Jeff Watson
From:
Anza, CA. USA
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Posted 1 Jan 2009 11:12 am |
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| There have been a couple of postings lately along these lines and then the most recent one about beginners U12. Rather than hijacking those threads I wanted to dedicate one to an 11 string tuning and the idea that you can check it out (or stay) with a 10 string Uni. Eliminating the D string is of course the first step (check out any Universal thread for pros & cons). Certainly from a beginners standpoint the instrument has instantly become far more user friendly and a 6th tuning now lays out beautifully with pedals down. The question of what string to add below B is at the heart of a 10 string Uni. Many people see that low E as the goal and I played that tuning for many years but found that I rarely used the string (I generally turn to a lap steel for R&R/blues). Adding the G# below B as the 10th string is what changed the entire tuning for me. With pedals down you've got the low root note and I started using the whole low end of my tuning (meaning my E&B strings) along with the G# FAR more often. This makes a great 10 string tuning and is probably all one needs. My problem was that it improved my playing so much and opened up so much new ground that now I could really use that low E. Which brought me to an 11 string tuning (and why not a 12 string). Again as concerns beginners or converts, adding 1 more string is definitly an easier transition than adding 2, especially as you've got just one big major chord down there. Then theres the issue of 12 string guitars. No one ever said you had to put all 12 strings on 'em. I actually like not having my highest string hanging out there in outer space. Without using the 1st string space, all 11 of my strings sit visually centered on the fret board which for me counters the "imbalance" that some might feel with this set up. An obvious plus is that one could go to a 12 string tuning anytime you desired. I guess I just decided that I needed 11 strings...but not more. |
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David Doggett
From:
Bawl'mer, MD (formerly of MS, Nawluns, Gnashville, Knocksville, Lost Angeles, Bahsten. and Philly)
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Posted 1 Jan 2009 4:32 pm
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Interesting idea. But looking at Dan Tyack's 10-string tuning with an E on the bottom, it occurs to me that you could lower the 9th string B to A on the B pedal. That would give you the low root and a power chord on the bottom both for open E and for the A chord with the pedals down.
Although Fessenden and maybe some other manufacturers make an 11 string, you basically end up with a blank spot in the keyhead, and it seems a shame to waste that.
Once you have a 12-string, which almost everybody makes these days, I could not live without that low B string, for two reasons. First, it completes the traditional C6 tuning a half-step lower in B6. Therefore it gives you the low root of that tuning, the boo-wah pedal and the other traditional uses of the low string of the 6th tuning.
Second (which is really the main reason for me), it gives you the low root in the A-pedal C#m position, and in the A-pedal/F-lever C# major position. The low root is particularly useful for minor key blues, rock and jazz. It gives you the low root for harmonizing and it gives you the power chord in minor keys. This is so useful that many Ext. E9 players lower their low E sting to C# on a pedal or lever to get that. That introduces a gap and I prefer the close intervals down there of the Uni, and like to have that low 3rd for 1 3 harmonizing down there. On U12 with the A pedal down you have 2 1/2 octaves of pentatonic intervals. I live there half the time in blues, rock and jazz. |
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