C6 Instruction

Tony Dingus · From: Kingsport, Tennessee, USA

What's the best C6 instruction for 6 string?

Tony

Gary Lynch · From: Creston, California, USA

Chuck Lettes has a very interesting teaching program. You can pick from a number of songs and he sends you the tab and a CD with the background music less the steel lead that you will play. He will customize each 70- plus minutes CD for you. $40 includes shipping. He's a great non pedal player. Give him a listen on this link. You may talk to him on weekends about your lessons. He will send scales and chords along with the other printed material.

clettes@comcast.net
http://www.hsga.org/new_design/ChuckLettes.htm

[This message was edited by Gary Lynch on 25 November 2006 at 07:21 PM.]

Jesse Pearson · From: San Diego , CA

"Dewitt Scott's Basic lap steel method" on Melbay comes with a CD and is the best beginners book out there from what I've seen, and I have a number of books now. The CD has tone to die for as a good reference point as well. It's either $19.95 or $24.95 I think.

Tony Dingus · From: Kingsport, Tennessee, USA

Thanks guys for the info.

Tony

Tony Harris · From: England

And don't forget Cindy Cashdollar's two videos.

Charlie Vegas · From: Tampa Bay, FLA, USA

I've got the "Dewitt Scott's Basic Lap Steel Method" and the operative word is basic. If you already have a strong background in another stringed instrument, it may be too elementary. It’s mostly song melodies. If you’re more interested in accompaniment and solos, like me, this may not interest you.

The Cindy Cashdollar Western Swing CD’s sound interesting, but the clips I’ve seen show her playing an eight string. Does she play any six string or are you to just relate this to six string playing by ignoring the extra strings?

Is there any recorded six string western swing out there in C6?

I’ve been listening to a lot of Eddie Rivers on Wayne Hancock stuff and while I find this very educational, you just can’t play some of his licks on a six string. Now that I’m starting to understand C6, an eight string just makes more sense since you can have the same interval twice, ACEGACEG.

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"Only my mama loves me... but she could be jivin too." BB King

[This message was edited by Charlie Vegas on 29 November 2006 at 11:41 AM.]

Gary Lynch · From: Creston, California, USA

I think you are right on. That's why the 8 string consoles get snapped up before the 6 string ones do. I just realized my short scale Deluxe 6 works perfect as a lap steel because the leg mounts do not stick out, they are flush with the bottom. I am just learning but moving to an 8 string right away. I also find practicing on a console is much easier than dealing with a lap steel. I figure once I can get around on the instrument the lap position will become easier.

Jesse Pearson · From: San Diego , CA

Charlie, concerning your statement about the Dewitt Scott lap book: I have a huge background on guitar and bass and the Dewitt book was of great interest to me and others, why? Because it's full of theory that's applied to the 6 string neck for C6(scales, chords, intervals and slants). The actual songs themselves are just practicle application of the theory parts of the book and are very well written. The last 2 songs are full performance piece's that go over great at a gig? You get out of it what you put into it. And it's been said many times before here, most of the great lap steel songs out there can be played just fine on 6 strings. I'm all for more strings but I know from experience that 6 strings work great, but you gotta really know how to play first to see that I guess. Even the guys with 8 strings back in the day mostly played everything on just the upper 6 strings. Sounds like what your talking about is a tab book of pro arrangment's of actual swing songs. My buddie John McGann has a book out on J. Murphy that's pretty good. But you know, you gotta put the horse before the cart first to really get going.

Charlie Vegas · From: Tampa Bay, FLA, USA

Jesse, I’ll give the book another shot and see if I can find Mr. Dewitt’s teachings as eloquent as you do. But I gotta admit, I found them elementary my first pass thru.

And yes, you can play anything on a 6 string, however a lot of the licks I hear from 8-string C6 players us a top G which the typical 6-string doesn't.

[This message was edited by Charlie Vegas on 30 November 2006 at 05:06 AM.]

Edward Meisse · From: Santa Rosa, California, USA

Cindy Cashdollar and Maurice Anderson both suggest from top to bottom G-E-C-A-G-E for a 6 string tuning. That may work out for you. Please don't get too upset over assumtions (sp) about your skill level. I got the impression from your earlier post that you were only beginning on lap steel. Being a beginner, even if you already play other instruments well, carries a certain amount of baggage.

Lynn Oliver · From: Redmond, Washington USA * R.I.P.

I didn't realize until I purchased a set of C6 strings that there is more than one common tuning being used. As mentioned above Cindy Cashdollar teaches using a high C6 with a G on top; some of the other instruction I've looked at seems to use an E on top, ECAGECAG high to low.

GeorgeBoards.com has some C6 instruction as well. It covers six string using the middle six strings of an eight-string tuning.

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Lynn Oliver

[This message was edited by Lynn Oliver on 29 November 2006 at 11:25 AM.]

Marty Smith · From: California

Give Herb Remington a call, he has instruction for A6th but its just the same as C6th. And he has great videos. He also has great songs on the Fun Tab 1 and 2.He's an all around good guy!
Herb Remington
713-923-8435

Marty

Doug Beaumier · From: Northampton, MA

About Mel Bay’s Basic C6th non-pedal Lap Steel Method by Scotty:
Its teaches some very useful bar slants and two-string harmonies, and there are a couple of interesting arrangements at the end of the book. And it’s only $22.95! Amazon sells it for $16.75! Mel Bay books are available at any music store; any music store can order this book for you.

Like many Mel Bay methods, this one is geared to the home player, and teaches him how to play a few melodies.

I wish the book covered Chord Positions: major and minors, and chord exercises, I to IV, IIm, VIm, etc. That would be considered "backup" playing, and there is none of this in the book, unfortunately. Anyone who hopes to play lap steel (or any other instrument) in a band needs to learn chord positions inside and out, scales, fills, where & when to play... etc... When the band tells you... "we're in the key of G, and the chords are G, Am, C, D, Bm"... you better be able to instantly find those chords! Or be able to play a harmonized scale over those chords.

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My Site - Instruction

[This message was edited by Doug Beaumier on 29 November 2006 at 08:11 PM.]

Les Anderson · From: The Great White North

I would love to get my hands on a chord position book for the 8 string.

I know a young fellow in our town who is trying to learn to play an 8 string lap steel in C6. I have tried to teach him chord positioning but he spends so much time wandering all over the neck trying to find things on his own that I very quickly lose patience with him.

He needs a book to work with so he can practice and learn at his own pace. Does anyone have knowledge of a book that has chord positions and exercises in it for an 8 string in C6?

Doug Beaumier · From: Northampton, MA

Les, maybe you should write such a book!

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My Site - Instruction

[This message was edited by Doug Beaumier on 29 November 2006 at 08:49 PM.]

Andy Sandoval · From: Bakersfield, California, USA

The Cindy Cashdollar videos are well adapted to 6 strings as well as 8. Her tuning is (bottom to top) A C E G A C E G. I learned all the songs on the videos on my 54' Fender Champion. I love Western Swing so I really enjoyed her videos. I might add, she's very easy on the eyes!!

[This message was edited by Andy Sandoval on 29 November 2006 at 08:40 PM.]

Gary Lynch · From: Creston, California, USA

"I would love to get my hands on a chord position book for the 8 string."

There has to be one out there somewhere. It seems like that would be one of the basics of playing to me. Let me know if someone knows of such a book or download off the net.

Brad Bechtel · From: San Francisco, CA

Not really a book, but Mighty Fine Music's Chord Finder should be helpful.

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Brad's Page of Steel
A web site devoted to acoustic & electric lap steel guitars

Gary Lynch · From: Creston, California, USA

Great and thanks.

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