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Topic: C 6th - 1st string opinion |
Detlef Webert
From:
Europe - DE
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Posted 8 Oct 2020 10:50 am |
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Dear all,
as I can see here in the forum there are two different flavors of tuning the 1st string on the C 6th - either to D or G.
Can you guys tell me the advantages/disadvantages using one or the other? It`s not really clear to me.
Many thanks,
Detlef |
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Ricky Davis
From:
Bertram, Texas USA
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Posted 8 Oct 2020 10:59 am
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I asked the Great Tom Morrell that question probably 20 years ago and he said: "Ricky if you have the G note on top; you can do all the stuff you come up with; but will miss all the stuff of the D note. But If you have the D note on top; you can do all the stuff you come up with; but now you will miss all of the G note stuff".." You Choose"...
That right out of the mouth of probably the best multi-tuning Steel player to have ever lived. RIP Tommy.
Ricky
_________________
Ricky Davis
Email Ricky: sshawaiian2362@gmail.com |
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Detlef Webert
From:
Europe - DE
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Posted 8 Oct 2020 11:07 am
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| Great answer Ricky,- and that`s actually true. |
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Ian Rae
From:
Redditch, England
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Posted 8 Oct 2020 1:12 pm
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Also, you don't have to make a lifetime commitment.
If you tune to G, you can then tune down to D on a song-by-song basis. You'd think it would be way too slack, but as a melodic passing note it's fine.
Not sure it would work the other way round 
_________________
Make sleeping dogs tell the truth!
Homebuilt keyless U12 7x5, Excel keyless U12 8x8, Williams keyless U12 7x8, Telonics rack and 15" cabs |
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Asa Brosius
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Posted 8 Oct 2020 2:08 pm
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The high D is extremely useful for me, and used prominently by my heroes- Emmons, Franklin, etc. If you need that high G here's an easy workaround, with a few changes-
Strum your open strings. Raise string 3 a half-tone, combined with a standard string 5 half-tone lower pedal (5 usually), bar at fret 3. Strum and compare- minus the lowest strings, you have the exact same consecutive intervals -same C6 chord- across the strings as with a high G string, plus a pretty 4th on top. |
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Ken Pippus
From:
Langford, BC, Canada
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Posted 8 Oct 2020 2:22 pm
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| Except, according to the Big E, up three frets with the C# sounds way better because you don't have the exceptionally skinny G string. |
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scott murray
From:
Asheville, NC
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Posted 8 Oct 2020 3:04 pm
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the D on top is like the F# on top of E9. it's great for single string lines and like Ian said, more of a passing note between strings 2 and 3. of course it can be used in chords as well.
I play with a G on top because it's always been more useful to me and the things I like to play. most of the well-known players seem to have followed Buddy's lead and use the D exclusively. Doug Jernigan is one who tunes his high G down to D for certain songs.
_________________
1965 Emmons S-10, 3x5 • Emmons LLIII D-10, 10x12 • JCH D-10, 10x12 • Beard MA-8 • Oahu Tonemaster |
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Ian Rae
From:
Redditch, England
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Posted 8 Oct 2020 3:48 pm
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These choices all depend on what music you play.
Buddy's philosophy as I understand it was to have that passing D and the improved voicing up 3 frets with the C# lever, a double advantage.
But what if you love that skinny G? 
_________________
Make sleeping dogs tell the truth!
Homebuilt keyless U12 7x5, Excel keyless U12 8x8, Williams keyless U12 7x8, Telonics rack and 15" cabs |
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Douglas Schuch
From:
Valencia, Philippines
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Posted 8 Oct 2020 4:32 pm
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Herby Wallace is one who stuck with the high G after most went to D. G makes more sense if you play 6th tunings on non-pedal steel - it will be closer to what they usually have for a tuning, and more licks will be the same. But I've always played using the D note, for the same reason Asa Brosius does - Buddy, Paul, and others who inspire me the most use it. And, in truth, I find many more uses for the D than times I wish I had the G. YMMV
_________________
Bringing steel guitar to the bukid of Negros Oriental! |
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Greg Cutshaw
From:
Corry, PA, USA
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Posted 8 Oct 2020 6:11 pm
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| If you go the the D on top snd recover the high G by raising the high C to C#, you can also add the D to D# change to pedal 8. This has a ton of uses! |
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Tony Prior
From:
Charlotte NC
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Posted 9 Oct 2020 12:51 am
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I moved to "D" and stayed. I just assumed it was the logical thing to do if this is what "E" did .
_________________
Emmons L-II , Fender Telecasters, B-Benders , Eastman Mandolin ,
Pro Tools 12 on WIN 7 !
jobless- but not homeless- now retired 9 years
CURRENT MUSIC TRACKS AT > https://tprior2241.wixsite.com/website |
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Jack Stoner
From:
Kansas City, MO
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Posted 9 Oct 2020 2:16 am
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I'm old school. I've tried the D several times but go back to the G. My style more suits the G.
