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Topic: Bebop Lap Steel Guitar book has been updated! |
Mike Neer
From:
NJ
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Posted 10 Jan 2011 10:36 am |
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I've put together a new book called "Bebop Lap Steel Guitar: An Introduction to Playing Bebop Tunes in C6 Tuning" and I'm very happy with the results. While the book is not a primer on improvisation, what it presents is a different approach to playing the lap steel guitar (a vertical approach) that uses several standard Bebop tunes to get you looking at the fretboard in a new way. The material is challenging, but I believe that players of any level can benefit from giving the book a look. In addition to the melodies, which have been meticulously notated and tabbed, you also have the chord changes tabbed out for steel guitar.
All of the melodies can be played on a 6 string lap steel guitar tuned to C6; however, to get the most from the chord changes, an 8 string steel is recommended.
I have supplemented the book with an additional section called "The Vertical Approach." It features 12 pages of exercises on Major, Chromatic, Whole Tone, and Diminished scales, as well as "surround notes." This is a very fresh approach.
I am working on videos for each of the tunes which will be ready soon (I'm anticipating them being done this week). These will be included to with all purchases and any advance purchasers will have priority access. Also included are the Tabledit files, so you actually listen to the MIDI playback of all of the tunes.
The 5 songs are:
Doxy (Sonny Rollins)
Straight, No Chaser (Thelonious Monk) Click here to listen
Oleo (Sonny Rollins)
Yardbird Suite (Charlie Parker) Click here to listen
Daahoud (Clifford Brown) Click here to listen
To purchase the package, please go to my Blog. Proceeds from the sales are going to help me get to Dallas  .
_________________
Links to streaming music, websites, YouTube: Links
Last edited by Mike Neer on 22 Jan 2011 1:38 pm; edited 4 times in total |
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William Lake
From:
Ontario, Canada
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Posted 10 Jan 2011 11:38 am
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Got it!!! Any prize for being first?
Edited to add...painless download.
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Bill |
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Geoff Cline
From:
Southwest France
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Posted 10 Jan 2011 3:00 pm
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| I'm in. Thanks MIke!! It's like a master class in a zip file. Very grateful for your work on this. |
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Brad Bechtel
From:
San Francisco, CA
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Posted 10 Jan 2011 3:10 pm
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Good job, Mike. I'm looking forward to trying it out tonight!
_________________
Brad’s Page of Steel
A web site devoted to acoustic & electric lap steel guitars |
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James Nottage
From:
Indiana, USA
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Posted 10 Jan 2011 4:18 pm bebop book
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Mike:
I have bought and downloaded the product and look forward to working with it. As is sometimes the case, I am stumbling a bit on the computer side. I can't figure out how to open the TEF files. Can you help?
James Nottage
_________________
Clinesmith S-8; Pettingill P6; Rick-Style Vintage 47 Amp |
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Mike Neer
From:
NJ
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Posted 10 Jan 2011 4:41 pm
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James, go to this web site and download the TEF Viewer for your operating system:
http://www.tabledit.com/tefview/download.shtml
TEF files are created with Tabledit, which is the program I use for notation and tablature. Another bonus is that you have the MIDI file to listen to. Tabledit is a great, inexpensive program and I'm glad I've taken the time to get to know it better.
Thanks everyone: I'm overwhelmed with the support for this item. It really is a heck of a lot of fun to play this stuff.
I apologize for any typos which may have slipped under my radar, but I always have the darnedest time proofing my own writing. If I find any more, expect an email from me with the corrections--that's the kind of stuff that keeps me up at night.
_________________
Links to streaming music, websites, YouTube: Links |
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James Nottage
From:
Indiana, USA
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Posted 10 Jan 2011 5:02 pm bebop book
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Thanks, Mike.
As always you are responsive and very helpful. I look forward to working with your material.
Now for the first buyers who help you get to the show . . . if there are any free guitars being given away at the door I trust you will get at least one for each of us!
James
_________________
Clinesmith S-8; Pettingill P6; Rick-Style Vintage 47 Amp |
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Benjamin Franz
From:
Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
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Posted 10 Jan 2011 8:04 pm
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| Hey Mike, I just got it too. Can't wait to sink my teeth into it! |
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Mike Neer
From:
NJ
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Posted 11 Jan 2011 3:35 pm
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I apologize for the delay in the videos, but they are coming. I'm doing something different this time and it is pushing my editing skills (which are minimal) to the limit. It will be a split screen with the chord comping on one and the melody on the other.
