Cloverdale, CA, USA

I get the impression that most U-12 players use it as an extended E9th and don't touch the inside pedals much, if at all. I don't know if it's true - just a gut feeling. You can play western swing with just the E9th pedals and levers, and all of the jazz chords are there too if you look for them. Does that make extended E9th "one big tuning" too?
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Tom Gorr · From: Three Hills, Alberta

Ok, we're talking about gold fillings in hen's teeth at this level, Bob...haha

It may be a lot like how D10 players consider the back neck to be an armrest. Maybe...I play the C6 neck of my D10 more than the E9 neck (full complement of knee levers 8x8)...I know this is not the 'norm'.

All I can say for myself is that on the uni I use all my pedals and levers with sufficient regularity that i'd never be without them. Genre, again, plays a big role in which one's i'm using.

Ian Rae · From: Redditch, England

I'm new to the uni, having learnt a bit of E9 and a bit of C6, and I'd just been doing a paper exercise of seeing what one set of changes could add to the other, when Chris ups and suggests the very same. Pete and Tom have most of it, I reckon. The B pedal is also a popular B6 change.

I wonder though, if the emergence of the uni is more technology-led than being the solution to a musical problem. The arrival of pedals got us from 3 or 4 necks down to two using pull-release changers, and once changers became smart enough to make multiple raises and lowers, we could save yet more weight and expense by reducing to a single neck. But although the two tunings overlap in ways that are explained very well by the contributors above, you can't have every pedal next to every other, so they are ever likely to be segregated in some traditional way. Or so it seems to me... Confused

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