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Topic: Slants |
Jim Pitman
From:
Waterbury Ctr. VT 05677 USA
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Posted 2 Mar 2015 5:21 am |
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This has probably been covered before but......Do you use slants regularly?
What's your experience?
I find myself avoiding the reverse slant only for the awkward theatrics one has to train the left hand to do.
Do you use your thumb to flip out the rear (reverse) or front (forward) of the bar or do you not change your grip at all and merely angle your wrist?
I notice some players avoid them entirely. I'm trying to think if I've ever seen Jerry D do a slant in fact.
The other Jerry, Jerry Byrd, was the king of the slant I recall. |
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Rob Anderlik
From:
Chicago, IL
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Posted 2 Mar 2015 5:36 am
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I don't use them very often, but I dearly love the way they sound, especially in the hands of a great player. Here's an example by Rob Ickes using slants that I really like.
Jerry Douglas may not use them often, but I've seen him use slants before. Always in service of the song and perfectly in tune!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CgJr74MXtAY |
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Robert Allen
From:
Tennessee, USA
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Posted 2 Mar 2015 5:39 am
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| I grew up on slants and never try to avoid them. To me, slants are as natural as a non-slant position. I never bend my wrist, fingers always pointing straight ahead, mostly thumb technique, slight movement of middle finger. Index finger is the pivot point. Dobro players who bend their wrist to get a slant are usually struggling at frets 1 and 2. |
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Jim Pitman
From:
Waterbury Ctr. VT 05677 USA
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Posted 2 Mar 2015 6:15 am
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Love that video. I've always thought just Dobro and steel string guitar are a match made in heaven sonically. I've got this album of just Josh Graves and Kenny Baker (on guitar and a little fiddle) that is just that and love it.
Indeed lotso nice slants by Rob Ickes.
Now do you do a three adjacent string slant ever?
It's theoretically impossible to play in tune unless you bend one of the strings on the outside slightly.
My favorite for my GBDGBD dobro is a forward slant on strings 2, 3, and 4 (highest string being 1) used as a five tag in a progression if one keeps string 2 in place as the anchor.
The chord is a 6/7 I believe. It's so weird, almost dissonant sounding to begin with, that a little out of tune seems to be acceptable.
I'll also do a strings 1,2, and 3 forward slant to get a four chord kinda like mashing pedals a and B simultaneously on a e9 tuned pedal steel. I've entertained using uneven string spacing to get it in tune but never did have the courage to try it. You can press down harder on the higher string to tune it up anyway. |
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Dan Mahoney
From:
North Carolina, USA
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Posted 2 Mar 2015 6:15 am
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| I used to do a lot of reverse slants on dobro, but now I mostly use forward slants, especially on the 3rd and 5th strings, some on 1st and 3rd. Lots of nice notes in a small space. I also do a 1-3-5 forward slant a lot for a 1-5 or 5-1 transition. Stacy Phillips is the master of all things slant, and Johnny Bellar is great too. Jim, are you still digging out up there? |
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Jim Pitman
From:
Waterbury Ctr. VT 05677 USA
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Posted 2 Mar 2015 6:49 am
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Hi Dan. Actually VT didn't get hit half as hard as the Boston Area. Did wake up to a fresh 3" this morning.
Yeh I do a lot of 1 fret duad slants with a pair of strings, ie 1 and 3, 2 an 4, 3 and 5. I suppose I use 1 and 3 the most both forward and backward. Playing Dobro on the "Ground Hog Opry" show the month of March if you get up this way. |
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Andy Volk
From:
Boston, MA
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Posted 2 Mar 2015 7:20 am
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As you say, Jim, some really great players (Cindy Cashdollar, Jerry D (usually), etc. avoid slants all-together. I've been using them since I started so it's no big deal to me.
One of the secrets to playing a three-fret slant is to apply a little downward pressure on the bar which helps bring the slant in tune. If the song is fairly fast, intonation issues are less of a problem.
Slants open up the neck to all kinds of possibilities and I would hate to lose those by avoiding 'em. It just takes lots of practice. On the other hand, I've been playing artificial harmonics for 25+ years and in the heat of battle, 50% of the time I get a clunker instead of a chime despite years of practice.
