E7 (B D E G# B E) is good too, but no easy minor chords. You can use the same stings as the G6 if you want to try both.

After saying all that though since you're comfortable with C6 there's no reason that shouldn't work just fine. Being able to play major and minor triads and faking a dom7 is all you really need (C6/A7 maybe?).

Have fun!

I play A6th so maybe I'll try it down a step. E7th never did much for me. Ben Harper uses one tuning that's all roots & 5ths - power chords all the way.

The G tuning has more of a country sound sound than the D,but there's no problem getting dirty with the blues, which lay out just fine, except you won't have the tonic note on the first string. You'll have to slide up five frets to get that. If you stop along the way and pick strings 1&2 at the third fret, you've got a partial dom7th. When you get to the fifth fret, you're in position for the 4 chord.

For a partial minor, a forward slant on strings 1&2 or 4&5. You can also slide up three frets past that and pick strings 2&3 or 5&6 if you don't want to slant. I sometimes like to drop the high B to Bb for a partial minor tuning so that I can strum or get a fuller voicing. If I need a major chord it's on the bottom strings, or I'll choke the Bb up to B. Just some quick things without studying the tuning.

There, that's my whole repatoire

You can use these same positions on the D tuning, starting on the second string, as from there down, the intervals are the same.

[This message was edited by HowardR on 04 January 2003 at 04:35 PM.]

Like b0b says, C6 is great for soloing in rock tunes (minor pent). Just play "up 3 frets" for blues and rock. The 2 songs you mentioned however call for solos based on the major scale (or major pent).

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The gliss of a steel works nice with Now's the Time too.

     E6               E7
E------------------|--------------|
C----4-------------|--------------|
A----4------4------|--------------|
G----4------4------|--7-----------|
E-----------4------|--7-----------|
C#-----------------|--7-----------|
                     
 
     A6               A7
E------------------|---------------|
C----9-------------|---------------|
A----9------9------|---------------|
G----9------9------|--12-----------|
E-----------9------|--12-----------|
C#-----------------|--12-----------|
                     

     B6    (B9)      B7                  E
E---11------9------|--------------14--|------
C---11--11--9------|------------------|--16--
A-------11---------|-----------14-----|------
G------------------|--------14--------|--16-
E------------------|-----14-----------|--16-
C#-----------------|--14--------------|------

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[This message was edited by Doug Beaumier on 05 January 2003 at 09:27 AM.]

I play alto sax like bird, guitar and bottle neck like all the most popular guys. I've studied Dewitt Scott and Denny T's modal navigation for C6 and I use chord substitutions to pretty much get any extended chordal sound I need. I've reached the point on steel that I can play what ever I want in basic C6 tuning except hardcore bop.

JB's E13 tuning seems to be different than what other western swing players were using.What comparison can be made of this? It seems to me that JB's tunings facilitate being able to go from one tuning to another without being too restricted by the issue of string gauges.

"He who asks much, learns much" Thanks...

[This message was edited by Jesse Pearson on 05 January 2003 at 11:10 AM.]

The situation sounds familiar.

Often I play at parties and jams where it's a mix of old standards, swing, country and blues. I am pretty comfortable with C6, so that's what I keep the outside neck of my Stringmaster D8 tuned to.

The inside neck is usually a straight major chord with the tonic on top. Presently I'm using a seven string version of E major--just like high-bass Dobro tuning with a tonic added on top, but pitched to E rather than G.
IMHO a major chord tuning is hard to beat for blues and rock.

Having two necks available on the Stringmaster, I'm not faced with the choice you are having to make. I'd say if you really know that C6 well, use it. I have played a lot of blues on C6.

You could do fine with a major chord tuning also. As for minor chords, it is not necessary to play all three notes of the minor triad. You can always get notes of a minor chord in any major tuning because every major triad contains a minor third in the 3-5 interval. And of course, there are slants you can do. Or just let some other instrument play the minor third. Dobro players deal with the challenge every day.

All that said, the determining factor in how well you jam will likely be how well you know the tuning.

Have a great time. Let us know how it worked out.

Best,

Bob

[This message was edited by Bob Stone on 05 January 2003 at 11:11 AM.]

I don't know all the history of JB's tunings, but I agree with you that his tunings are easily "interchangable" using the same string gauges. Everything seems to be an offshoot of C6. For example, Jerry's B11 tuning is easily accessible from C6 without changing string gauges. So is the C6/A7 tuning mentioned above. The Leavitt tuning is also available with a couple flicks of the wrist off the C6 tuning .

