E9 Chords That Start on the Ninth String

Barry Hyman · From: upstate New York, USA

I have heard some people here say they don't know what to do with the ninth string and just avoid it. I have used it for years as a seventh under the E chord (talking open position here) and as a blue note in the open B or B7 chord. And of course it is an important part of the A major scale you can get in open position.

But recently I have been working on chords that use the ninth string as the root, and I am just amazed at how many there are.

(All these chords are in open position, using open strings and no bar, but obviously they can be played at every fret.)

You can get D and D6 and Dsus2 with the B pedal.

Dm and Dm6 with the B and F pedals.

DM7 with the A and B pedals.

Dm7 with A, B, F, and the B to Bb lower.

D7 and D9 with the A and B pedals and the B to Bb lower.

Dsus4 with the B pedal if you have the F# to G raise.

D diminished and D dim7 with the F lever.

Dm7b5 with the A pedal, the F lever, and the B to Bb lower.

D7+9 with A, B, F, and the B to Bb lower.

D augmented with the B to Bb lower.

That'e every type of chord I ever use, plus some!

And then of course if you use the knee lever to lower the ninth string to C#, you can get C#m and C#m7 and C#sus4.

Add the F lever for C# and C#7.

C#sus4 with the D to C# lower and the F lever.

C#sus2 with the D to C# lower and the E to D# lower.

C#dim with the D to C# lower and the F# to G raise.

There must be several more but my head is starting to hurt...
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I give music lessons on several different instruments in Cambridge, NY (between Bennington, VT and Albany, NY). But my true love is pedal steel. I've been obsessed with steel since 1972; don't know anything I'd rather talk about... www.barryhyman.com

Ron Brennan · From: Orlando, Florida, USA; Formerly, Edison, NJ

Hi Barry,

Amazin....... Whoa!

I found your information above very useful... Cool

Thanks for posting it!! And if you have anymore neat info like this, please post........ Very Happy

Blue Skies.......TX

Rgds,

Ron
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Jerry Roller · From: Van Buren, Arkansas USA

Barry, Randy Beavers showed me how he uses the stuff you are discussing then to add to that he moved down 3 frets from the normal root position for instance playing in E on E9th he went to fret 9, the 10th and 5th strings became a 3rd interval, the 9th string became a 5th interval, the 4 and 8 strings become a 6th interval, the 7th strings becomes a (major) 7th interval. Strings 3 and 6 become a 9th interval with B pedal. All this played over an E chord but on the 9th fret. This is where Randy gets some of his great chord work on E9th playing two frets above and 3 frets below the normal positions. I am playing this in my head so if I errored on any of it you still can get the idea and go searching for some neat stuff.
Jerry

mike nolan · From: Forest Hills, NY USA

When I got my first PSG in 1978, there was not much information around. The few things I did find encouraged one to just avoid strings 7 and 9 until later. When,several years later, I finally started learning to use 9, the whole tuning really opened up. I make sure that any students that I have start using string 9 very early on. They usually think that I'm a crank..... but eventually catch on.
If you one of those players avoiding the 9th string, do yourself a favor and dive in. Print out the page Barry posted and spend a day.....

Barry Hyman · From: upstate New York, USA

I goofed on the C# diminished chord though. I can't go left and right with the same knee at the same time. I was doing this list in my head up at my house, while the steel was down at my studio, so I was thinking about what is mathematically possible and forgot to consider what is physically impossible. (Which tells you something about music theory!) Very Happy

I did think of two more last night as I was going to bed, however. You can play D7b9 with the A and B pedals, the B to Bb lower, and the E to Eb lower.

And you can play C# augmented with the D to C# lower, the F lever, and the B pedal.

Doesn't mean I can use all these though!!! The only chords on this list that I know well enough to call up in real time are the D, D9, and DM7. All the rest of them are fairly new to me, and it always takes me a while between when I "learn" something and when I can actually use it on stage.
_________________
I give music lessons on several different instruments in Cambridge, NY (between Bennington, VT and Albany, NY). But my true love is pedal steel. I've been obsessed with steel since 1972; don't know anything I'd rather talk about... www.barryhyman.com

James Morehead · From: Prague, Oklahoma, USA - R.I.P.

You tell what levers and pedals to play per chord, what about whhich strings/grips? Could you expand a little? Smile

Barry Hyman · From: upstate New York, USA

James -- my wife yells at me every time I go on the Forum nowadays, telling me that I'm wasting time. I try to tell her it's "work" but she knows better. So I'll have to hurry and just list enough strings to make the chord and leave out the duplicate notes found on other strings. And, since I'm hurrying, forgive me if you find mistakes:

You can get D and D6 and Dsus2 with the B pedal.
(D on strings 9, 7, and 6, add the 5th string for D6 and substitute string 8 for string 7 to get Dsus2.)

Dm and Dm6 with the B and F pedals.
(Same as above but with string 8 instead of string 7.)

DM7 with the A and B pedals.
(Strings 9, 7, 6, and 5.)

Dm7 with A, B, F, and the B to Bb lower.
(Strings 9, 8, 6, and 5.)

D7 and D9 with the A and B pedals and the B to Bb lower.
(D7 with strings 9, 7, 6, and 5; add the 4th string for D9.)

Dsus4 with the B pedal if you have the F# to G raise.
(Strings 9, 7, and 6.)

D diminished and D dim7 with the F lever.
(D dim with strings 9, 8, and 6; add string 5 for D dim7.)