_________________
Steel Guitar Books! Website: www.volkmediabooks.com |
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Nakos Marker
From:
Washington, USA
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Posted 2 Mar 2015 9:47 am
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Last edited by Nakos Marker on 11 Aug 2020 8:00 pm; edited 2 times in total |
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Andy Henriksen
From:
Michigan, USA
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Posted 2 Mar 2015 10:02 am
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| Andy Volk wrote: |
| I've been playing artificial harmonics for 25+ years and in the heat of battle, 50% of the time I get a clunker instead of a chime despite years of practice. |
Well, that's certainly disheartening! I've been telling myself I need to really start to incorporate artificial harmonics into my playing more. Now, I wonder if I should even bother trying!  |
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Edward Meisse
From:
Santa Rosa, California, USA
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Posted 2 Mar 2015 10:25 am
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I used to play slants. And I did it well. It really adds a lot to one's sound as well as making it possible to play things without big jumps across the fret board. I highly recommend them. I can't do them any more because old joint injuries and duypetremes contracture have just made them all but impossible.
_________________
Amor vincit omnia |
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Frank James Pracher
From:
Michigan, USA
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Posted 2 Mar 2015 10:36 am
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I use slants when I'm playing solo, but I really don't do them much with the band. With two guitar players and a bass The chord is usually pretty well established and I just need to add some icing to the cake.
_________________
"Don't be mad honey, but I bought another one" |
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Steffen Gunter
From:
Munich, Germany
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Posted 2 Mar 2015 1:19 pm
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I avoided slants the first year. Now that I’m working on Jerry Byrd’s course I’m trying find some and rather avoid big jumps on the fretboard.
JB encourages you to use them very much just because of their smooth sound, softly sliding from one chord to a different chord is what makes the steel guitar so special – and I think that’s why pedals became successful: Sliding into a changing without break and not to to build fatter chords (I think more like a Jazz guitar player: use the important strings and voicings only, the less the better).
So my answer is: yes, I use them, I hope I can become better in my slant techniques. |
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Dave Meis
From:
Olympic Peninsula, Washington, USA
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Posted 2 Mar 2015 2:00 pm
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| +1 on what Frank says..ensemble playing. What's your tuning? |
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Kirk Francis
From:
Laupahoehoe
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David Mason
From:
Cambridge, MD, USA
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Posted 2 Mar 2015 3:58 pm
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One any set of strings that are a 1-3-5 interval, there are what I think of as the "X" slants. If it's C-E-G, you've got a forward slant at frets 2-4 - D-G-B, and a back slant at the same frets - E-G-A. And you've got that same pattern - a forward and backward slant - at frets 4-6, frets 7-9 and frets 9-11. The backward ones are harder to get to, if you try to get one straight out of the forward slant it's easier with a double ended bar and just let the bar go backwards... and down low a lot of bars are too short. I think these are all diatonic to C, maybe a few of the backslant 7th chords are in G or Mixolydian C... but it's a good way to picture them. Playing them as arpeggios instead of chords can reduce the pain factor some. NOT finger pain, EARS.  |
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Jack Aldrich
From:
Washington, USA
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Posted 4 Mar 2015 8:59 am
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Since I mainly play lap steel, and I have 2 of my resonator guitars in C6 and a 6 string in B11, I use a lot of slants, forward and backward. I especially like the 3 note slant for augmented and diminished chords. I'm seriously considering getting another 6 string to tune in High G for bluegrass.
_________________
Jack Aldrich
Carter & ShoBud D10's
D8 & T8 Stringmaster
Rickenbacher B6
3 Resonator guitars
Asher Alan Akaka Special SN 6
Canopus D8 |
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Stefan Robertson
From:
Hertfordshire, UK
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Posted 6 Mar 2015 2:44 am
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Slants are integral to lap steel guitar.
Forward and backward
Billy Robinson is the best at those bar none.
