RKL options

Jeff Naylor · From: Arizona, USA

So I just acquired a new guitar with 5 knees. The one lever that i am having trouble with is my RKL which raises the top two strings to be in unison with strings 3 and 4 and raises string 6 to be an F# in unison with string 7. my last steel just raised the 1st string to G which gave me a nice flat 9 or minor third. I do miss that change, but i am open minded if you guys can help me better understand the use of this new change. maybe give me some examples, or ideas for alternate setups.
thanks
jeff
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Paul Crawford · From: Orlando, Fl

The 6th string is one of my most used knees. You get, of course, the Church Change, (A/F#/G#), and you get the split open minor with the B pedal. I also use it as a chromatic walk up from the E on the 8 string with F raise. If you're so inclided, the F# lower gives you another option for the power chord(open F#min) as II chord to an open tonic. If you have an extra rod, you might also add the F# to F on the 7th string which then gives you a nice chromatic across 8,7,6 in one move.

The D# to E on the 2nd string is another handy chromatic when playing in the V chord position with the 4th string lowered to Eb. At least that's how I most use it. I'm certain there are some nice cross moves from the unison E in conjunction with the C pedal, but I don't have any tabbed out right now.

C Dixon · From: Duluth, GA USA

The raises on the first and second strings are part of the Paul Franklin lever. However, he also raises his 7th string a whole tone with this knee lever. As far as I know, Paul does not lower his 6th string to an F#.

You hear these changes, if you listen carefully to many many country stars' recordings.

IE: Engage the lever and pick the 3rd string, then pick the 1st string and release the lever. You'll hear that sound.

You can do similar with the 7th string whole tone raise using the 6th and 7th strings if you had that change, which I am finding most don't.

One nice change using the second string raise is a "7th" to "tonic" resolve. Simply "half" lever the 2nd string so it is a D note. Pick strings 2, 3 and 5. As they sustain, let off the knee lever and simultaneously engage the A and B pedals AND the PF lever. Nice sound Very Happy

c.
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John Bechtel · From: Nashville, Tennessee, R.I.P.

I Raise #1 & #2 F# to G# & D# to E and also Lower #6 G# to F# on the RKL. Then, I Raise #7 E to F# on my C-Pedal, which gives me any one of 3-F#'s available in the center of my E9-Tuning. I don't change the pitch of #7. For smoothness of pedal-action and for overall good feel, I was advised by the late John Hughey to use the following string guages for the E9-Tuning:
F#-.012p
D#-.015p
G#-.0115p
E-.014p
F#-.024w
E-.028w
D-.034w
B-.038w
I've found this is especially smooth for the C-Pedal Raise!
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C Dixon · From: Duluth, GA USA

A point of interest.

A fellow forumite wrote me a letter wanting to know what is the "Church change"?

I responded and told him I had never heard that term; whereupon he sent me a link to this thread. But then before I went to this thread, (I had even forgotten I had posted on this thread), he sent me another email explaining what it did.

I responded, "I do not know why it is called 'church change', because BIG Bands have used the movement since their beginning. So has other types of our Western form of music. I have heard it in classical music and countless '40's and '50s "popular music".

True, Southern Gospel groups use it a lot in their quartet voicings, but in no wise is it limited to "church" or so-called "religious" music.

I have heard the Statler Bros even sing it. As well as other multi-singer groups, of various musical genre'."

In any case, it is a musical resolve that incorporates 2 'suspended' chords in sequential order. A suspended chord (for those who are not versed in theory), is a chord that is often absent the 3rd note of the chord, (although the 3rd can be used in there too).

The best way to hear this chord is simply to play strings 4, 5 a 6 and engage the B pedal and let it sustain. The lack of the 3rd tone, causes a "spatial" affect; thus the name "suspended". IE; it does not have to go anywhere, it can just suspend for a considerable length of time and continue to sound rich.

You can do a similar thing, by picking the same strings and lower the 6th string a whole tone and let the chord sustain. Of course you get another version of a "suspended" chord.

Technically, the first example is a suspended 4th (or 11th), and the second is a suspended 2nd (or 9th).

When used together sequentially, you get that so-called "church change" Very Happy

For whatever it's worth.

c.
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Bo Borland · From: South Jersey -

Paul has a "Lever Lesson" cd that explains the use of this.

I use it quite a bit and have it on my RKL.
#1 F# raises to G#
#2 Eb raise to E
#7 F# raises to G#

I also added thr #6 G# lower to F# to have an option

Hans Holzherr · From: Münchenbuchsee, Switzerland

I raise #1 and #7 to G# and #2 to E on RKR. However, the half tone raise on #2 starts only when #1 and #7 have reached G. That gives me a feel stop for strings 1 and 7.

Currently, I am very tempted though to discard the #7 raise and add the #6 lower to F#.

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