Cma11 Tuning - Introduction Video

Michael James · Post by **Michael James** » 23 Mar 2016 6:47 pm

Hey Folks,
I finally got around to making an introduction video for the Cma11 tuning.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5A-M1gfDksg

Paul Seager · Post by **Paul Seager** » 24 Mar 2016 2:05 am

Interesting. And well explained. Hopefully you'll follow up with more.

\ paul

Michael James · Post by **Michael James** » 24 Mar 2016 6:51 am

Thanks Paul!

Robert Murphy · Post by **Robert Murphy** » 24 Mar 2016 7:17 am

I like it! I've been using a similar tuning for years as well. L2H AC#EGBD. same triads with a little different grip.

Roger Shackelton · Post by **Roger Shackelton** » 24 Mar 2016 8:04 am

Thanks Robert.

For those who read T2B it's:

D
B
G
E
C#
A

Roger

Michael James · Post by **Michael James** » 24 Mar 2016 11:33 am

Hey Robert,
Your tuning has one note difference. I would call it an A9 tuning. I'm guessing you didn't watch the whole video? If you raised the G to a G# everything in the video will work fine. Changing one note changes everything. Especially when that one note is on one of the middle strings.
mj

Stefan Robertson · Post by **Stefan Robertson** » 25 Mar 2016 2:09 pm

Good video.

My tuning is built on that CM11 as a foundation indeed.

Keep up the great work. I guess we are the only two taking on the mountain of that tuning but it truly offers a lot of possibilities. The 12 string version I named "The Theory Tuning" aka the II-V-I. Great fun but like any new tuning you have to transpose EVERYTHING.

Michael James · Post by **Michael James** » 25 Mar 2016 2:31 pm

Thanks for the encouragement Stephan! This is definitely a lonely road. Most of the time I feel like the idiot guy driving the wrong way a one way street.

Stefan Robertson · Post by **Stefan Robertson** » 25 Mar 2016 4:26 pm

Yeah I know the feeling. But I am sticking with it and see what I can come up with in time. I figure if I keep up my practice in a few years it'll be great.

One great thing for you is you have that Jazz background already. I'm teaching myself everything from scratch which is good but sometimes slow. Hell I still haven't scratched the surface of Jazz Bebop.

I'm hovering over with a mountain of material that I need to digest.

Frank Agliata · Post by **Frank Agliata** » 26 Mar 2016 6:09 am

I've been thinking about a lap steel in C6 tuning . . But your video has convinced me to try this tuning. Thanks for sharing this Michael . .

Michael James · Post by **Michael James** » 26 Mar 2016 10:07 am

Hey Frank, Thanks for giving it try. I made some Cma11 videos a few years ago when I first started playing. I soon realized I needed to take a couple years to get things together before making a video.
mj

Stefan Robertson · Post by **Stefan Robertson** » 27 Mar 2016 4:18 pm

I also noticed Michael yours is tuned one octave higher than mine.

Frank it will be great having you on board as the 3rd user of this tuning however be prepared to work.

Michael James · Post by **Michael James** » 27 Mar 2016 6:26 pm

I didn't know that about the "Theory Tuning". You might consider raising the whole tuning to at least E, maybe even G or A.
Being that low there's not much you're going to be able to do on the low end of the tuning. You'll have to do most of your playing above the 7th fret.
All chords have limit to how low you can play them without sounding muddy. Unfortunately you are way below that limit.
I have thought about going to an 8 or 10 string steel a couple of times. One things I think that would be handy is to have a low C5 chord for playing rock/blues.
Maybe consider a tuning like this where the open 10th string is in the same octave as Cma11 and you have a low C5 chord. In case you didn't know "5" chords can handle being played in the lower registers.

12C-11G-10C-9E-8G-7B-6B-5D-4F-3A-2B-1C

Frank Agliata · Post by **Frank Agliata** » 27 Mar 2016 7:52 pm

Stefan Robertson wrote: Frank it will be great having you on board as the 3rd user of this tuning however be prepared to work.

