tom. brumley,s 11string tuning?

[Jack Goodson]

doe,s anyone have toms 11 string tuning?....thanks jack

[B. Greg Jones]

Tom used a standard E9th tuning with the 11th string tuned to a low E. Here is his pedal and knee set-up.

P0-7th string, F# to G#
10th string, B to C#
Standard A,B,C pedals

LKL inner--E's to F
LKL outer, 4th string E to F#
LKV 3 and 6--G# to G
LKR 4 and 8--E to Eb
RKL 5 and 10--B to Bb
RKR inner 2nd string D# to D to C#
9th string D to C#
RKR outer 1 and 7--F# to G

This was Tom's latest set up. I have all my guitars set up this way and have a Mullen SD-11 that they built for me to Tom's specs that I received in 1997. I also own 2 of Tom's old ZB's

Greg

[Paul Wade]

[Jack Goodson]

so he had four floor pedals and seven knees? the guitar i have has a total of six pedals and five knees, which by changing a couple of the pedals i could come pretty close. by the way i have the bmi pp that zane built for tom. any suggestion or advice would be appreciated....jack

[Donny Hinson]

Maybe Greg Cutshaw (or someone else) could explain the 7th string F#-G# on a floor pedal? I just can't see how that would be used.

[Greg Milton]

Maybe Greg Cutshaw (or someone else) could explain the 7th string F#-G# on a floor pedal? I just can't see how that would be used.

I'm with Donny - this question has been asked on the forum many times and no-one seems to be able to adequately explain what Tom was thinking of or how it was used. Does anyone actually know the musical idea behind it? Was it essential to be next to the A pedal? Can anyone point to a recording where he has used it? He must have loved the change because he seemed to have had it on his steels over decades

[Jack Goodson]

i would also like to know also because i really don,t want more knees and pedals that i will not use much....thanks jack

[B. Greg Jones]

Tom used that 7th string whole tone raise a bunch. Descending runs a lot by having the pedal down and letting off of it. A song that comes to mind where it is used is "The Heart That You Own" by Dwight Yoakam during the steel solo. Listen close and you can hear it. I was fortunate enough to have Tom show me how to play that solo. Also check out the CD that he recorded with the Desert Rose Band. Have to look up the name of the song but it was a 4/4 shuffle. Maybe "Night after Night"????

Greg

[Greg Milton]

Thanks Greg - I'll check out those recordings. I had a play around with it yesterday and the other use I could see for it was in the A/F position, letting off the A pedal and hitting that pedal to give you a dominant 7th with the root on the 10th string and some nice movement between scale tones (4 & 5) on the 7th string. Not sure if he used it like that too but will try and listen out for it in his recordings

[Greg Milton]

Thinking about it a bit more, Tom did have that 7th string raise to G# on a knee lever at the same time as that pedal for a time there - according to Winnie's book (March '75) - so I feel that there must be something more to it than just that 7th string raise, something that is related to the 10th string raise and perhaps its proximity to the A pedal. Wish he was around for us to ask him. Also wish he could have done an interview with PF as did Lloyd and Tommy White. RIP Tom Brumley

[Jack Goodson]

that is the reason i listed this. the guitar i have came to me with 3/pedals and 5/knees. the 2/rr knees were one was lowering the 2nd string a half and a whole tone and the other one raised 1 and 7. i have enough pedals and knees that i can do the 4/pedals amd 7/knees. i will add a left vertical and a left left. just want to make sure that i understand how to correctly use what i will have....thanks jack

[Greg Milton]

by the way i have the bmi pp that zane built for tom. any suggestion or advice would be appreciated....jack

Sorry Jack, just comprehended this part of your post. Congrats on getting Tom's old BMI!! I'm sure he left some licks on it!

By the way, Jack, Tom had 6 rather than 7 knee levers in '75 (according to Winnie's book) and '79 (according to Tom Bradshaw's interview in Steel Guitarist magazine). He didn't have the 4th string E - F# raise then

[Sonny Jenkins]

Hey Jack,,,do you have it back together yet? Would love to see "after" pics,,,,

[Jack Goodson]

sonny, i am a long way from having it together, i have talked with don at bmi and i am going to have him replace all for corner blocks and might have him do the top piece. i will keep u updated and show photos as we progress. thanks jack

[Jerry Hayes]

Being an ex west coast player years back I used the 1st pedal that Tom used except I lowered the 3rd string G# to G along with the F# to G# change. That 7th string raise is very useful and I use it a bunch. What it basically does is give you the same thing in an open position as what you'd get if you were holding down the B pedal and rocking on/off of the A pedal. Can you hear that in your mind. If not just go to your steels open tuning and use your bar on string 7 and slide it up two frets to G# and hear the move also you get a nice unison note(s) with it. It's also useful with the Es lowered. As for the 10th string raise to C#. I don't have that because I tune my 9th string to C# so I already have that note. What it gives you for example at the third fret in the key of C is the 1st chord in NIghtlife playing strings 4, 5 and 10.... Here's a copy of my setup....JH in Va.

[Jack Goodson]

jerry, my guitar is an11 string....thanks

[Jack Goodson]

merry, y guitar is an11 string....thanks

[Tom Brumley]

Tom used a standard E9th tuning with the 11th string tuned to a low E. Here is his pedal and knee set-up.

P0-7th string, F# to G#
10th string, B to C#
Standard A,B,C pedals

LKL inner--E's to F
LKL outer, 4th string E to F#
LKV 3 and 6--G# to G
LKR 4 and 8--E to Eb
RKL 5 and 10--B to Bb
RKR inner 2nd string D# to D to C#
9th string D to C#
RKR outer 1 and 7--F# to G

This was Tom's latest set up. I have all my guitars set up this way and have a Mullen SD-11 that they built for me to Tom's specs that I received in 1997. I also own 2 of Tom's old ZB's

Greg

Thank you Greg

[Tom Brumley]

Tom used that 7th string whole tone raise a bunch. Descending runs a lot by having the pedal down and letting off of it. A song that comes to mind where it is used is "The Heart That You Own" by Dwight Yoakam during the steel solo. Listen close and you can hear it. I was fortunate enough to have Tom show me how to play that solo. Also check out the CD that he recorded with the Desert Rose Band. Have to look up the name of the song but it was a 4/4 shuffle. Maybe "Night after Night"????

Greg

[Donny Hinson]

Thinking about it a bit more, Tom did have that 7th string raise to G# on a knee lever at the same time as that pedal for a time there - according to Winnie's book (March '75) - so I feel that there must be something more to it than just that 7th string raise, something that is related to the 10th string raise and perhaps its proximity to the A pedal.

If I needed that note going up or down, it's available right there on the 6th or 7th string by moving the bar up or down. But Paul has that change too (on a lever), so there must be something significant it does that I'm not seeing.