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Topic: The root chord |
Brian Pelky
From:
Portland, OR
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Posted 15 Oct 2008 10:26 am |
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Hi all. So this may be a dumb question, but here goes. Is it more common to play the root chord of a song (1-3-5, or any inversion of it) with no pedals engaged? Or in AB pedals down position? Or does it just depend on the song? For example, when I first started on the PSG (6 months ago), my first inclination when playing with others was to put the bar at the 3rd fret in the key of G and play the G with no pedals down. Is it more common play it at 10th fret with AB pedals down? I think I might be answering my own question, as it probably depends on where you want your voicings?
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Sho-Bud Super Pro D10,Tele,Strat,Martin D-28,Korg Triton Pro,Nashville 400 |
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Wayne Wallett
From:
Shermans Dale, PA USA - R.I.P.
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Posted 15 Oct 2008 10:51 am Pedals vs No Pedals
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Brian,
I think you've got it. Depends on the voicing you are going for. I would say more often than not I play some combination using the pedals bending strings up to the G chord. Sometimes may start on Bb with F lever raised (=G) also or slide from one to another. Many ways of doing it. Keep looking for other ways to play a G, not that I don't use G on 3rd fret as well. I try to teach there are two scales, one is across the neck and other is up and down the neck and use a combination of both.
Good luck,
Wayne |
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Ben Jones
From:
Seattle, Washington, USA
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Posted 15 Oct 2008 12:19 pm
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Three main root positions for me:
1. no pedals
2. three frets up from no pedals with A+F (F raises your E's)
3. pedals down (AB)
I use 1 and 3 more than 2, and I tend to prefer 3 simply because I know more licks in that position.
position 2 needs to get more love from me, but i tend to start some licks there and resolve them to position 1. I need to hang out in the AF spot a lil more and give my playing a lil variety. I am working on it, amongst many other things.
bear in mind i am a novice player, so by no means is this necessarily what good players do 
I am trying to not call myself a beginner anymore, its been three years already.
a good excercise is to just play the three positions and up to the octave and then back down and then do this for all the keys. |
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Erv Niehaus
From:
Litchfield, MN, USA
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Posted 15 Oct 2008 12:40 pm
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It depends on the range of the song. If it is written rather low then, for G, start on the third fret open. If it's middle range, I really like the A & F combination. And if the song has a high range, then use the 10th fret, pedals down.
When I do tab, I usually pick out the odd ball chords: minors, augmented, diminished, 9th and so on and find the positions for them 1st. Then I fill in the major chord positions around them. |
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David Doggett
From:
Bawl'mer, MD (formerly of MS, Nawluns, Gnashville, Knocksville, Lost Angeles, Bahsten. and Philly)
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Posted 15 Oct 2008 1:52 pm
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I think it depends on the style of music you are playing. For the really twangy, pedal-mashing, honky-tonk pedal steel style, it seems better to play the tonic on the V fret (10th for G) with the A and B pedals, and to go down to frets 3 and 5 with the A and B pedals for the IV and V chords. Scale runs would be played more horizontially up and down the neck. This gives more opportunities to slur up to the notes and chords by mashing the pedals for that twangy sound.
Playing with the pedals down also works well for western swing type licks, because that is an A6 tuning, but without so much pedal stomping.
But for a prettier, harp-like sound for ballads and more dramatic songs, it seems to work better to play from the no-pedals positions, using the "chromatic" strings a lot for scale runs and melodies; that is, playing vertically across the neck.
But of course the real art is to mix these styles together in the proper proportions for the song. |
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Larry Bressington
From:
Nebraska
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Posted 15 Oct 2008 2:02 pm
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Brian, choose your voicings, that dont clash with the singer,
For example;
If a singer is sustaining on a G note
[3RD FRET 4TH STRING G] dont hold your chord down where the G note will be unison to the voice, that iritates singers and listeners, go for lower or higher registers, avoiding the home base.
Learn each chord and its grouping of 3 notes, in as many different places as possible.
There are 'at least' 9 groupings in one octave for the G chord, 3 groupings in each, fret 3, fret 6, and fret 10.
Move around, it really cant be taught, it's one of those paintings that we all do, and nobody has ever painted the Mona Lisa the same!  |
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Brian McGaughey
From:
Orcas Island, WA USA
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Posted 15 Oct 2008 2:14 pm
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| Larry Bressington wrote: |
Brian, choose your voicings, that dont clash with the singer,
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True. Our band's vocalists were quite "vocal" about my steel pad voicings. "Too high, stay low" I was told. I've done that and it works well in my setting. Then when my turn comes, I'm often up the neck and on to the thinner strings for a good contrast for the solo ride.
As for where to start Brian, it depends on where you're goin'!  |
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Jeff Hyman
From:
West Virginia, USA
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Posted 15 Oct 2008 3:58 pm
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| Quote: |
Three main root positions for me:
1. no pedals
2. three frets up from no pedals with A+F (F raises your E's)
3. pedals down (AB)
I use 1 and 3 more than 2, and I tend to prefer 3 simply because I know more licks in that position.
position 2 needs to get more love from me, but i tend to start some licks there and resolve them to position 1. I need to hang out in the AF spot a lil more and give my playing a lil variety. I am working on it, amongst many other things. |
I agree. One thing that I use as a moment of learning is #2 above. Sliding either up or down to the 4... etc. I find myself getting a better education on using strings 1 and 2 this way too. Man... I've soooo far to go. |
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Brian Pelky
From:
Portland, OR
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Posted 15 Oct 2008 8:48 pm
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Thanks you guys....this helps a lot.
_________________
Sho-Bud Super Pro D10,Tele,Strat,Martin D-28,Korg Triton Pro,Nashville 400 |
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