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Topic: Newbie from Toronto - Intro - Mullen Discovery |
Prem Arun
From:
Ontario, Canada
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Posted 8 Jan 2021 6:04 pm |
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Hello folks! Greetings from Toronto!
I'm a total newbie to Steel Guitars (of all kinds).
Became a member now although I've been around - lurking - for a couple of months.
From the immense knowledge-base here, I decided on the Mullen Discovery S-10 3+4; a sparkling new one arrived Dec 22nd (2020) - with a 6 week lead-time. Thanks to Mike, I had a 1-1/2" arm-rest (pad) factory installed. 
Was introduced to the "Hawaiian Guitar" by my uncle - a great musician - during my school days in the 70s but was able to lay my paws on one only recently.
Started off with an Asian made wood-finish Lap-Steel (similar to the Rogue RLS-1 - short scale), but better finish. Wanted to move to a longer scale so upgraded to a Duesenberg Fairytale.
I was so impressed by that guitar build, I wanted to homebrew (DIY) one, and did complete that project - 25-1/2" scale, 6 strings, Open E - with B and G# palm benders.
I guess I'm more a DIY man than a musician. I'm also an Advanced grade Amateur Radio Hobbyist - licensed HAM for over 40 years (homebrewing and repairs - mostly).
Came to know about pedal steels only after taking my Lap-Steel plunge in the very recent past. I figured it'd be impossible for me to learn, and just toyed with the idea of building one.....
I'm glad I didn't venture into that! 
Just want to focus on learning to play this great instrument.
An arm-rest was a must for me due to some medical issues. The factory installed narrow pad was no help to the right arm, and it has been a challenge right from the start.
So, I did a simple DIY arm-rest (only for the right-arm) - installed to the leg.
I did make a few videos:
New Mullen Discovery unboxing and setup: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OKPgnAqG18E
DIY arm-rest and a Pick/Tone-bar tray: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tR8C_3n7Hfc
Thank you for the bandwidth. I've been watching all the videos of the pros (from this forum), and also reading, and reading (and practicing) all the pro-tips available on this board.
God Bless!
Prem
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Joe Krumel
From:
Hermitage, Tn.
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Posted 9 Jan 2021 6:41 am welcome!
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| Hi Prem. Welcome to this great forum. congrats on the Mullen! This place is a fountain of advice and knowledge. |
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Prem Arun
From:
Ontario, Canada
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Posted 9 Jan 2021 6:59 am
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Thank you, Joe!
Yes, indeed it is. I'm grateful to all the free knowledge sharing that happens here. All top-notch guidance from the pros.
My mentor always said: "If blood and knowledge are not shared, humanity will cease to exist!"
Regards,
Prem. |
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Dale Rivard
From:
Ontario, Canada
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Posted 9 Jan 2021 7:20 am
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| Hi Prem, From 1 Canadian (I live around Windsor) to another, welcome! I have a Mullen Discovery as well and it's a great steel. You will learn a lot hanging around here. I wish you all the best with your pedal steel endeavours and enjoy the ride! |
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Prem Arun
From:
Ontario, Canada
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Posted 9 Jan 2021 7:31 am
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Hello Dale! Thank you, sir!
Canadian, eh! Great!
I live in the GTA.
Yes, it's a struggle - putting it mildly, but I'm slowly getting the hang of it. My fingers fumble because of the lower (11/32nd?) string spacing compared to my DIY (and Duesenberg) Lap Steel.
My long term plan is to introduce the Pedal Steel to Indian (raaga) music....even if I never accomplish learning to play chords...
Regards,
Prem. |
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Dennis Montgomery
From:
Western Washington
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Posted 9 Jan 2021 10:52 am
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| Prem Arun wrote: |
My long term plan is to introduce the Pedal Steel to Indian (raaga) music....even if I never accomplish learning to play chords...
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Cool. I know a little about Indian music - or at least as much as any other self respecting Beatles/George Harrison fan who grew up in the 60's! When you get to that point, I'd love to hear what you're doing.
This is the only example I know of as someone using a pedal steel to play a raga-like solo. It's the prog rock band Yes with Steve Howe on his Sho-Bud. This was recorded in '73 for the album, "Tales from Topographic Oceans". The pedal steel solo begins around the 0:45 mark and goes through to about the 3:20 mark. While Steve has said he played it on his Sho-Bud, I don't believe there's any pedal/knee work happening and he's strictly playing it like a steel. Also, I'm sure it's technically not a raga and doesn't follow that highly defined structure...still I think it's fun to hear a pedal steel used for something so far out of it's comfort zone, especially back in '74 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HDbfT3YI_L4
_________________
Hear my latest album, "Celestial" featuring a combination of Mullen SD12 and Synthesizers:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mhh6b_xXTx4&list=PLfXm8aXRTFz0x-Sxso0NWw493qAouK
Hear my album, "Armistice" featuring Fender 400 on every song:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLfXm8aXRTFz2Pz_GXhvmjne7lPEtsplyW
Hear my Pedal Steel Only playlist featuring Mullen G2 SD12 on covers like Candyman, Wild Horses, Across the Universe & more...
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLfXm8aXRTFz2f0JOyiXpZyzNrvnJObliA |
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Chris Brooks
From:
Providence, Rhode Island
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Prem Arun
From:
Ontario, Canada
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Posted 9 Jan 2021 2:10 pm
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| Dennis Montgomery wrote: |
This is the only example I know of as someone using a pedal steel to play a raga-like solo. It's the prog rock band Yes with Steve Howe on his Sho-Bud. This was recorded in '73 for the album, "Tales from Topographic Oceans". |
Interesting info/music. Thanks for the link, Dennis.
Yes, a PSG used as a slide-guitar.
