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Topic: Defining The Triumphant Steel Guitarist |
Bill Hankey
From:
Pittsfield, MA, USA
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Posted 19 Jul 2008 3:37 pm |
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What are the percentages in reaching a level of playing, that would qualify as one who has become triumphant, in the mastery of the Pedal Steel Guitar; after a period of 10 years?  |
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Mark Eaton
From:
Sonoma County in The Great State Of Northern California
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Posted 19 Jul 2008 3:52 pm
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I'm sure it has a lot do with great old sayings like:
"You reap what you sow"
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"The harder you work, the luckier you get."
_________________
Mark |
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Eric West
From:
Portland, Oregon, USA, R.I.P.
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Posted 19 Jul 2008 4:14 pm
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| You're only as good as your last gig. -Eric West/HFLE- |
Mine went pretty good last night, subbing for a real good local player, Robin Susskind, who was playing bass in the band.
I'm surprised I didn't feel more nervous, Robin is more of a player than I am, expecially with their material..
Oh well.
He's probably trying to make me feel better...
I'll take it.
EJL |
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Tony Prior
From:
Charlotte NC
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Posted 20 Jul 2008 2:45 am
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ahh haa ! ..the triumphant card !
Triumphant \Tri*um"phant\, a. [L. triumphans, p. pr. of
triumphare: cf. F. triomphant. See Triumph, v. i.]
[1913 Webster]
1. Rejoicing for victory; triumphing; exultant.
[1913 Webster]
Successful beyond hope to lead ye forth
Triumphant out of this infernal pit. --Milton.
[1913 Webster]
----------------------------------------------------
Well, this can mean many things but I have learned that the most triumphant situations I have ever been in were the one's where I played as little as possible correctly !
"Lets see, should I play 50 notes in that measure that I'm pretty sure I can play or the 5 notes I KNOW I can play " ?
"How about 3 of the 5" ?
"Ok, thats it..SMART choice" !
I am triumphant ! |
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Bill Hankey
From:
Pittsfield, MA, USA
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Posted 20 Jul 2008 2:58 am
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Eric,
Trying to recall your purpose in life is part of that which helps to keep you just a wee bit in control. The innovative self-taught renditions resulting from a deliberate faith in musical study, suggests temperament shiftings over time. |
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C Dixon
From:
Duluth, GA USA
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Posted 20 Jul 2008 1:57 pm
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Lloyd Green once quoted what Jerry Byrd had said,
"There are three ways to play music:
Melody, melody and melody!"
Another great once said, "It is not your job to rewrite what the composer wrote."
Two of the greatest steel Guitarists are of course, JB and Buddy Emmons. And IMO, no two steel guitarists ever played the melody more in tune or more definable. Even when jazzing it up, the "melody" clearly comes through when either of these unprecedented greats play.
c.
_________________
A broken heart + † = a new heart. |
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Bill Hankey
From:
Pittsfield, MA, USA
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Posted 21 Jul 2008 4:08 am
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Carl,
I was delighted to read your message after returning from a night out. Thanks for your interpretation of greatness made possible by an inborn talent. What else could distance a player from the very best? The same capabilities seen in different forms of artistic abilities, help to explain why there is only ONE BUDDY afforded to a society of musicians. Great brush strokes of painters of the past, are now worth millions; as an example. Some never realized the value of their work, and struggled through hard times while attending to their main goals. Part of becoming such a respected leader is definable in part, by the gentle and approachable demeanor seen in staging situations. |
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Bill Hatcher
From:
Atlanta Ga. USA
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Posted 21 Jul 2008 7:47 am Re: Defining The Triumphant Steel Guitarist
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| Bill Hankey wrote: |
| What are the percentages in reaching a level of playing, that would qualify as one who has become triumphant, in the mastery of the Pedal Steel Guitar; after a period of 10 years? |
slim and none |
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C Dixon
From:
Duluth, GA USA
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Posted 21 Jul 2008 8:07 am
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Thank you Bill
_________________
A broken heart + † = a new heart. |
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Gene Jones
From:
Oklahoma City, OK USA, (deceased)
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Posted 21 Jul 2008 8:29 am
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| C Dixon wrote: |
Lloyd Green once quoted what Jerry Byrd had said,
"There are three ways to play music:
Melody, melody and melody!"
c. |
Your insight takes me back to my first road job back in the 1960's with the late Merl Lindsay's Ozark Jubilee Band. Among his instructions of what he expected from his musicians, was to play the melody, or even when improvising to stay close enough to the melody that the audience can recognize the song.
He admonished us not to play to the occasional "knocked out" musicians standing on the back wall, who "badged" their way in without paying an admission fee, and who very likely did not currently even have a job. The bottom line was to play to the folks who supported the band.
