Universal Pedal 4 ?

Tom Campbell · From: Houston, Texas, USA

Sorry, I've searched the archives till my eyes gave out! What is the purpose/usefullness of pedal 4...strings 12 raised to G#, 11 to D# and 9 to C? When you have your E's lowered to Eb and engage this pedal, all you get is a crumby dom.7th chord. You can get a dom.7th a zillion other places without this pedal. What am I over looking here? Thanks for any enlightment.

Earnest Bovine · From: Los Angeles CA USA

It lets you duplicate some licks that were recorded 40 years ago.

Bobby Lee · From: Cloverdale, California, USA

I think you mean string 12 lowered to G#. I think of it as Ab because that hurts my brain less.

On C6th, this is pedal 8, often called the "boo-wah" pedal. Its most common use is, as you noticed, a low Ab7 chord. This chord is unique on the guitar because of its ultra-low bass root, and its low root-fifth-root configuration. It's great for that alternating bass thumb style picking.

Another feature is what you may notice on the 5th string. The B note is the #9 of the Ab chord, creating a dissonance with the major 3rd note C on string 9. That's an alpha male blues chord - a very boss sound. You can lower the 5th string half a step with your J lever (B to Bb) to get the normal 9th chord.

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Bobby Lee - email: quasar@b0b.com - gigs - CDs, Open Hearts
Sierra Session 12 (E9), Sierra Olympic 12 (C6add9),
Sierra Laptop 8 (E6add9), Fender Stringmaster (E13, A6)

Larry Bell · From: Englewood, Florida

Tom,
It's actually a 7#9 chord. There are few ways to play this full chord in as many potential voicings. If you don't play swing, jazz, blues or rock it may not matter to you, but I find having a VI7#9 at the same fret as the tonic (e.g., open with E's lowered = B6 then add that pedal to get G#7#9) is pretty hip. You hear this chord from Hendrix to bebop.

This is a pedal that is found on the C6 pedal tuning. That's why it's standard on the universal setup. It's standard on the C6 setup and the objective of the universal is to get all the standard E9 and C6 changes on the same tuning. It's known as the 'boo wah' pedal on C6. I call it the same thing on the universal but I lower my voice slightly since it's B6 rather than C6.

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edit -- just noticed b0b's response
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Thanks, Bobby. Great minds must run in the same gutter.

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Larry Bell - email: larry@larrybell.org - gigs - Home Page
2003 Fessenden S/D-12 8x8, 1969 Emmons S-12 6x6, 1971 Dobro, Standel and Peavey Amps

[This message was edited by Larry Bell on 28 June 2004 at 07:58 PM.]

C Dixon · From: Duluth, GA USA

Larry is indeed correct.

In addition, it is not "standard" to make it pedal 4 on the universal; although some (particularly students of Jeff Newman) placed it on pedal 4. It is standard to have it to the right of your pedal that raises 5 and 6 a whole tone.

The reason that Jeff wanted it there is because many many players who are proficient on C6 commonly use pedals 5 and 8 (4 and 5 on your universal), one right after the other; OR with each other using both feet. Buddy Emmons has done this for years using both feet.

By placing them together as you have them, you can do it all with your left foot.
Jeff did away with the standard C6 pedal 4 when he went universal and moved pedal 8 to pedal 4.

There is a slew of C6 and universal players who would sacrifice most ANY pedal before we would ever give up that pedal.

The "boowah" affect is NOT the major use of this pedal by the way. Before "Night life" this pedal was used all the time and never a peep of "boowah". Many still do. Buddy Charleton would cut your head off if you messed with his pedal 8!

And so would I hoss!

As others have posted, it is an often used pedal in the "B6" mode. One of the most classic uses for it in this mode, is to move two frets down from a I chord and obtain that all important V7 chord WITH the root on top (string 6 in your case on the U-12).

The most typical example of its use in this manner is the 3rd and 4th kick off chords to Cocoanut Grove". NO other pedal or combination of pedals I know of that can duplicate that beautiful 7th with the root on top. Also, this phrasing is repeated several times in the verse.

It is especially beautiful with a thumb sweep beginning with the 12th string.

