Twister - double ended bars

John Kavanagh · From: Kentville, Nova Scotia, Canada * R.I.P.

I just bought a Twister from Scotty's Music, and what with the shipping and duty and conversion into real dollars from U$, it cost a lot, but I'm in love. It's double-enders for me from now on. And smooth as butter.

Who else uses a double-ended bar? What do you
like about them? Do you do split slants with the near end?

Joe Delaronde · From: Selkirk, Manitoba, Canada

What size & shape are they???
What was the landed cost CND???
Thanks
Joe

[This message was edited by Joe Delaronde on 12 January 2003 at 08:33 PM.]

Gary Slabaugh · From: Scottsdale, AZ

how do they work for slants, I am assuming by double-ender you mean bullet nose at each end?

John Kavanagh · From: Kentville, Nova Scotia, Canada * R.I.P.

The list price for the one I have (3 3/8", 3/4",) is 38$ US, but by the time I paid exchange and postage and duty and all on it it was over $80 Canadian. Yikes. I'm glad I like it. I have a shorter one made by James Brown in Canada that would be good for 6 strings.

Yes, it's got a bullet at both ends. I find it very comfortable to hold. Regular slants are easy; I never stuck my thumb in the depression at the end of the other kind anyway. I'm just starting to look for new split slants with that bullet at the end near me, but here's two, both in C6 with an e on top:

Play e and g on strings 4 and 5 at fret 12 and b at fret 11 on 2 for an e minor or a partial C major 7th. (By split slants I mean when you put the bullet tip between two strings and slant the bar so that those two strings are fretted at one position and a third string is fretted at a different position - if the diameter and string spacing are just right it works great, otherwise it's torture to get in tune.

There's an A diminished, or a partial F9 chord, by playing a-c on strings 2&3, fret 12 and e flat on string 1 at fret 11.

I'll have to chart the neck out and go hunting to find some more, but those are two I know I'll actually use. I've always done the diminished chord as a double pull on strings 2&3, and I may still do that if I want a four-note diminished seventh on the top four strings, but the split slants sound slicker to me.

Every day an adventure.

Here's where I got it:
www.scottysmusic.com

[This message was edited by John Kavanagh on 13 January 2003 at 05:48 AM.]

Lynn Kasdorf · From: Waterford Virginia, USA

Do you do split slants with the near end?

I routinely use the round end of my bar to do a "split slant" as you call it- but I can't see how you could use the end of the bar near you to do this.

Unless I am mistaken, the only split slants that are possible are ones in which 2 adjacent strings are at fret X, while a 3rd string is at fret X-1 or X-2. You could not have the 3rd string at X+1, for instance.

So, I don't know what you are referring to when you talk about using the bullet end that is near you.

------------------
"You call that thing a guitar?"

[This message was edited by Lynn Kasdorf on 13 January 2003 at 03:34 PM.]

Lynn Kasdorf · From: Waterford Virginia, USA

While driving home tonight, I realized what you are talking about. When you use the "close" end of the bar for a split slant, the X-1 or X-2 string is on a higher string rather than a lower one.

So, yes, I can see how the double-end bar could be handy.

[This message was edited by Lynn Kasdorf on 14 January 2003 at 07:04 AM.]

Lucky Oceans · From: Fremantle, W Australia, Australia

I have a twister, too, that I use on my lap steels. After initial discomfort with its slipperiness, I quite like it. It does add another harmonic dimension, but I feel that would be enhanced with a retuning of the lower strings. Since the bullet can only be used to play adjacent strings on the same fret, you're effectively limited to small intervals on a standard c6th tuning. These major and minor thirds tend to be a bit muddy in in that range. Try it on an E 13th tuning that has a 5th in the bass strings. I'm still looking for that interdimensional bar that bends at the flick of a finger then returns to its straight profile.

------------------

John Kavanagh · From: Kentville, Nova Scotia, Canada * R.I.P.

I'm thinking of having one of my left-hand fingers nickel-plated, Lucky, that might work..

[This message was edited by John Kavanagh on 15 January 2003 at 01:18 PM.]

Lucky Oceans · From: Fremantle, W Australia, Australia

Ah - yes, the finger bar - a fantasy of mine for a few years now. Each finger has a thimble-like covering heavy enough to get a decent tone out of an individual string. Uranium?

John Kavanagh · From: Kentville, Nova Scotia, Canada * R.I.P.

How about if they were sort of mushroom-shaped, and you stuck your finger in the hollow stem? and pointed downwards towards the strings with each finger? and, and, you had like a heavy metal bottleneck on your thumb, so that would be FIVE... so help me, I'm in danger of taking this seriously. And I meant this to be a real thread.

(How would they stay on your fingers? epoxy?)

[This message was edited by John Kavanagh on 17 January 2003 at 09:35 PM.]

Bobby Lee · From: Cloverdale, California, USA

I always use my thumb in the heel of the bar to get back slants, but I see how this could be handy, musically:

E____________


C___4________


A___\_____6__


G___5_____\__


E___5_____7__


C_________7__


  Fmaj7  Gaug

Just two obvious examples. I'd be afraid of dropping the bar, though.

------------------

Bobby Lee - email: quasar@b0b.com - gigs - CDs
Sierra Session 12 (E9), Williams 400X (Emaj9, D6), Sierra Olympic 12 (F Diatonic), Sierra Laptop 8 (D13), Fender Stringmaster (E13, A6), Roland Handsonic

[This message was edited by Bobby Lee on 18 January 2003 at 09:55 AM.]

Mark van Allen · From: Watkinsville, Ga. USA

"How about if they were sort of mushroom-shaped, and you stuck your finger in the hollow stem? and pointed downwards towards the strings with each finger? and, and, you had like a heavy metal bottleneck on your thumb"... man, if my wife sees this post, I'm in deep trouble.

Al Braun · From: Dunnellon, FL, R.I.P.

[I'm still looking for that interdimensional bar that bends at the flick of a finger then returns to its straight profile.]
And call it a pedal!
Al

John Kavanagh · From: Kentville, Nova Scotia, Canada * R.I.P.

I've already used that M7 in an arrangement of George Harrison's "Something" I'm working on - it's great to have one with the 7th on top. Thanks for the augmented chord - who knows when I'd have found that one.

Bobby Lee · From: Cloverdale, California, USA

That Fmaj7 slant position at the 5th fret is rootless (A C E), so you could also use it as an Am, a C6 or even a D9. A familiar chord in a handy new location!

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Bobby Lee - email: quasar@b0b.com - gigs - CDs
Sierra Session 12 (E9), Williams 400X (Emaj9, D6), Sierra Olympic 12 (F Diatonic), Sierra Laptop 8 (D13), Fender Stringmaster (E13, A6), Roland Handsonic

MUSICO · From: Jeremy Williams in Spain

I tried a thimble on my left hand first finger. It IS usable...but the trouble is the metal thimbles have a dimply surface. If someone chrome plated a thimble I am SURE I could get a lot out of it.

I think I'll cross post this idea in Pedal Steel....we are always looking to add new pedals over there.

Jeremy Williams
Barcelona Spain

John Kavanagh · From: Kentville, Nova Scotia, Canada * R.I.P.

By the way, when I said it cost me $80, that's in Real Money, which would be about $52 in U.S. dollars. That includes Scotty's shipping and about $14 Canadian ($9 U.S.) that Canada Post dinged me on pickup, presumably duty. It's worth it to me, but I wouldn't want to scare anyone off getting one.

I keep finding more chords! And the bar feels so good, I want to play steel all the time, even though I have gigs coming up on other instruments.

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