The "meat" of his expections was that there was no one to impress except the audience and the one who was signing the checks. |
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b0b
From:
Cloverdale, CA, USA
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Posted 21 Jul 2008 9:07 am Re: Defining The Triumphant Steel Guitarist
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| Bill Hankey wrote: |
| What are the percentages in reaching a level of playing, that would qualify as one who has become triumphant, in the mastery of the Pedal Steel Guitar; after a period of 10 years? |
After 10 years of playing, my friends, family and fans considered me to be a master of the instrument. I was successful in bar bands and road bands, and had some concert experience. Still, I did not feel the state of "triumphant mastery" very often, nor do I today.
I think that playing the melody, or at least playing the same part every time you play a song, is the key to feeling good about one's own performance. Few of us have the compositional genius to be great improvisers, but diligent practice can lead to perfection of specific musical lines. Mastery of any instrument is less difficult than mastery of music itself. Few master steel guitarists can lay claim the title "Maestro", diamond horseshoe ring notwithstanding.
_________________
-𝕓𝕆𝕓- (admin) - Robert P. Lee - Recordings - Breathe - D6th - Video |
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Ron McLaren
From:
Buckinghamshire, UK
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Posted 21 Jul 2008 9:26 am
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I liked Tony's reply, but I'm only a beginner and if I can get through a number without a mistake! then that's a triumph.
Ron Mc
_________________
Homebuilt E9, Roland Cube amp, Telecaster |
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Bill Hankey
From:
Pittsfield, MA, USA
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Posted 22 Jul 2008 3:46 am
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Gene J.,
In keeping within the boundaries of reasonable assumptions, I am attracted to your comments, which to me, make a great deal of sense. It's purely interesting to ponder a statement made by another, and then be able to draw out its intended meaning. Further, the initiation of critical portending is quite necessary in the wake of more recent job searches. One of the most rewarding experiences associated in becoming a lead instrumentalist, occurs when a player satisfies those who "write the checks", as you have noted. However, individual receptiveness is so varied among supporters of bands, that the intricacies of pleasing entire audiences, is quite impossible. |
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Ben Lawson
From:
Brooksville Florida
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Posted 22 Jul 2008 6:50 am
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"You can fool all of the people some of the time and some of the people all of the time................."
I can't do either but I still get paid for it. |
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Bill Hankey
From:
Pittsfield, MA, USA
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Posted 22 Jul 2008 6:57 am
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b0b,
Neither was "Rome built in a day". Whatever supports a trending to building a castle to house one's fondest dreams, should interest all who are currently delving into the mastery of the steel guitar. There is a need for establishing basic assurances of starting to build on a solid foundation, for those who resist the inexplicable changes in plans and incentives. In every probability imaginable, the slacking off of the original conquest of the steel guitar is consistent, as it commences to wear thin with time. This is not to say that any individual can easily be compared to others in the same area of study. The system of engorging on the exquisite options of the steel guitar, (as we have clearly seen), remains for the most part, in the grasp of the elite members in the society of steel guitarists. The elitist's attachment to the art of playing, and maintaining a personal touch to mechanical adjustments, warrants further study, in the quest for explanations. There is a need to satisfy one of the most unresolved technical issues in the study of the steel guitar. Remarkably, life in itself, has not provided answers to our intellectual capacities, which would in turn assist with countless unexplained issues in the world around us. |
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Drew Howard
From:
48854
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Posted 22 Jul 2008 7:12 am
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| Triumphant? I got paid.... |
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Bill Hankey
From:
Pittsfield, MA, USA
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Posted 23 Jul 2008 2:17 am
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Drew,
Everyone expects to be paid; how else could we survive in an economy that is presently out of control? I haven't heard the familiar laughing and joking at the gas pumps in quite some time. Some shoppers slide past the dairy cooler to avoid the temptation of making milk purchases at $4.00 per gallon. I don't smoke, and it's a good thing. Imagine dropping down $50.00 for a measly handful of tobacco. How can this flagrant abuse of family budgets be allowed to go on? The likelihood of a family with children, who are subjected to parental smoking, and getting beyond the "stage" of setting good examples, is fraught with difficulties. I suspect the turbulences created by budget draining and unfair pricing of commodities, will eventually weaken the system of the rich getting richer by fleecing the "tattered dollars of the poor". Sure, for some, getting paid is quite necessary after a "gig". A night's pay would cover the cost of a few beers, a refill at the pumps, and a carton of cigarettes.
Last edited by Bill Hankey on 23 Jul 2008 11:08 am; edited 1 time in total |
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Bo Legg
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Posted 23 Jul 2008 3:19 am
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Bill, I don't smoke.
We speak of great triumph and then we turn tail at the slightest hardship. Gas goes up to $4 a gallon and then we just throw in the towel on PSG and everything else. As usual the only thing we ever do about anything here in this country is whine. Triumph and whine just don't seem to go together. |
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Charlie McDonald
From:
out of the blue
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Posted 23 Jul 2008 4:23 am
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Melody is hard.
