Theory of playing the C6 neck on a Carter D-10

[Tom Mikkelson]

I am new to the forum and I'm purchasing a pedal steel from a member here at the forum. I know theory very well and would appreciate any article that would help playing the C6 neck. I've looked at the Emmons and Day concept with the first three pedals on the E9 neck and it makes sense. The theory for the other 5 pedals is what I'm looking for. Thanks.

[Donny Hinson]

Herb Steiner, a long-time contributor here, has a great primer on C6th theory. Maybe he will share it, as I'm sure others would benefit, too!

[Ian Rae]

Herb is a good authority for sure. Also Buddy Emmons' Basic C6 course is worth a look.

C6 is mentally different. On E9, every note is accounted for and pedal movement is an important element. C6 is more intuitive and can include notes you're not conscious of; pedal movement is less of a feature.

[J D Sauser]

The C6th tuning could be organized as follows:

- the 7th string (C) as the root of one of the two "open" (NO pedals or levers) Major chords (C.Maj 6th)

- the 8th string (A) as the root of the relative minor of the above 7th-string rooted Major, Am7th.

- the 9th string (F) as the root to the other Major chord F.Maj9th (M7th/9th).

- I would either tune the 10th string from C up to D or at least "think" of it as "D"... because D is the relative minor of the 9th-string rooted Major 9th chord... D-min11th (b7th, 9th, 11th)

If you then spread these roots up ALONG your strings over an octave you would get the following "map"

Two Major chords a 4th or respectively a 5th apart of each other, each with their relative minor turned into the same name chord a minor third above, like so:

7th string rooted Major
+ 3 frets, 8th string rooted minor
+ 4 frets, 9th string rooted Major
+ 3 frets, "10th" string rooted minor
+ 2 frets, 7th string rooted Major again

and so on...

So if you are playing, let's say in C.Major off your 9th string rooted position, that would put you at your 7th fret. You would also have the same chord as a minor 3 frets above rooted at the "10th" string or 4 frets below rooted at your 8th string.

The same "left and right" exercise can be done from any of the 4 positions.

From these positions, you explore and build your "pockets" or as guitar players like to call them, "boxes"... they will usually grow to a fret or two above and below the root position and thus, all 4 positions will reach into each others.

Then evidently, you would want to "see" a 4th up near by... in C... where is F?

I have come to the conviction that even the pedaled C6th tuning, is a non-pedal tuning... just with pedals on them. While some players single-note solo using pedals extensively (Hal Rugg comes to mind), many followed into Buddy Emmons' footsteps and did the majority of their single note soloing without using changes at all or only "here'n'there".

Interestingly too, many C6th jammers have become known to play up a storm on non-pedal guitars. Maurice Anderson, Doug Jernigan and Bobbe Black come to mind.

Building your "pockets" will pretty much all basic and also alternate pedal changes and how they came about.

... J-D.

[Tom Spaulding]

HOW TO PLAY C6

C6: Moving From 1 to 4 (Diminished to Min7)

Exploring C6 Common Tones

[Thomas Alexander]

https://bb.steelguitarforum.com/viewtop ... ba6c198feb

[Tony Prior]

IF you can find Jeff Newmans Music to Get C6th By, it is an excellent primer and much if it you will carry for the rest of your life. Its a basic , elementary introduction to the C6th tuning which is not an entity, its a tuning !

[Richard Sinkler]

IF you can find Jeff Newmans Music to Get C6th By, it is an excellent primer and much if it you will carry for the rest of your life. Its a basic , elementary introduction to the C6th tuning which is not an entity, its a tuning !

thingies.

Very good for learning songs, but really doesn't teach anything. You have to put your brain and theory knowledge to work and figure out what and why he is doing what he does. I have that course and used to play about half the tunes on the bandstand in the 70s and early 80s. Good stuff.

[Bill McCloskey]

Music theory is music theory. It doesn't change from instrument to instrument or tuning to tuning. Music theory doesn't change.

And unfortunately, because of the nature of pedal steel and the lack of any kind of standards, no book will teach you how to apply music theory to your instrument/tuning, unless you are playing the exact same copedent as the author.

In Paul Franklin's C6 neck copedence, there are over 100 different combinations of pedals and levers that result in 100 different tunings to choose from. I have begun mapping out every possible pedal/lever combination and every possible chord available in those combinations in Google Sheets, but most books on C6 theory do not have the options I have.

So study music theory on its own. And map out your own changes for your specific copedence.

[Douglas Schuch]

Perhaps I'm slower than most, but what made the mental breakthrough for me on C6 was the Jeff Newman video course C6 Workshop. It is mostly oriented towards Western Swing, and mostly approaching it from playing chord progressions and where to find those chords, and is pretty simplistic.

Donny Henson mentions Herb Steiner and a primer on C6. I assume he means Herb's essay "My Approach To Chords On The C6 Tuning." This is available free on Herb's website by going to this address:

https://www.herbsteinermusic.com/C6_essay.pdf

Kudos to Herb for making this available to all, and yes, that is probably the best quick reference for what the pedals and levers do, individually or in combination.

If you need something more extensive that Herb's, there is Trap Truly's very thorough C6 chord chart, which Steel Guitars Ohio is generously hosting and making available. Be sure to download not just the chart, but also the "How-To" page that explains the chart:

https://www.steelguitarsohio.com/stuff

Both Herb's and Trap's info is simply where to find the chords you need - I'm not sure if this is what you meant, but it's a start. Similar to what JD Sauser says, I find that I don't use pedals much for effect, as in, the way you roll on and off of the A pedal on the E9 tuning. The main exception would be, of course, pedal 7, which is often applied or released after picking the strings, as in Big E's various performances on "Night Life". Another, slightly different "exception" are the levers, which are very useful for getting melody notes on the top of chords in a chord/melody style of playing. But beyond that, I mostly am using pedals to get specific chords/chord extensions and not for getting notes while picking single-note runs.