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Topic: Hacking C6 tuning |
Mike Neer
From:
NJ
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Posted 21 May 2022 9:16 pm |
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I am certainly not alone in tweaking tunings to get that little elusive chord, and while I find C6 to be an extremely versatile tuning if you put the time in, it can be magical with some subtle twists of the pegs. Jerry Byrd proved that when he started tuning his low C up to C# for what is known as C6/A7. I thought I’d share a couple of my favorites. There aren’t many that I use, but they are important to me.
When I was arranging tunes for Keepin’ It Real, I decided on using the Rickenbacher 6 string tuned to C6. As a few of the tunes didn’t lay out all that well in C6, I started using some of my favorite hacks. The first one I resorted to is a simple old favorite which I find is really great for modal tunes (including blues).
Let’s call this C6/9 or C6add9. This is accomplished by simply lowering the 1st string to D. Very simple, very effective. I used it most successfully (I think) on McCoy Tyner’s modal tune, Passion Dance.
https://youtu.be/02TQKlx2wUs
I also used it on a few others including Peace and Witch Hunt. Check them out, it’s some pretty good playing if I say so myself.
The next tuning I used was C6/A7 on West Coast Blues. It made playing the head fathomable. This is important because as eager as I might be to play a tune, if it sounds like a struggle, then I can’t use it. Never let them hear you sweat!
The most important tuning for me that I’ve been using for a while and kept pretty secret was something I started using while playing 60s jazz tunes that had close harmony that C6 totally misses the mark on. I first started using it on a tune by Horace Silver called Nutville, where I would lower the 3rd string A to Ab. I further adjusted it for the recording of the great Stolen Moments by my hero Oliver Nelson, and I was so proud of the arrangement. To finish it up, I lowered string 1 to Eb. The tuning is C/Ab: a C triad on the low 3 and an Ab triad on the high 3. C E G Ab C Eb You can hear that here.
https://youtu.be/mZGPWrzBSQk
Another thing that was important to me was keeping the solos in the same tunings. It was really a challenge to improvise in C/Ab, but after a while I became accustomed to the sound. It took a whole lot of shedding.
I hope this interests some players enough to encourage exploration. I am always a little disappointed that the very mention of jazz scares some people away, even from listening. But try to appreciate all the effort that goes into trying to bring that music to life on this instrument. You have to be semi-crazy!
These are a few of the tunings I used on that particular recording. Steelonious had a few of its own, but I was using an 8 string steel. Maybe later on I’ll share some of that. |
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HowardR
From:
N.Y.C.-Fire Island-Asheville
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Posted 22 May 2022 7:09 am Re: Hacking C6 tuning
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| Mike Neer wrote: |
Another thing that was important to me was keeping the solos in the same tunings. |
Hey Mike.....recently I've been doing the same thing.....hacking the tuning that I'm most familiar & comfortable with.....I'll preface my rant by saying that I'm not much of a player and although I have various tunings on steels (I never really put in enough serious time with them) I'm basically a dobro 6 string G guy (who no longer plays bluegrass)....I now spend most of my time in Asheville and there's a cool little niche music scene here (blues, pop, rock, country rock).....maybe, if I practice & put some time in I can sit in with some folks...
In all of my dalliances with different tunings (6&8 string) it all comes down to that I love a strummable chord tuning as well as getting extended chords (minimum 3 notes), and I would like more versatility in the major G, like being able to strum a minor triad as opposed to just a two note root & 5th or a flat 3rd & 5th or a root & flat 3rd....so I recently thought about hacking the G tuning instead of going to 8 strings or another neck.....with a short tweak of one string I can get a G6, G7, Gmaj7, Gmin, Gadd9, a full 6 string minor or half maj/half min, so that if a tune calls for these recipes, I can play them with some meat while remaining in the same (pretty much) tuning....and I still have the bulk of scale & chord positions...
I also just learned something that is probably elementary to many but a bit of a revelation to me and although it's not a hack, it's very handy.....I was viewing a song writing channel on youtube and it was talking about the major 9th chord in song writing.....the example chord they used was Cmaj9, which is spelled CEGBD.....of course it dawned on me that I could easily play GBD on the G tuning (the 5th-7th-9th notes) which would fit in nicely...and I realize that I have these scale degrees for every maj9 chord now....
Anyhow, I sure miss seeing you at Barbes.....glad we had those days......
Last edited by HowardR on 23 May 2022 9:52 am; edited 1 time in total |
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Bill McCloskey
From:
Nanuet, NY
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Posted 22 May 2022 9:02 am
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Deleted
_________________
Check out the Steel Guitar Union Hall Youtube Channel https://www.youtube.com/@steelguitarunionhall
Last edited by Bill McCloskey on 23 May 2022 3:58 am; edited 1 time in total |
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Allan Revich
From:
Victoria, BC
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Posted 22 May 2022 9:13 pm Cmaj9
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Tuning around a CM9 chord looks interesting.
CEGBDE might emphasize the minor 7 chords, while GCEGBD might emphasize the 1 and 5 major chords.
Bringing it back around to Mike’s C6 tweaks, the first version (CEGBDE) can be had by raising strings 2 & 3.