Dm7b5 with the A pedal, the F lever, and the B to Bb lower.
(Strings 9, 8, 6, and 5.)

D7+9 with A, B, F, and the B to Bb lower.
(Strings 9, 7, 6, 5, and 4.)

D augmented with the B to Bb lower.
(Strings 9, 7, and 5.)

And then of course if you use the knee lever to lower the ninth string to C#, you can get C#m and C#m7 and C#sus4.
(C#m on strings 9, 8, and 6; add the 5th string for C#7, and substitute string 7 for 8 to get C#sus4

Add the F lever for C# and C#7.
(C# on strings 9, 8, and 6; add string 5 for C#7.)

C#sus4 with the D to C# lower and the F lever.
(This was a mistake -- see above.)

C#sus2 with the D to C# lower and the E to D# lower.
(Strings 9, 8, and 6.)

D7b9 with Pedals A and B and the B to Bb lower and the E to Eb lower.
(Strings 9, 7, 6, 5, and 4.)

C# augmented with the D to C# lower, the F lever, and the B pedal.
(Strings 9, 8, and 6.)

I hope this is all correct. Love that pedal steel theory; wish I could play the damn thing as well as I can talk about it!
_________________
I give music lessons on several different instruments in Cambridge, NY (between Bennington, VT and Albany, NY). But my true love is pedal steel. I've been obsessed with steel since 1972; don't know anything I'd rather talk about... www.barryhyman.com

James Morehead · From: Prague, Oklahoma, USA - R.I.P.

Yes Barry, That will help clear things up---you 'de man!! James

Bo Legg · Posted 16 Jun 2010 11:32 pm

When I first looked at this topic chords formed using the 9th string on the E9 I thought of the section in Stuart’s Book entitled “Jazz for the Lazy Man” in which he goes into great depth on how to use what he refers to as “Chameleon Chords”.
These are just a couple out of the hundreds of Chameleon progressions he has tabbed.
I found this to be a lot of fun.
Perhaps first I should try to explain what is meant by Chameleon Chords.
They are chords that blend and become a different chord depending on the key or progression somewhat like a Chameleon Lizard changes color to match its surroundings.
http://bb.steelguitarforum.com/viewtopic.php?p=1625551#1625551

John Ummel · From: Arlington, WA.

Where can one obtain a copy of "Jazz for the Lazy Man" Question

Bo Legg · Posted 17 Jun 2010 6:35 pm

John, Stuart’s Book has not been published. I should have referred to it as a manuscript. The Book is not intended for sale but rather for my own personal use.
However Stuart has given me permission to share sections of it.
So as not to hijack this topic I will post more regarding this in the Tab section of the Forum under “Chameleon Chords”.

Steve Schmidt · From: Ramsey, MN, USA

This is an old thread that I still find helpful. Using the 9th string as your root really opens up a whole new world. Of course Randy Beavers really uses that string extensively also.

Tom Gorr · From: Three Hills, Alberta

I recall seeing this thread the first time around... it was and is very instructive..... does time ever fly... What is it....2011 now? Whoa!

Lane Gray · From: Topeka, KS

In the Winston Keith book, on When You and I Were Young, Maggie, there's a 3rd fret F chord with strings 9, 6B and 4C (pedaled in, using C pedal as an "A pedal" move.
It was one of the things that caused my stumbles on that video, it's not a position that occurs to me normally.
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Charlie McDonald · From: out of the blue

Jim Palenscar · From: Oceanside, Calif, USA

Add all this to the thread about 2 mos ago of using the 7th string as the root and most of us will have a reason to go into hiding Smile

. So we have the usual home positions of open, up 3 w E raise and A pedal, up two more with E lowers, up two more w AB pedals. So now we have home positions at frets 0, 2, 3, 5, 7, 9, and 10. Oy vey!

mike nolan · From: Forest Hills, NY USA

Jim P,

For a moderately lazy guy like me, it means that I never have to move the bar. Very Happy

Barry Hyman · From: upstate New York, USA

Funny -- it's five years later and I still don't use any of those chords except the D9. Shows the difference between figuring something out and actually LEARNING it! I can do the music theory but that is not the same as knowing something so well that you can call it up effortlessly while improvising in real time. I don't play jazz or classical (although I try to play every other style of music I've ever heard of!) but maybe I could use some of those exotic chords when I play songs in harmonic minor. I'll have to revisit this...

I do love, in blues, country, western swing, funk, or rock, say in the key of A, to be at the 12th fret playing the A chord with Pedals A&B, and then hit the B to Bb lower, change my grip to strings 9, 7, 6, 5, and 4, and get that big D9 chord. (I don't use picks so I do five finger grips all the time.)
_________________
I give music lessons on several different instruments in Cambridge, NY (between Bennington, VT and Albany, NY). But my true love is pedal steel. I've been obsessed with steel since 1972; don't know anything I'd rather talk about... www.barryhyman.com

steve takacs · From: beijing, china via pittsburgh (deceased)

Barry, I find this info a huge help in expanding my understanding of unorthodox areas where chords can be found and will also be searching out the post Jim Palenscar mentioned about chords with roots on the 7th string. I hope I can actually put it all into action rather than reading about it.

I think the article about chords with roots on string 7 Jim referred to is this one:

http://bb.steelguitarforum.com/viewtopic.php?t=277654&highlight=string++chords

These chords do require a string 6 G# to A# change that many of us would have to add to our copedants.
stevet

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