An Old Tuning---re

Bobby Bowman · From: Cypress, Texas, USA, R.I.P.

b0b.
I don't know if I have this in the right place, but it is kinda' related to the "Who invented the E-9'th" thread.

Many years ago, probably around 1948 or '49, Herby Remington came up with a tuning that he had two names for. He originally called it a C# minor and later, through pressure from some of us at the time (I was just a kid around 12 or 13) such as Speedy and Noel and maybe even Leon, he sucummed to calling it a F# inverted 13'th.
Speedy probably used it more than anyone else because it held up well to his style of playing. Tennessee Ernie and a girl singer named Kay Star (I believe that was her name) had a hit that I think was called "I Wanta' Be Free", which may well be the most remembered song with Speedy using the tuning.
He used it on many of his recordings of that era.
Most players (steel and others) don't realize that Herb wrote and recorded "Boothill Drag' with this tuning.
A lot of us "old timers" sort of feel that it was maybe the "frontrunner" of the original E-9'th tuning which eventually led to what we now know as the E-9'th tuning.
If you never played the tuning it may not register with you that way. But, if you did, I'll bet that you would also concur.
Here's the tuning from 1'st string to the 8'th string:
1. E
2. C#
3. G#
4. E
5. A#
6. F#
7. D# (1/2 tone below the 1'st string E)
8. F# (1 whole tone above the 1'st string E)

It was quiet common, even during a song, to tune the C# down to a B for an E major sound rather than the minor or 13'th sound. (Actually, we did a lot of retuning of strings as we played back then.)
You had to chose what groups of strings to pluck for certian voiceings and working from the zero to the minus two position opened up a lot of good "swing" sounds. Also it was the perfect tuning for the forward slant on strings 1, 2 and 3. When you downtuned the C# to B, then you could do a perfect reverse slant on the same three strings.
Actually, slants were available all over the place.
It was not a tuning for everybody. You had to "hear" what could be done with it, learn your "scales" on it and be willing to put in hours upon hours of learning and practice to make it say something for you. When you did, it had a killer sound for the time period.
It could also be used in the Hawaiian tpye voiceings very well.
I hope a lot of you find some interest in this old and forgotten tuning.
BB
As an after thought...especially for you young guys and gals that have only played the pedal steel and not "straight or non pedal steel...
We would change a particular tuning to other tunings or, if we were lucky, we would have multi-neck guitars with different tunings on each neck to enhance our particular style and voicings. I once had a custom built guitar that came in three sections, forming a kinda' of horseshoe around me, with three necks on each section. I got the idea from Alveno Rey.
When the first "pedal" guitars came out, we didn't think of them the way they are thought of today. Each pedal gave us a different tuning. So, if your guitar had 4 pedals, you could have a total of 5 different tunings on a single neck guitar. Tommy Morrell (even though he is a very accomplished "today" pedal player) still incorporates this very same principle on his single 10 Carson Well's guitar. He has a four or five position "locking" lever to give him his different tunings.
It was more or less the "Nashville" boys and maybe a couple from the West Coast who came up with the "today" concept of pedals and what they do.
------------------
If you play 'em, play 'em good!
If you build 'em, build 'em good!

[This message was edited by Bobby Bowman on 19 July 2001 at 12:08 AM.]

Kevin Mincke · From: Farmington, MN (Twin Cities-South Metro) USA

My uncle Vern Eide showed me the C# minor tuning some years ago. This is what one of his necks on his Gibson "Console Grande" & fry-pan is tuned to, and what I tried to learn on.
He plays alot of Hawaiian & Gospel music.
As Bobby stated, it is a difficult tuning to get used to w/ slants,finger groupings etc. but is kind of fun to mess around with.
We tried to crossover into each others styles but he soon sold his MSA D-10, and I kept my Sho~Bud..........& "Console Grande"!

Dave Robbins · From: Cottontown, Tnn. USA (deceased)

Bobby,
yes, I remember this tuning well! You sure brought back some old memories of my "non-pedal" playing days, as well as my transistion to pedals, as a young kid.
It was a great tuning for back in that time and yes, the bar slants sure were a lot of fun.

Dave

Richard Gonzales · From: Davidson, NC USA

Nice post Bobby; As a kid back in the late 40's I would use these tunings all the time.
Now learning pedal steel when I need a break
I will push A pedal for C# minor or no pedals for that E tuning. I remember so many songs in those two tunings. But for me the
Universal 12 is the future for me.

Donny Hinson · From: Glen Burnie, Md. U.S.A.

Wow, Bobby...that brings back memories! I "found" the C# minor tuning on my own when I played 6-string lap steel. I still think it lets you get some very haunting sounds out of only 6 strings.

b0b · From: Cloverdale, CA, USA

A tough call, but I've moved this topic to the Pedal Steel forum.

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