Another C6?

[John Harmon]

Morning, a little about me, almost 78, playing non-pedal for a few years and little to no music theory. Now I've often heard C6 is the most versatile tuning of all, can someone tell why? It's close to most 6 tunings and I just wonder what makes it "better". I have tuned my A6 neck to C6 to go through Mike's lessons but at my age would you try to learn a new tuning? Thanks for your help as always, John

[Mike Neer]

John, I can only speak to my preferences, but the reason I regard C6 as the "better" choice is more about the timbre of the strings, particularly with regard to pitches. I find that having a plain steel A string in C6th (which is the 6th) and a wound G (the 5th) together have a brighter and more useful timbre for playing melodies and voice leading with harmonies. That is purely subjective, as many others choose A6.

Another important reason for me is being able to have 6ths available with the E string (the E and G strings together, like on standard guitar tuning). This is the one of the subjects of my latest episode of A Different Slant, "6th Sense."

If you are vexed by C6, try this: remove the E string (1st string) from your A6 neck--you will now have essentially the same tuning as C6, just 3 semitones lower. What I prefer is to have the 3rd of the tuning on top so I can add the 5th of the tuning to the bottom of an 8-string. It is extremely rich for chordal work and allows me to get some root position major triads and dominant chords with slanting (I can get an A major triad the same as in A6 tuning open strings 6-5-4)

[Michael Kiese]

Aloha John,

Bottom line up front: C6 and A6 are the same tuning, just 3 frets apart. The EASIEST and most PRAGMATIC course of action for you is to get two 8 string lap steels, and string one up in A6 and the other in C6. They'll play exactly the same way, but together, they put all the common key signatures in all the most comfortable postions (5th fret, 7th fret, and 12th fret).

If you want to stick with only ONE steel guitar and it's a 6 string, you can go between C6, A6, and B11 with ease without messing up string tension. There's a lifetime of joy and happiness playing steel with a 6 string steel and going between C6, A6, and B11. It's a bit of a challenge, but very doable and enjoyable.

Bobby Ingano is a good friend and mentor of mine. He plays EVERYTHING with on C6 with a high G using a 7 string steel, which yields the same layout as a 6 string A6. He can even play Sand (a well known tune in B11) on C6 with a high G (which plays exactly like six string A6). Bobby has tried many other tunings, and he keeps to C6 for 95% of what he plays. Sometimes he'll play in B11 for specific tunes. But he's such a pragmatist and he just figured out how to do everything he needs to on C6.

So it's really up to you.

I personally deeply believe C6 should be treated as a universal tuning for steel guitar. Everything you need is on it, and you don't have to jump around to get all the most important chords you'd need.

Whatever you do, I DO NOT recommend messing around with E9, E13, A7, D9, etc. Those tunings are rabbit holes, explore them at your own risk. lol. After studying Jerry Byrds transcriptions, all of his alternate tunings had elements of C6 in them, and he primarily kept to those C6 like strings and only utilized the changed strings in one or two small sections of each song. They just gave him a nice chord cadence or chord voicing for one little part of the song. So those dominant tunings are pretty limiting in my opinion. The trade off is not worth it.

I'm sure people will disagree, but those alternate tunings are more hassle than they are worth. They're rabbit holes worth exploring if you have the time and inclination. But you'll be performing music much quicker if you just stick to C6 or A6.

You can get everything you need on C6. Bobby Ingano is proof of that.

Whatever path you choose to go, all that matters is that you enjoy it.

Enjoy!

[John Harmon]

Thanks guys I appreciate the answers, seems like personal preference is the key. I'm glad to find that out. Now back to my lessons. John

[D Schubert]

Seems that I remember reading that some six- and eight-string players would choose Bb6 tuning (rather than A6 or C6) for their particular band situation, particularly if they played in a lot of "horn" keys.