MINOR Chords and steel guitar

Ray Montee · Post by **Ray Montee** » 10 May 2007 7:49 am

From time to time, the topic of MINOR CHORDs comes up and all kinds of solutions are offered.....

There's a great example of how C6th can handle this as demonstrated by the late, great, JERRY BYRD. This a very versatile tuning and one doesn't need a gazillion of pedals or knee levers to accomplish this beautiful sound, as evidence in this recording of Pagan Love Song.

Care to give it a listen?

Carroll Hale · Post by **Carroll Hale** » 10 May 2007 9:04 am

where do I go to hear it.....??????

basilh · Post by **basilh** » 10 May 2007 10:18 am

Here :-

Pagan Love Song

Martin Huch · Post by **Martin Huch** » 10 May 2007 11:21 am

http://www.rockinger.com/index.php?cat= ... duct=2405C

Kay Das · Post by **Kay Das** » 10 May 2007 5:50 pm

C6 = Am7

Thomas Ludwig · Post by **Thomas Ludwig** » 11 May 2007 12:49 am

Martin,
are there any plans of an 8-string version of the Duesenberg Multibender ??

Thomas

Martin Huch · Post by **Martin Huch** » 11 May 2007 1:58 am

Hi Thomas
yes, there are plans, but I`m sure it will take some time...........because there is not much interest
of Jazz/Swing/Hawaiian players on the multibender at the moment. On the other hand, the rock and countryplayers - the six string family - is crazy for the system, because it converts a regular guitar into a
small pedal steel in 5 minutes.....and there it is: the minor chord .......and much more!

Grüße aus Hannover, Martin

Thomas Ludwig · Post by **Thomas Ludwig** » 11 May 2007 4:02 am

Hi Martin,
when I saw your videos on duesenberg.de with the 6-stringer it nearly blows my mind thinking of the possibilities on a 8-string C6 steel guitar.
Tell the people at Duesenberg:

What the world needs is an 8-string Multibender.

Gruß nach Hannover, Thomas

Jay Fagerlie · Post by **Jay Fagerlie** » 11 May 2007 5:50 am

I was looking around on the duesenberg.de site and cannot find the videos of which you spoke, Thomas.
Where are they?
Thanks
Jay

Gerald Ross · Post by **Gerald Ross** » 11 May 2007 6:00 am

I don't understand what the issue is Ray.

When you are in C6 tuning (CEGACE) the top three strings are the relative minor of the major chord at that fret. i.e. if you are on the 5th fret the major chord is F and the minor chord on the top three strings is Dm.

Isn't that one of the beauties of this tuning?

Todd Weger · Post by **Todd Weger** » 11 May 2007 6:45 am

Gerald Ross wrote:I don't understand what the issue is Ray.

When you are in C6 tuning (CEGACE) the top three strings are the relative minor of the major chord at that fret. i.e. if you are on the 5th fret the major chord is F and the minor chord on the top three strings is Dm.

Isn't that one of the beauties of this tuning?

Gerald, I think that's what Ray's saying:

"There's a great example of how C6th can handle this as demonstrated by the late, great, JERRY BYRD. This a very versatile tuning and one doesn't need a gazillion of pedals or knee levers to accomplish this beautiful sound, as evidence in this recording of Pagan Love Song."

Gerald Ross · Post by **Gerald Ross** » 11 May 2007 6:46 am

OK - now I understand.

Rick Schmidt · Post by **Rick Schmidt** » 11 May 2007 7:22 am

Great Jerry Byrd clip Ray!!!

....but I don't hear any minor chords in that song

Todd Weger · Post by **Todd Weger** » 11 May 2007 8:09 am

Rick -- that opening glissando is an Fm chord (C-Ab-F, from top to bottom), played at the 8th fret in C6 tuning. But right after that, the tune morphs into the relative key of Ab with that Ab6 chord.

Great tune.

TJW

Thomas Ludwig · Post by **Thomas Ludwig** » 13 May 2007 9:37 am

Jay,
the vidoes are on
http://www.rockinger.com/index.php?cat= ... duct=2405C

Thomas

Rockne Riddlebarger · Post by **Rockne Riddlebarger** » 13 May 2007 1:00 pm

In every major 6 tuning the string(s) that is the 6 becomes the 1 of the relative minor chord regardless of it's position in the tuning order.

Al Marcus · Post by **Al Marcus** » 13 May 2007 6:54 pm

Rockne-right. You can play any maj6 tuning and get a relative min7th on it. We used to play "Pagan Love Song" and a lot of hawaiian tunes in around the mid 1930's. I used to alternate between a A6th tuning(F# minor7th) and E6 tuning( C#minor7th), back then we did it on 6 strings. All I had to do to go from E6 to A6 was to tune my 3rd G# down a tone to F# and tune my 5th B down a whole tone to A. easy switch. No pedals so we had to have 2 or 3 tunings to use on the job for certain special songs. ...It was fun in those days...al.

:)

CrowBear Schmitt · Post by **CrowBear Schmitt** » 14 May 2007 12:27 am

Hi Al

what model steel is that on the Pic ?

Jay Fagerlie · Post by **Jay Fagerlie** » 14 May 2007 5:16 am

Thanks Thomas
Cool videos!

Jay

Al Marcus · Post by **Al Marcus** » 14 May 2007 8:12 am

Hi CrowBear, that was my Vega D8 that I played for several years from about 1938 until 1947 ,( except for the 3 years in the army in WWII), until I got a used 6 pedal Gibson Electra-Harp.

I had E6 and E7-9 tunings on it like Alvino Rey had on his Gibson Console Grande until he got his Electra-Harp. Thanks for your inquiry....al.

:)

admin · Post by **b0b** » 14 May 2007 11:39 am

There aren't any minor chords in Pagan Love Song. I play it in A and the chords are A6, F6 and E7. I don't hear anything more than that in Jerry Byrd's arrangement.

I do love that arrangement, though. It's the reason I learned the song many years ago.

Ray Montee · Post by **Ray Montee** » 14 May 2007 4:39 pm

I'm NOT a scholarly musician and I don't even wear tattered clothing, swishy hair, do drugs or alcohol, but I was told by a kindly little olde lady decades ago, who seemed to like my playing that the minor chord in that tune was a real beauty.
I based my statement and reputation on that little olde lady's word........and I never tho't for even a nanno second, that she would take advantage of my younger years and pure innocence to mislead me to this extent.
WHAT A WORLD! Just who can a guy trust these days?

Sorry for the misleading, inaccurate and totally wrong information fellow musicans.

Al Marcus · Post by **Al Marcus** » 14 May 2007 5:14 pm

If we want to get real technical- A6 is F#minor 7th,
F6 is D minor 7th...al.

:)

admin · Post by **b0b** » 14 May 2007 7:24 pm

If you want to hear minors, on that same record listen to Hawaiian War Chant. He starts in a major key and then switches to a minor key for a verse, then comes back to the major.

Al Marcus · Post by **Al Marcus** » 14 May 2007 8:13 pm

Hi b0b, That's exactly the way it was done and we did it in the 30's. That was a very popular song in those days. Major on the first chorus , minor on the second, then usually back to major. Oh yes....al.

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MINOR Chords and steel guitar

MINOR Chords and steel guitar

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