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Topic: another Garcia pedal steel guitar gem.... |
Bob Carlucci
From:
Candor, New York, USA
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Posted 7 Apr 2012 4:07 pm |
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kChN_L3pDzc
For a guy with such limited steel chops, he really did come up with some beautiful stuff...
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I'm over the hill and hittin'rocks on the way down!
no gear list for me.. you don't have the time...... |
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Andy Sandoval
From:
Bakersfield, California, USA
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Posted 7 Apr 2012 7:07 pm
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Yes he did.  |
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Dave Grafe
From:
Hudson River Valley NY
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Posted 8 Apr 2012 11:08 am
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| This piece is a great example of how one can make meaningful music without having to be a monster player. |
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Chris Tweed
From:
Cardiff, Wales, UK
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Posted 8 Apr 2012 11:48 am
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Okay, so I'm probably inviting the wrath of many on SGF, but in what way is Jerry Garcia limited on the PSG? This is a genuine question which, as a relative newcomer to the instrument, I am curious to know the answer to.
Most of Garcia's playing sounds reasonably proficient to me; on the first NRPS album, for example. I know Jerry was dismissive of his own abilities on steel, but what are considered to be his main technical failings?
Chris |
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Andy Sandoval
From:
Bakersfield, California, USA
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Posted 8 Apr 2012 12:56 pm
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"Despite considering himself a novice on the pedal steel, Garcia routinely ranked high in player polls"
This is probably the biggest thing that irks a lot of pedal steel players that squawk about Jerry's playin. They feel that more accomplished players were bein slighted in favor of some hippy dude that doesn't hold a candle to their steel guitar heros.  |
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Bob Carlucci
From:
Candor, New York, USA
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Posted 8 Apr 2012 1:07 pm
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| Chris Tweed wrote: |
Okay, so I'm probably inviting the wrath of many on SGF, but in what way is Jerry Garcia limited on the PSG? This is a genuine question which, as a relative newcomer to the instrument, I am curious to know the answer to.
Most of Garcia's playing sounds reasonably proficient to me; on the first NRPS album, for example. I know Jerry was dismissive of his own abilities on steel, but what are considered to be his main technical failings?
Chris |
Thats a good question.. I always liked Jerrys playing, a lot, and I still do.. He's no Emmons or Franklin, but that can be said about most of us really... bob
_________________
I'm over the hill and hittin'rocks on the way down!
no gear list for me.. you don't have the time...... |
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Rick Abbott
From:
Indiana, USA
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Posted 8 Apr 2012 2:08 pm
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Many of the great players of that era (and ours) play instrumentals and / or put out pure steel albums. Jerry didn't. I too love Jerry's playing. Thanks Bob C!
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RICK ABBOTT
Sho~Bud D-10 Professional #7962
Remington T-8, Sehy #112
1975 Peavey Pacer |
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Larry Tracy
From:
Nevada City, CA, USA
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Posted 8 Apr 2012 7:17 pm
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| I think Jerry had a lot music inside him and what ever musical instrument he picked up something musical would come out of playing it regardless of his technical ability. I think he would hear melody lines in his head and would figure out some way to get that out of the instrument he was playing at the time. |
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Kevin Hatton
From:
Buffalo, N.Y.
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Posted 8 Apr 2012 7:36 pm
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| Exactly Larry. He made good music. A GREAT artist not limited by his instrument. His music came from the soul. He used the instrument to express it. 2 knee levers and Tom Brumley's inspiration. ZB steel. I got a chance to see him live twice, and although Cage was a better technical steel player, I still preferred Garcia's playing for his soulful expression, and he was no where near a technically advanced player. |
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b0b
From:
Cloverdale, CA, USA
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Posted 9 Apr 2012 8:28 am
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| Chris Tweed wrote: |
Okay, so I'm probably inviting the wrath of many on SGF, but in what way is Jerry Garcia limited on the PSG? This is a genuine question which, as a relative newcomer to the instrument, I am curious to know the answer to.
