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Topic: Monroe instrumentals |
Stephen Kuester
From:
Virginia, USA
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Posted 2 Feb 2015 8:04 am |
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Any of my bluegrass brethren out there ever tried to pick through tunes like Big Mon, Wheel Hoss, or Roanoke on PSG?
I started messing around with Big Mon this morning and it seems like maybe these tunes would be a great way to help build up speed. Wish me luck. |
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Jack Devereux
From:
Brooklyn NY
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Posted 2 Feb 2015 8:13 am
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| I've found learning fiddle tunes/bluegrass instrumentals on steel to be great for technique (and its fun and they sound good). Really helps you get comfortable with reaching up and grabbing strings 1 and 2. |
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Mike Terry
From:
Galesburg Il
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Posted 2 Feb 2015 10:33 am
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| I've worked on Lonesome Moonlight Waltz some. |
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Gary Lee Gimble
From:
Fredericksburg, VA.
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Rick Campbell
From:
Sneedville, TN, USA
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Posted 2 Feb 2015 11:06 am
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I've played all that Monroe stuff on fiddle for years, and worked with Monroe for awhile. Doug Jernigan plays some fiddle tunes on steel like "Lost "Indian" but that's not Monroe stuff, it just an old fiddle tune. I always thought "Panhandle Country" would be a good steel instrumental, maybe C6 by someone that can really put some fast notes in it..... Doug comes to mind. Monroe did it in C and that's where it works right for the fiddles to play the classic licks. As mentioned Roanoke is a good one too. Scotland would be a good twin steel song for something unusual.
RC |
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Clyde Mattocks
From:
Kinston, North Carolina, USA
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Posted 2 Feb 2015 1:48 pm
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Fiddle tunes and Irish tunes are great excercises for training to play angular passages.
_________________
LeGrande II, Nash. 112, Fender Twin Tone Master, Session 400, Harlow Dobro, R.Q.Jones Dobro |
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chris ivey
From:
california (deceased)
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Posted 2 Feb 2015 6:09 pm
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| what's that? |
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Stephen Kuester
From:
Virginia, USA
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Posted 2 Feb 2015 7:30 pm
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i've heard A few recordings of Doug J doing fiddle tunes--Leather Britches was among them. Apparently, there's a recording of Doug and Vassar Clements out there somewhere with them running through a bunch of bluegrass tunes--haven't been able to track that down.
Rick, twin fiddling on pedal steels would be an interesting experiment. Bobby Hicks & Charlie Cline era stuff especially. I wonder if Bill would approve  |
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Jim Pitman
From:
Waterbury Ctr. VT 05677 USA
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Posted 3 Feb 2015 3:12 pm
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| The Osbourne brothers used Hal Rugg on a couple three ablums. |
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Bill Cunningham
From:
Atlanta, Ga. USA
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Posted 3 Feb 2015 5:15 pm
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On the "Speed Picking and Country Ballads" CD, Jernigan did Ranoke, including a nice solo ride on C6. He said he learned it from Vasser. A couple of times, when I have played bass with him on steel shows,I have asked him to do it but he said he hasn't played it since the recording.
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Bill Cunningham
Atlanta, GA |
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Jim Pitman
From:
Waterbury Ctr. VT 05677 USA
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Posted 4 Feb 2015 12:25 pm
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Having played Dobro for so many years, I suppose I could play a PSG like a Dobro and use a lot of hammer-ons and pull-offs down at the nut, and alternating open with barred strings. But then you are limited to songs in E. Monroe didn't play too many songs in E.
I had Doc Watson's version of Black Mountain Rag worked out on PSG at one time without using open strings. |
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Rick Campbell
From:
Sneedville, TN, USA
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Posted 4 Feb 2015 8:03 pm
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| Jim Pitman wrote: |
Having played Dobro for so many years, I suppose I could play a PSG like a Dobro and use a lot of hammer-ons and pull-offs down at the nut, and alternating open with barred strings. But then you are limited to songs in E. Monroe didn't play too many songs in E.
I had Doc Watson's version of Black Mountain Rag worked out on PSG at one time without using open strings. |
Brown County Breakdown, Southern Flavor, Watson's Blues, Northern White Clouds...... all Monroe instrumentals in key of E.
RC |
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Jim Pitman
From:
Waterbury Ctr. VT 05677 USA
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Posted 5 Feb 2015 2:02 pm
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I stand corrected. Monroe was such a blues-man. Key of E works nicely.
A side note. Bill never liked Dobro I've been told he was quoted saying "It don't go in there". |
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Ken Pippus
From:
Langford, BC, Canada
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Posted 5 Feb 2015 2:10 pm
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Unless it was played by Josh.