_________________
Current Tunings:
6 String | G – D G D G B D
7 String | G9 – D G B D F A D
https://papadafoe.com/lap-steel-tuning-database |
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Jim Kaznosky
From:
New Jersey, USA
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Posted 23 May 2022 9:55 am
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Excellent. My little run with the French band is coming to an end and I'm plotting my path. These are well worth exploring. Maybe I'll set up the alt-plank with one of these in the meantime to see if I can exploit these on the current gig.
I always appreciate you sharing your wisdom, Mike. |
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Andy Volk
From:
Boston, MA
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Posted 23 May 2022 12:37 pm
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And lest we forgot the other hacks steel guitarists need to know ....
_________________
Steel Guitar Books! Website: www.volkmediabooks.com |
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Tim Toberer
From:
Nebraska, USA
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Posted 24 May 2022 5:34 am
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| Quote: |
| I find C6 to be an extremely versatile tuning if you put the time in, it can be magical with some subtle twists of the pegs. |
I am coming around to this way of thinking. I have casually played banjo for many years and I never think twice about tweaking the tuning. Much of the time I don't even think about what the notes are, just playing by ear. I learn enough that I can play whatever song I am working on and that is that. Banjo and steel guitar have a lot in common, oddly. (Doing this in a jazz type setting where you are expected to improvise is a whole other thing. Hats off to you for showing what is possible )
I haven't given up on finding the tuning that seems to have it all, but I am a much happier steeler now that I am not trying to turn the steel guitar into a piano. Lately I have been hacking up my tunings like crazy and just winging it. It is very liberating. I have realized I don't need every chord in every song.
Last edited by Tim Toberer on 24 May 2022 7:20 am; edited 1 time in total |
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Andy Volk
From:
Boston, MA
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Posted 24 May 2022 5:55 am
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While specific tunings and tuning tweaks can definitely help you better perform certain songs or genres of music, IMHO tunings in general are overrated and what is much more important is what you can do with ANY tuning you have to make good music.
When you're new to steel guitar, there's a strong impetus to find THE perfect set-up and a lot of players go down this rabbit hole. While there's value to be had, after you have some steel experience, this can also be a trap that holds you back.
Finding one or two tunings and really digging in to what the tunings can offer is a much more promising road to travel - and I speak as one who fell deep down that particular rabbit hole and eventually had to climb out. There's a reason that a smaller subset of tunings have endured over many years. As an all-around place to start, it's hard to beat C6th and all its variations - at least in IMHO. There are many who fly the flag for their particular favorites.
_________________
Steel Guitar Books! Website: www.volkmediabooks.com
Last edited by Andy Volk on 24 May 2022 7:58 am; edited 1 time in total |
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Tim Toberer
From:
Nebraska, USA
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Posted 24 May 2022 7:53 am
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| Quote: |
| When you're new to steel guitar, there's a strong impetus to find THE perfect set-up and a lot of players go down this rabbit hole. While there's value to be had, after you have some steel experience, this can also be a trap that holds you back. |
I am going into my second year of this and I can say this is a piece of wisdom I can truly understand now. If I had read this 6 months ago, I would have glossed right past it. I had to get to that place that, for me was about a month ago. I sat down to practice and I realized I just had no enjoyment anymore. I felt so overwhelmed by 10 string E13 tuning that I wasn't sure if I wanted to pursue the instrument. I hadn't really been playing for months. I started listening to all the old recordings again that I really love and it dawned on me that most of them are playing 6 string D or G.
I have two 8 string guitars and I started fooling around with this tuning (low to high) E-F#-A-C#-E-A-C#-E. All the sudden I could play again and I am loving it! On the other guitar I have E-A-C#-E-F#-A-C#-E and it is really helping me understand how this one note effects my playing. For less jazzy stuff I find I like an add9 tuning and can get a lot of pedal steel sounding licks. Adding the dom7th, especially in the middle of the tuning, really messes me up! And adding the 6th, dom7 and the 9th is something I am not ready for. |
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Mike Neer
From:
NJ
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Posted 24 May 2022 8:07 am
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It was always my desire to play the tuning rather than have the tuning play me. After I got over the initial allure of any tuning (especially those with a strummability) it was always my goal to get inside the tuning to be able to understand how to make my musical ideas work. I didn’t want to be limited by what seemed to be obvious and available in the tuning. With a tuning like C6 straight up, after a lot of real searching I began to see new ways to play things that on the surface didn’t necessarily seem easier but contributed to the articulation and phrasing in strong ways.
Altering tunings slightly makes it necessary to re-learn things but sometimes offers up stunning new possibilities. I could get by with one neck forever, I think. |
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Allan Revich
From:
Victoria, BC
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Posted 29 May 2022 1:17 pm Re: Cmaj9
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| Allan Revich wrote: |
Tuning around a CM9 chord looks interesting.
CEGBDE might emphasize the minor 7 chords, while GCEGBD might emphasize the 1 and 5 major chords.
Bringing it back around to Mike’s C6 tweaks, the first version (CEGBDE) can be had by raising strings 2 & 3. |
Having become enamoured by 9th tunings, C9 might also be an interesting tweak. I think that C9 tuned C E G Bb D E would work with C6 strings.
Tweaking open G (GBDGBD) would yield a lower register C9, G C E G Bb D.
_________________
Current Tunings:
6 String | G – D G D G B D
7 String | G9 – D G B D F A D
https://papadafoe.com/lap-steel-tuning-database |
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