This is archived information from "Ask Buddy!" The only things I edited out were the "Hi, Buddy!" and " so and so says, hello!" type messages.  I fixed a few mis-spelled words here and there, (not all of them...) but the content is the same.  If there was any information being passed back and forth, it has been included.

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Question Archive 3

  1. Pockets
  2. MPX-1
  3. The Zone
  4. Diatonic Tunings
  5. Tempered Tuning
  6. Steel Guitar C6
  7. Old Session 400 settings
  8. 13k
  9. S'Wonderful
  10. Preparing for the Midnight Jamboree
  11. Finger Picks
  12. Steel Guitar Jazz Album
  13. 3rd string buzz
  14. ET tune I Cried A Tear
  15. Woodshedding
  16. Ironic
  17. Your sound on 'Blue Eyes'
  18. Tone Notch
  19. C# in octaves
  20. Your wrist
  21. New LeGrande III
  22. Midnite Jamboree
  23. Carter pickups
  24. Four rows of black derbys

Pockets

From: Tom Stolaski
Date: 04 Mar 2002
When your are playing in what you call "Pockets", are you thinking in terms of major or minor scales or is it a mode thing?

From: Buddy
Date: 05 Mar 2002
Pockets are locations on the fretboard containing notes that relate to a certain chord, but not necessary exclusive to one chord. One C6 pocket of this type uses strings one through nine on the seventh fret and covers C, C# minor seven flat five, D7, E minor, E 7 #9, A minor, or A7th chords. Some are easily adaptable to scale notes and some are modal, but I generally think of pockets as points of reference.

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MPX1

From: Tommy Dodd
Date: 05 Mar 2002
Buddy, When I saw you a few years back with the Everlys I think you were using a Lexicon MPX1 for reverb and delay. Can you tell me your opinions of that unit compared to todays multi-effect units out and if you still use the Lexicon for sessions/gigs? Thanks, and we miss you "out there"!!! Tommy D./Hotlanta, Ga.

From: Buddy
Date: 06 Mar 2002
The MPX-1 doesn't have the warmth of other units because of its lack of an EQ in the system. If anything, it adds an annoying edge on the high end. It's a great piece of equipment but probably works best in an effects loop. I'm no longer doing sessions or gigs of any kind except for Johnny Bush this coming Saturday night, and that's because it was hard to turn down an ex Cherokee band member. Good hearing from you Tommy.

From: Buddy
Date: 14 Mar 2002
Tommy: The unit I was referring in my initial reply is a Lexicon reverb/delay processor I purchased before the MPX1. I do like the MPX1and am still using it. It has several effects pitch type effects, such as panning, chorus, Flanger, Phaser, Rotary Cabinet, etc., but the memory doesn't allow as many combinations as some other multi effect units. In spite of that, it's a premier piece of equipment with the three features most important to me: clean reverbs, delays, and EQ system. My apologies for the error.

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The Zone

From: Stretch
Date: 05 Mar 2002
Hi, E. Just wondering how often it would occur for you when playing that you would find yourself in "the zone", you know, that special place where, when it's over you say to yourself, "I don't know how I did that, but I know it was good!" I'm sure you know what I mean. Cheers, Stretch

From: Buddy
Date: 07 Mar 2002
It's a once in a great while experience and takes a lot of variables coming together at the same time, but when it happens, I can do no wrong. I think you've been there too but if it's any consolation, it doesn't come any easier for me.

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Diatonic tunings

From: Bobby Lee
Date: 05 Mar 2002
Hi Buddy. I was wondering if you ever experimented with scale tunings. What do you think of the idea of having a full diatonic scale across the strings? Thanks Ernie for the great site. -b0b-

From: Buddy
Date: 06 Mar 2002
The closest I ever got was with a G tuning I used on one song in an old Jeannie Sealy album. From the top the notes were G, F#, E, D, B, A, G, F, D, G. Scales, arpeggios, and two note intervals worked well but it was awkward playing triads on the first, fourth and fifth strings. I liked it for recording because it went to tape exceptionally well and every note was clean and almost effortless to play on any part of the neck.