I'm also going to have some books printed up in case anyone is interested in that.
I hope to hear some feedback and I hope you find it useful.
_________________
Links to streaming music, websites, YouTube: Links |
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Mike Neer
From:
NJ
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Posted 13 Jan 2011 8:53 am
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Here is a quick audio sample of one of the tunes in the book. This is Charlie Parker's Yardbird Suite
Both the head and the changes are tabbed out in the book.
_________________
Links to streaming music, websites, YouTube: Links |
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Kirk Francis
From:
Laupahoehoe
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Posted 13 Jan 2011 10:11 am bebop book computer question.
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great stuff!
but what are clearly not great are my computer skills. i got the whole TEF thing downloaded and working seemingly fine, but what/how do i deal with "midi" on my mac? is it an audio file of some sort, or just a control track for a synthesizer, or what?
sorry to be such a pain-in-the-butt luddite! |
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Mike Neer
From:
NJ
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Posted 13 Jan 2011 10:24 am
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The TEF files contain the MIDI, so if you have Tabledit Viewer, you should be able to play the MIDI. You can download it here for free: http://www.tabledit.com/download/index.shtml
If look for the little speaker icon on the screen, right next to it should a symbol resembling a Play button on a tape recorder. Just click on that to play the MIDI.
_________________
Links to streaming music, websites, YouTube: Links |
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Andy Volk
From:
Boston, MA
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Posted 13 Jan 2011 12:13 pm
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| Fantastic job, Mike and what a lot of work! Looking forward to checking it all out in detail once I can quit shoveling snow! |
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Mike Neer
From:
NJ
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Posted 18 Jan 2011 7:49 pm
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Bumping this up to let you know there are a few sound clips available (see first post).
Also, I'm currently writing an additional section to this book called "Introduction to Improvisation." I just couldn't resist the temptation and I really want this book entice players to go the route of learning the instrument as deeply as possible. While it is not a very heavy approach to the topic, it is about getting the tools together to begin improvising. There are some eye-opening exercises on scales which will keep you busy for a long time. I still practice these on a daily basis.
I have also set up a member's only section of my Blog for purchasers to come and find "extras" like backing tracks, updates to the book, etc.
_________________
Links to streaming music, websites, YouTube: Links |
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James Inkster
From:
Ukee, BC
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Posted 18 Jan 2011 10:36 pm
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| Quote: |
| There are some eye-opening exercises on scales which will keep you busy for a long time. |
Sounds cool Mike... would these exercises, for any reason, apply only to C6 tuning?
I prefer to play in an open-D variant, but I'm interested in what you might have for scale exercises... |
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Mike Neer
From:
NJ
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Posted 19 Jan 2011 5:51 am
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James, I'm afraid that these exercises and the transcriptions in the book are written for C6 tuning. You can apply the exercises to any tuning with a 6th (A6, E6) but, because of the unique structure of those tunings, there are things that cannot possibly be done in D or E or G tuning.
I started off playing an open E tuning and eventually moved to C#mi7 (simply the 2nd string raised to C#). Even then, it was impossible for me to play the way I really wanted to, which was more in the vein of Jazz (chromaticism), so I investigated C6 and discovered a boatload of very interesting things that I couldn't do before.
So, to answer your question again, no, you wouldn't be able to apply these exercises to D tuning.
_________________
Links to streaming music, websites, YouTube: Links |
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James Inkster
From:
Ukee, BC
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Posted 19 Jan 2011 5:29 pm
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Thanks Mike...
I actually read your very interesting blog post last night after i posted here.
I find your E9 tuning very intriguing... i might give it a whirl shortly (it'll be D9 for me, but still...)
Why did you go from that to C6?
For some reason i'm resisting on C6. Maybe to help myself sound a bit ... different? than the rest. I'm probably just stubborn.
I, too, aspire to play chromatically. Jazz is where it's at for much of my playing, and the straight D or D6 isn't quite cutting it... maybe it's time to get a second steel to learn a new tuning on (keeping the other in D or D6 for gigs/sessions).
thanks. |
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Mike Neer
From:
NJ
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Posted 19 Jan 2011 6:02 pm
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| James Inkster wrote: |
....
