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Topic: What tunes are you currently working on ? |
Larry Lenhart
From:
Ponca City, Oklahoma
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Posted 27 Nov 2017 7:12 am |
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Just curious what tune or tunes you guys are currently working on. All of mine are on C6th 8 string, but dont necessarily use all 8 strings, 6 would work just as well. I will start it:
1. Doug Beumier's version of "Apache"...I learned this song back in hs in the 60s on regular guitar and have liked it ever since...Doug's version makes it sound like its just made for lap steel...the hardest part for me is the single string tremolo, but I am getting it...easy to do with a pick on regular guitar, but find it a challenge on the lap steel,,,with a thumb pick and getting the right attack. I forgot to mention that I add the "shooting arrow" sound that I saw Carco Clave do when he performed this song at the SWSGA or TSGA show one year.
2. "Love letters in the Sand"...I wrote out a tab for this song and like the way it lies on the lap steel...I would send my version to anyone who would care for it and would like to give me feedback on it-improvements !
3. "Kahola March"-my last lesson with Margie Mays we worked on JB's arrangement of this tune and I like it a lot !
I always try to keep two or three songs in the "works in progress" category...of course probably all of my tunes are in that category ! 
_________________
Zum Encore, Remington D8 non pedal, Hallmark Mosrite clone, Gretsch 6120 DSW, Gretsch G5210T-P90 Electromatic Jet Two 90,1976 Ibanez L5, Eastman archtop, Taylor Dreadnaught, Telonics pedal, Squire Tele, Squire Strat, Fender Tonemaster, Gold Tone 5 string banjo, Little Wonder tenor banjo, 3 Roland cubes 30s and 80, Carvin combo bass amp
Last edited by Larry Lenhart on 29 Nov 2017 9:53 am; edited 5 times in total |
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Nic Neufeld
From:
Kansas City, Missouri
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Posted 27 Nov 2017 7:36 am
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Past week or so I've been playing Andy Iona's version of Carefree, after tabbing it out in C6 (pretty sure not the original tuning). Almost all single-note, very slow...deceptively challenging, though, to get that pure, singing tone he has....lots more vibrato, too, than perhaps other later players. I need to learn the chords on guitar so I can record a backing track...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UzLSRu7K5pk
But most of the time, one of the songs from one of the two Alfred Apaka albums I own will pop into my head, and I'll sit and pick it out...this weekend, it was When the Angels Placed a Lei Around Hawaii:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=II7-n097EMs |
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Mark Roeder
From:
Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA
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Posted 27 Nov 2017 8:51 am
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I've been working on Mr.Sandman for some time now
It's a lot of fun/challenge to pick the voices and make it work on steel
_________________
www.deluxe34.com lap steel stands, Clinesmith, Gibson Console Grande, Northwesterns, The Best Westerns
https://www.facebook.com/TheBestWesterns |
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Pete Burak
From:
Portland, OR USA
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Keith Glendinning
From:
United Kingdom
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Posted 27 Nov 2017 9:30 am
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| Smoke Gets In Your Eyes in A6 or C6 tuning. |
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David M Brown
From:
California, USA
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Posted 27 Nov 2017 9:49 am
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Nothing on lap steel....this week I've been playing the balalaika.
Sorry to say, I've been slacking on the steel and enjoying balalaika and mandolin right now.
That JB arrangement of "Kohala March" would be a good place to begin again. |
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Frank James Pracher
From:
Michigan, USA
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Posted 27 Nov 2017 10:56 am
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Blue Hawaii... Basil has a great breakdown of Barney Isaac Jr's version on Youtube. I'm through the first part and just need to buckle down and finish it up.
_________________
"Don't be mad honey, but I bought another one" |
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Joe Burke
From:
Toronto, Canada
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Posted 27 Nov 2017 10:58 am
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This is a fun post!
Sidney Bechet's "Si tu vois ma mere" in C6 has been keeping me busy. If I get good enoigh, I'll post it!