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Tempered Tuning

From: Bob Carlson
Date: 06 Mar 2002
Hi Buddy: About six months ago I started just using a tempered tuning and now I wonder why I didn't four years ago. I use the one that came with the Emmons guitar. Do you use a tempered tuning? Thank you Buddy. Bob.

From: Buddy
Date: 07 Mar 2002
I tempered my tuning until 1985. Since then I've been using equal tempered tuning, or as equal as the physics of the guitar will allow.

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Steel Guitar C6

From: bill sutton
Date: 06 Mar 2002
I want to learn how to play the C6 i already have your basic C6 course but I don’t understand the Nashville number system are there any way you can help me please DESPERATE THANK YOU

From: Buddy
Date: 07 Mar 2002
Each number represents a chord. If you're in the key of C, the C chord is 1, the D chord is 2, E, is 3, F is 4, G is 5, A is 6, and B is 7. A song like Your Cheatin' Heart in C has two bars of C, two of F, two of G, and back to C for two bars. In number form it would read: 1 1 4 4 5 5 1 1. When sharps or flats are involved, such as Bb, you write a 7 and add a b behind it and it will read: 7b. A minor chord would be a number followed with a dash and would read 2-. The advantage of the number system is that you can use numbers 1 through 7 to represent any key, so the above numbers would apply to E, A, or any other key. It can get more complicated and would take a lot of space to explain, but these are the basics.

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Old Session 400 settings

From: Dennis Detweiler
Date: 07 Mar 2002
Buddy...do you remember your approximate settings on the old session 400 amp? I'm especially interested in your mid and shift settings. Thanks Dennis

From: Buddy
Date: 07 Mar 2002
On my original Session 400, the mid was 10 o'clock and the shift, two o'clock.

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13k

From: Larry Behm
Date: 07 Mar 2002
Buddy I have a 66 PP with 13k pickups in it, would this be original equipment? Was there a standard, I have seen 13's, 16's, 18.5 etc.

From: Buddy
Date: 07 Mar 2002
It's probably an original pickup. For some reason, I always thought I had 16s on the guitar I used for the Touch My Heart album, but I wouldn't be surprised to find out they were 13s. I sold the guitar to Dickie Overby, so he would be the only person that would know, but I doubt that he ever measured them. There were standards, but they changed when a few of the players and the Emmons company started fixing things that weren't broke.

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Tune: S'Wonderful?

From: Bobby R Boggs
Date: 07 Mar 2002
Buddy there's and effect you use on many of the swing tunes that you and Ray cut. This is a rich, fat, kinda velvety sound. A good example is the tune S'Wonderful. I'm trying to write a patch that will match what you used. So far I've added chorus and pitch shift set for tonic of course. To the RV and DL. I know you used a different processor. I'm using a Roland GP-100.I'm I on the wrong road by trying to use the pitch shift? Thank you Buddy for your time. Also thanks to Ernie for a great site. --bb

From: Buddy
Date: 07 Mar 2002
Bobby: There was no special effect on the steel sound other than EQ. I used a Derby guitar on the album, which is a bit darker in the mid range; so that may account for the fatter sound. After listening to it, it sounds like I boosted the presence to help cut through the mids.

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Preparing for the Midnight Jamboree?

From: Frank Estes
Date: 07 Mar 2002
Buddy, How are you preparing for this Saturday night gig? I assume you are given a list of songs in advance and maybe a tape or CD? Thank you.

From: Buddy
Date: 07 Mar 2002
I did get a tape and play list but I haven't played in six months so it's going to be a crap shoot. Looks like I picked a hell of a time to test the water.

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Finger Picks

From: Gary Morrison
Date: 07 Mar 2002
Buddy: In the mid 60's, did you ever place finger picks on the rods of your guitars?

From: Buddy
Date: 07 Mar 2002
That is an affirmative.

From: Dave Birkett
Date: 07 Mar 2002
Buddy, how long does it take you to get a new set of finger picks to feel right? Thanks.

From: Buddy
Date: 08 Mar 2002
I have more of a problem with the pick surface than I have adjusting to the band around the finger. I just shaped a new set of old style National finger picks last night and in a minute or so, they were feeling good. The old style picks have a contoured dish in them that offers a more uniform surface against the strings. The new ones are almost flat and have a scraping feel if your fingers are not perpendicular to the strings, or at least they feel that way to me. My hand sets at an angle, so the contoured dish works best.

