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Topic: One of Pua Almeida's Tunings |
Jeff Au Hoy
From:
Honolulu, Hawai'i
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Posted 20 Feb 2005 6:28 am |
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This past week, Basil Henriques posted a few live cuts of Hawaiian steeler Pua Almeida. One of the songs Pua performed was the old "Anytime, Anyplace".
I've been sitting here for the past 15 minutes having a good listen to that recording. For the life of me I can't make out a single tuning that covers all of the chords played (even with various hammer-ons and combination open/barred strings).
I can plainly hear that the chords in the first bar of the song (00:19) require a rootless dom7/9 voicing with the 3rd at top. If I assume the top string of the tuning was kept an "E" and that the dom7/9 was also grouped at top, that would yield me (hi to lo):
E
C#
B
G
i.e., a rootless A9 chord. Sounds right.
Then Pua strums what sounds to me to be a 13th chord (00:23-00:24) over the V as he progresses back towards the tonic. Or at least some chord that implies a 13th sort of harmony. This, to me sounds like it was either done with combo open/barred strings or on a second neck in a different tuning.
Pua played primarily with two 6-string frypans laid out on a custom console as a "doubleneck".
On a 7-string, I've constructed this "rough-draft" A9-ish sort of tuning (hi to lo):
E
C#
B
G
E
D
G
It covers at least the intro and the first bar... doesn't really account for the 13th chords.
Can anyone else chime in on this?
Baz, pedal-wizard/chord-meister?
I'll spend more time on this later but for now, I'm stumped. Thanks.[This message was edited by Jeff Au Hoy on 20 February 2005 at 06:55 AM.] |
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c c johnson
From:
killeen,tx usa * R.I.P.
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Posted 20 Feb 2005 8:13 am
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| Jeff on Jerrys recording of this it sounds like what Pua used.Jarry used A9 E C# B G E C# A Low A. Jerrys sheet music to this is great. CC |
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c c johnson
From:
killeen,tx usa * R.I.P.
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Posted 20 Feb 2005 8:18 am
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| In the 4th bar open stgs for an A9 strum are uused for the 1st two counts and then A tipped bar on ist strg 5th fret and open strgs below the tip. Tipped bar abd open strgs below are used thru out . To my non discerning ear it sounds like Pua. CC |
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basilh
From:
United Kingdom
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Posted 20 Feb 2005 7:48 pm
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Well Jeff.. I'm glad I gave you something to ponder..I'm just back home from a weekend of theater gigs.. so I'm tired, tomorrow I'll put on my thinking cap and see... I recall thinking that it COULD just possibly be (now for the naughty words) PEDAL steel !!
Tomorrow then..
A mentally and physically depleted but financially augmented Baz.. |
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Chuck Fisher
From:
Santa Cruz, California, USA * R.I.P.
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Posted 22 Feb 2005 11:35 am
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This MIGHT be a trick I use...
E13 with the 3rd flatted IS A9.
CF
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c c johnson
From:
killeen,tx usa * R.I.P.
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Posted 22 Feb 2005 11:59 am
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| as per my post 3 up. cc |
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Chuck Fisher
From:
Santa Cruz, California, USA * R.I.P.
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Posted 22 Feb 2005 12:32 pm
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yeah, CC - thats right... its interesting how that one note gives such a different character. is it a9 or em13 ?
who cares, its very cool for sure...
cf |
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Jeff Au Hoy
From:
Honolulu, Hawai'i
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Posted 24 Feb 2005 5:40 am
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Thanks CC and Chuck for the replies.
Upon further listening/researching, I've decided that this recording probably isn't the best from which to learn the head. Pua's is about as close as "Fried Bananas" is to "It Could Happen to You". Plus, there's a whole bridge section left out!
I mean it's nice and all, the whole novelty of the lush A9 strum... but hey, where's the melody? A good example of the tuning leading the player. Sort of like what B11 did to the original melody of "Sand".
You almost can't call this tune "Anytime, Anyplace, Anywhere", the way Pua did it. Maybe "Fried Poi"? |
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c c johnson
From:
killeen,tx usa * R.I.P.
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Posted 24 Feb 2005 6:49 am
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| chuckel, chuckel. you made my day CC |
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