Thanks Stefan for the welcome . .

I'm not afraid of doing the work.

Long time guitar picker. About eight years ago I dabbled with a pedal steel in E9.
But got frustrated with it and set it aside. I'm hoping a simple 6 string lap guitar will help getting my steel chops up to speed and maybe I'll tackle that E9 again sometime.
What intrigues me about Michael's tuning is the variety, richness and accessibility of the chord voicings. Particularly the maj7's, 9ths and dom7's. Being mainly a blues and jazz junkie myself, I'd like to be able to transpose my current material and playing style to the steel. Possibly developing new musical ideas along the way. I love country swing as well, which attracted me to the steel in the first place. I'm hoping to develop some decent chops in that area too. Expanding my marketability so to speak as a local club player.
Wether this works out or not remains to be seen . . But I'm optimistic it will.
I bought one of Ryan Rukavina's handmade guitars over the weekend. Should be delivered this week hopefully. I'm anxious to get started in this new direction.

Michael James · Post by **Michael James** » 27 Mar 2016 8:03 pm

Wow Frank! That's exciting!

Steve Cunningham · Post by **Steve Cunningham** » 29 Mar 2016 7:06 pm

Cool video Michael...lots of possibilities.
I'd like to hear it put to use in a song, harmonically and melodically.

Stefan Robertson · Post by **Stefan Robertson** » 31 Mar 2016 7:27 am

Michael James wrote:I didn't know that about the "Theory Tuning". You might consider raising the whole tuning to at least E, maybe even G or A.
Being that low there's not much you're going to be able to do on the low end of the tuning. You'll have to do most of your playing above the 7th fret.
All chords have limit to how low you can play them without sounding muddy. Unfortunately you are way below that limit.

12C-11G-10C-9E-8G-7B-6B-5D-4F-3A-2B-1C

Thankfully its not too low. Its great.Maybe yours is not an octave higher. My range lo - Hi is C2 - F4.

The range sits perfectly for reading notation. Its the tail end of the bass clef into the treble.

Michael James · Post by **Michael James** » 1 Apr 2016 2:16 pm

The Low C on Cma11 and C6 are a C3. You are one octave lower at "C2". I watched a couple of your videos on your site and there is no doubt you're tuned to C2.
I'm not saying it's good or bad, but complex chords wont sound good in the lower registers. The upside is you can lay down some nice low bass notes.

Randy Reeves · Post by **Randy Reeves** » 2 Apr 2016 12:32 pm

great video Mike. I find this tuning very user friendly; especially from a six string guitar player's perspective. Many styles can be played. from blues, rock to country and jazz.
Mike, we should record one of our Friday jazz sessions.

Stefan Robertson · Post by **Stefan Robertson** » 13 Apr 2016 1:04 am

Michael James wrote:The Low C on Cma11 and C6 are a C3. You are one octave lower at "C2". I watched a couple of your videos on your site and there is no doubt you're tuned to C2.
I'm not saying it's good or bad, but complex chords wont sound good in the lower registers. The upside is you can lay down some nice low bass notes.

On a 22 1/2 scale neck with heavy gauges it can still be as clean as a pedal steel if I roll my tone knob right up.

http://steelguitaramerica.com/instruction/tuning/

I also am aware of a few Hawaiian players who use it around the same register. The George L's pickups have quite a wide frequency and crisp character. Which also helps in the lower register.

I promise you no problem at all. But keep it up anyway.

We are hashing out similar ground indeed. I would say if you try an 8 string version you also can have more advanced inversions that are afforded by the Leavitt tuning. Lo - Hi

C, E, G, B, D, F, G, A

If you bend 1/2 step up from G while chording it now becomes the leavitt tuning. so from the G string to the A string. Pretty cool huh.

The leavitt tuning and my tuning rely heavily on string bending in 1/2 steps which is pretty easy and accurate. Your's as well.