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Steel Guitar Jazz Album

From: Larry Miller
Date: 07 Mar 2002
What guitar and Amp did you use to record this album? Did the band rehearse before putting it to tape? How did the New York musicians take to the sound of the steel guitar? "Bluemmons" is my favorite! Thanks, Larry

From: Buddy
Date: 08 Mar 2002
I used a Sho~Bud guitar and a Standel amp with a twelve-inch speaker. We ran the tunes down to get familiar with them before going to tape. The musicians didn't know what to think about the pedal steel, as most of them had never seen one before. I recall them filing by and looking at it as if it were some sort of relic in an antique store. I didn't bring charts to the session, and when we ran out of tunes everybody knew, I made up a blues melody off the top of my head. We recorded it and I named it Bluemmons.

From: Dirk B
Date: 11 Mar 2002
Buddy, The liner notes to your steel guitar jazz album suggest that you were unhappy or uncomfortable with the recording circumstances, but if so, it doesn't come across on tape! If your ride on "Cherokee" was not recorded under optimal circumstances, I can't imagine how much better you would have played if you were really comfortable! If you wish to do so, could you perhaps talk a bit more about the session; how did you feel while playing; how was the interaction with the other players, etc.?

From: Buddy
Date: 11 Mar 2002
My discomfort was through a series of small events. I had planned to fly commercial but Ray Price was making a trip to New York City and offered to take me in his small plane. He said to travel light, so I took a Standel amp with a 12" speaker. When I set up, I couldn't find a warm sound for chords without distorting the amp, so I ended up with ear splitting highs. I made it clear to Quincy Jones up front that I knew nothing about reading music and couldn't do the album if it required it. So, I called off the list of tunes he had sent me and found the musicians weren't familiar with the changes to some of them, so we had to come up with tunes we all knew. Also, Quincy had to fly to Paris and they subbed a producer by the name of Hal Mooney. I felt that had Quincy been there, he could have supplied charts that would have gotten me through the tunes I had taken time to learn. Hal Mooney was a producer and was married to Kay Starr at some time, but that was about the only thing I respected him for. He got hot under the collar and said, "Why in the hell don't you have charts for these tunes." My response was, "These tunes were picked for me. Why in the hell didn't you hire somebody that knew them." Because of that and a few other things, including it being my first exposure to the city and its attitude, I was ready to go home the first hour. I knew when we came to the tune "Any Time," we had scraped the bottom of the barrel. It was after Any Time, that I came up with Bluemmons and put us all out of our misery. I got along well with Art Davis and Bobby Scott, and if it wasn't for Bobby's consideration, I might have eased over the edge.

From: Dirk B
Date: 11 Mar 2002
I'm not sure how to ask this, but... were the other musicians respectful and impressed with you? It's hard to imagine them not taking notice of the boy from Indiana who could play the Hell out of that contraption, despite the circumstances.

From: Buddy
Date: 11 Mar 2002
Jerome Richardson was fairly receptive to what was going on but Charlie Persip was a bit on the cool side. I guess if I had played drums for Dizzy Gillespie, I would have been cool too. :-) Knowing he worked with Dizzy didn't make things any easier.

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3rd string buzz

From: Carlton Day
Date: 07 Mar 2002
Buddy, my Sho~Bud LDG emits a slight 3rd string buzz on 1st fret. Didn't notice my PP Emmons doing that. If I bear down on the bar, the chord is a bit sharp. Is there a "shallower" grooved nut roller for use on the 3rd? Thanks for any advice you may offer.

From: Buddy
Date: 08 Mar 2002
There's a remote possibility a shallower nut roller can be found, but being on the third string, it's unlikely Sho~Bud would offer it. I don't know about today, but most manufactures used to use the same depth in the nut up to a point and then increase it for the wound strings. If that still applies, this may be a job for a machinist.

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ET tune I Cried A Tear

From: CECIL OUDERKIRK
Date: 09 Mar 2002
Buddy; What tuning did you use on the Ernest Tubb tune, I Cried A Tear? I think it was 1959. Good luck to night have fun I’m going too be listing wouldn’t miss it for the world. Sorry about your wrist hope it will get better! Cecil

From: Buddy
Date: 09 Mar 2002
It was the E9th tuning.

