Jazz Question...recent convert to C6

Chris Griffin · From: Queensland, Australia

Hello Lap Steelers, You guys really know your music, lots of amazing information available here on the forum. I would like some help if you would, please.
I have been playing Blues in Low Open G (major & minor) for some time, recently started playing old Country songs in C6. After seeing some of you guys play I would like to try some JAZZ.
Can you recommend some jazz tunes that a simple old 6 string flatpicker can try his hand at? Your ideas would be much appreciated.
Thanks, Chris.

Jim Cohen · From: Philadelphia, PA

Chris, if you're getting into steel guitar jazz, you'll want to poke around this site: www.SteelGuitarJazz.com

Have fun!
Jimbeaux
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Mike Neer · From: NJ

Are you familiar with any Jazz stuff at all?

Satin Doll is a nice easy tune to get started with. Not very difficult chord changes and yet it's just enough to keep it interesting.

/Dm7 - G7 -/Dm7 - G7 -/Em7 - A7 -/Em7 - A7 -/
/D7 - - - /Db9 - - - /CM7 - Dm7 - /Em7 - A7 -/
/Dm7 - G7 -/Dm7 - G7 -/Em7 - A7 -/Em7 - A7 -/
/D7 - - - /Db9 - - - /CM7 - - - /- - - -/
Bridge:
/Gm7 - C7 -/Gm7 - C7 -/Am7 - D7 -/Am7 - D7 -/
/G7 - - - / - - - -/

/Dm7 - G7 -/Dm7 - G7 -/Em7 - A7 -/Em7 - A7 -/
/D7 - - - /Db9 - - - /CM7 - Dm7 - /Em7 - A7 -/

Here's a quick little video of how you might play the melody with chords:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lZz5bLk9_Og
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Chris Griffin · From: Queensland, Australia

Jimbeaux, Thanks for putting me onto that site.I haven't been into jazz at all, hence my post, but I'd like to try it out as I've seen some nice stuff played by a couple of guys from the forum.
My arthritis means I'm not able to slant the steel to play fancy chords & that limits me to just what I can play with a straight bar, so jazz may be beyond my capabilities, but I'll give it a try. Thanks for your help.
Chris

Chris Griffin · From: Queensland, Australia

Mike, Thanks for that. I've watched your video of Satin Doll a couple of times now, it's one of the videos that started me on the road to wanting to try playing jazz. No, I hardly know anything about jazz. I've never really listened to it at all.
Chris

Karl Fehrenbach · From: Pennsylvania, USA

Chris, if you are really interested in jazz, it will take you on a musical trip that is very rewarding. There is a bit of music theory involved, however, like most genres of music there are musical cliches that you will notice that appear over and over again. When I got a pedal steel, (forgive Father for I have sinned), several years ago, it forced me to learn music theory just so I had a basic understanding what all the pedals and knee levers were doing. That research took me into jazz, and then doors really started to open. Things can get pretty sophisticated, but remember, there are only 12 notes, and it is a life long journey discovering ways to put them together. Jazz played on a steel guitar is really beautiful and there are forum bretheren and sisteren, (such a word?), here who are phenominal.

Mike Neer · From: NJ

One of the best places to get started with Jazz is to check out how they treat a 12 bar blues. That is a huge lesson in itself, as ther are countless variations.

Some of the best examples are Charlie Parker's variations on the blues: Now's The Time, Billie's Bounce and especially Blues For Alice, where he reharmonizes the form. Count Basie also came up with a very popular variation on the 12-bar blues. The blues form is a lifelong study in itself.

"I Got Rhythm" is another quintesstential form with countless variations. Until one has a good understanding of both of these forms, it is difficult to really get too far playing Jazz. Not meaning to discourage, but rather encourage to go down the right path.
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Bill Hatcher · From: Atlanta Ga. USA

Mike Neer · From: NJ

By the way, Chris, you definitely want to tune the 6th string (or wherever your low C resides) to C# for Jazz. This would be a C6/A7 tuning. You need to have a tritone interval (3 whole steps) built into the tuning, which it is not in C6.
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John Allison · From: Austin, Texas, USA

The 8-string "C6" tuning that I use for Jazz stuff, particularly swing standards is:
G
E
C
A
G
E
C#
Bb

It gives you the intervals that Mike menions plus nice extended 7th voicings in the root chord (wherever your bar is) and also flatted 5th and diminished chords in straight bar positions. It does require a fair amount of movement up and down the fretboard to get to the voicings you want, but it'll give you some nice stuff.
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Chris Griffin · From: Queensland, Australia

Thanks guys, Lots of great information there, I am very grateful for all the help.
Chris

Russ Wever · From: Kansas City

Mike Neer · From: NJ

Thanks, Russ. In my haste I completely skipped over it.
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Edward Meisse · From: Santa Rosa, California, USA

I did just fine for some time on a 6 string tuned to C6. But I played almost everything single string. It is a very effective way to play once you learn your scales and arpeggios (or however you spell that word). Listen to the CD, "Steel Guitar Caviar," for an example of how that style can sound in the hands of a maestro. Yes, there is some chordal playing there. But most of the fingerings are very simple. You don't have to do anything fancy to make good music.
Once you get into 8 strings, things can get very complicated. The 8 string tuning above is the C13 version of a tuning used by the superlative Hawaiian player, Billy Hew Len who used an A6 equivalent of it. For my single string style, I prefer the 8 string version of Buddy Emmons' C6 pedal tuning. But there are a rather large number of effective 8 string tunings. That is why pedals were originally invented-so as not to have to carry around several guitar necks. So if what you have is 6 strings, stay with it for awhile. There are still times when I wish I had never left my old 6 string tricone. It is perfectly adequate for a wider variety of uses than most people think.
If you want to play jazz chords and slants are an issue, strongly consider what Mr. Hatcher said above. He and two other forum members whose names escape me right now have done some terrific work in Leavitt tuning. You should give them a listen.
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Amor vincit omnia

Chris Griffin · From: Queensland, Australia

I've had lots of great help & advice guys, which is really helpful of you all. I'm currently researching the C6/A7 & also Leavitt tuning. I told my wife I've got to buy a few more guitars to accommodate my extra tunings. That worked a treat!
Chris

Chris Griffin · From: Queensland, Australia

Hello fellow "steelologists", I spent some time working out where the chords are on the Leavitt tuning.
I've done some TAB on "Satin Doll" & I'm really keen to pursue Leavitt tuning. It sure sounds really nice.
Regards to all of you.
Chris

Steve Atwood · From: Massachusetts, USA

I got the Jazz bug last summer and started learning on Benny Goodman's "Rose Room".

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x4H7M2YFK0s

It's smooth and slow and he doesn't play many high notes. I have the clarinet tabbed in E tuning. The guitar solo is also slow (for Charlie Christian) except for one fast riff which is a good challenge. I tabbed out the guitar solo in C6/A7 and posted it in the Tablature section:

http://bb.steelguitarforum.com/viewtopic.php?p=1877801#1877801

Paul Seager · From: Augsburg, Germany

I am also starting on this route. The extremely helpful Mike Neer said

Chris Griffin · From: Queensland, Australia

Paul, I downloaded the jazz book. Loads of good information.
Chris

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