Which is just a little paradoxical, as I suspect the reason he hated dobros was that Flatt and Scruggs did it first. With Josh. |
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Rick Campbell
From:
Sneedville, TN, USA
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Posted 5 Feb 2015 9:14 pm
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| Jim Pitman wrote: |
I stand corrected. Monroe was such a blues-man. Key of E works nicely.
A side note. Bill never liked Dobro I've been told he was quoted saying "It don't go in there". |
Jim... I didn't mean to correct you, just provide some information. You didn't say he didn't play any songs in E. Yeah, I don't think Bill cared for dobro. I don't think it fits his music either. Flatt and Scruggs music was so different than Monroe's anyway. Hot Corn Cold Corn, Salty Dog, etc.. more novelty type songs, but I did like some of their stuff. Especially the songs that fiddlers Jim Shumate and Benny Martin played on. I think the main difference is that Flatt and Scruggs music was built around the banjo, and Monroe's music was built more for the fiddle. Monroe said the fiddle was the King of all the instruments.
Ironically, my favorite dobro break of all time was Uncle Josh with Flatt and Scruggs live at Carnegy Hall on a Monroe song. Footprints In The Snow. They did it in C, Monroe did it in E.
RC |
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David Shepack
From:
New Jersey, USA
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Posted 6 Feb 2015 7:37 am I play Bluegrass
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I think learning any song is good exercise, but as a multi instrumentalist , I try to be smart about what I pick. Pedal Steel is mostly used in Country music.
Learning "Purple Haze" on banjo was fun, but where can you play it, except at a solo gig. Not many Pedal Steelers do solo gigs.
How many country bands play " Big Mon ", " Salt Creek " etc
A more efficient use of your time would be to learn songs that you will actually get to play, and be called on to play.
Also…I don't think instrumentals go over that well except in a concert situation.
_________________
Maverick
Fender Blues Deville
Flatiron Mandolin
Gibson RB4 Banjo |
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David Shepack
From:
New Jersey, USA
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Posted 6 Feb 2015 7:42 am Mr. Pitman
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The Osborn Brothers tried to go electric.( I think to try to compete with the likes of Elvis and the Beatles) I guess they sold some albums. But the mostly strict traditional Bluegrass fans….didn't like it
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Maverick
Fender Blues Deville
Flatiron Mandolin
Gibson RB4 Banjo |
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Jim Pitman
From:
Waterbury Ctr. VT 05677 USA
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Posted 6 Feb 2015 7:50 am
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Rick C. - No problem. Yes Great song and break in Footprints in the snow. One of my favorite vinyl records is Josh with Kenny Baker, a fiddler as I'm sure you are aware.
Must have been great to tour with a legend. |
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Tommy Minniear
From:
Logansport, Indiana
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Posted 6 Feb 2015 8:31 am Re: Mr. Pitman
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| David Shepack wrote: |
| The Osborn Brothers tried to go electric.( I think to try to compete with the likes of Elvis and the Beatles) I guess they sold some albums. But the mostly strict traditional Bluegrass fans….didn't like it |
The key word in your statement is "strict" in referring to bluegrass fans.
In 1994, The Osborne Brothers were inducted into the International Bluegrass Music Association's Hall of Honor. The induction is considered bluegrass music's highest honor. Taken from Wikipedia.
To the original poster of this thread: sorry for the topic drift. |
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Ken Pippus
From:
Langford, BC, Canada
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Posted 6 Feb 2015 10:42 am
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Most classical instrumentalists spend much, sometimes the majority, of their time playing scales or "technical studies," which are basically exercises to train your midbrain to find the right note quickly and painlessly. Playing fiddle tunes, Monroe's or otherwise, would likely work very well to achieve the same end, while being substantially less boring. I suspect just learning tunes that fit your next gig won't make you a better musician very quickly.
Back to topic drift: saw Kenny and Josh live a couple of times when they toured together. A very entertaining show by a couple of real pros. |
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Jim Robbins
From:
Ontario, Canada
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Posted 8 Feb 2015 2:30 pm
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| I've been working on "Gold Rush" along with a few other fiddle tunes (including "Salt Creek", now that you mention it). Can't play them at bluegrass tempos on steel but they are incredibly good exercises for clean picking, & learning non-cliche pockets. |
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Ken Pippus
From:
Langford, BC, Canada
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Posted 8 Feb 2015 5:40 pm
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| Not a lot of Monroe E tunes, but lots of A, like Gold Rush. Haven't tried it, but it seems like you could do the dobro hammer on thing with the pedals down. |
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Adam Tracksler
From:
Maine, USA
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