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Topic: Heart... Hughey... and a hornet’s nest... maybe |
Michael Douchette
From:
Gallatin, TN (deceased)
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Posted 28 Nov 2007 6:00 pm |
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The passing of my dear friend and our hero John and all the wonderful memories of him have put me in a thought provoking state of mind of late; I’m going to air an opinion here. It is simply my opinion, and it may stir a hornet’s nest of responses... or it may quietly sit as an unanswered thread, eventually disappearing off the first page and languish in the ever growing abyss of back pages we are amassing.
(Let me say, this is NOT going where it will first sound like it is going, so please do not begin requesting an effigy of me be set ablaze at the next ISGC.)
Listening to "Just Destroyed The World" several times, and reading the comments, and hearing the legendary Eddie Stubbs talk about it as a master class in steel guitar... (this is where you start looking for the matches, but trust me...) Folks, it’s a scale. At it’s most basic element, it’s a scale. Now, that is NOT the point.
Here is the heart of the matter. That solo, and so many solos by John and the great players in the "early days" have such emotion and feeling running through their veins. These are the things that brought our attention to this wonderful instrument. After hearing passages like this, and savoring them, gleaning the heart and soul of the efforts that made them...
I hear the "young bucks," not necessarily young either, but other well respected players that we look up to... I get a chance to watch them and listen, and while the ease and smoothness with which a flurry of notes cascading from the backside of their amp’s grillcloth are apparent... there is a disconnect. The wizardry of technique and fluidity in the choice of notes bring wonder and amazement to fellow steel guitarists... but John Hughey could stir more emotion and bring out more feeling in a simple scale.
The heart is what’s not there, folks. The notes are, the intonation is, the dexterity, the knowledge... I say that but for the heart, the rest, as much as we might stand in awe of it temporarily, is for naught. That which will last will be the things transmitted from the inner soul of a player... and I’m sorry, but in my opinion, we lack that from many corners of our community.
Your input is welcome...
_________________
Mikey D... H.S.P.
Music hath the charm to soothe a savage beast, but I'd try a 10mm first.
http://www.steelharp.com
http://www.thesessionplayers.com/douchette.html
(other things you can ask about here)
http://s117.photobucket.com/albums/o54/Steelharp/ |
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Leland Ogle
From:
Baxter Springs, Kansas, USA
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Posted 28 Nov 2007 6:11 pm
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Michael, I couldn't agree with you more. Thanks for starting this thread.
Lee |
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Jeff Peterson
From:
Nashville, TN USA
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Posted 28 Nov 2007 6:14 pm
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| John was a cornerstone..no, a pillar of the steel guitar world. We, I guess most of us, try to play like him....no one can play as him. I loved him, and I miss him. Maybe it's hard to play with an emotion/feeling/passion that you haven't lived yourself. |
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Andy Sandoval
From:
Bakersfield, California, USA
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Posted 28 Nov 2007 6:21 pm
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| It's the same difference as in someone like B.B. King who can wring out more emotion from two or three notes than someone rippin up the guitar neck. Who said " I wish I could do that, then I wouldn't" |
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Jody Sanders
From:
Magnolia,Texas, R.I.P.
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Posted 28 Nov 2007 6:22 pm
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| Very true. Jody. |
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Buck Reid
From:
Nashville,TN
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Posted 28 Nov 2007 6:25 pm
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Michael ... you rascal!  No argument from me. I've always been a big fan of "one" note with feeling in the right place. Good thought's and it was good to see you the other day. |
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Bobby Caldwell
From:
St. Louis, Missouri, USA * R.I.P.
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Posted 28 Nov 2007 6:52 pm
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| Very well said. Bobby |
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Jim Bob Sedgwick
From:
Clinton, Missouri USA
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Posted 28 Nov 2007 7:11 pm
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I agree 100%. There is an exclusive club of less than 25 players (that I know of that can play with such feel). Herby
Wallace, Buddy Emmons, Jimmy Day (what can I say?), John Hughey, Wimpy, and more that I can't seem to remember at the moment. It's not the number of notes, but the feeling the notes invoke. JMO |
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Calvin Walley
From:
colorado city colorado, USA
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Posted 28 Nov 2007 7:16 pm
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Michael
you nailed it
playing steel is 25% skill and 75% heart
thats why there are is a lot of good tech. players and so few masters
_________________
proud parent of a sailor
Mullen SD-10 /nashville 400
gotta love a Mullen!!!
Guitars that i have owned in order are :
Mullen SD-10,Simmons SD-10,Mullen SD-10,Zum stage one,Carter starter,
Sho-Bud Mavrick |
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Carl Williams
From:
Oklahoma
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Posted 28 Nov 2007 7:21 pm
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Michael,
For those of us over 50, the "heart" of steel guitar is what hooked us in during the Golden Years of country music--hat's off to all who've learned every note and can play it faster than anybody in the West, but I still love to hear the early pioneers of steel and the emotion they played with. Michael you've had first-hand experience with Tammy's emotion-filled songs...had to be a great ride! Thoughtful and well-written post...Thanks, Carl |
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Rick Nicklas
From:
Verona, Mo. (deceased)
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Posted 28 Nov 2007 7:37 pm
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The elite club you are speaking of is similar to the "Iron Chefs"..... It is the "Steel Chefs". They are the Masters of Taste.  |
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Dan Meadows
From:
Texas
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Posted 28 Nov 2007 7:39 pm
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You nailed it to the wall Michael. When the heart and soul is sorely missing you can HEAR it! Maybe that is why the pedal steel on the recordings of the 50's, 60's
and 70's stirred such emotion. The heart was in every note. Every lick. Think of the greatest songs in country music and MOST of those were from those years and almost all of the best of those had GREAT pedal steel.
