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Jeff Strouse · From: Jacksonville, Florida, USA

Jeff, I think that's a very valid post (not that your others are invalid, but you know what I mean)...

I remember in music course I took years ago, the professor played us what he claimed to be the first jazz recording. It's been too many moons for me to remember what it was, but it was interesting nonetheless for the nostalgia of what the recording was.

I, too, would be interested in knowing this bit of trivia if anyone knows what it might be.

George Keoki Lake · From: Edmonton, AB., Canada

I am unaware of such a recording. However, it is well known that Hawaiians over the years did tune to the Am6th tuning which could almost be construed as an inversion of the C6th in a sense. It's difficult to say who "invented" what, as tunings are all based on the scale and chordal structures which is common knowledge.

Ray Montee · From: Portland, Oregon (deceased)

Hey Jeff, good question. By the way, I have sent you a second email in an effort to obtain your mailing address so that I could send you the Hawaiian CD I performed on a year ago. They were all REAL Hawaiians, of course, except me, so I'd be very much interested in your hearing it so that I might get an honest critique from a real authentic, college educated Hawaiian boy that is a talented and skilled musician on any number of musical instruments. As soon as you provide me with a mailing address, the CD will be on its way to you, "FREE". Hope you'll like it. Oh by the way, one cut from that CD is now playing on the Jerry Byrd Fan Club site.
Jerry Byrd has in fact publicly noted that he did invent/create/develop or whatever the C6th tuning back during the late 1930's. Jerry would have been about 18 years of age, plus or minus.
To the best of my knowledge, Jerry does have that recording in his possession and most likely stashed away in a safe place. He made this recording in 1938, as I understand it. (When were you born, Jeff?)
Since Jerry has so many famous fans, world-wide,like Buddy Emmons, DeWitt Scott, etc., etc.,I've not yet been privileged to be invited into his home to hear this record.
Thus, I cannot tell you "what tune" or "songs" he recorded thereon. BUT, what difference does it really make? According to "The Flat Earth Society", the world is NOT round, like NASA and other knowledgeable experts would have us believe. I can't prove it either way; can you? And then there is the question of the "Holocost".....some folks there in New York....are claiming that the Germans never did such a thing and that is is nothing more than an American "lie".
I wasn't there so can't prove it either way.
BUT, I do rely on the word of many that were there and lived that horror. And about Roswell, New Mexico...and the crashed flying saucer.....oh well, that's another story.
Therefore, during the many years I have known of Jerry Byrd.......not once has he EVER said or written anything to me, that would cause me to disbelieve or not trust him on any given subject. One thing you CAN say about Jerry Byrd, is that he is a conscientious and honest, hard-working gentleman. Those kind of people are hard to find these days. Usually they don't have to blow their own horn as they know of what they speak and can usually prove it.
I know of no one that has heard it but I'd speculate that if you should for whatever reason doubt it, that the burden of proof in possibly alleging that such a recording does not exist, must surely weigh heavily on your own shoulders; NOT his!
I do know under whose bed his 7-string Rick lies and also who IS, or soon will be, playing JB's Sho-Bud. Tell me Jeff, do you know? Just curious.........
That's all I know about the recording...

Jack Byrd · From: Kalamazoo, Michigan

Ok Jeff you asked for it so here it is. The information I am supplying came directly from Jerry’s book It Was A Trip on Wings Of Music, pages 117 thru 119. You ought to buy the book as you would learn a lot about Jerry, his life, music and career and would probably answer other questions you bring up and statements you make on certain items that seem to get you in hot water on this forum. Jerry titled this section The Hunt Was On.

During the years 1935 to 1940, steel guitar was king. However, the instrument itself was limited by its tunings and hence it’s limited chordal possibilities. The addition of a lower string tuned to a 7th, or the seventh degree of the scale, was the first logical step, later followed by 9ths.

As for myself, I suddenly realized that I could have both E major and C# minor in one tuning, thus eliminating the problem of having to continually raise and lower the second string from B in E major to C# in C# minor – simple, but nonetheless a giant step.

I had to restring, using two “second” strings.

First – E
Second – C#
Third – B
Fourth – G#
Fifth – D
Sixth – E or B

I could have both at my fingertips by simply alternating between the second and third strings, and a full seventh chord in total. I heard years later that this was called E13th tuning. I’d never heard of a 13th chord, but it was simply a case of adding the sixth and seventh together. All I knew was that it worked!

From 1937 to 1940, I was still working with six strings, and in my “mind’s ear” I kept hearing a higher note on the top E string, which seemed to fill out the chord and would eliminate going from a strum to a two-string finish four frets higher.