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Woodshedding

From: Dirk B
Date: 11 Mar 2002
I have been trying to learn jazz on pedal steel for a couple of years and have bumped up my practice time to almost 2 hrs/day, but it is clearly a "long row to hoe." How many hours did you play/practice when you were a teenager and a young man? I imagine the young Buddy Emmons sitting down at the guitar all day, and into the night, until you nailed the runs you were trying for... breaking only for food & water, maybe the occasional beer... What kind of (non-performing) hours did you put in as a young player?

From: Buddy
Date: 11 Mar 2002
You pretty much covered my early practice days. I don't recall what I did during the non-practice times except bicycle over to Mishawaka, a nearby town, and stand outside a couple of bars and listen to the bands. In other words, if I wasn't playing, I was listening. I later found that the best way to keep from becoming frustrated was to tape, for better or for worse, my first attempt at something I wanted to learn. Then when I felt I was getting nowhere, I'd play the tape back and be pleasantly surprised at the progress I had made. From there, I taped each progression for comparison. It kept me from throwing the towel in several times.

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Ironic

From: Ernie Hagar
Date: 11 Mar 2002
It’s ironic that taping kept you from "throwing in the towel." Taping your playing makes many players want to "throw in the towel!"

From: Buddy
Date: 11 Mar 2002
Thanks Ernie. That's the nicest thing I've heard all day. :~)

(I just liked this one.)

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Your sound on 'Blue Eyes'

From: Sam Minnitti
Date: 11 Mar 2002
Hello Buddy, You are so kind to provide such thoughtful answers to all the questions you get asked. Mine is regarding your beautifully LUSH sound that you used on your studio recording of Blue Eyes. Do you recall what your setup was for that date? Also, was that in C6 or E9? Most Sincerely, Sam Minnitti NYC

From: Buddy
Date: 11 Mar 2002
The steel was a Sierra using a slight detune effect and recorded direct from my rack to the console.

From: Sam Minnitti
Date: 11 Mar 2002
Buddy, Thank you so much for your reply. That is very interesting that a detune effect was used. Would it be too pushy for me to ask what other effects made up your rack at the time that would have contributed to the ‘lushness’? I would think reverb, and maybe delay? Respectfully, Sam Minnitti

From: Buddy
Date: 11 Mar 2002
I used a combination of delay and the slight low level detune effect. Any reverb would have been added during the mixdown.

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Tone Notch

From: Dennis Detweiler
Date: 11 Mar 2002
On nearly every amp, especially the old 400s, each tone control seems to have a breaking point... a spot that the control/tone breaks drastically withing an eight inch sweep left or right. From that point do you usually break left or right of that mark? Eg..on the old 400s the mid seems to break around 8 or 9 o'clock, shift around noon, bass around 3 o'clock, etc. I have two 400s and both are identical in this respect. Maybe I'm nuts? Also...You are and always will be top dog. Seems like there's this gap between you and everyone under it. No one ever bridges that space no matter how hard they try. Many try to do it with speed, like ramping that space, and end up with broken bones. Nice liftoff though! :)

From: Buddy
Date: 12 Mar 2002
It's been a while since I've played through an old session, but on the later amps, the mid and shift controls at 12 o'clock represent a flat setting. You can move the shift when the mid is flat and not hear much difference in the sound. It's only when you move the mid control first that you see a more pronounced change in the shift because you're shifting frequencies at the cut or boosted mid positions. Where you set the mids will determine to what degree the shift affects them, so I always leave the shift flat, set the mids, and then thicken them up a bit with the shift by turning it to the right. From there, I use the plus or minus side of each control to fine tune for the warmth I'm looking for. For the bass control, I set it just beyond the breaking point but not enough to make the bottom end too woofy. I used a new setting on the Midnight Jamboree, March 9th, that had the mid at around 9 o'clock and the shift at 3 o'clock, but I was using a MatchBox that thins the high mids out considerably. Without it, the sound would have been too dark or muddy. I'll be listening to the archive of the show to see how it went to tape. I liked the part about the liftoff. :)