Yes, I'm whining.
Cheese! |
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C Dixon
From:
Duluth, GA USA
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Posted 23 Jul 2008 6:22 am
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Indeed it is hard. And it can be VERY hard if one chooses to play ONLY the notes and chords that the composer wrote.
Having come from a purely "theory" background; taught by an "ole mama lion; who was thoroughly educated like few others in music; I can state without hesitation that Melody IS hard.
This was my first realization when I first played in a real band. NO one in that band played melody. EVERY one improvised AND every one in that band rewrote every song (or tune) they played. Bar none.
It is going on as we speak all over the world.
I was so frustrated after 3 years of extensive musical training, I felt like quitting. But fortunately, as I have matured and Jesus has graciously allowed me to attain a smidgeon of his wisdom, I now understand it much better.
They "improvised" because that is ALL they knew how to do. And in some cases (NOT all) they actually improved on the writing of the song, albeit that is not right ethically speaking.
But another thing I have realized is: They played BETTER than I could EVER play. And that holds true to this day. And I love and admire them more than I could say. For they were given something I was not destined to have.
And that is the gift of playing music in a way I would give almost anything to be able to do. But I can't. So may Jesus continue to bless them and you folks for what you have. It is truly a gift from God.
Praise his holy name.
c.
_________________
A broken heart + † = a new heart. |
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Bill Hankey
From:
Pittsfield, MA, USA
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Posted 23 Jul 2008 6:48 am
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Bo Legg,
I should hope that a fidelity issue never occurs due to the hardships associated with overpricing at the gas pumps. Remaining faithful to what the steel guitar represents, will require in most situations, strictly adhering to the premise of "what goes around, comes around" in time. When a response becomes fitting to admonish identifiable culprits in the current unaffordable gas pump crisis, the most blamable will feel the full impact of disgruntled patrons. IMHO |
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b0b
From:
Cloverdale, CA, USA
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Posted 23 Jul 2008 7:28 am
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Few musicians improvise well. Most (myself included) string together their own sets of familiar patterns (licks) over the chord progression of each song, hoping that it will resemble "original" musical thought. The result is less than satisfying, as though one had been listening to the same song all night long.
The most enjoyable performances are ones where unique musical parts are attached to each and every song, and those parts are played well. This is what elevates concert music above the garbage heap of canned licks masquerading as "improvisation".
_________________
-𝕓𝕆𝕓- (admin) - Robert P. Lee - Recordings - Breathe - D6th - Video |
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Ernest Cawby
From:
Lake City, Florida, USA, R.I.P.
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Posted 23 Jul 2008 8:01 am yes
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B0B,, well said,,, and for me just play the MELODY is the right way to do it. If you do not know the melody PRACTICE- PRACTICE- PRACTICE.
I just bought 7 of Bobbe's CDs to learn melody's I did not know, Playing along with him I can learn songs not already knowing.
I am sitting down now to learn I love you because,,, thanks Bobbe for this lesson.
ernie |
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Bill Hankey
From:
Pittsfield, MA, USA
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Posted 24 Jul 2008 4:15 am
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Carl,
I think it would be safe to say, that we could think of one hundred things that depict motion. In matters relating to the steel guitar, it has been revised to quickness. The ability to create motion in the fingertips that correspond with orderly thoughts established through months of practice, sums up the different levels of performances. For those who have resigned thinking that all levels of playing are attainable through constant practice, the challenges will forever loom somewhere in the memoirs of the past. I keep thinking that some untried technique, unlike a philistinism approach to "slings", may allow the "close but no cigar" players to enter the realm of things that depict motion. |
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Danny Bates
From:
Fresno, CA. USA
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Posted 24 Jul 2008 5:14 am
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Bill, You're absolutely right. A melodic soloist and his (on stage) musical expedients, blend disaffected frotteurism (manifested in a myopic stance), and with that stance, and also with a generalized "purported support" for all musicians, and the common bond of all musicians, to withold exactly all of their dignity's of labor... This is, of course, whether they have passed, are still alive, or haven't even been born yet. And we can't forget that this applies to all of mankind in general. They say it's been that way since the beginning of time... but the reality is it's only actually been that way since barely after the earth cooled and the first lutes were made.
Knowing the melody, as they say, is half the battle. What remains is for us (as part of the steel guitar players community), is to actually illustrate the non-virtues that a non-melodic soloist possesses with discussions like this.
I will always remember what the great Miles Davis once said... "The audience feeds on melodies exactly like worms feed on buried corpses". So simply stated but so true.. and we all know Miles only spoke the simple truths. Of course, he soaks it up delivers it with his trumpet and then the audience wallows in it like pigs in mud. That's triumphant!
You really got an elloquent way with words Bill and I'm sure you got the crux of what I'm trying to say here. Always remain triumphant in everything you do! |
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