C6 right foot question

Michael Haselman · Post by **Michael Haselman** » 25 Jan 2025 6:32 pm

Going through Buddy's Basic C6 book. Lots of great info in that little book! So, did Buddy always use right foot foot on pedals 7 and 8? Going through Right Or Wrong and there's one lick that uses 5 and 7, so you obviously need both feet. He doesn't address that in the book.

scott murray · Post by **scott murray** » 25 Jan 2025 8:50 pm

it sure seems that way in the videos I'm looking at. Buddy had no problem taking his foot off the volume pedal for extended periods.

Little Darlin

King of the Road

B. Bowman Hop

Ron Hogan · Post by **Ron Hogan** » 26 Jan 2025 8:06 am

In my years of playing, I got into that habit of using that technique. Now I do it without even thinking. It comes naturally. Jimmy Day did the same thing. I use it just for pedals 7&8.

Michael Haselman · Post by **Michael Haselman** » 26 Jan 2025 8:53 am

Thanks! And thanks for those links, a reminder of the greatness that we lost. May have to get some pointier toed shoes!

Ron Hogan · Post by **Ron Hogan** » 26 Jan 2025 9:20 am

Look at time code 25:12
You’ll see a young Emmons with both feet.

https://youtu.be/MH3-nWbE_WU

Nathan Golub · Post by **Nathan Golub** » 26 Jan 2025 11:20 am

Do you use your right foot exclusively for pedals 7 & 8? Or sometimes use your left foot to hit one or both of the pedals furthest to the right? Assuming it's not a combination like 5 & 7. It sort of looks like Buddy keeps his right foot over 7 & 8 and his left over 5 & 6, which seems like it'd make things easier to keep track of.

scott murray · Post by **scott murray** » 26 Jan 2025 11:32 am

I've got 10 pedals, that's 7 on C6, and it just depends. sometimes I keep my right foot on the volume and use the left foot exclusively on the pedals. but most often I've got the volume set where I want it and use my right foot on 10, 9, and sometimes 8 (which I still think of as 8,7,6)

but depending on the combination of pedals, my right foot will go all the way over to pedal 6 (4) when my left foot is working 4&5 together

Michael Haselman · Post by **Michael Haselman** » 26 Jan 2025 11:35 am

Actually in the first few lessons I used my left foot for 7 and 8. Then when he introduced the 7-5 combo in Sentimental Journey, well, you have to use both feet. So now I'm going to start with right foot always on 7 and 8.

Joe A. Roberts · Post by **Joe A. Roberts** » 27 Jan 2025 12:49 pm

Pedal 5 and 7 give the Noel Boggs non-pedal E13th tuning on strings 2-10 (but a step lower in D).

To avoid two footing that change there have been a few solutions:

1. Some put P7 on a knee lever, which can then be played w/ P5 at the same time. This is maybe the worst option.

2. Others put P6 on a lever, so the gap is bridged with P5 and P7.

3. Others still put P5 on a lever. With this you could not only play P5 and P7 at the same time, but P5,P6, and P7 which Buddy and others sometimes do.

4. On Maurice Anderson's universal Bb6th tuning he has a half-stop on the left-knee-going-right that lowers (in terms of C6th) the G string to F# and then F.
Lowering the G to F is a popular change you see on peoples C6th copedent, but having a half-stop there also gives it the dual use of being like P5 w/o the bottom 2 strings.
Johnny Cox had that half-stop change on his C6th CKL before he developed and switched over to his universal tuning.

If I had a C6th with 5 levers, I would have Buddy's 4 levers, but with the Bb on a left knee vertical, and then on the CKL I would try that half stop change, perhaps also raising 10 to D on it.

Ron Hogan · Post by **Ron Hogan** » 28 Jan 2025 12:39 pm

Nathan Golub wrote:Do you use your right foot exclusively for pedals 7 & 8? Or sometimes use your left foot to hit one or both of the pedals furthest to the right? Assuming it's not a combination like 5 & 7. It sort of looks like Buddy keeps his right foot over 7 & 8 and his left over 5 & 6, which seems like it'd make things easier to keep track of.

Yes…I use my right foot exclusively.

