Ralph MooneyTuning

[TRAP TRULY]

Hi Guys,
I'm playing a series of tribute shows and am trying to get as close as I can to Mooney's tuning without having completely retune and re-rod my '75 Pro II custom... (double raise ,single lower changer) standard E-9th tuning with the Emmons setup 4 knees.

I have read in depth here on the Forum. It seems:

1. I need a separate E-F# raise on the high E without the B-C# going with it on a C6 pedal. I assume I take this off the 3rd pedal?
2. Another pedal that lowers the 3rd string G# 1/2 tone without lowering the 6th string G#
3. Moving the F# to G# on the 7th string

How have some of you achieved this on an old Sho-Bud?

[Lane Gray]

I might take advantage of this opportunity to add a vertical to your Bud, and have it temporarily raise 4 (and possibly 7, since I don't think the two would interfere with each other). Then after the Mooney show ended, change it to what you want on there.
I also think it'd be equally effective to immerse yourself in listening to his playing, and find ways to ape his style on your tuning. Only you, and the two steel players who will see the show during its run, will know that those Mooneyesque licks aren't authentic Moon. And those two steel players might not even notice.

[J R Rose]

Lane has it down pretty close but Mooney had the E (4th.) to F# on a knee lever to the right on right leg. Only pulled the 4th. Told me it was much faster that way. It was his favorite pull and he used it with the floor pedals. Their have been posting on here of his tuning and I think he also had that pull on a floor pedal and you can see him stomping that pedal in some of his you tubes. It may have been set up to pull faster? Anyway, I love Mooney's style, he was one of the innovator's. Copied no one, did it his own way. I like that quality in anyone. It is a trade mark. J.R. Rose

[Lane Gray]

I've seen some of his copedents with it on a right foot pedal, and some on a knee. Given that I'd rarely heard it used by him without the A pedal already being down (not never, just rarely), you can right-foot the C pedal while the left foot has the A pedal.

The challenge in playing like Moon is thinking like Moon, not in the guitar.

[John Brock]

Here is one I have.....it is out of steel guitarist 1980.

[TRAP TRULY]

Thanks for your replies. I was looking for different ways you all have incorporated some of Mooney's changes into your E9th tuning.

[Jerry Hayes]

Here's my copedant which I call my "Mooney Universal" tuning. You can play all his licks plus a lot of the C6th things as well as standard E9th too boot......... Pedals 7&8 are applied with the right foot......JH in Va.

[Dan Behringer]

A trick I use to get some of Ralph’s 3 pedal licks .... if Ralph played it on E-B-G# (our 4-5-6) move the bar up 5 frets and use strings 5-6-8 with only the A pedal and you have the same notes. Listen to the end of the intro on “You’re For Me” by Buck Owens for that kind of lick.

[Per Berner]

Some years ago, Al Brisco (Steel Guitars of Canada) released a DVD covering how to play Mooney-style on E9th. Good stuff!

http://www.steelguitarscanada.com/onlin ... n-pdf-dvd/

[Jeff Harbour]

... 2. Another pedal that lowers the 3rd string G# 1/2 tone without lowering the 6th string G#...

If you have a lever that raises your high F# to G, then you can get away without this proposed pedal (G#-G). I use that change quite often when a song calls for a signature "Moon" lick.

[K Maul]

That E-F# knee lever is a great idea. That and the F#-G on string one may be all you need. But...THINKING like Mooney is the real trick. I don't know if I do that,but I once buried a pedal steel out in the desert to "puzzle future archeologists".

[Greg Milton]

Hi Trap,

I understand that Norm Hamlett, who obviously had to cop lots of Moon's classic licks playing with Merle, had firstly a knee lever and later an '0' pedal (next to the A pedal) on his E9 tuning that lowered string 3 to G and raised string 6 to A.

I've experimented with this change and it certainly allows lots of Moon-isms, although I find that raising string 1 to G to be close enough (I decided that I prefer to raise string 6 to A# on my '0' pedal).

I also raise my Es to F# on a knee lever, which may not be as quick as a pedal, but still gets the job done!

[Mark Hershey]

Hi Trap,

I understand that Norm Hamlett, who obviously had to cop lots of Moon's classic licks playing with Merle, had firstly a knee lever and later an '0' pedal (next to the A pedal) on his E9 tuning that lowered string 3 to G and raised string 6 to A.

I've experimented with this change and it certainly allows lots of Moon-isms, although I find that raising string 1 to G to be close enough (I decided that I prefer to raise string 6 to A# on my '0' pedal).

I also raise my Es to F# on a knee lever, which may not be as quick as a pedal, but still gets the job done!

I discussed Moony with Greg a couple of years back and he made me aware of the Norm Hamlett 0 pedal. I went through the forum search history and even found a thread where Norm posts on here about the 0 pedal.

At any rate I added it to my steel and I love it. You can hear the Mooney thing right away when you engage it.