For some reason i'm resisting on C6. Maybe to help myself sound a bit ... different? than the rest. I'm probably just stubborn.
I, too, aspire to play chromatically. Jazz is where it's at for much of my playing, and the straight D or D6 isn't quite cutting it... maybe it's time to get a second steel to learn a new tuning on (keeping the other in D or D6 for gigs/sessions).
thanks. |
James, C6 is not going to make you sound like anyone else--that is a reason a lot of folks (including myself) are initially put off by it, and yet it is totally not true. Of the tunings I've ever used, the C6/A7 is one of the most versatile and flexible. Granted, I have not spent any time with the Leavitt tuning and I don't think I will, but inside of the C6 tuning is a wealth of music.
I created this book as a way of showing that you can break out of the usual and familiar positions on the neck by exploiting the intervals in the tuning. By doing that, you can begin to play music that you didn't think possible on this instrument--but it takes a lot of work. This is my attempt to point you to the well.
_________________
Links to streaming music, websites, YouTube: Links |
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Steinar Gregertsen
From:
Arendal, Norway, R.I.P.
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Posted 20 Jan 2011 4:36 am
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| James Inkster wrote: |
For some reason i'm resisting on C6. Maybe to help myself sound a bit ... different? than the rest. I'm probably just stubborn.
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James, I've been digging my heels in, kicking and screaming "Noooo!! I don't want to play in C6 like everybody else!!!" for 6-7 years now. But something about the '60 Fender Studio Deluxe steel I bought in December made me want to check it out, and I'm sure glad I did.
It's so incredibly logical once you get past the "where is everything??" phase, and when you think about it,- all the 12 notes are there, just as in any other tuning but laid out in a super logical manner, it's still up to you to decide which ones to play, right? 
_________________
"Play to express, not to impress"
Website - YouTube |
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seldomfed
From:
Colorado
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Posted 20 Jan 2011 5:33 am
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I got mine - nice job Mike! These will be fun.
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Chris Kennison
Rhythm Cats - steel, guitar, banjo, dobro
Gold Canyon, AZ
www.rhythmcatsshow.com
www.seldomfed.com |
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Mike Neer
From:
NJ
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Posted 22 Jan 2011 1:30 pm
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Sorry to bump this up again, but I have supplemented the book with an additional section called "The Vertical Approach." It features 12 pages of exercises on Major, Chromatic, Whole Tone, and Diminished scales, as well as "surround notes." This is a very fresh approach.
To all who have already purchased the book, please go to the password-protected area of the blog to download it.
_________________
Links to streaming music, websites, YouTube: Links |
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Benjamin Franz
From:
Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
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Posted 22 Jan 2011 6:16 pm
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| Hey Mike, every time I try and access the BBLSG part of your website I get an 'internal error' message. |
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Mike Neer
From:
NJ
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Posted 22 Jan 2011 7:30 pm
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Fixed it, Benjamin. You should be good to go now. I had changed something in the settings without knowing the effect it would have.
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Links to streaming music, websites, YouTube: Links |
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Steve Ahola
From:
Concord, California
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Posted 23 Jan 2011 1:17 am
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Thanks again for encouraging us (especially me!) to investigate C6! I'd always played open E on lap steel and high bass G on dobro so it took me awhile to get used to having that 6th in there, which really opens things up.
I've been getting into retuning my C6 steels to A6, which is great for western swing... and rock and blues, too! But I keep going back to C6 because it really allows me to do more, especially if you raise the low C to C# for the C6/A7 tuning. To my ears, C6 has a fairly neutral sound which allows it to be used with all sorts of music.
Your E9th tuning is really cool, too. I have the strings set so that I can switch between that (B-D-F#-G#-B-E) and a E6/C#m7 (B-C#-E-G#-B-E).
Steve Ahola
_________________
www.blueguitar.org
Recordings on electric guitar:
http://www.box.net/blue-diamonds
http://www.box.net/the-culprits |
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Former Member
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Posted 25 Jan 2011 6:07 pm
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Thanks for all the hard work Mike!!
I'm starting on 'the 12th street rag' since I dig that ol tricone Hawaiian stuff, and my Mom used to play that tune on organ. Real cool old lap steel you're playing there. Just as a thought, I'd like to see a camera angle that shows the nose of the bar head-on...At least on the trickier parts.
Please keep up the great work!! |
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