I've also been working on Paradise Isle. I'm using both The Alcatraz Islanders and Jerry Byrd's versions as reference. I've been playing it in E13 and C6. It's kind of cool to see where the notes and grips are similar and different. |
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Stefan Robertson
From:
Hertfordshire, UK
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Posted 27 Nov 2017 11:05 am
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Raising the Dickens Doug Jernigan's Version of chord changes.
No other songs just looking at that one made me rethink how to connect from one chord to another. May be on this for awhile.
_________________
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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Mark Roeder
From:
Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA
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Jack Hanson
From:
San Luis Valley, USA
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Posted 27 Nov 2017 11:11 am Re: What tunes are you currently working on ?
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| Larry Lenhart wrote: |
| I always try to keep two or three songs in the "works in progress" category...of course probably all of my tunes are in that category ! |
I'm in a similar boat. Here's my current three:
1) Doug's version of "Penetration" has become an earworm.
2) Mike's transcription of "Chloe."
3) Always keep returning to "Blue Light Boogie" by Louis Jordan. |
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Nic Neufeld
From:
Kansas City, Missouri
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Posted 27 Nov 2017 11:15 am
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| Frank James Pracher wrote: |
| Blue Hawaii... Basil has a great breakdown of Barney Isaac Jr's version on Youtube. I'm through the first part and just need to buckle down and finish it up. |
Me too! And likewise with Basil's walkthrough, he's a great teacher. However, I got a bit lazy and stopped at the key change, so I'm still just playing verse/chorus (although I did transpose that lovely little run that he ends the song with back down to the original key). |
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David Matzenik
From:
Cairns, on the Coral Sea
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Posted 27 Nov 2017 12:28 pm
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Some really great tunes mentioned so far. I would be happy working on any of them. I'm messing around with B11, Mapuana and When You Wish Upon A Star. And Falls of Akaka on the Weissenborn low bass G. I had put the fiddle aside for something like 13 years. I am putting a lot of time into it again. Don't want to lose the touch.
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Don't go in the water after lunch. You'll get a cramp and drown. - Mother. |
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George Macdonald
From:
Vancouver Island BC Canada
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Posted 27 Nov 2017 12:42 pm New tunes
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| I recently worked out "Mary Did You Know", to play at a Christmas banquet at our Church. Roy Thomson's version here on the Forum inspired me to learn it, and I found a nice track at Christwill.com. |
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Mike A Holland
From:
United Kingdom
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Posted 27 Nov 2017 1:05 pm
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| Just worked up a tune called "Jigsaw Puzzle Blues" in C6/A7 and now working on the Carlos Santana song "Europa" in C6. Both on 6 string Lap Steel! |
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Einar Baldursson
From:
Stockholm, Sweden
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Posted 27 Nov 2017 2:18 pm
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Christmas Island from Jerry Byrd's Christmas in Hawaii album. Ricochet Rag is another one I'm currently looking at. It's an instrumental from the Clint Eastwood movie Honkytonk Man. Herb Remington plays steel on that one.
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https://youtube.com/@steelguitar |
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Tod Johnson
From:
Hawaii, USA
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Posted 27 Nov 2017 4:24 pm
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I'm a beginner so all of them.
Here's a Christmas season one that takes very little work though and after seeing it used in a snowy but non Christmas movie I figured it would be good to know for any winter occasion, since a Christmas Carol repertoire for any instrument is difficult 'cause you only commit to practicing them for about a week out of the year. You experts probably don't even need a tab for this beginners version.
Walking in a Winter Wonderland.
Tab -
http://steelguitarwizard.com/freelessons/learn-a-holiday-song-winter-wonderland
_________________
1939 Oahu Tonemaster, 1957 Rickenbacker, Melbert 8, and a cheap Rogue. |
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Steve Atwood
From:
Massachusetts, USA
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Posted 27 Nov 2017 6:39 pm
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This is my second Christmas season working on El Noi de la Mare (Catalonian Folk Song - The Child of the Virgin).
Good classical guitar version here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dsgif07IPMw
Lots of beautiful 4-note chords, but you can find almost all of them on a 12-string tuned to DGABC#DEGBDF#G.