I logically thought, “Why not put it on top and move each of the lower strings down one step?” Off came the heavy sixth string, to be replaced by a smaller gauge. After figuring out the intervals between strings and deciding to keep the E on top, I arrived at E-C-A-G-E-C. I also realized that I may only need to change or move one or two strings, the fourth and the fifth. Again, it all worked. This I knew was revolutionary. No one had ever used this tuning before. Since everything that I could play was simply moved in one string to the second, third, fourth and fifth strings, I was not lost. The only things that changed were the keys, for now my open chord was C. Having the added sixth on the third string, I simply named it C6th. It is still known as C6th to this day.

Shortly thereafter I raised the sixth string to C#. This simple change gave me two chords in one tuning – C6th (or Aminor 7th) on the top 5 strings, and A7th on the bottom four strings, with an added G diminished on the bottom three. The sum total of this was that I could play almost any chord I needed in a triad by the added use of slant positions.

Much contention has developed over the years as to who did what first. As in all of life, necessity is the mother of invention and I was simply trying to unlock what I knew had to be in that instrument. In turn, it gave me an edge as far as making a living was concerned. Quite accidentally, I made a home recoding at my “mentor” Ron Dearth’s studio, the first time I had ever seen or knew of anything about such a machine. That recording was dated by him as February 19, 1939. It is in the watchful care of my friend Al Stotler in Cincinnati, Ohio, and thus my claim to the invention of C6th can be verified. It’s not a matter of “I remember,” because memory does not always serve well.

If it was dated at February of 1939, I would have been using C6th for some time prior to this, in 1938 at least, and I know what was being played by everyone everywhere – C6th just wasn’t around yet. I can verify these dates, but if someone else can do the same and prove that they were playing C6th prior to 1938, please do.

You would not believe how may “teachers” I’ve had, total strangers who have told their students that they taught Jerry Byrd to play. Some even showed me C6th tuning! It got to be so ridiculous that I stopped giving it to anyone for years. Of course, those who know anything about steel guitar knew better. This instrument has been my life and I have lived through most of its existence, I think I can speak with authority.

Steel players have had to live with tunings, and some collect tunings like coin collectors collect coins. When they meet, it’s the first item that comes up after they ask your name.

Here’s one for you. At the Surf Room of the Royal Hawaiian Hotel, a gentleman comes up to me and asks:

Him: What’s your name?”
Me: “Jerry Byrd.”
Him: Oh. What tuning do you use?”
Me: Several. But C6th mostly. Have for years.”
Him: “Yeah. I play C6th too. I played it before I ever heard of you.” (very subtle, right?)
Me: “Well, could be. That depends on when you heard of me. How old are you?”
Him: “68”
Me: “Then you were born in 1930, right?”
Him:”Yeah.”
Me: “Well sir, I started playing C6th in 1938. So you would have been eight years old. And you were already playing C6th? Goodbye.”

Jeff, I do not recall the tune Jerry recorded, he told me a few months ago but it has slipped my mind. I think that is not important, the fact a dated recording does exist with him playing C6th in 1939 should be enough proof. There have been enough historical revisionists concerning the C6th already and they continue to this day. But they can't prove anything with a recording as Jerry can. I hope you do not become another one but take the facts as they exist and accept the fact Jerry Byrd did invent the C6th and I believe the above discussion in his book puts this matter to rest for now and evermore.

[This message was edited by Jack Byrd on 15 February 2004 at 07:22 PM.]

John Bushouse · Posted 15 Feb 2004 7:43 pm

I for one would love to hear it - I wonder, was it something that the listener would say, "hey - there's something different about that"? Was it full of the the things that easily identify C6?

Historical recordings are extremely interesting stuff - kind of like the first time the electric light bulb flickered on, or the first time a computer spit out "4" when it computed 2+2.

[This message was edited by John Bushouse on 15 February 2004 at 10:48 PM.]

C Dixon · From: Duluth, GA USA

Thank you Jack. And would you give Jerry our thanks and appreciation the next time you communicate with him?

carl

A Better Way

[This message was edited by C Dixon on 16 February 2004 at 02:44 PM.]

Jeff Au Hoy · From: Honolulu, Hawai'i

Bob Stone · From: Gainesville, FL, USA

I think a lot of us would like to hear that first recording. What a great piece of history.

Al Stotler are you out there?

[This message was edited by Bob Stone on 16 February 2004 at 10:54 AM.]

Ron Whitfield · From: Kaaawa, Hawaii, USA

And just in time for this much favored tuning's 65th birthday anniversary, on the 19th! I for one, plan to party and play a lil C6th. Thank you Jeff for bringing it up, and another huge round of applause to Jerry Byrd!

[This message was edited by Ron Whitfield on 17 February 2004 at 10:10 AM.]

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