Roger Buchanan
From:
Columbus, Ohio, USA
|
Posted 27 Aug 2012 3:06 pm |
|
I'm not sure if I am in the right section or not, but I have a question. What is the purpose of a 12 string pedal steel? Are they easier to play, and to learn? Do they take the place of a D-10. I'm only asking because I found to for sale at a reasonable price. Thanks for your help.  |
|
Douglas Schuch
From:
Valencia, Philippines
|
Posted 27 Aug 2012 4:16 pm
|
|
Roger, I'm a newbie, so others may correct me, but here is my take after about a year of playing an S-10, and 5 months in a U-12. The short answer: yes...and no.
Before getting to the long answer, let me explain some terminology, just in case you have not figured it out yet.
S-10 is a single neck 10 string
D-10 is two 10-string necks on one guitar.
SD-10 is a single neck on a wider body, with a pad.
E9 is one of the standard 10 string tunings for pedal steel. It is heard on many country and country/rock songs.
C6 is the other standard 10 string tuning. It is heard regularly on country swing tunes and jazz, and also used in many "straight-ahead" country songs.
Long answer: First off, there are two main types of 12 strings: E9 extended, and Universal. E9 extended is the same as a 10-string E9, with two additional lower strings. Any decent player could sit at one of these and be right at home. The universal tunings, though, are a bit different. They do attempt to combine the capabilities of both necks of a standard D-10, and achieve this with moderate success. A U-12 can not easily have as many pedals/levers as a D-10, but make up for it by being able to switch between the two "tunings" at will.
An extended E-9 usually has 3 or 4 pedals, a U-12 typically has 7. Thus, U-12's are a bit more complicated and typically slightly more cost.
Is a U-12 easier to play? Probably not. If anything, I'd say slightly harder to play as more strings it takes a bit more effort and time to figure out which strings you need to be playing. Also, most tab is written for the 10 string tunings, so you need to transcribe a little to use it for a 12-string. Perhaps the one advantage for ease of playing is you see the connections between the two tunings a little clearer initially.
If you want to learn pedal steel there is no reason you can not learn on a 12-string instead of a S-10 or D-10. My advise for a newbie, based on my learning curve and experience, is to first decide if you are very interested in learning C6 tuning or not. To find out, listen to lots of steel music where you know which tuning is being used. You can watch videos as well; with the exception of Curly Chalker, all steel players I know of have the E9 neck at the front (further from the player) and the C6 neck at the back (closest to the player). A good steeler can play almost anything on either neck, but they do have certain sounds and styles associated with each tuning. Another approach is to go through the songs and licks on Greg Cutshaw's website: listen to the mp3's and try to figure out by sound which tuning is used, then click on the tab and see if you got it right. (www.gregcutshaw.com)
So, if you decide you love the sound of C6 then you will need either a D-10 or a U-12 to learn these. You might start with a basic E9 guitar, but you will want to upgrade once you know you are serious about the difficult task of learning this instrument.
If you really prefer the more country and country/rock sounds of the E9 and want to focus on that, then buy either a 10 string E9 or a 12 string extended E9. It will cost you less and will do what you want to do without the extra cost and weight of the D-10 or a loaded U-12.
Feel free to ask other, more specific squestions, and I am sure others will give their viewpoint.
Doug
_________________
Bringing steel guitar to the bukid of Negros Oriental! |
|
Clete Ritta
From:
San Antonio, Texas
|
Posted 27 Aug 2012 11:16 pm
|
|
There are two or three popular versions of 12 string tunings. One is the Universal, which will have more pedals to include the C6 changes. It is missing the D note on string 9, but has the advantage of closely mirroring both necks (E9 and C6) in one. Another is the Extended E9, which is mostly a 10 string E9 with two lower pitches added. It has fewer pedals and does not mimic the C6 neck changes. Lastly would be an Extended C6, which isnt often seen by itself, but can be found on a few D12 steels. As far as E9 tuning is concerned, either the Universal or the Extended will be able to learn on, though the Extended may have an advantage in that already produced learning material for 10 string will translate exactly to the top ten strings.
Clete |
|