Dan |
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Tommy Young
From:
Ethelsville Alabama
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Posted 28 Nov 2007 7:51 pm heart
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MICHAEL YOU PUT A GREAT THREAD WELL THOUGHT OUT IN THIS AND i AGREE WITH YOU 110 % NOTHING BEATS WHEN THE SONGHAS SOUL IN IT AND HE WAS A MASTER ALONG WITH A HANDFULL OF OTHERS
TOMMY YOUNG
MAX-TONE MODIFICATIONS
WHEN YOUR GUITAR HAS TO BE ITS VERY BEST |
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Larry Jamieson
From:
Walton, NY USA
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Posted 28 Nov 2007 8:02 pm
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You are so right, Michael. I have been to several steel guitar shows, and have been totally in awe of some of the players for their speed and mastery. But only John Hughey brought me to tears...
Larry J. |
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Kevin Mincke
From:
Farmington, MN (Twin Cities-South Metro) USA
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Posted 28 Nov 2007 8:06 pm
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| Loud AMEN! |
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Terry Winter
From:
Saskatchewan, Canada
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Posted 28 Nov 2007 8:18 pm
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| Michael this is a great thread. Must agree with all of the above. |
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Darvin Willhoite
From:
Roxton, Tx. USA
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Posted 28 Nov 2007 8:34 pm
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John, Buddy, Jimmy Day, and a few others can (could) exude more emotion tuning up, than most of us can playing our best. It's not the number of notes or the speed, its the "heart".
_________________
Darvin Willhoite
MSA Millennium, Legend, and Studio Pro, Reese's restored Universal Direction guitar, a restored MSA Classic SS, several amps, new and old, and a Kemper Powerhead that I am really liking. Also a Zum D10, a Mullen RP, and a restored Rose S10, named the "Blue Bird". Also, I have acquired and restored the plexiglass D10 MSA Classic that was built as a demo in the early '70s. I also have a '74 lacquer P/P, with wood necks, and a showroom condition Sho-Bud Super Pro. |
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Bill Dobkins
From:
Rolla Missouri, USA
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Posted 28 Nov 2007 8:46 pm
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There are Three time's in my life concerning the Steel that will always stick in my heart. The first was in 1977 at the ISGC when i heard Buddy Emmons do
Mansion on the hill. The emotion he expressed made you forget the world around you and just listen.
The next two were in Benton ILL when I asked Buddy if I could tape his set.I was in the front row doing the video when he did Shenandoa acapella. I wept it was so beautiful. I've heard this song several times, but
the expression Buddy put into it moved me. When John Hughey does Look at Us does the same. I've tried to tell myself that its just the star statis of these guys, but thats not it because I've gotten to know both of these wonderful guys and its the way they play and the knowledge and feeling they play with.
_________________
Custom Rittenberry SD10
Boss Katana 100 Amp
Positive Grid Spark amp
BJS Bars
Z~Legend Pro,Custom Tele
Honor our Vet's.
Now pass the gravy. |
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Michael Douchette
From:
Gallatin, TN (deceased)
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john buffington
From:
Owasso OK - USA
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Posted 28 Nov 2007 9:07 pm
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IMHO - heart and soul is where it's at! Speed is great and flashy, but put on a Jimmy Day, Junior Knight, Gary Hogue, Lloyd Green, Buddy Emmons, etc., album, sit back and soak up the emotion of these soulful players (for my ears) and "heart is where it's at"!
No flames please!! My opinion only!
John Buffington |
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Buck Reid
From:
Nashville,TN
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Michael Douchette
From:
Gallatin, TN (deceased)
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Posted 28 Nov 2007 10:02 pm
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Let me expound just a tad more, as I can see the possibility of this veering in a slightly different direction. Tempo is not a heart factor; emotion can be expressed at any speed. What I am saddened by is the lack of heart that can go into a ballad these days, as well. I am disheartened by the guy that can play two or three notes... but they're just notes, not pulsebeats.
_________________
Mikey D... H.S.P.
Music hath the charm to soothe a savage beast, but I'd try a 10mm first.
http://www.steelharp.com
http://www.thesessionplayers.com/douchette.html
(other things you can ask about here)
http://s117.photobucket.com/albums/o54/Steelharp/ |
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Jim Cohen
From:
Philadelphia, PA
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Posted 28 Nov 2007 10:24 pm
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| When do you get to the part where folks start to disagree and want to burn you in effigy? I'm getting impatient... |
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Don Brown, Sr.
From:
New Jersey
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Posted 28 Nov 2007 10:37 pm
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| Michael, You must have been reading my mind while I was really thinking in terms of speed versus slower Tempo. I believe a person plays with enthusiasm, more than with emotion in speed, whereas in slow songs, a person can bring out Pure Emotion, and John was definitely one of the very best at doing just that. He had it all. Class, Style and Technique. And yes! What he played, came from the heart, expressed as only he could. I sat here in tears as I too listened to "Look At Us" as well as "I've Just Destroyed the World I'm Living In." I'm quite certain he is missed by all. But not by "ONE" Brother, that "ONE" is now taking good care of John, and the others who've went on ahead. |
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Doug Beaumier
From:
Northampton, MA
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