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C# in octaves

From: John Swain
Date: 11 Mar 2002
Buddy, in one of your "Swing" tab books your copedant has both Cs on C6 pulling to C# on RKR. This with pedal 5 makes a nice 6th inversion. You don't often do this so what are the "cons". Thanks. JS

From: Buddy
Date: 12 Mar 2002
I had the single C raise on the top only for a while but have recently added it to the bottom. The one and only con regarding the double raise, which is an old theory I had, is that raising the bottom C when using it with pedal five, interfered with the 5th note of the ninth chord. Today I prefer the double raise because it extends the C6 chord to eight notes and is still compatible with the 5th pedal, the difference being that it's now a ninth with an augmented 5th.

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Your wrist

From: Carl Johnson
Date: 11 Mar 2002
Buddy, how did your wrist hold up Saturday night?

From: Buddy
Date: 12 Mar 2002
I played it reasonable safe and used a lot of the closer grips, so there wasn't too much discomfort. There were a few clinkers though, which I shall blame on being a bit gun shy from not having played in six months. I've developed a lazy thumb, so I've got to get to work on that. Of course staring at fifty steel players in front of me had little to do with it. Now that I've used all the excuses I can think of, to be totally honest with you, I did much better than I thought I would. :)

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New LeGrande III

From: Jeff Coffell
Date: 11 Mar 2002
I'm considering a new Emmons LeGrande III. I've been playing steel for about 18 months, took top gun from Newman. I have a Zum now and love the feel but don't like the tone. Would you buy a new Emmons? I had a LeGrande II and sold it. Big mistake.

From: Buddy
Date: 12 Mar 2002
I have two Legrande lll models. I prefer the Emmons push pull sound but find the advantages of the all pull mechanism make up for the slight difference in the sound of the two guitars. Both models cut well; I just bleed a bit more on the push pull.

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Midnite Jamboree

From: sylo447@msn.com
Date: 12 Mar 2002
Buddy, We attended the Midnite Jamboree on March 9 when you appeared with JB. We were told by someone in the audience that you were considering giving up playing based on your performance at the Jamboree. My husband plays steel and we have been avid fans of yours for 25 years and we are interested in how you feel about your performance at the Jamboree. We sincerely hope that you are going to continue to play. We drove down from Illinois to Nashville for the Jamboree and it was well worth the trip down. We would do it again in a heartbeat. Sincerely fans from Illinois

From: Buddy
Date: 12 Mar 2002
I wasn't all that happy with my performance, but it's normal for me to be tense and hit a few clinkers when I haven't worked in a while. It was that way with sessions and the same for the first day or two of an Everly tour, because when I'm not working, I stop playing my pedal steel and do most of my practicing on a 12-string guitar. I don't remember doing anything bad enough to warrant my heading for the hills, so I'll probably woodshed a bit more and continue to accept those occasional jobs I feel I'd be most comfortable playing. I appreciate your sincerity and hope to see you next time.

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Carter pickups

From: John Swain
Date: 12 Mar 2002
I was told you field tested some Carter D10s for Bud. Which pus did you like for the two necks and what pu did you decide on for the S12 you now have. Thx JS

From: Buddy
Date: 12 Mar 2002
I field tested two or three Carter guitars but they all were equipped with the George L E-66 pickup. The company did send an extra pickup for my S-12 but I haven't put it on because I'm happy with the E-66.

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Four rows of black derbys

From: C. Day
Date: 12 Mar 2002
Hi again Buddy. I saw a friend of mine today here in Owensboro who said he was at the jamboree Sat nite, and he said it looked like the first 4 rows were all wearing black derbys. I wish I had been among em. Anyway, he said you played super well. I told him about your hurting right wrist, and he said no one would've ever known it. I just thought you might like to know.

From: Buddy
Date: 13 Mar 2002
Thanks to Smiley Roberts, I looked up and saw fifty derby hats looking back at me and like to have lost it. Smiley is a long time friend who has expressed his friendship to me in many different ways over the years, but I must say he pegged the meter Saturday night. Please thank your friend for me for helping make Saturday night one that I'll never forget.

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Copyright © 2002  Ernie Renn/Buddy Emmons. All rights reserved.
Revised: August 02, 2015