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Topic: Setting up a E9th guitar like Ralph Mooney |
Keith Hilton
From:
248 Laurel Road Ozark, Missouri 65721
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Posted 10 Aug 2013 2:54 pm |
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| I am wondering what would be learned if I set-up a E9th neck guitar like Ralph Mooney? Ralph did not have the cromatic strings. Also the last three strings were tuned different #8-C#,#9-A,#10-E. Ralph's pedals only pulled one string at a time, as did his knee levers. I do understand that you can accomplish many of the sounds Ralph did on the standard Nashville E9th set-up. But-- I also believe there are some things Ralph did that a standard E9th set-up can't do, or do easily. For example: Lower the 3rd string on the standard E9th Nashville set-up. I do also know that you can not move a knee lever as fast as you can move your foot. So you can not get many of the things Ralph did fast unless the change is on a foot pedal. Seems to me everything Ralph was really remembered for happened on the first 5 or 6 strings of his guitar. |
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Lane Gray
From:
Topeka, KS
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Posted 10 Aug 2013 4:18 pm
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I bet you'd learn one of two things:
1) having Moon's setup helps you play like Moon (less likely, IMO), or;
2) Moon's setup is frustrating as hell unless you think like Moon.
Three bucks says the latter.
_________________
2 pedal steels, a lapStrat, and an 8-string Dobro (and 3 ukes)
More amps than guitars, and not many effects |
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Donny Hinson
From:
Glen Burnie, Md. U.S.A.
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Posted 11 Aug 2013 4:30 am Re: Setting up a E9th guitar like Ralph Mooney
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| Keith Hilton wrote: |
| I do also know that you can not move a knee lever as fast as you can move your foot. So you can not get many of the things Ralph did fast unless the change is on a foot pedal. Seems to me everything Ralph was really remembered for happened on the first 5 or 6 strings of his guitar. |
Just about everything Moon did "fast" (and 95% of everything he ever did) was done on the A,B,& C pedals, so it's no problem doing those moves on a standard E9th setup. I agree with Lane, in the fact that, if you can't think like Moon, you can't play like Moon. Even if you had his own guitar, it wouldn't help if you didn't understand his mindset. One or two unique moves with a "special pedal" wasn't really what defined moon. Rather, it was his use of A,B,& C, and his use of open strings and unisons.
I do agree with you about the "first 5 strings" thing, but that's true for most all steel players. (And it's also how we got that reputation for sounding "whiny").
Wanna sound more like moon? Keep it dirt simple - use A,B,& C, employ lotsa unisons and open strings, and stay off the levers!  |
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Lane Gray
From:
Topeka, KS
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Posted 11 Aug 2013 4:43 am
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Donny, we're on the same page. Although I thought Moon's" C" pedal was A,B and his right foot on his rightmost pedal.
The times I've gotten the most "Moon"y, I listened to Roy (Nichols), Don (Rich) and Burton for a little while. Then tried to play LIKE that without playing those licks. Moon, at least to my ears, thought and played like a Teleslinger transplant. But (and I don't mean this bad) a slightly wacky one.
_________________
2 pedal steels, a lapStrat, and an 8-string Dobro (and 3 ukes)
More amps than guitars, and not many effects |
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Peter den Hartogh
From:
Cape Town, South Africa
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Herb Steiner
From:
Spicewood TX 78669
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Posted 11 Aug 2013 6:56 am
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I agree with both Lane and Donny, but that said, one pedal I would add to a potential Mooney mix would raise s.4 (E-F#) only.
Though it's a redundant move with p.3, it makes a cleaner pull than having to block the s.5 raise, and it's a change that Moon had on his guitar. A good position might be p.4, since the usual C6 application (4&8 whole tone raise) can easily handle an added pull on E9.
_________________
My rig: Infinity and Telonics.
Son, we live in a world with walls, and those walls have to be guarded by men with steel guitars. Who's gonna do it? You? You, Lt. Weinberg? |
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Keith Hilton
From:
248 Laurel Road Ozark, Missouri 65721
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Posted 11 Aug 2013 6:29 pm
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| Thanks everyone for the ideas. Yes, I did know Al Brisco had a Ralph Mooney DVD. Al sent me that DVD shortly after he made it. I agree that you have to think like Ralph. Just having the same set-up would mean nothing unless you tried to think like Ralph. I have 5 pedal steel guitars so I may set one up like Ralph. Then take it to one of the dances I play and either sink or swim. It may cause me to do a lot of sinking. |
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Bill Howard
From:
Indiana, USA
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Posted 13 Aug 2013 9:35 am 4th F#
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I had a RR k lever on my franklin that ONLY raised 4th to F# I did get a LOT of those sounds simply because the c pedal raises 5 as well I only used the c pedal for Rainy Day Woman a Raplh M song go figure:).
But Brumley and I know Paul franklin Sr told me Paul raised 4 by itself or used to ??Paul??
Also one other thing Ralph used 2 feet on Pedals all the time according to Winnie Winston's old book |
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