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Topic: Harry Brooker - Estrellita Tuning Mystery |
Jeremy DeHart
From:
North Carolina, USA
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Posted 20 Jan 2022 11:21 am |
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I've been attempting to figure out how he's getting the very first three notes to this song and I'm coming up empty handed. It is written in the CD liner that indeed Brooker is the Steel Player on this song. And it is written on John Ely's Tuning of the Pros that his tuning was E13 as E-C#-B-G#-E-D-B-E. Given this tuning the very first three notes seem impossible to play without moving the bar between the first and second note. Since these are played so fast I feel like this would be an impossibility. Anyone have any idea how he could have played this? I hear the first three notes as being A-D-G played on the 15th fret. However the opening A is on the 13th fret.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fPMBfjb-Sv0&ab_channel=stoni100 |
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Rob Fenton
From:
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
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Posted 20 Jan 2022 1:22 pm
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I don't have an instrument with me right now to check it out, but it is common for an E13th tuning to have the 5th string tuned to F# rather than E (a la Leon McAuliffe), which would provide you all 3 notes at the 15th.
Maybe give that a try? |
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Mike Neer
From:
NJ
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Posted 20 Jan 2022 5:26 pm
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| I am only hearing two notes, D# and G#, interval of a 4th, strings 1 and 3, 16th fret. He repeats the same an octave lower. |
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Jeremy DeHart
From:
North Carolina, USA
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Posted 20 Jan 2022 7:54 pm
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| The recording I have is a half step lower. I am slowing it down ridiculously slow without changing the pitch and I definitely hear the A(A#). Also the next few chords are on the 21st fret b string to the 20th fret C# string. I think the F# instead of the E on the 5th string is correct. I just didn't know he used this tuning. Even slowed down it's really difficult to do what he's doing. These guys were F$%&#* wizards. |
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Mike Neer
From:
NJ
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Posted 20 Jan 2022 8:59 pm
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I hear it now. If in his E13 he tuned string 5 to F# (which is common), then those first two chords lay out easily:
| Tab: |
E----15-----13------
C#-----------------
B----15-----13-----
G#----------13------
F#---15-------------
D-----------------
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Jeremy DeHart
From:
North Carolina, USA
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Posted 21 Jan 2022 5:39 am
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| That’s it Mike! Also he has some really clever slants in his playing. Did you figure the whole thing out? I guess I was sort of taken aback by this F# just because this is early to mid 40s. I wasn’t aware tunings had progressed to that point then. |
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Bill Hatcher
From:
Atlanta Ga. USA
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Posted 21 Jan 2022 6:55 am
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Mike for sure has answered this, but i grabbed my underarm guitar to figure it out for myself and here is what I hear. First three notes are the top of an F# 6 9 chord. A# D# G#. With these old recordings, you sometimes find the original key has shifted due to different speeds of the machines playing the source material back.
Hope I am in the ballpark. |
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Jeremy DeHart
From:
North Carolina, USA
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Bill Hatcher
From:
Atlanta Ga. USA
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Posted 21 Jan 2022 7:34 am
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cool. i can still hear.  |
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Kevin Glandon
From:
New York, USA
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Posted 21 Jan 2022 1:57 pm Estrellita Tuning
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This is the first page of JBs transcription of Estrellita purchased from Scotty’s. The tuning is shown in the upper corner of the page, I hope this helps. |
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Jeremy DeHart
From:
North Carolina, USA
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Posted 22 Jan 2022 5:57 am
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Yes that is another beautiful version of the song by Jerry Byrd. Of course he would use the C6/A7 tuning which he was famous for.
https://youtu.be/eM7Vx2fm_Ig |
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Stefan Robertson
From:
Hertfordshire, UK
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Posted 22 Jan 2022 10:53 am
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Its E13. All straight bars.
3 notes chords. The Tuning you have is wrong as its missing the F# as Mike stated.
In E13 this is common grip on strings: Lo - Hi F#, B, E - Which is an sus2 chord with the top note being the melody.
Im also hearing the first chord with a G# melody note not a G.
_________________
Stefan
Bill Hatcher custom 12 string Lap Steel Guitar
E13#9/F secrets: https://thelapsteelguitarist.wordpress.com
"Give it up for The Lap Steel Guitarist" |
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Stefan Robertson
From:
Hertfordshire, UK
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Posted 22 Jan 2022 10:58 am
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| Mike Neer wrote: |
I hear it now. If in his E13 he tuned string 5 to F# (which is common), then those first two chords lay out easily:
| Tab: |
E----15-----13------
C#-----------------
B----15-----13-----
G#----------13------
F#---15-------------
D-----------------
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First two chords its 16th fret then 14th fret. G# then to F# melody note. Sounds to me. All chords are straight E13.
_________________
Stefan
Bill Hatcher custom 12 string Lap Steel Guitar
E13#9/F secrets: https://thelapsteelguitarist.wordpress.com
"Give it up for The Lap Steel Guitarist" |
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Stefan Robertson
From:
Hertfordshire, UK
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Posted 22 Jan 2022 11:04 am
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Without getting too into it.
If you have a section you need help on in E13 feel free to also post in the E13 group. The voicings used feel and sound too thin and weak to me as there are other options which give more body like a pedal steel. But if you wanted to re-create it chord for chord. Happy to help.
I'm learning a lot of E13 players use repeated GRIPS vs chord theory not that they couldn't but simply it was just more convenient keeping straight bar if they wanted to get things right while playing live easily.
Pro TIP: E13 G# - high E or F# or hi G# are used as melody notes and common grips are merely grabbed around to simply fit in straight bar.
Everything else underneath was simply filler which gave the tuning its unique close interval sound. HOWEVER I enjoy knowing what all of that stuff underneath means and why it worked so that's what we hope to tackle eventually.
_________________
Stefan
Bill Hatcher custom 12 string Lap Steel Guitar
E13#9/F secrets: https://thelapsteelguitarist.wordpress.com
"Give it up for The Lap Steel Guitarist" |
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Jeremy DeHart
From:
North Carolina, USA
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Posted 24 Jan 2022 10:51 am
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| Very cool Stefan. That all makes a lot of sense. |
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