I started on lap steel and some of my playing still shows it and probably another reason I like the G better.
Another reason, at 82 "I ain't changing". |
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Ron Hogan
From:
Nashville, TN, usa
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Posted 9 Oct 2020 5:23 am
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Check out this topic on that subject here on the forum.
CLICK HERE
Ron |
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Earnest Bovine
From:
Los Angeles CA USA
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Posted 9 Oct 2020 6:37 am
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| Ricky Davis wrote: |
| .. if you have the G note on top; you can do all the stuff you come up with; but will miss all the stuff of the D note. But If you have the D note on top; you can do all the stuff you come up with; but now you will miss all of the G note stuff .. |
Sounds like you guys don't have enough strings. |
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Ron Hogan
From:
Nashville, TN, usa
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Ricky Davis
From:
Bertram, Texas USA
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Posted 9 Oct 2020 3:07 pm
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| Quote: |
| Sounds like you guys don't have enough strings. |
Oh I know; my dream tuning for regular C6 if I still wanted to play it would be:
1. G
2. E
3. D
4. C
5. A
6. G
7. E
8. C
9. A
10.F
11.C
YEEEESSSS a 11 string so 'one more string"..ah..ha.
Ricky
_________________
Ricky Davis
Email Ricky: sshawaiian2362@gmail.com |
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Ian Rae
From:
Redditch, England
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Posted 9 Oct 2020 3:44 pm
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So often I sketch out a tuning and it comes to 11 strings - but that's such a strange number that I could never actually play a guitar like that.
Logical maybe - but weird!
Of course on my uni I have the luxury of both G and D (or rather their equivalents, F# and C#)
_________________
Make sleeping dogs tell the truth!
Homebuilt keyless U12 7x5, Excel keyless U12 8x8, Williams keyless U12 7x8, Telonics rack and 15" cabs |
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Mike Vallandigham
From:
Martinez, CA
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Posted 10 Oct 2020 3:41 pm
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I like both for whatever song I"m playing.
I don't know who said it (Must have been Herby Wallace) use the thinner string of the G and tune it down to a D when you need it.
That's what I like on a 10 string.
My E9/C6 Excels have both since they have the extra two strings in C6 mode.
You just have to remember where the string you want is. |
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Ricky Davis
From:
Bertram, Texas USA
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Posted 10 Oct 2020 5:15 pm
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Yeah Mike that's what I did back when I played C6...I would put a .012p for the high G and tune that string down to D when I wanted it...and it's easy to pull the 1st string with finger behind the bar to raise it a 1/2 tone; either note.
Ricky
_________________
Ricky Davis
Email Ricky: sshawaiian2362@gmail.com |
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Mike Vallandigham
From:
Martinez, CA
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Posted 11 Oct 2020 1:08 pm
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| Maybe it was you that I heard it from, Ricky! |
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John McClung
From:
Olympia WA, USA
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Posted 11 Oct 2020 1:21 pm
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On my D12 Mullen, My C6 has both G and D, and I love having both available.
I used to have an F as string 1, made a nice C-D-E-F-G diatonic run, but it got in the way of an easy grab of the D as highest string, so took it off. I blame Rick Schmidt for that idea!
1-D
2-G
3-E
4-C
5-A
6-G
7-E
8-C
9-A
10-F
11-C
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▪️ If you want to have an ongoing discussion, please email me, don't use the Forum messaging which I detest! steelguitarlessons@earthlink.net |
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Rick Schmidt
From:
Prescott AZ, USA
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Posted 11 Oct 2020 8:09 pm
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| John McClung wrote: |
On my D12 Mullen, My C6 has both G and D, and I love having both available.
I used to have an F as string 1, made a nice C-D-E-F-G diatonic run, but it got in the way of an easy grab of the D as highest string, so took it off. I blame Rick Schmidt for that idea! |
John... I tried the F when I first got my D12 Dekley quite awhile ago, but when one of the the tuning gears broke, I dumped the F and played as an 11 string with both the D and G...Fast forward to 4 years ago when I got my Infinity D12... Frank wouldn't hear of making a D12-11, so I decided to use a B as the 2nd string... D,B,G,E (1-4)
Never looked back.... I blame Maurice |
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Detlef Webert
From:
Europe - DE
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Posted 16 Oct 2020 10:53 am
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Alright Gents,
the majority of you guys are using the D as a default. That's the default string in a set - I'm using these already for more than 35 years.
The question just came up when I've ordered last year a NYXL set where both D/G strings were included.
Thanks for all your replies - and always happy steelin' |
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