I had already checked-out your videos (audio?) on your Mullen G2 while researching on the type of PSG to purchase.
Does sound real nice - bare-finger picking. When time permits please do post videos of your PSG playing/Tunes. |
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Prem Arun
From:
Ontario, Canada
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Posted 9 Jan 2021 2:16 pm
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| Chris Brooks wrote: |
Hi Prem, and welcome.
Not pedal steel, but guitar-with-a-slide: |
Thank you, Chris!
Yes sir, there are very many accomplished Steel players in/from the Indian subcontinent, but I haven't seen/heard anything documented on the use of a PSG. However, thank you for providing the links.
Interestingly, from what I know, two Steel maestros (both multi instrumentalists) Van Shipley and Sunil Ganguly introduced the Steel in the subcontinent. Or, at least they made the instrument popular.
Majority of the greatest Steel players of that region are from West Bengal (India) and Bangladesh - although we do have Pandit Vishwa Mohan Bhatt - Grammy award winner (1993 - A Meeting by the River) - from my own (origin) state/province of Karnataka.
I've had the good fortune of having the disciple/student of Sunil Ganguly as my mentor for the Lap Steel. Her name is Geeta Deb. Ms. Geeta was not just a student of Sunil Ganguly, but was his favorite disciple - from a very young age.
As a young boy in the 70s, I remember hearing the music of Sunil Ganguly (and Van Shipley) on the radio.
Essentially, there's no concept of Chord harmony in the Indian raaga. Also, the cost/weight probably discourages many in trying out the PSG for Indian music.
I requested my mentor to play an Indian tune - originally composed for a Kannada language movie from my state - based on Raag Pahadi (Pentatonic scale).
The recording is not perfect, but here's the link to it:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5tdo-NeeRS8
It is played by Geeta Deb on an Indian made Lap Steel, and the video has some pictures (I'm there too  ) as well as some factual titbits of Sunil Ganguly and Geeta Deb.
Regards,
Prem. |
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Prem Arun
From:
Ontario, Canada
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Posted 21 Jan 2021 9:41 am Newbie from Toronto - new addition - Volume Pedal
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Hello All,
I added a new accessory to my Mullen Discovery PSG.
A volume pedal was recommended by a senior and prominent steel picker of this forum.
I had to do a modification to the pedal to make it work correctly.
The details are posted in the correct section (Electronics) - with link to a video that shows the mod I made.
Regards,
Prem. |
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Andrew Goulet
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Posted 22 Jan 2021 3:24 pm
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Hi Prem! Welcome to the Forum!
I love Indian music as well. If you have the scratch, check this out: https://www.sublimefrequencies.com/products/576882-bollywood-steel-guitar#:~:text=Bollywood%20Steel%20Guitar%20is%20the,Shipley%2C%20Kazi%20Aniruddha%2C%20S.
Some good Van Shipley on there. It's a solid double album with interesting liner notes and a wide variety. One of my favorite records.
Debashish has a cool Tiny Desk Concert as well, where you can see his hands really well.
If you check out the Darbar channel on YouTube, you won't be disappointed. I love almost everything I see there.
You might know all this! I just like to jaw about the intersection of Indian music and steel guitar.
_________________
Marlen S12 pedal steel
12 string Bill Hatcher lap steel
ZT Club and Lunchbox |
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Prem Arun
From:
Ontario, Canada
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Posted 23 Jan 2021 9:24 am
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Thank you, Andrew!
Yes, checked out the link, as well as browsed through your interesting web pages. Thanks for sharing.
Even Debashish Bhattacharya is too good on the slide guitar. |
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Dennis Montgomery
From:
Western Washington
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Posted 23 Jan 2021 10:08 am
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| Prem Arun wrote: |
| Dennis Montgomery wrote: |
This is the only example I know of as someone using a pedal steel to play a raga-like solo. It's the prog rock band Yes with Steve Howe on his Sho-Bud. This was recorded in '73 for the album, "Tales from Topographic Oceans". |
Interesting info/music. Thanks for the link, Dennis.
Yes, a PSG used as a slide-guitar.
I had already checked-out your videos (audio?) on your Mullen G2 while researching on the type of PSG to purchase.
Does sound real nice - bare-finger picking. When time permits please do post videos of your PSG playing/Tunes. |
Hi Prem,
I'm glad my vids helped you make the decision to go with a Mullen. I absolutely love mine
The 2 vids I have up are from an album of cover tunes I arranged for my Mullen and finished a couple months ago. I've thought about knocking out a few more quick vids to get some of the other songs up on youtube...I'll start a new thread about them if I get it done
Happy Learning!
_________________
Hear my latest album, "Celestial" featuring a combination of Mullen SD12 and Synthesizers:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mhh6b_xXTx4&list=PLfXm8aXRTFz0x-Sxso0NWw493qAouK
Hear my album, "Armistice" featuring Fender 400 on every song:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLfXm8aXRTFz2Pz_GXhvmjne7lPEtsplyW
Hear my Pedal Steel Only playlist featuring Mullen G2 SD12 on covers like Candyman, Wild Horses, Across the Universe & more...
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLfXm8aXRTFz2f0JOyiXpZyzNrvnJObliA |
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Ben Thomas
From:
North Carolina, USA
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Posted 22 Feb 2021 6:04 pm
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Hi Prem,
We spoke in the comments on one of your YouTube videos. I mentioned that I was learning PSG and admired your new Mullen Discovery. I am playing a borrowed Carter Starter to see if I can put enough time into PSG to get better. If I do stick with it I fully intend to purchase a new Mullen Discovery. It really seems like a great PSG option to not totally break the bank but also be a lifetime guitar.
Best of luck with your playing! I'm subscribed to your channel so I'll be looking out for your next video.
God Bless,
Ben |
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