Six string E13.

Laurence Pangaro · From: Brooklyn, NY

Hi there,

Lately I've been messing around with a six string E13 tuning without the 9th. Low to high: DEG#BC#E.

Does anyone have any thoughts on and/or experience with this tuning?

ciao,
LP

Dave Mayes · From: Oakland, Ca.

I always think of this tuning as an eight string Am7th tuning with the ends lopped off. The intervals are the same.

I believe Jerry Byrd arrived at his C6th by way of this tuning.

b0b · From: Cloverdale, CA, USA

Dave Mayes · From: Oakland, Ca.

Sorry for the confusion.

I was reffering to the 8 string tuning (low to high):

C Bb C E G A C E. I've seen it called Am7th, Am9th(7th)and C13th. The gross liberties that are taken while naming tunings !

If you lop off the the low C and the high E of that tuning you are left with Bb C E G A C.

Bb C E G A C and
D E G# B C# E have the same interval relationships.

Laurence Pangaro · From: Brooklyn, NY

I understand the issues with tuning nomenclature. This tuning could be considered a version of the C#minor tuning. On Jon Ely's chord finder it's listed as "E13 (Basic)". My other guitar is in E7 so I think of this as E7 with an added sixth. By the same token I think of the aforementioned C13 as C6 with an added 7th. I think of a 13 tuning as having the 7, 9, and 13(6)

I'm enjoying this tuning. It lacks the nice minor triad that C6 has on the top three strings and the slants that go with that. On the other the B/C# whole step string pair is in a really nice position for melodic usage.

LP

b0b · From: Cloverdale, CA, USA

If a tuning is a chord, then the name of the tuning should be the name of the chord. The C6th chord and the Am7 chord have the same notes in them, so a tuning with those notes (A C E G) could have either name. But there's no Bb in either chord. Adding the Bb note in the low register makes it a C13th.

Similarly, a C#m chord doesn't have a D in it. When you have D in the low register, you pretty much have to call it E13th. It's real easy, though, to lower the D to C# when you want a real C#m7 tuning. That's one advantage of your tuning.

It's also easy from your E13th to raise the 2nd string C# to D for blues tunes. Blues uses a lot of 7th chords. The tri-tone interval between G# and D can be used to play the I7, IV7 and V7 chords within a span of just 2 frets. For example, playing just the G# and D strings, you have G7 and the 3rd fret, C7 at the 2nd fret, and D7 at the 4th fret.

With your low D string, you have these convenient 7th chords on strings 6 and 4. When you retune your second string C# up to D, the same chord harmonies are also available on strings 4 and 2.
_________________
-𝕓𝕆𝕓- (admin) - Robert P. Lee - Recordings - Breathe - D6th - Video

Morgan Scoggins · From: Georgia, USA

E13 tuning has a very distinct "Honkey Tonk" sound. It was the tuning used by a lot of steelers in the pre pedal days of the 40's and early 50's.Players using this tuning included Don helms, "Little Roy" Wiggins, and Speedy West.
If you play strings 1,2,&4 or strings 2,4,&5 at any fret, you will get a distinct major chord with a "high lonesome sound". There is also a minor chord at each fret and a 7th chord an strings 4,5,6,7.
This tuning tends to sound "thin" but is very distinctly suited for Old Country, Western Swing and Hawiiaan.
A much more mellow sound can be gotten from a C6 tuning which is ( on the first 6 strings) two whole steps lower than E6.It is , I think, the most popular tuning due to the amount of lesson material available for C6.
_________________
"Shoot low boys, the're ridin' Shetlands"

Forum Index > Steel Without Pedals		Next oldest topic :: Next newest topic

All times are GMT - 8 Hours	Jump to: