C6..... WHEN?!

[James Crowbear]

Brad i'm very glad to know you're only 19
in which case i suggest you get down on C6 asap ! , it's worth it
by the time you're 40, i ( & others here ) won't be around so you'll be next in line & responsable for the bleedin' mess ...
Tony has some good advice concerning C6 : as a non pedal (or lever) tuning - he's correct - C6 was & still is used that way on steels not psgs
pedals & levers are great for locking in chords - which makes playing them a whole lot easier & fuller
when it comes to knitting & soloing, pedals & levers are not as essential imo
i'm not an innovator rather a copy kat & a parrot - G is used on 8 string steels on string 1 & some use it on psg
since the Pope changed his to D, many followed in his path - i get the G on top position 3 frets above the root position lowering string 5 a half tone & raising string 3 a half tone
the obvious diff between C6 & E9 is that on E9 you always have to push pedal A to get that whole tone raise whereas on C6 you don't necessarily do so
look on the mother ship for good used D10s Brad - even w: shipping & customs, there are some great deals to be made
http://bb.steelguitarforum.com/viewforum.php?f=9&sid=fe2294d27ea4cea296a3866de0e7d21c
http://bb.steelguitarforum.com/viewtopic.php?t=251477
Bang 4 $ £ or €, GFI is worth looking into

Henry, i don't know much about the U12 - i did mess around w: a couple that passed through my hands - i was'nt sold...
first of all i don't like where B6 lies on the neck as compared to C6 ( a Universal gives a B6 rather than a C6 correct ? )
Eb on fret 3, F on 5, G on 7, A on 9 are more comfortable on C6 than moving them down a half step/tone on B6
some U12s have a lock on the Es to Eb - which frees the knee - that imo is a must have
as for the 2 low strings : considering they can interfere w: the the bass player or the pianist, how many really use the low register that much ?
of the 2 extra strings, i would add one up high which would be more useful imo & the other down low to keep the wife & the conductor happy.... lol
anyway i'm not a reference in the matter - i still prefer 2 necks - in case i break a string & for the variety of each - not 2 in 1
the advantage of a U12 is weight compared to the D10 for sure -

[JohnDavisStringsHere]

I have been asked for this link (again)


obviousley the guy could not bear to wade through all my E9th crap to find it???

[Gretschnut]

Sorry to have rattled your cage. Won't ask again!

[JohnDavisStringsHere]

Sorry Harry, I did`ent mean to be offensive, I did smother it in smilies ... I can understand people not wanting to wade through my stuff ..I have put some crap on there over the years but learned a bit since then...
Sometimes the written word can feel very cold , its not like talking to people.. I must remember to use more smilies

[Gretschnut]

Thanks John. My problem is unless it's included on the Forum, I sometimes can't find my way into the links to start wading through.

[JanO]

I second what Tony Russell Davis said: it's a very good idea to begin playing the C6 neck as a non-pedal. I started on C6, using 3 pedals and one lever. After 6 months I didn't get very far - ok I got around the neck, but it was frustrating because I had the feeling i kept forgetting how & and on which strings the pedals work. Then, I got me a 6string lap, tuned it to C6, and it really opened my eyes. The pieces of the puzzle fell into place. Playing that little lap steel helped me Big Time to really understand the C6 PSG.

As far as your original question: if you're interested in the C6 sound, do yourself a favour and start asap.

My thoughts on how the E9 and C6 tunings relate: I approach them seperately. Period. That's why I didn't pick up the Emmons course: page 1 is an explanation on what is the same, and what is the difference.

About practicing and studies both necks at the same time: never underestimate the power of the brain. There's plenty of room in there for different tunings. Myself, I use 5 tunings. On PSG the standard E9 and C6, on lap a Am9, on Weissenborn a modified C6 and a "double-G" tuning on Dobro. What I do for example as a study is to take 1 song and play it for an hour, continually changing between instruments (=tunings)

Anyway, good luck! Keep us posted on your progress.

[Tony Russell Davis]

it's a very good idea to begin playing the C6 neck as a non-pedal. I started on C6, using 3 pedals and one lever. After 6 months I didn't get very far - ok I got around the neck, but it was frustrating because I had the feeling i kept forgetting how & and on which strings the pedals work. Then, I got me a 6string lap, tuned it to C6, and it really opened my eyes. The pieces of the puzzle fell into place.

Exactly my experience, glad to find others found the same thing.
The next step came some time later and might work for you too Brad. Having a few non-pedal tunes sorted in my head, I started looking for pedal changes that might get a phrase in an easier, or faster, way. So now on C6th, if I can't get a sequence of notes without pedals or excessive bar movement, it's pedal/KL in & hold it there - play a phrase, maybe even with bar movement - pedal off. But I still seek for the notes in the standard tuning before using the changes. While on E9th I find more phrases are played "bending" notes in, with a pedal/KL, to make the tune.
That was hard to explain clearly, hope I managed!
Tone.