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Post new topic Town Without Pity - 8-string lap steel
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Author Topic:  Town Without Pity - 8-string lap steel
Jerry Gleason


From:
Eugene, Oregon, USA
Post  Posted 5 Mar 2012 11:48 pm    
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Lately, I seem to have all this fifties and sixties music floating around in my head. I thought this this Gene Pitney classic would suit the sound of the steel guitar, so I made a short instrumental recording of it.

This song is very evocative, dark and moody. It's a bit of a departure from most of the stuff I do, especially in the production of the background tracks. I was going for a mood piece here, so I was basically just having some fun with the software and the lap steel. I can't recall another recording of it on steel guitar, although I'm sure it's been done.

I used my homemade 8-string lap, now fitted with an Alumitone pickup. C6th tuning.

Town Without Pity
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norm mcdaniel

 

From:
waco tx
Post  Posted 6 Mar 2012 5:56 am    
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Really great. I loved it. good touch and tone.
Norm in Waco Tx Very Happy
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Thomas Temple

 

From:
Florida, USA
Post  Posted 6 Mar 2012 6:00 am     Very Talented
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First off beautiful haunting melody and very well played. Second nice job on the build... great sounding guitar. You Sir are a talented man.
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Andy Sandoval


From:
Bakersfield, California, USA
Post  Posted 6 Mar 2012 8:41 am    
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Sounds great Jerry! That's one of my favorite Gene Pitney tunes too. Smile
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Marino Galli

 

From:
Switzerland
Post  Posted 6 Mar 2012 9:56 am    
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Wonderful playing Jerry!
Beautiful Tone!
Greetings From Switzerland
Marino
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Jerry Gleason


From:
Eugene, Oregon, USA
Post  Posted 6 Mar 2012 11:40 am    
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Thanks, everyone. Ever have a song that you can't get out of your head? It's not the most creative thing I've ever done as far as the steel guitar part, but I just had to get that out of my system. It was a fun weekend project.
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Ron Whitfield

 

From:
Kaaawa, Hawaii, USA
Post  Posted 6 Mar 2012 12:50 pm    
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Cool one, Jerry, I dig these lonely strolls in the fog type tunes. You might also try Long Walk Home, a number Jimmy Bryant did in the '60s.
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Doug Beaumier


From:
Northampton, MA
Post  Posted 6 Mar 2012 3:57 pm    
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Sounds great, Jerry! Thanks for the memory!
_________________
My Site / My YouTube Channel
25 Songs C6 Lap Steel / 25 MORE Songs C6 Lap Steel / 16 Songs, C6, A6, B11 / 60 Popular Melodies E9 Pedal Steel
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Jim Mitchell


From:
Phily,Pennsylvania, USA
Post  Posted 10 Mar 2012 5:33 am    
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Very nice

What key did you play that in

I have it starting in Bm7

Was that a backing track you had
_________________
I am trying to play a Harlin Brothers 1956 Multi Kord 6 String 4 Pedal Steel Guitar
and a RONDO lap
Retired from Boeing Helicopters in Ridley Park Pa.
we build the CH47
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Jerry Gleason


From:
Eugene, Oregon, USA
Post  Posted 10 Mar 2012 12:35 pm    
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Thanks again, guys. Jim, it's in the original key, Bm modulating to Cm. I created the backing track myself. I usually play real instruments on my backing tracks, but this one is all virtual instruments that I sequenced by hand.
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Steve Ahola


From:
Concord, California
Post  Posted 10 Mar 2012 9:04 pm    
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Sounds great! That Alumitone pickup gets a really nice clean sound- how does it sound if you crank up the gain on your amp? (Inquiring mimes want to know!)
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Will Houston

 

From:
Tempe, Az
Post  Posted 10 Mar 2012 9:22 pm    
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Real nice Jerry, I wanted to know how an alumitone sounded, I like it, whats your amp? Love the organ, that gives it that dark moody sound, too cool.
Will
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Jerry Gleason


From:
Eugene, Oregon, USA
Post  Posted 10 Mar 2012 10:11 pm    
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This, like most of my steel tracks, was recorded direct, without an amp. It's straight from the DI input of my Hamptone mic pre, with very little eq. The Alumitone is slightly darker and fatter sounding than the TrueTone it replaced, but not muddy at all.

I have the same pickup in my Dynalap, and it sounds slightly different there, mostly due to the fact that the pickup is a little closer to the bridge in the Dynalap.

The only amp I've even had a chance to use with so far it is my AER compact 60, which is a clean acoustic instrument amp. It's very clean and nice through that.

Although clean and hi-fi sounding, the output from the Alumitone is very hot, so any amp that has a tendency to overdrive the input stage will do a lot of that. That can be a good thing or not, depending on what you're after.
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James Hartman

 

From:
Pennsylvania, USA
Post  Posted 12 Mar 2012 8:09 pm    
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Nice. Great tune. I like your take on it.

Reminds me, I've been doing a lot more 50s/60s/70s pop tunes for gigs where 10 - 15 years ago it would have been mostly all older jazz standards. The audience just keeps gettin' younger...
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Len Amaral

 

From:
Rehoboth,MA 02769
Post  Posted 13 Mar 2012 6:48 pm    
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Nice vibe and your playing is inspiring.

Lenny
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William Lake

 

From:
Ontario, Canada
Post  Posted 13 Mar 2012 7:16 pm    
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Jerry, on that link you also play 'Round Midnight, one of my favourite tunes.
Is it on lap or pedal?
If on lap, what tuning are you using?
_________________
Bill
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Jerry Gleason


From:
Eugene, Oregon, USA
Post  Posted 13 Mar 2012 7:27 pm    
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Thanks again, everyone! William, "'Round Midnight" was played on the lap steel as well. The tuning is C13, which is my "bread and butter" tuning. Low to high- C_Bb C_E_G_A_C_E.
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