The Steel Guitar Forum

Im 64 years old and have played E9 for thirty five years.I know nothing about the C6
but would like to try and learn.Have any of you stellers started that late in life?


Wayne Broyles

Colonel Sanders didn't come up with the secret recipe until he was 64 years old and then took off with a pressure cooker in the back seat of his car to peddle it to anyone that would listen to him and try the chicken. You've got 35 years of experience and are used to finger picks by this point. You've probably got more time to learn it now than you ever did before.

Thanks Frank,good point.I do have a lot more time now and i cant think of a better way to spend it.

Wayne Broyles

As Dear Abbey used to say, "In five years, how hold will you be if you don't try it?" Or something like that.

Well, I am 64 also and still use the C6 as a place to rest on. But I am really impressed with Billy Easton on the C6th, maybe its time for me to see what the other neck is about.

Of course there is some great instructional material out there, but in addition:

Look at some of the Universal E9/B6 literature and training material. That helped me understand C6 after 15 years of E9 and related tunings. The 2 tunings have much in common, and the Universal material superimposed both tunings in a way I could visualize.

And also, find some of your E9 licks on the C neck.

Learning keeps you youthful! That many years of "chops" should get you off to a flying start.

Slick

I've played steel since '72. but only started the C neck two years ago at age 59 - I shouldn't say this, but I'm pretty pleased with the way it's going; the first 18 months were difficult, but it's suddenly all started to fall into place!

I spend ALL my practise time on C6th - 'cause I love it so much!

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Roger Rettig

Slick! Jeff Newman has a basic C6 Video that will get you flyin in no time,
Frank,P. If Colonel Sanders would have had my moms receipe he would of been a General.

Kyle,
Turn me on to your moms chicken recipe. I'm the cook around here and I need everything I can get.

Frank...I have a class of 14 steel guitarists and 18 ukulele players. So ? BIG deal you are probably thinking. Well, I consider it to be a big deal simply because not one of them is younger than 55 with the oldest being 82...all seniors. Further, none of them had any previous musical experience until I came into their lives. And lastly, you should see the enthusiasm and hear them all playing together! Sure makes me proud of each and every one of them. Age is no barrier to learning something new. I'm 75, and in the past 2 years took on the B11th tuning which is not an easy tuning to play, far less understand. But man, what a wonderful experience I am enjoying with this beautiful tuning. Many think it is limited to stuff like "Sand"...I'm here to tell you it's one heck of a tuning for most any song or style, especially Hawaiian music ! Therefore Frank, go for it and geef 'em!

Hi Slick,

The toughest part, and it's only tough for a week, is adjusting the frets to where your majors are now going to be. I was quite intimidated to all of a sudden moving my G from the third fret to the 7th fret, but it's not as bad as what you're imagining. And it's for fun!!!!

Have a good time with the C6th.

Al<FONT SIZE=1 COLOR="#8e236b"><p align=CENTER>[This message was edited by Al Terhune on 03 March 2003 at 08:23 PM.]</p></FONT>

Here's a little hint that may or may not help you out.

Lower your E's on E9 to get a C6 chord on the first fret, then let off the E's to get back to open F on the first fret.

On C6, the 6th pedal is similar to the E lever in reverse. At the open fret, push the 6th pedal to get from C6 to F. If you think of it this way, you're only one fret from E9.

Hey Slick, sounds to me that you are starting the C6 neck early in life as compared to others ..good deal.

I too have been playing for many years, took some time off and returned only on the E9th neck but lately have been studying the C6 tuning, which is not a mystery, just a different tuning which requires a different approach.

I have two thoughts:

First is that Herby Wallace has what I beleive to be the most natural method of studying the C6 tuning, it starts with basic chord principles, positions and string grips and then moves to scales and positions of scales. To me this is the only way to study this tuning.

Second, take it slow, . Personally I still practice E9th material daily but have now added my lower neck chord building and major scales up and down the neck in several positions. I will do this for about a month before I even move on to minor and diminished scales. It's amazing what can happen even after a few days of repetition.

I did ask my good friend Joe Smith about alternate picking ( thumb and first finger ) for scales which is also a big part of playing this tuning.

I do have previous exposure to the C6 tuning but never really took the time to take a snapshot of it while I was playing, it was more like lucky guesses rather than understanding the structure of the tuning.

Good for you getting started, I am re-starting and feel pretty good about it.
( at 54 )

I have always approached Instruments ( Guitar type ) as I,IV, V Instruments and the C6 tuning is a natural for my method of madness.

Give Herby a call, his study is about the tuning, not the songs. I highly recommend it.

good luck
tp

I also am 64 years old and am undertaking the C6th adventure. I have played straight C6th for several years but not with pedals. I used to play a lot of western swing on C6th. I love the sound of C6th so am really looking forward to what is available with the pedals.
Erv

Now's the time to get to it guys! You'll never be this young again!

