| Visit Our Catalog at SteelGuitarShopper.com |

Post new topic Help please - Minor 6 chords
Reply to topic
Author Topic:  Help please - Minor 6 chords
Will Cowell

 

From:
Cambridgeshire, UK
Post  Posted 25 May 2011 4:56 am    
Reply with quote

I am trying to work out “My Way”, and really, really need to use a minor 6th chord. I know I can use e.g. a D9 or D7 for Am6 - almost interchangeable, but there isn’t that “tension” in the chord that the m6 gives. I am trying to work out a way of getting one on my E9 Curnow SD10.

Copedent is Day setup, pedals normal. Knee levers: LKR raises E’s to F, as you’d expect. LKL lowers to Eb. RKL lowers 2 by one semitone to D, RKL raises 1 & 7 to G.

I’m thinking I may have to add another change, like RKL raises 2 from Eb to F perhaps, but is there anything I can do with it just as it is?

I don’t know any PSG players over here who understand how chords fit together. With all that accumulated experience out there, someone must know!

Will Cowell
Huntingdon, England
_________________
Williams 700 series keyless U12,
Sierra keyless U14, Eezzee-Slide & BJS bars
Moth-eaten old Marshall 150 combo
Roland Cube 80XL, Peterson Strobo+HD,
EarthQuaker Despatch Master for reverb / delay
View user's profile Send private message Send e-mail
Jeff Garden


From:
Center Sandwich, New Hampshire, USA
Post  Posted 25 May 2011 5:23 am    
Reply with quote

Good Morning Will....or i guess it's afternoon across the pond.

i think 3rd fret strings 7, 6, 5, 4 with pedals A and B down (or make that B and C down as you have the Day setup) and your E's lowered should get you the Am6. that should give you 1, b3, 5, 6
View user's profile Send private message Send e-mail
Earnest Bovine


From:
Los Angeles CA USA
Post  Posted 25 May 2011 9:08 am     Re: Help please - Minor 6 chords
Reply with quote

Will Cowell wrote:
there isn’t that “tension” in the chord that the m6 gives.

I'm not sure what you mean about missing tension in your m6 chord. Maybe you're just searching for more effective voice leading. I.e., your m6 chord will be most effective when you pay attention to how the individual voices move into the m6, and move from the m6 to the following chord.


Will Cowell wrote:
use e.g. a D9 or D7 for Am6 - almost interchangeable,

Right. Am6 is the same as D9 with root D omitted. The notes A C E F# could also be named F#m7-5, or even C6-5.

The easy m6 chords on your E9 open strings are
Bm6
F#m6
G#m6
Em6
Dm6
Am6

The Dm6 (aka Bm7-5) probably has very poor temperament, but the voices resolve easily to E7 and it can work if it has a short duration, for example bar 4 ("face") of My Way.

The Am6 requires accurate half pedal on B string(s) but is probably worth practicing because resolution to B7 sounds very nice. I think this is because the moving voices on strings 4 & 5 stand out nicely; again bar 4 of May Way.

The open Em6, transposed to your key, might work well as Em6/9 in bar 12 ("highway"), then into bar 13 ("and more") releasing C pedal and RKL:
Tab:

F# ->  D#
C# ->  B
G  ->  F#



Will Cowell wrote:

I don’t know any PSG players over here who understand how chords fit together.
Playing pedal steel made me more aware of voice leading. I really follow the individual voices more when I hear the notes change (slide) without re-attacking.
View user's profile Send private message
Will Cowell

 

From:
Cambridgeshire, UK
Post  Posted 25 May 2011 10:45 am    
Reply with quote

Jeff, brilliant, just the ticket. So simple when you know where to find the notes.

And Earnest, I get the voice movement too. I know what you mean. I'll have to take some time and really think about those substitutions you came up with - now I'll have to put up another post to ask where to find them!!

What I meant by "tension" is that with a m6, you get a sense of "unfinished business" or "on the way somewhere" because of the tritone interval in there I guess, between the third and the sixth. Although I could sometimes put a D9 or D7 in place of Am6, the tension isn't there. It's hard to explain, and music is very subjective.

Thank you both.

Will C
_________________
Williams 700 series keyless U12,
Sierra keyless U14, Eezzee-Slide & BJS bars
Moth-eaten old Marshall 150 combo
Roland Cube 80XL, Peterson Strobo+HD,
EarthQuaker Despatch Master for reverb / delay
View user's profile Send private message Send e-mail

All times are GMT - 8 Hours
Jump to:  
Please review our Forum Rules and Policies
Our Online Catalog
Strings, CDs, instruction, and steel guitar accessories
www.SteelGuitarShopper.com

The Steel Guitar Forum
148 S. Cloverdale Blvd.
Cloverdale, CA 95425 USA

Click Here to Send a Donation

Email SteelGuitarForum@gmail.com for technical support.


BIAB Styles
Ray Price Shuffles for Band-in-a-Box
by Jim Baron