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Post new topic Tuning my B6 universal.
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Author Topic:  Tuning my B6 universal.
Chris Harvey

 

From:
California, USA
Post  Posted 15 Aug 2009 10:57 pm    
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Beginner player that just moved from an E9 to B6. Tuning seems straight forward looking at Jeff Newman's chart, however, I want to make certain I understand pedal 6. From what I can see the E should remain an E with pedal depressed, correct? It just seems odd. I have a GFI with the factory setup.
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Ken Metcalf


From:
San Antonio Texas USA
Post  Posted 16 Aug 2009 6:10 am    
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Assuming you mean a E9th/B6th Universal.
To use Pedal 6 you should first have the Es lowered to Eb and the Pedal itself will lower the 8th string to D and raise the 4th back up to E for a 4 chord
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MSA 12 String E9th/B6th Universal.
Little Walter PF-89.
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John Polstra


From:
Lopez Island, WA, USA
Post  Posted 16 Aug 2009 8:18 am    
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Just to expand on what Ken said ... Pedal 6 is used when playing in "B6 mode" where you are constantly holding the knee lever that lowers your E's. It raises string 4 back up to its original E pitch from the lowered D# that the knee lever produces.

To tune pedal 6, first tune the open 4th string with no pedals or levers. Then lower your E's with the knee lever and tune that pull on string 4. Then add pedal 6 and tune its pull.

John
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David Doggett


From:
Bawl'mer, MD (formerly of MS, Nawluns, Gnashville, Knocksville, Lost Angeles, Bahsten. and Philly)
Post  Posted 16 Aug 2009 3:01 pm    
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The E-lower lever drops the Es on strings 4 and 8 to D# for a B6 chord (B D# F# G# B). Pedal 6 lowers string 8 further to D and raises string 4 back up to E, which gives an E9 chord. Starting on string 12 that is B E G# B D F# G# B E G#, and the intervals are 5 1 3 5 b7 9 3 5 1 3 (string 2 gives D#, which is the maj 7, and string 1 gives a high 9). If you didn't raise string 4 back up to E, it would be D#, and you would have both a b7 and maj7 in the same chord, which is usually not very useful.

You also may have a lever that drops the 8th string E to D (to replace the lost D on string 9 of standard E9). So in B6 mode, you can also use that lever to get an E9 chord. If you keep the E-lower lever pressed, you will have the maj7 D# on string 4. If you hold the lever giving the D, and release the E-lower lever, string 4 will go back to E, and you will have the same E9 chord you get with pedal 6. For that reason, many universals loose pedal 6. However, if the lever giving a D on string 8 is on the left leg E9 cluster of levers, you will loose that function if your leg is out of that cluster and over the B6 pedals. So some universal players like to keep pedal 6, which maintains the traditional C6 pedal arrangement.

You should understand pedal 6 and the lever that gives you a D very well, because that gives you a IV9 chord, which is the most used change in B6 mode. It is analogous to pressing the A and B pedals of E9.
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