I use this pedal ALL the time. Try it. Finally, when used in the B6 mode with the knee lever that lowers the B to Bb, you have a powerful G#9th chord that is very different (in timbre) from other 9th chords availabe "all over the neck"

May Jesus bless you in your quests,

carl

Scott Henderson · From: Camdenton, Missouri, USA

BECAUSE THERE IS A TON OF LICKS THERE KEEP SEARCHING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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Steelin' away in the ozarks and life,
Scott
www.scottyhenderson.com

Tom Campbell · From: Houston, Texas, USA

Thanks guys! I just realized that #9 chord is the "Hold It" chord. I've been playing that chord for years on my standard 6 string guitar. I didn't recognize it on the steel, because I kept playing the 5th note. Once I eliminated the 5th and only played the 1,3,dom7 and #9, I realized what I had. That pedal is a must...if for no other reason than the #9 chord.
Thanks again for your input!!

Earnest Bovine · From: Los Angeles CA USA

Carl wrote

Larry Bell · From: Englewood, Florida

EB
So much music typically played on C6 (or B6) is swingy, progression-wise. Lots of I-VI's. The VI7#9 givs both the major and minor third in the VI chord. When in doubt, play 'em both. :)

And, yes, this is the 'Hold It' chord. Also the 'Foxy Lady' and 'Purple Haze' chord. I would never give up that pedal -- and it has little to do with a need to go 'boo wah' now and then, although I must admit I like it on the end of a tune -- kinda reminiscent of Phil Baugh with that monster lower on the bottom of his pedal guitar (of course he got the idea from pedal steel).

Charles Turpin · From: Mexico, Missouri, USA

A lot of people use that pedal in a lot of ways> I have my 4th pedal as you have on the 8th pedal position that gives me the original Emmons C6th tuning on the first fret.. .When you hit as they call it the boo wah pedal it gives you a down 5 chord arrangement that can then be used with the 5th pedal on your guitar to make the plus two chord. Just like a circle of 5ths. on the first fret C position, (P4) A7dom and some nice added notes then connect (p5) by not moving the bar. itself this is another 5th or D7dom tuning. then raise the bar two frets to the third fret and using the 11th string as your bass note and the(P6) that will give you the g7/9th tuning along with ome subsitutes through out the strings to bring you back to the root chord C the first chords mostly with the 12 being the root note. In learning all of the c6th and B6 chords you find that each pedal has a major scale in the area of that pedal if you just KNow how far the intervals of them pedals are and what the Major root notes are.When you play with the pedals in that lower area of the neck it is best to understand the bass line so your notes wont clash with the bass guitar. This pedal was one of the great Curly Chalkers favorite pedals

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David L. Donald · From: Koh Samui Island, Thailand

Between P8 (Uni P4) and P6 you can do the classic
I VI II V I changes within 2 frets quickly
It can work with raising the C to C# ( Uni E to F) also to play a I inversion 3 frets up.

You can alo use it as an alternate place for your I chord and do a cycle from it as a starting point.
This gives you totally different ways to play I IV V I.

C Dixon · From: Duluth, GA USA

Yes David, I use those combos all the time. Again proving in my case at least, why there is NO way I could every live without pedal 8. I have rarely used it to give "boowah". Yet I use the pedal all the time.

The raised 9th alone is worth its weight in Gold for dissonance and in Jazz. But I use it more as you described. It is my V7 chord on C6 as ANY V7 chord is to me on E9th.

But, as always, to each his own

carl

Jerry Hayes · From: Virginia Beach, Va.

I agree with Earnest on that pedal. I had it for many years and a while back I took the low B off of my universal and added a C# string in position 9 which made my low string an E. I still have the pedal but what I do with it now is lower string 9 C# to C, lower string 10 B to A#(Bb), leave 11 alone and lower the 12th string E to D#(Eb). I'd take this pedal totally off but I do some Merle Travis pickin' on steel and I need it for "Alabama Jubilee". Have a good 'un...JH

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Livin' in the Past and the Future with a 12 string Mooney Universal tuning.

David L. Donald · From: Koh Samui Island, Thailand

Interesting take on that pedal.

If I didn't have relative minor 7 levers on my Bud I would likely have added a higher minor third and dropped the lower third too on P8.
I find it usefull as a V7 of course, but I get more milage out of as true relative minor 7 chord.

Al Marcus · From: Cedar Springs,MI USA (deceased)

What Carl Says, using it as a 7th with the root on top.
I use a E6 tuning and have that pedal on a LL knee lever Both E's to F then I drop the low E to C# for a C# 7th.. I think b0b has this on an extended E9 tuning too.

When I play tonic G on the 3rd fret , I go dwon two frets and hit that LLK for my dominant 7th D7 with the 3rd F and the 5th G# on top. So , in effect, I use it for E9 stuff and C#7th stuff. All kinds of stuff there. And I can still get the Boowah effect.That's one way to do it. Works for me.......al

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My Website..... www.cmedic.net/~almarcus/

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