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Topic: Tunings Used on J. Byrd Man of Steel Album |
Rick Abbott
From:
Indiana, USA
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Posted 22 Jun 2020 5:14 pm |
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A friend of mine found a Jerry Byrd album called Man of Steel, from 1964 on the Mercury label. He was thinking about trying to learn a song or two off of it and asked me what tunings might be used.
I thought this would be easy! So far, I have searched and found a lot of info on JB...his tunings...and learned a lot. But, I have not found a conversation about the tuning he would have used for that particular album.
Anyone know, or be able to listen and guess?
Any help is appreciated.
_________________
RICK ABBOTT
Sho~Bud D-10 Professional #7962
Remington T-8, Sehy #112
1975 Peavey Pacer |
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Joel Paterson
From:
Chicago, Illinois, USA
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Posted 22 Jun 2020 8:05 pm
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| I think this record is all earlier '50s recordings that Mercury re-released added a bunch of extra reverb to and repackaged, I'm pretty sure all the tunes are in C6. |
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Rick Abbott
From:
Indiana, USA
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Posted 23 Jun 2020 5:43 am
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That sounds reasonable. My guess was C6, but there's a lot of discussion about an E9 and a couple others on the old forum archive, so I thought it best to find out what others know about this.
_________________
RICK ABBOTT
Sho~Bud D-10 Professional #7962
Remington T-8, Sehy #112
1975 Peavey Pacer |
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Andy Volk
From:
Boston, MA
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Posted 23 Jun 2020 7:43 am
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I don't know this album but, from the early 50s, Jerry used his 7-string C diatonic on lots of tunes that sound like C6th (where he is mostly picking string groups rather than strumming) as it contains the notes of the C6th tuning:
C6th (low to Hi) C, E, G, A, C, E
C Diatonic (low to Hi) E, F, G, A, B, C, E
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Steel Guitar Books! Website: www.volkmediabooks.com |
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Nic Neufeld
From:
Kansas City, Missouri
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Posted 23 Jun 2020 8:01 am
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The diatonic is an interesting idea. I heard a snippet with a Maj7 and realized, that'd be pretty easy with C diatonic (and some care)...that's a tuning I -should- play around with someday but I haven't gotten to it.
_________________
Waikīkī, at night when the shadows are falling
I hear the rolling surf calling
Calling and calling to me |
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Andy Volk
From:
Boston, MA
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Posted 23 Jun 2020 10:48 am
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This is a really old set of links that apparently still works. You can see some of the typical positions Byrd used in this tuning. similar to C6th with some string skipping. What you can do in a diatonic tuning that you can't do in many other tunings is play harp-like strummed scale runs and some pedal-steel style licks.
Jerry Byrd's arrangement of Cold Cold Heart in C diatonic tuning:
http://picturehost.net/av/003.jpg
http://picturehost.net/av/004.jpg
http://picturehost.net/av/005.jpg
_________________
Steel Guitar Books! Website: www.volkmediabooks.com
Last edited by Andy Volk on 23 Jun 2020 4:30 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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Rick Abbott
From:
Indiana, USA
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Posted 23 Jun 2020 11:18 am
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Wow, Andy, thanks. I think this diatonic tuning might be one on the record. There are some pedal-style licks; my buddy was under the impression that Byrd was using a pedal or two on a couple songs. I'll go listen to that Cold Cold Heart and then that record and see what has obvious similarities.
I appreciate all the replies, steelers are blessed to have such a community.
_________________
RICK ABBOTT
Sho~Bud D-10 Professional #7962
Remington T-8, Sehy #112
1975 Peavey Pacer |
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