Playing Hawaiian style solo?

Todd Weger · From: Safety Harbor, FLAUSA

Does anyone here play Hawaiian style music solo, BUT -- without backing tracks? I have been trying to figure out how I could use a looping device to play a solo gig that isn't slack-key solo style playing (although, I would do some of that, too). I have backing tracks for doing solo stuff, but the truth is, I just don't care for it, neither as a player, nor a listener.

I can appreciate minus-1 playing with backing tracks for what it is, but don't really want to sit an listen to it, and I don't like the constraints. With a looper, if you want to back out of whatever you've put down as a rhythm track, you can, because it's all "on-the-fly." It's more malleable than being locked in to a recorded backing track, although, admittedly, there's more dancing around because of the pedal pushing.

Has anyone tried this? I ordered a looper today to try to see if I can make this work. The biggest hurdle I see is between the rhythm guitar and steel, an the awkwardness at having a guitar around your neck, and then having to switch to the steel. Wearing the acoustic guitar, and having the steel already on a stand is the only way I can see doing this. I'd prefer to sit lap style, but don't see that as being practical, unless I play rhythm parts with the tricone (or guitar set up for lap playing), and then use that same instrument for the steel parts, too.

Anyone else do this? How well does it work? Anything to watch out for, or things to consider to help make it work?

Thanks!
TJW
_________________
Todd James Weger --
1956 Fender Stringmaster T-8 (C6, E13, A6); 1960 Fender Stringmaster D-8 (C6, B11/A6); Custom-made 25" aluminum cast "fry pan" with vintage Ricky p'up (C6); 1938 Epiphone Electar (A6); 1953 Oahu Tonemaster; assorted ukuleles; upright bass

Edward Meisse · From: Santa Rosa, California, USA

I don't know how to find it. But someone had a thread on here not long ago where they were playing hawaiian style unaccompanied. They played melody and accompanyment on the steel (a 6 string no less) sort of the way a classical guitarist would. It sounded great.
_________________
Amor vincit omnia

George Keoki Lake · From: Edmonton, AB., Canada

It was a common proceedure back in the old days using the low bass A Major tuning. Only problem, you were restricted to the key of A for most every song you played. Smile

John Billings · From: Ohio, USA

I play a couple of hawaiian tunes on my bottleneck guitar. I use Low Bass G tuning. But I play the tunes in the key of D. 6th string D is the root of the I chord. 5th string G is the root of the IV chord. So,,, G tuning works well for open-string bass notes in two keys. That tuning would work fairly well with a looper, as it's easy to chord. But, then again, I'm talkin' bottleneck, not lapsteel.

Stephan Miller · From: Silver Spring, Maryland, USA

Maybe something like this-- have the "standard" guitar mounted in playing position on one of those vertical stands: start your loop there, maybe add a percussion part using the ac/guitar as a drum, maybe add a bass line with an octave pedal (if it didn't sound too cheesy to an URB player), then step to the steel (on a second stand) and play the tune. You could always take the acoustic off the stand and sit to play it if it were the main instrument in a sequence of tunes.

Personally I'd do anything to avoid having a guitar around my neck while playing electric steel or tricone, it just seems real cumbersome. But to me standing up would be the way to do the looping/steel sequences, and stepping behind your stand-mounted acoustic guitar to kick things off would work...saw a video a while back of a looper in concert, who had his electric bass mounted that way-- handy to be able to feed the loop and then step away to the next thing.

My brother is big on the whole looping deal, though not much for live performance. He told me about this website: www.loopersdelight.com I think it's a forum with an archive-- a lot of those guys must do in-performance looping. Being able to search out info from that site or pose your own questions there might be helpful. Keep us posted! Smile

--Steve

Craig Stenseth · From: Naperville, Illinois, USA

Todd,
What about those foot pedals, usually used to play a bass line (I think now there are midi ones that will play a chord or whatever you program).

Another option is to move to the Chicago area, I know a bassist/uke/guitar/steel player that works for reasonable pay if drinks are provided.

AJ Azure · From: Massachusetts, USA * R.I.P.

Man you guys like to complicate things. Just take the melody in relation to the chords and do a chord solo style ala jazz chord solos or classical guiatr style and you'll eb fine. It should work in any key unless you're trying to do travis picking with open alternating bass. keep it simple.

John Burton · From: Manassas, Va

Well, I really don't play Hawaiian style. (I might try learning a little someday, I have a growing stack of Hawaiian LP's and have been really growing an appriciation).

I do however, have a Boss RC-20XL loop station. I have used it on occasion with my steel. It's a lot of fun. I have the steel on a stand and a nearby stand for the guitar. Typically I'll pick up the guitar from the stand, do a little Travis picking chord progression, loop it, put the guitar down, switch to the steel and embelish over it.

