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Topic: Attempting C6...Again |
William W Western
From:
Canada
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Posted 8 Apr 2011 11:49 am |
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Oh boy...after many years of GBDGBD bluegrass and country Dobro and tuning a National lapsteel to the similar AC#EAC#E I am trying to "master" the C6 once again. Since the clock is ticking and my dotage looms ever nearer I think the time is ripe. This burst of concentration seems to be helping as I have been far more comfortable on this current campaign.
I love slants so have been working on finding where these various slant chord positions are to be found on the C6 neck. Some are similar (but different) from the G and A tunings which helps. I also am using the Clair Dunn designed C6 fretboard graphic (obtained on this site)to find other slant and barred locations. As I get used to where the notes are things should begin to gel. Or else it ain't aspic.
Anyway, I was working on "Heartbreak USA" Key Of E and will use that as an example to see if I am on the right track. Hope this description is adequate in absence of a tabbed out effort. The A-E-B-E intro sounded good on slants found right around the 16th fret. For the rest single notes and chords(some as harmonics as the mood strikes)progressing on or around the 4th,9th, 11th,and 6th(F#)frets. About half those melody notes are on the bottom three strings though. Does that seem right? Should I at some point be up there working the higher octave frets in this tune? I suppose if this was a vocal backing rather then a steel solo there might be more of that and less single note picking? Ending with some notes on the 4th fret and a harmonic on the 2nd fret sliding back up to the E. Any pointers (other then invest in a tab programme or stop speaking gibberish)? |
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Mike Neer
From:
NJ
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Posted 8 Apr 2011 11:57 am
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William, I feel your pain!  It doesn't have to be so tough. Check it out: If you were to focus on just strings 1 and 4 (E and G), you would be playing 6ths. If you know your scales, you can very easily harmonize the scale in 6ths.
If you wanted to do this in the key of E, start at fret 4, which would be the root position.
| Tab: |
E_4____5____7____9____11____12____14____16____
C_____________________________________________
A_____________________________________________
G_4____6____8____9____11____13____14____16____
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Memorize that pattern and you can play it in any key. This is one of the easiest ways to get started with the tuning, and in doing so you can play nice backing stuff with these 6ths. When you've got this down you can move into 3rds, etc.
_________________
Links to streaming music, websites, YouTube: Links |
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Tucker Jackson
From:
Portland, Oregon, USA
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Posted 8 Apr 2011 12:21 pm
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Mike, why is the 4th fret the root position? It looks to me like the tab above starts on the 3rd step of the scale. From a theory standpoint, shouldn't an E harmonized scale start with, well... an E note?
| Tab: |
E_0____2____4____5____7____9____11____12_
C________________________________________
A________________________________________
G_1____2____4____6____8____9____11____13_
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I'm probably missing something here, so please fill me in.  I realize nobody plays scales starting from root position on stage, but when learning the neck, doesn't it make sense to start from root? |
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Mike Neer
From:
NJ
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Posted 8 Apr 2011 12:25 pm
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The root is on the second string. It is much easier to visualize the scale starting from that position in the beginning. The harmonized scale doesn't need to begin with root note in it--you have the 3rd and 5th in it, so it is still the tonic chord.
_________________
Links to streaming music, websites, YouTube: Links |
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Tucker Jackson
From:
Portland, Oregon, USA
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Posted 8 Apr 2011 12:33 pm
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| Gotcha. Thanks. |
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Bill Brunt
From:
Texas, USA
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Posted 8 Apr 2011 5:48 pm I only thought I was confused before.
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I am a rank beginner, but thought I was beginning to understand, but now realize I don't have a clue.
The 4th fret is where the E chord is, as well as E6.
I thought in the E6 chord, the 6th was at the third string, 1,3,5,6,1,3 low to high, no?
Help  |
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Mike Neer
From:
NJ
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Posted 8 Apr 2011 7:25 pm
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Hi Bill--yes, you are correct. The note on the 3rd string, 4th fret is the 6th degree of the E major scale (C#), that's why it is called so. What I am talking about is the interval between 2 scale tones being a 6th apart. The distance from E to C# is a 6th (a major sixth, to be exact). So, you can find the interval of a 6th from any of the scale tones of E maj: from F# to D#, G# to E, A to F#, etc.
Does that clear it up?
_________________
Links to streaming music, websites, YouTube: Links |
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William W Western
From:
Canada
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Posted 9 Apr 2011 7:21 am
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Thanks Mike. I am not well versed in musical theory being a play by ear sort of fellow. But the notations you provided sound good and I am seeing where they could be used to nicely back up a vocalist and solo instruments.
The transition from resophonic to electric is always a hurdle for me as well plus reacquaintance with the round bar vs. the steven. I am getting somewhat comfortable there though. So now just getting a feel for where the notes now are hiding out on this C6 fretboard I think. |
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Bill Brunt
From:
Texas, USA
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Posted 9 Apr 2011 10:04 am
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Thanks Mike.
That helps. I think.
...so any note in a scale has a 6th counterpart, and it will always harmonize?
And, say, if you are in a measure in which a particular chord is being played, say, a D chord - you could play a note in the D scale, and use the corresponding for a harmony?
...or too much of a generalization?
Thanks. |
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Mike Neer
From:
NJ
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Posted 9 Apr 2011 10:12 am
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| Bill Brunt wrote: |
Thanks Mike.
That helps. I think.
...so any note in a scale has a 6th counterpart, and it will always harmonize?
And, say, if you are in a measure in which a particular chord is being played, say, a D chord - you could play a note in the D scale, and use the corresponding for a harmony?
...or too much of a generalization?
Thanks. |
Yes, that is correct, Bill. If you memorize the pattern I tabbed out above, you can play it in any key, starting from the corresponding root position. For the key of D, you'd start the sequence 2 frets lower.
Again, an interval is the distance between 2 notes, so if you are going to play harmonies within a scale, you simply find the note that is the desired distance by counting like this, using only the notes of the diatonic scale: D->E (a 2nd), D->F# (a 3rd), D->G (a 4th), etc.
This is the way harmonies are calculated in diatonic scales. It can and does become much more complicated when you start talking about major, minor, perfect, augmented and diminished intervals, but that's more than you need to know at this point.
_________________
Links to streaming music, websites, YouTube: Links |
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Mike Neer
From:
NJ
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Posted 9 Apr 2011 10:18 am
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Here is another way to make it a little more musical, in the way that you would actually find it in real musical situations:
| Tab: |
E_4____5__6__7____9__10__11____12____14__15__16____
C__________________________________________________
A__________________________________________________
G_4____6__7__8____9__10__11____13____14__15__16____
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I simply added chromatic passing tones (in italics).
_________________
Links to streaming music, websites, YouTube: Links
Last edited by Mike Neer on 9 Apr 2011 11:27 am; edited 1 time in total |
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Bill Brunt
From:
Texas, USA
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Posted 9 Apr 2011 10:33 am
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Thanks a lot, Mike.
I have been looking to start learning this.
I am enjoying the tabs I got from Herb Remington (very easy tabs), but what I really want to learn, is to unobtrusively play in the background.
Good stuff! |
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Chris Tweed
From:
Cardiff, Wales, UK
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Posted 9 Apr 2011 4:55 pm
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| William, another way to look at this, which I have tried when moving from dobro to 8-string C6, is that the intervals between strings are the same as on a GBDGBD-tuned dobro except for the third (A) string. The harmonized scale patterns are the same as for dobro except one string further apart (and you don't have the high fifth). |
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