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Topic: SMILE - Demonstration of A6th extended tuning |
Dom Franco
From:
Beaverton, OR, 97007
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Guy Cundell
From:
More idle ramblings from South Australia
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Posted 8 Mar 2017 11:07 pm |
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| I admire the harmony that you get, Dom. Could you put the notes of the tuning up, please? Any reentrant strings? |
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David M Brown
From:
California, USA
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Posted 9 Mar 2017 4:33 am
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| Guy Cundell wrote: |
| I admire the harmony that you get, Dom. Could you put the notes of the tuning up, please? Any reentrant strings? |
I see I am not the only one that is curious about your A6th extended tuning!
I did a search:
http://bb.steelguitarforum.com/viewtopic.php?t=305251&highlight=a6th+extended+tuning
"Post Posted 16 Aug 2016 5:32pm Reply with quote
Here is my 13 string Lap steel with the A6th Extended Tuning.
Hi to Low: F# D A# G E C# A F# E C# B G# E
Dom "
Are the top strings re-entrant strings? |
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Dom Franco
From:
Beaverton, OR, 97007
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Posted 9 Mar 2017 7:12 am
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Yes the top 4 strings are "Re-entrant"
It literally took me several years of experimentation to come up with this tuning. I made several 8 string steels, then 10 string, 12 string and finally this 13 string.
I really do use every string in many different inversions to get the harmonies and intervals needed for the songs I play.
This quest began when I got tired of lugging around my pedal steel and began gigging with a lap steel. But being used to hearing more complex chords, I started adding strings to the basic A6th tuning to get more intervals without slanting.
Pardon me for saying this but most non-pedal steel players who slant to achieve harmonies often sound out of tune to me. I can and do slant sometimes but only if I can be sure of it being in tune.
The re-entrant strings are all on top, out of the way of the standard A6th. So it is easy to avoid them when I want to play simple Hawaiian or country style arrangements.
Dom
_________________
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCYG9cvwCPKuXpGofziPNieA/feed?activity_view=3 |
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David M Brown
From:
California, USA
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Posted 9 Mar 2017 7:59 am
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| Dom Franco wrote: |
Yes the top 4 strings are "Re-entrant"
It literally took me several years of experimentation to come up with this tuning. I made several 8 string steels, then 10 string, 12 string and finally this 13 string.
I really do use every string in many different inversions to get the harmonies and intervals needed for the songs I play.
This quest began when I got tired of lugging around my pedal steel and began gigging with a lap steel. But being used to hearing more complex chords, I started adding strings to the basic A6th tuning to get more intervals without slanting.
Pardon me for saying this but most non-pedal steel players who slant to achieve harmonies often sound out of tune to me. I can and do slant sometimes but only if I can be sure of it being in tune.
The re-entrant strings are all on top, out of the way of the standard A6th. So it is easy to avoid them when I want to play simple Hawaiian or country style arrangements.
Dom |
OK, there's a lot in this response but I appreciate your concept.
First, as a regular guitar player that has a background in jazz and show music, I understand what harmonies you are hearing.
Second, as a Hawaiian lap steel player, I love what slant bar stuff can do. It makes the sound unique.
And yes, intonation can be an issue, but that's true on any and all types of guitar played with a tone bar or bottleneck slide. Even pedal steel.
3rd, the logic of putting all the other strings on the upper side, so you can "play simple Hawaiian or country style arrangements" by avoiding those strings is sound.
Frankly, It makes more sense than putting those notes in the middle like the Eharp did decades ago.
Finally, I may wind up enjoying your music and your tuning system without using it. I find guitars with more than six strings, basses with more than 4 strings, etc. are troublesome to me.
With steel guitars, I am happy with 6 strings and one 8 string for more complex tunings. I just may not be able to handle your system!
Plus, I can play all those chords on my regular "Spanish" guitar. What i can't do on regular guitar is the phrasing you get with a tone bar.
Anyway, thanks for the explanation, and I really respect the work you do both as a performer and an arranger/instrument designer/etc. |
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David Mason
From:
Cambridge, MD, USA
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Posted 12 Mar 2017 12:04 am
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G natural on string 4, and NOT a G#?
I tried rather mightily to like 12 strings on an MSA SuperSlide, with some similarity to your tuning, but tunings that have close voicings in the middle, with the strings really close together, um, well, no strumming allowed! Close voicing PLUS close spacing; ummm, well I couldn't! I may give it another whirl, as I can pick better than I could back them. I can't FIND it again, but did you ever see Bill Hatchers 13 string tuning? It's like THE EXACT OPPOSITE, he's got like almost-chromatic bass strings then the intervals open up higher. |
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Dom Franco
From:
Beaverton, OR, 97007
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Posted 12 Mar 2017 8:26 am
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David;
I use that "G" natural all the time! It gives me a seventh chord (great for blues) and with the C#, E, G and A# I have a full diminished seventh chord that really jazzes up my arrangements. In fact just the addition of the G and A# strings to the standard A6th tuning comprises 90 percent of my playing. If I had to I could gig with an 8 string steel
and live without the low notes and the augmented triad on top.
_________________
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCYG9cvwCPKuXpGofziPNieA/feed?activity_view=3 |
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David M Brown
From:
California, USA
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Posted 12 Mar 2017 8:41 am
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| Dom Franco wrote: |
| In fact just the addition of the G and A# strings to the standard A6th tuning comprises 90 percent of my playing.. |
Didn't Billy Hew Len have an 8 string A6 tuning that had a low G and Bb? |
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