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Topic: Multi Instrumentalism |
Steven Knapper
From:
Temecula Ca USA
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Posted 2 May 2002 12:37 pm |
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Boy, I'd like to get into this, but I am not in the mood to write my musical life's story. But to give you some indication, when I was playig sock hops back in High School (Circa '64-6 I was the guy that got an Autoharp so we could do Spoonfull stuff, I was the one that could blow a pretty good harmaonica also, Beatles, Stones. Now I can see that this was training for Bar Bands, ie: Human Jukebox. I play about 6 or 7 instruments, enough to get by, but NOW that I am at a stage where I can play steel and hold my own, it will depend on the band, I suppose, as to what, if anything I double on. I'm glad this topic came up, it's food for thought, at least for me. |
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Frank Parish
From:
Nashville,Tn. USA
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Posted 2 May 2002 2:00 pm
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| A handful of mistakes all summer huh? Well you got me beat. I make more than that any given set. [This message was edited by Frank Parish on 02 May 2002 at 03:33 PM.] |
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Jo Ann Joyce
From:
Silver Spring, MD - USA
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Posted 2 May 2002 2:42 pm
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| I went to see a friend who was touring with a National act playing steel. I was so disappointed to see him sit behind his mid-60's model Emmons D-10 which he plays beautifully and pull out a harmonica worth $10.00 and play it pitifully. I could feel his humiliation from out in the crowd. It did not do the artist justice, and anybody with 1/2 a brain could figure out the harmonica sure wasn't the steel player's idea. Maybe I'm picky, but I'd rather hear a steel guitar played with heart than a harmonica played with disgust. I know, I know, he was only doing what the boss said. |
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Theresa Galbraith
From:
Goodlettsville,Tn. USA
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Posted 3 May 2002 10:03 am
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Dave,
Will you be on the TV portion with "Sons of the Desert saturday night?" I'll be watching! Theresa |
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Dan Tyack
From:
Olympia, WA USA
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Posted 3 May 2002 10:10 am
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I think it has been a fact of life for a while that the vast majority of primo gigs that aren't stone country require multiple instruments if you are a steel player. It's been this way as long as I have been playing, for at least 30 years. It's a byproduct of the traditional use of the steel. Most producers or artists just don't here the pedal steel in non-country contexts, so they don't think of using one in non-traditional ways. Of course, there are notable exceptions. For example Sneaky Pete's entire recording career, or more recently, Paul Franklin's stint with Dire Straits. But you need the combination of an exceptional steel player who loves making the steel work in non-traditional ways, with an exceptional producer or artist who doesn't have preconcieved ideas about the steel. Often a player needs to double even if he mostly plays steel. Would Greg Leitz or Dan Dougmore been in a position to record all the great steel parts they have played if they didn't double on guitar? Probably not.
For steel players who like to play guitar (or keyboards or whatever), it's a great idea, and a great career enhancer to double. My only problem with this practice is that I like to here steel on a wide variety of music, and sometimes if a steel player doubles, he will be asked to play guitar or whatever on a tune that the steel would really work well on. But you can't blame the artist, producer, or certainly not the musician for this pidgenholing. It's just hard to buck the tradition.
One way to get around these limitations is for steel players to get prominence as artists in their own right. Nobody is going to tell Robert Randolph what to play. Or Greg Leitz, for that matter, when he is a featured artist. If it's your sandbox, nobody can tell you how to play.
I personally have branched out considerably beyond the pedal steel to the non-pedal instruments, to the point where a majority of my session and live work is on non pedal instruments, but for me, it's got to have a slide. I have also begun (in a local scale) to get gigs as a 'featured artist'. I have also done things like 'comped' tracking sessions for local producers, not charging them any more to play on the basics than I would have to come in and overdub on a few tunes. It is amazing how much more the steel is used in this context than if you are brought in at the last minute to 'sweeten' the tracks. A few months ago I got to play on the basics for an album where the entire rhythm section was Tony Levin, Jerry Marrotta, and me. Yeah!
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www.tyacktunes.com |
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Rick Schmidt
From:
Prescott AZ, USA
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Posted 3 May 2002 11:53 am
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| I didn't see anybody mention this, but one of the best things about doubling is to be able to play another instrument while looking over the shoulder of another PSG player. A great way to learn more about our great instrument! |
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