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Topic: It all begins with one note |
Mike Neer
From:
NJ
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Posted 6 Sep 2017 7:33 am |
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I think it does. Take one note and learn to make it sound beautiful. Or sad. Or happy. Just master the expressiveness of one single note. Then move to another note. Master going from one note to another and all the different ways of doing it.
Later on, when you are playing some blazing lines, you will always have your mastery of a note to bring it all home.
This is how I would start off a student on steel guitar, no matter how old or experienced.
Then, make it two notes. Rinse. Repeat. Forever and ever ahem.
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Links to streaming music, websites, YouTube: Links |
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C. E. Jackson
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David Mason
From:
Cambridge, MD, USA
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Posted 6 Sep 2017 10:07 am
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I've actually noticed a telling, slighty sad way to tell which of my (6-string) guitar students were going to keep AT it after the initial charm wore off, about the nine-month-to-two-year level* where they realized that WORK was what distinguished good from... not-gonna-be-good players. Hard work, with ATTENTION. And that is, the gonna-bees can really get OFF on a single note of their own, and they can really be entranced by certain tones of recorded musicians and want to know the HOW of that end. The look-at-me-go flap-fingerers just, well. Hmm.
I have fairly extensive collections of "the best* note ever played" and "the other best** note ever played" and the other other best and "the best THREE*** notes ever played" etc; and they can already UNDERSTAND that idea.
*(Steve Morse Band, album "The Introduction", the first note of the solo on the slow part of "Huron River Blues." Actually the whole dang song.
** Miles Davis, album "Star People", title song, 1:45, the held one that keeps changing tone. Actually the whole dang solo...
***Duane Allman, "Mountain Jam," the slide solo after the bass solo that's after the drum solo, after Duane informs Dickey that in NO WAY are they playing a duet, not right NOW, not for a little while, and after grand celestial hound-doggie stuff; at 25:50 or so, the root, b3/3 ->root... surprise, actually the WHOLE DANG SOLO is IMMACULATE. I almost detect a pattern?)
B) Kala Ramnath. ANY note. Incredible vibrato & pitch control, it's like listening to a hibernating dragon:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4qO6L-zmIE8
Or ANY other track/concert/even her doodles are terrifying. The FIRST note of the FIRST raga the FIRST time I heard her she immediately zoomed to the top, displacing some not-incidentally talented peep.
*(The ones who figured out it was going to be HARD at nine months were already better then than the two-year fellows.)
Tho: As I myself have changed around (somewhat drastically, healthwise) and I've seen many others turn many, often unexpected, even drastic corners, I ALWAYS encourage people to at least keep the toys AROUND, you'll likely need them eventually. Instruments will get you through times of la, la and so-forth. |
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Geoff Cline
From:
Southwest France
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Posted 7 Sep 2017 5:39 am
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Totally agree Mike. For me, it was seeing/meeting Albert King...and then watching as, with sweat running down his face and the band just chugging, Albert waited...and waited and then blew the roof off the place with one note!
Literally life changing for me. |
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Dennis Detweiler
From:
Solon, Iowa, US
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Posted 7 Sep 2017 9:03 am
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I'm closing in on 50 years of playing steel. My notes are all sad! 
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1976 Birdseye U-12 MSA with Telonics 427 pickup, 1975 Birdseye U-12 MSA with Telonics X-12 pickup, Revelation preamp, Carbon Copy Delay and Hall Of Fame Reverb, Crown XLS 1002, 2- 15" Eminence Wheelhouse speakers, ShoBud Pedal, Effects Pedals. 1949 Epiphone D-8. |
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Christopher Woitach
From:
Portland, Oregon, USA
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Posted 7 Sep 2017 10:47 am
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The old school Indian classical players would do that for a year..
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Christopher Woitach
cw@affmusic.com
www.affmusic.com |
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