Another fun song for Christmas is Roy Thomson's tab of Sleigh Ride. |
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Doug Beaumier
From:
Northampton, MA
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Posted 27 Nov 2017 7:48 pm
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Larry, regarding the tremolo picking in "Apache", you might notice at the top of the arrangement it says "A flatpick works best for this song". I played the entire song with a guitar flatpick, and that's what I recommend. It's the best way to get the fast tremolo picking. And the flatpick produces a certain "snap" sound that fingerpicks don't IMO.
What I'm working on this week... I have some pedal steel gigs coming up in Dec. and Jan. and I've been working out the steel parts to "Walk Out Backwards", the Teea Gones version. It's not hard to play, just getting harder to remember as I get older! Also reviewing a bunch of classic country standards by Hank, Patsy, Merle, George & Tammy, etc. for an upcoming gig. Also working on some ukulele arrangements for my students.
Winter's coming so it's time to hunker down and do some woodshedding!
_________________
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
Last edited by Doug Beaumier on 27 Nov 2017 8:02 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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Larry Lenhart
From:
Ponca City, Oklahoma
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Posted 27 Nov 2017 7:58 pm
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doug wrote:
Larry, regarding the tremolo picking in "Apache", you might notice at the top of the arrangement it says "A flatpick works best for this song". I played the entire song with a guitar flatpick, and that's what I recommend. It's the best way to get the fast tremolo picking. And the flatpack produces a certain "snap" sound that fingerpicks don't IMO.
Doug, I feel dumb, I did overlook that, and I tried it and of course you are right, I could play it right off with the flatpick ! Thanks for pointing that out to this dumb Okie ! haha
_________________
Zum Encore, Remington D8 non pedal, Hallmark Mosrite clone, Gretsch 6120 DSW, Gretsch G5210T-P90 Electromatic Jet Two 90,1976 Ibanez L5, Eastman archtop, Taylor Dreadnaught, Telonics pedal, Squire Tele, Squire Strat, Fender Tonemaster, Gold Tone 5 string banjo, Little Wonder tenor banjo, 3 Roland cubes 30s and 80, Carvin combo bass amp |
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Doug Beaumier
From:
Northampton, MA
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Paul Seager
From:
Augsburg, Germany
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Posted 27 Nov 2017 10:29 pm
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I'm actually trying to get my vocals to work whilst playing steel (and vice versa!) The four songs on my practice list are old Western Swing faves:
Roly Poly
Blues for Dixie
Devil ain't lazy
and the most challenging one to sing ...
I've also got a bass gig in January playing "background jazz" for a Honda dealership. So 30 jazz standards to get through and, as we are a trio, I get a solo on every song!
\ paul |
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Ken Campbell
From:
Ferndale, Montana
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Posted 27 Nov 2017 10:42 pm
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Well, I'm nothing if not overly optimistic:
Maybe you'll be there
I'll be seeing you
Red river valley
Hickory wind |
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Andy Volk
From:
Boston, MA
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Posted 28 Nov 2017 4:25 am
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Doing more listening than playing this week ...
The reissue of Erroll Garner's "Concert by the Sea". Garner's playing was amazing - florid, impressionistic, romantic than, in an instant, percussive, rough and swinging - a distillation of a big band in full throttle. He was in a class of his own; completely unduplicatable.
Worked out a simple version of Autumn Leaves (yet again) this weekend after listening to Garner: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PZ_si4imwac
Also one of my favs from the 80s, new-age nylon-string guitarist David Qualey: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-JWh34-4Qh8
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Steel Guitar Books! Website: www.volkmediabooks.com |
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Mick Hearn
From:
United Kingdom
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Posted 28 Nov 2017 10:58 am
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Buddy Emmons version of "I Love You Because", from the Exploring E9 album. As usual I will be on C6 lap.
Several in the pipeline - Lady Be Good - I Just Destroyed the World and Rose Coloured Glasses - all adapted for C6 lap with lots and lots of bar twists.
So many good songs out there.
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MSA Classic 12 string Universal, Remington Steelmaster D8, National D8 Console x 2, George Boards Lap Steel, National New Yorker. |
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