_________________
Stefan
Bill Hatcher custom 12 string Lap Steel Guitar
E13#9/F secrets: https://thelapsteelguitarist.wordpress.com
"Give it up for The Lap Steel Guitarist" |
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Jim Pitman
From:
Waterbury Ctr. VT 05677 USA
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Posted 6 Mar 2015 8:04 am
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| I totally agree Stefan. I've had the opportunity or two to hang with the man. |
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Ian
From:
San Francisco, CA
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Posted 7 Mar 2015 2:09 am
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| "... bar none." Great stuff |
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Jean-Sebastien Gauthier
From:
Quebec, Canada
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Posted 7 Mar 2015 5:40 am
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| When you harmonize a melody in third or sixth you always have the choice to jump for strings set or keep on the same 2 strings and do slants. I think that some times its better to stay with straight bar for intonation but slant help to not have to jump to far on the neck and help keeping a flow and you can do phrasing between 2 interval. I think that if you want to be a good steel player you have to master slants. To be able to have a light touch, perfect intonation, slant, vibrato, harmonic are all part of the beauty of the instrument. You can play a very simple harmonized melody and if you play it right it will be beautiful. |
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Brian McGaughey
From:
Orcas Island, WA USA
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Posted 7 Mar 2015 7:09 am
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To me you're leaving some music on the table if you don't use them. Why would you do that?
The master of slants on dobro IMO was Gene Wooten. (Dobro guys and gals, notice both arms inside the strap!) Slant content starts at 2:25.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TNErZNroBGk
Last edited by Brian McGaughey on 7 Mar 2015 7:15 am; edited 1 time in total |
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Craig Baker
From:
Eatonton, Georgia, USA - R.I.P.
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Posted 7 Mar 2015 7:15 am
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You had to really watch Buddy Charleton closely to catch a glimpse of him holding the bar straight. One of his best slant examples (perfectly on pitch) is found in the classic E.T. tune "Half A Mind". In this video, there is an unfortunate glitch during the turn around, but it's still a great performance. Here's a link, watch for the slant in the intro:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3KqB188pYiE
Now, go back and watch the whole song again. One of the prettiest songs out there, and it's all done with two pedals. I don't even hear a knee lever.
Thank you Buddy.
Best regards,
Craig Baker       706-485-8792Â
cmbakerelectronics@gmail.comÂ
C.M. Baker ElectronicsÂ
P.O. Box 3965Â
Eatonton, GA 31024
_________________
"Make America Great Again". . . The Only Country With Dream After Its Name. |
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Jim Pitman
From:
Waterbury Ctr. VT 05677 USA
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Posted 7 Mar 2015 11:21 am
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| Ah yes Gene Wooten - I agree. Met him at some BG fest a long time ago. |
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Chris Templeton
From:
The Green Mountain State
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Posted 14 Mar 2015 6:15 pm
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When I took lessons with Jerry Byrd, he pushed the heel of the bar out with his thumb for reverse slants.
On slower slants, pay attention to keeping the transition smooth and not jerky.
Jerry also used a smaller bar than a pedal steel bar, and that makes the manipulation easier.
Jerry did not bend his wrist when doing slants.
The beauty of a round tipped bar is that when playing three note slants, with the top two strings on the same fret and the bottom note being raised or lowered, the nose of the bar will keep those notes in tune.
I think a dobro bar is prone to catching on the strings and perhaps is the reason dobro players don't use them much.
Sacred steeler, Chuck Campbell, often turns his bar around so that so that when he moves the bar up and down strings, it will catch on the string and it will sound. This is particularly effective when playing fast. Got it, eh? :0)
_________________
Excel 3/4 Pedal With An 8 String Hawaiian Neck, Sierra Tapper (10 string with a raised fretboard to fret with fingers), Single neck Fessenden 3/5
"The Tapper" : https://christophertempleton.bandcamp.com/album/the-tapper
Soundcloud Playlist: https://soundcloud.com/bluespruce8:
Last edited by Chris Templeton on 15 Mar 2015 5:34 am; edited 4 times in total |
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Ray Montee
From:
Portland, Oregon (deceased)
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Posted 14 Mar 2015 9:33 pm Isn't wanting to play as steel guitar without slants........
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sorta like wanting to drive an automobile........
without having to make any turns either right or left? |
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