Most of Garcia's playing sounds reasonably proficient to me; on the first NRPS album, for example. I know Jerry was dismissive of his own abilities on steel, but what are considered to be his main technical failings?
Chris |
Jerry Garcia was "pitchy" sometimes. Just a little bit flat. I think he probably tuned harmonically (JI) but positioned his bar more by sight than by sound. That's what I'm hearing, anyway.
Some accomplished steel players are dismissive of his playing because he didn't use knee levers or the chromatic strings very much, if at all. Almost everything I've heard by Jerry was played on strings 3 through 6.
Don't get me wrong - I love Jerry Garcia's steel parts. I'm just answering the question about his technical limitations, which aren't much different from most guitar players who "double" on pedal steel.
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-𝕓𝕆𝕓- (admin) - Robert P. Lee - Recordings - Breathe - D6th - Video |
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Joachim Kettner
From:
Germany
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Posted 9 Apr 2012 8:55 am
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bOb wrote:
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Almost everything I've heard by Jerry was played on strings 3 through 6.
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I never thought about that, but now that you mentioned it, I remember the song "Laughing" by David Crosby.
Here he did the trick of playing the E string ,pressing the C- pedal and taking it up to unison with the first string.
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Fender Kingman, Sierra Crown D-10, Evans Amplifier, Soup Cube. |
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b0b
From:
Cloverdale, CA, USA
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Posted 9 Apr 2012 9:47 am
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I did say "almost". 
Yeah, I hear the 1st string now and then, but I've never noticed the 2nd, 7th or 9th strings at all. He didn't need them for the parts he dreamed up.
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-𝕓𝕆𝕓- (admin) - Robert P. Lee - Recordings - Breathe - D6th - Video |
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Donny Hinson
From:
Glen Burnie, Md. U.S.A.
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Posted 9 Apr 2012 2:23 pm
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IMHO, Ralph chose to be a stylist, rather than try to compete directly with the likes of Day, Emmons, Myrick, Crawford, Rugg, Green, Chalker, and Charleton (those were the "big dogs" back in the '60s). His sound was unique, not especially due to his tone (which is all that a lotta players think about), but more due to the simplicity of what he played, and his extensive use of open strings and moving harmonies.
Some listeners can't, or won't, appreciate (recognize?) technical ability, but rather, they focus on sound and style. Not that there's anything wrong with that, but it does kinda limit them when it comes to comparing players.
I have some early recordings by Mooney that sound almost "too good" to be Moon - they're arguably equal to anything that came out of Nashville in the early '60s, and it was evident (to me, anyway) that he consciously took a more "simplistic" path, and switched over more towards imagination and originality, as opposed to just playing the latest "hot licks".
It's been said that "Style sells more than ability." I suppose that's most always been the case...but especially in the last 60 years.
Rock-n-roll changed everything, and I believe Moon saw that, and capitalized on it.  |
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b0b
From:
Cloverdale, CA, USA
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Bob Carlucci
From:
Candor, New York, USA
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Posted 15 Apr 2012 3:09 pm
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meh... Not one of his best efforts on steel, IMHO... bob
_________________
I'm over the hill and hittin'rocks on the way down!
no gear list for me.. you don't have the time...... |
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Kevin Hatton
From:
Buffalo, N.Y.
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Posted 15 Apr 2012 3:16 pm
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| I didn't get by Bob Weir's off key catawallin. Painful. |
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Dave Zirbel
From:
Sebastopol, CA USA
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Posted 15 Apr 2012 3:36 pm
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I have some early recordings by Mooney that sound almost "too good" to be Moon - they're arguably equal to anything that came out of Nashville in the early '60s |
I would love to hear that stuff. Also I would love to hear Moon in his pre pedal days. 
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Dave Zirbel-
Sierra S-10 (Built by Ross Shafer),ZB, Fender 400 guitars, various tube and SS amps |
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