.<FONT SIZE=1 COLOR="#8e236b"><p align=CENTER>[This message was edited by Jeff Lampert on 04 March 2003 at 09:55 AM.]</p></FONT>

i discovered C6 3 years ago and after gettin'my first D10.
Well i just can't cut it loose. Too Hip !
i even prefer it to E9
Go for that C6 Wayne ! you won't regret it
(i'm 53)


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Steel what?

<FONT SIZE=1 COLOR="#8e236b"><p align=CENTER>[This message was edited by CrowBear Schmitt on 04 March 2003 at 10:08 AM.]</p></FONT>

Man,I'm glad I ain't the only senior out there. I love the C6th and there ain't enough mules to pull all the changes and chords from that great tuning. Emmons,
Chalker, Reese and many more are great listening . . Keep it up my friend, your gonna love it the more you mess with it.

Carl West
Emmons LaGrande

I'm with Crowbear. C6 is a gas. I play C6/A7 on lapsteel and love it. There are cool things you can do with it without pedals, and with pedals it's very powerfull. It's the E9 that's intimidating me a bit. but not TOO much.
I am getting myself a D-10 for my 47th birthday, never to late to start, and expect to be C6 friendly much sooner than E9.
So just go for it, times awastin'! <FONT SIZE=1 COLOR="#8e236b"><p align=CENTER>[This message was edited by David L. Donald on 04 March 2003 at 10:51 AM.]</p></FONT>

George,
I must be the youngster here at 51. I played professionally on the drums and made good money and was a pretty fair drummer. At 30 years old I was bored to death and if it hadn't been for the steel guitar I may have given up music altogether. I always said if it got to be a job or get boring I'd quit. I don't plan to let age stop me from anything I want to do. I throw all of the AARP stuff in the can outside and refuse to think that way. They used to have a saying in a factory I worked in during the 60's. Every time you'd have to go to a new job or learn something different they'd always say "You're never going to learn it any younger". Makes sense to me. I bird hunt, fly fish in raging waters and go duck hunting when it's damn cold. I just can't let that kind of minor stuff get in the way of me living the way I want to. When you give it up you die. How many people you see retire and die within the next year? I don't ever plan to retire period. I figure somewhere here in the next 5 years I'll stumble onto something new to play.

I'm 57. Does all this mean I have to wait 7 more years before I can start learning the C6 neck?

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I'm not fat! I'm horzontally enhanced!

Hey Wayne,
If you can score a copy of Tom Bradshaw's old Steel Guitarist Magazine there was an issue in which Buddy Emmons described playing in "pockets". I was playing the Univeral then and transposed them to the proper frets and worked on those for awhile. Although the 6th type playing has never been and probably never will be my favorite, those pockets really opened my mind about the ways to link things together on a C neck. The band I was playing in at the time did a couple of old things like "Kansas City" etc. I normally would just rock back and forth on the A & B pedals and do a little scale work here and there but when I got comfortable with the pocket concept I tried it on the bandstand one night by lowering my E's and just stayed within the framework and the band was really impressed. I like the sound of adding that low pitched string to the grips as it really fattens things up. Good luck on your trip to the "C"side and I hope you find your trip to be a pleasure. We're all behind you...JH

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Livin' in the Past and the Future with a 12 string Mooney Universal tuning.

I started playing C6th about 4 years ago (I'm 53). I don't play it a lot, but after a while I started to get the hang of it. I can get that western swing sound out of it pretty well now.

I'm a long ways from playing jazz on it, but it's still fun. Something different. I like challenging my brain.

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<small><img align=right src="http://b0b.com/b0b.gif" width="64" height="64">Bobby Lee - email: quasar@b0b.com - gigs - CDs
Sierra Session 12 (E9), Williams 400X (Emaj9, D6), Sierra Olympic 12 (C6add9), Sierra Laptop 8 (D13), Fender Stringmaster (E13, A6),
Roland Handsonic, Line 6 Variax

Hey Slick,

Why don't you just go for a Universal 12 stringer? You can get the best of both Steel worlds and some free-bees.

You already know how to play a bunch on a 12 stringer, since you play E9th and it would just extend your playing flexibility.

I've played either a 12 and 14 stringer since 1982. The first 3 months was toughest because of getting used to the string spacing, but I'd never go back, neither did Reece, Julian, Zane and others.

May GOD bless ya'll!

Woody
Rev. 12:11

Slick, I was 65 before my wife bought me an Emmons SD-10 / three and four. Had never owned a steel before. I started out with Buddys Expo E9th. I liked the sound of "This Cold War" so I started with it. For about three months it didn't sound much like "This Cold War". I was having trouble with my tone/sound when I read somewhere that the thumb HAD to be straight out and to curl my pick fingers under and pick the boogers out of them strings. It took another six months to learn that but after I got that down it was all up hill.

I now wish I had bought a D-10 so I to could try that C6th neck. So give it all you got and you'll pick it up. You already have a head start being able to play the E9th.

Bob