JB created and first played the C6 tuning in 1937, so it makes sense that his other tunings would be based on C6. People have said that Jerry could change tunings between songs in about 3 seconds!

I use C6/A7 on my single 8, where I'm forced to choose one tuning to cover everything. On my quad stringmaster there are more options

I've never seen Jerry's instructional course, but it sounds like I'll have to pick up a copy ....looking for Scotty's number...

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My Site - Instruction | Doug's Free Tab | Steels and Accessories

1st G# .011
2nd E .014
3rd B .018
4th G# .020
5th E .032 wound
6th B .038 wound

If you do "finger pulls" you will find that this tuning works well with pulls on the 4th string, once you get the hang of it you can sound like a pedal steel with out the pedals. Try this tuning......you'll like it. Easy as pie!!

Happy picking!

Harry

[This message was edited by Harry Dietrich on 10 January 2003 at 09:55 PM.]

The open G isn't gonna help you much for Reggee if you don't know how to play your scales in this tuning. Open D is kinda hard to play off the top of your head period. I've made a few bucks with both of these tunings over the years and they always work.

Andy knows C6th tuning realy well, scales and chords. There are a number of tunings very close to C6th that one can go to fast. I played "friend of the devil" on a C6th 6 stringer and it kicks ass! Alot of reggee is simply A minor to G major kinda stuff. Thats gonna be hard to do in Open G or D if your not real hip to those tunings. C6th on the other hand sounds killer diller.

Cindy, I think I'm getting your C6th tapes for my birthday in Febuary! I wish you had a web site for your student's and fans. All I know about you (besides your music) is you grew up in Woodstock New York, hey isn't HowardR from New York?...NEW YORK City!
By the way, I hope HowardR and Cindy Cashdollar where talking about Open G (low to high DGDGBD) and not the High G tuning (GBDGBD), Cause I was talking about Open G and not High G, which means we were talking about two different things. O.K? Thanks..

[This message was edited by Jesse Pearson on 10 January 2003 at 11:06 AM.]

[This message was edited by Jesse Pearson on 10 January 2003 at 11:10 AM.]

I was at a jam last nite that that went from Hank Sr. thru Waylon to Neil Young, Dylan, Ventures, Eagles, Eric Clapton, Blue Rodeo & the Red Hot Chili Peppers (whoever the hell that is!). My C-6th stood me really well for about 85% of the material. Up here, we dont have such a big population so ya have to be willin' to play just about anything!

Bobby's comment is well-taken: The rock stuff in 'A' is less tidy on the C-6 neck. So I schlep a Supro along in open 'E' for the 12-bar stuff & the odd straight rock tune in E or A. Sorta the poor man's dual neck!

I lower the high E sometimes for some stuff & lower the G# for minor blues (Sonny Landreth does this alot {Broken-Hearted Road, Shootin' the Moon etc}).

If I had a triple-neck, my 3rd tuning would be some kind 'A'13 or 'A'6th maybe. I played bottleneck in low-base 'G' in my previous life. It was great for self-accompaniment on Delta stuff, but I prefer the 6-th tuning or open 'E/' for playing in a band.

[This message was edited by Zayit on 09 January 2003 at 10:18 AM.]

     C6            F7           G7         C
E---------------|-------------|----------|-12
C----12--12-----|--12--12-----|--14--14--|-12
A----12--12-----|--12--12-----|--14--14--|---
G---------------|-------------|----------|-12
E----12--12-----|--11--11-----|--13--13--|---
C---------------|-------------|----------|--- 
                     
 
     C6            F9            G7        C6
E----12--12-----|--15--15-----|----------|---
C----12--12-----|--15--15-----|--14--14--|-12
A----12--12-----|-------------|--14--14--|-12
G---------------|--14--14-----|----------|---
E---------------|-------------|--13--13--|-12
C---------------|-------------|----------|--- 

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[This message was edited by Doug Beaumier on 12 January 2003 at 04:55 PM.]

G aug               G dim        G9
     
E-----7---------|-------------|----------|--
C-----7---------|-----7-------|----9-----|--
A-----6---------|-----7-------|----8-----|--
G---------------|-----6-------|----------|--
E---------------|-------------|----7-----|--
C---------------|-------------|----------|-- 
                     
 
     E7             E7          G7 or Em       
E----12---------|-------------|----12----|--
C---------------|----8--------|----11----|--
A----11---------|-------------|----10----|--
G---------------|----9--------|----------|--
E----10---------|----10-------|----------|--
C---------------|-------------|----------|--