The one thing you are going to need is a AB switch. I don't have one, and so resort to turning down the volume pedal while I switch instruments.

It's a great way for me to practice. By looping both the Steel and The Guitar, I can instantly hear my recorded self and listen for intonation problems etc.
Plus the looper REALLY makes me pay attention to my timing.

What looper did you get?
The RC-20XL has two footswitches and is pretty easy to navigate. It has some built it drum rythmns that aren't great, but add a little.

Have fun!

ps.
As for Travis Picking and Steel going together. Well, take a listen to some old Merle Travis, lot's of steel on some of those recordings (Steel Guitar Rag, for instance!) Also a lot of early Chet Atkins had steel. It's what made me want to play steel in the first place.

Bill Leff · From: Santa Cruz, CA, USA

I've been to several gigs where guys use loopers to play "non-experimental" type music (pop, blues etc).

There's something extremely unsettling about a person kicking a button on the floor ,laying down a rhythm guitar track and kicking a button on the floor, and then hearing it played back over and over again while the person plays over it, and then finally kicks a button to stop it all.

Not only is it unsettling in a way that I can't quite describe, it also becomes extremely predictable and boring fast.

I've also been to a couple of experimental looping gigs. Also very boring!

Loopers should stay at home, or be used in a situation where they don't really stick out.

This of course is just my opinion, YMMV.

AJ Azure · From: Massachusetts, USA * R.I.P.

Bryan Bradfield · From: Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada.

AJ Azure is correct. Just do it all on steel. I do a 3 hour solo dobro show in a local restaurant about once a month, and I busk on the street on a regular basis, with my version of what Bobbe Seymour calls thumb style. I've also heard it called finger style. Most of the dobro greats have recorded at least a few tunes in this solo style. Speaking of Bobbe Seymour, it seems to me that he has a tutorial available on thumb style, and I believe that he also explains it pretty well on some of the videos that he has posted on youtube.

Roy Thomson · From: Wolfville, Nova Scotia,Canada

Hi Todd,

You are getting good advice here I beleive.

I myself just did an MP3 playing a few well known
Hawaiian songs in solo style using Thumb/Fingerstyle.
My tuning is an E Nine Six 8 string and I have been
playing it for some time now.

I have a teaching method also.

Here's the link to my MP3 and I hope it helps.

http://freefilehosting.net/download/3jhf4
_________________
Custom Tabs Various Tunings
Courses Lap Steel, Pedal Steel

John Billings · From: Ohio, USA

Loved it Roy!!!!!!!!!

AJ Azure · From: Massachusetts, USA * R.I.P.

If you come from a solo or classical guitar background as I do, you'll have played tons of gigs where you BS tunes for hours on end or you can actually play arrangements. the key is you really can do it all solo. if you come from a band accompaniment background, it's a bit of an adjustment but, think like an arranger rather than a player. write yourself some stuff and learn it. The key is to imply simple harmony where possible.

Bryan Bradfield · From: Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada.

Good description AJ. I'm in a straight bluegrass high bass G tuning on dobro, and so the bass/rhythm accompaniement is usually only there when the melody note is the root, 3rd, or 5th tone, unless I can grab a melody note or passing tone on an open string along with barred bass/rhythm notes. Also the bass/rhythm can be thrown in when there is a gap in the melody line, or a syncopation of that melody line.

You indicated that one needed to imply simple harmony where possible. I believe that by playing well-known standards, the listener is also "filling in the gaps".

It's interesting that you brought up the BS business. I find myself frequently improvising an arrangement in order to give myself a break from the arrangements of well known tunes, because the well known tunes have to be pretty close to spot-on, while the improvised business goes where it goes.

Todd Weger · From: Safety Harbor, FLAUSA

Hey everybody -- thanks for all the great tips all around.

Roy, I tried to download your tune, but it's not allowing me to hear it. It's saying

"Windows Media Player cannot play the file. The Player might not support the file type or might not support the codec that was used to compress the file."

Is there another program I need to use to play this file?

Thanks!

Roy Thomson · From: Wolfville, Nova Scotia,Canada

Todd,

I think if you change your settings for
your default player it will work.
Tools/Settings/File Types .. tick mark
MP3.
Hope that helps.
_________________
Custom Tabs Various Tunings
Courses Lap Steel, Pedal Steel

Todd Weger · From: Safety Harbor, FLAUSA

Whoops -- nevermind! I tried DE-selecting .mp3, and was able to open with Sonic Stage. Then I switched back, and was able to open with Media Player.

Anyway, sounds great, Roy!

Forum Index > Steel Without Pedals		Next oldest topic :: Next newest topic