David Wren · Post by **David Wren** » 28 Jan 2025 3:26 pm

So, I just updated my suggested copedent for a new Williams U12. I put pedals 5 and 6 on opposing knee levers (middle LKR for 5, RKL for 6).

I'll let folks know how this works out.

Ian Rae · Post by **Ian Rae** » 28 Jan 2025 4:25 pm

I do as some others do and put P6 on a lever so that 5&7 are together. I also have just one component of P8, namely the 7th string raise to C#, on the centre vertical. Thus I have eliminated two-footing and 578 is very easy.
I have a full P8 also but I could live without it.

Donny Hinson · Post by **Donny Hinson** » 30 Jan 2025 1:17 pm

I started out with P5 on a knee lever (a trick I got from Stu Basore back in 1966), and I wouldn't be without it as it eliminates 90% of the two-footing required on C6th. The C6th styles I like most are from Chalker and Murphy, but I'll admit my real epiphany on understanding C6th was Buddy's "Steel Guitar Jazz" album. That showed me how much could really be played using a simple 5+1 setup. The 10-string C6th is really an amazing tuning.

This cut by "Murph" is also fantastic:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ce9w39u4KkQ

Joe A. Roberts · Post by **Joe A. Roberts** » 30 Jan 2025 1:54 pm

Some more just awesome Big Jim Murphy on C6th (backing singers)... you can really hear the Chalker influence:
Carl Smith - Red Door (1971)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S3VE07q4yq0
Josie Brown - Crazy
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jdUww0Wi2YA

Roger Rettig · Post by **Roger Rettig** » 30 Jan 2025 1:56 pm

I'll toss my hat in the ring:

I have found it easier to right-foot P8. I can 'find' 5,6,7 easily with my left foot.

I put P4 (As to Bs) on my MKV; much of what is achieved with 5 and 7 can be accessed with P5 and my MKV; it gives to the 5-13th chord (G13 at the 5th fret) resolving to the root chord.

My P4 raises 10 and 6 to D and F respectively.

And yes: stylistically, C6 is less dependent upon constant manipulation of the volume pedal.

PS: Treat my thoughts for what they're worth - I'm several leagues behind the really good players on C6th - but I'm still striving!

Joe A. Roberts · Post by **Joe A. Roberts** » 30 Jan 2025 2:01 pm

Roger, that is indeed another valid, interesting option that I didn't think of for my list above... with a D on string 1, having P4 on a lever basically gets you to the 5+7 combo, but with the benefit of also being able to include P6.
Oh the option anxiety!

Roger Rettig · Post by **Roger Rettig** » 30 Jan 2025 3:07 pm

Exactly, Joe.

Ricky Davis · Post by **Ricky Davis** » 30 Jan 2025 3:30 pm

This is how Big Jim Murphy likes all his pedal steels set up; as I did that for him his last years here in Texas before he passed.
BRILLIANT PLAYABLE MURPH SET-UP
(look right at ped4 ; pedal 5...yeehaa)

Ricky

Ian Rae · Post by **Ian Rae** » 30 Jan 2025 4:01 pm

Joe speaks of option anxiety - it's like buyer's remorse ahead of time. I thought an extra pair of headphones might be handy, but I gave up looking because there's too much choice...

Steve Mueller · Post by **Steve Mueller** » 31 Jan 2025 7:50 am

i started out playing C6 with both feet as there was really very little in the way of instruction on what you "should" do at that time. Eventually, I figured out how to use the 3rd string lower to B(RKL) with pedal 5 and 1st string D for that. I still slip back and use both feet occasionally.

J D Sauser · Post by **J D Sauser** » 9 Feb 2025 2:29 pm

Playing pedals 7&5 or even 5, 6 & 7 (maybe even adding a splitted A-string lower, all requires both feet on a typical “standard” setup.
(One more reason I put the P6 change on RKL on my steels. )
These are the only instances I have seen BE use his right foot.
He played pedal 7 or 8 ALONE with his left foot, just like most everybody.

I believe Joaquin Mufphy had at one point in time a setup with a widly separated set of 2 pedals out on the right which suggests that he played with both feet dedicated to each a set of pedals. Which didn’t make the guitar look prettier, but I feel is a concept I am surprised no one else seemed to have swung around.

… JD.