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Topic: Bluegrass and pedal steel... |
Terry Edwards
From:
Florida... livin' on spongecake...
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Posted 26 Nov 2002 11:59 am |
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| That was 25 years ago, and I've never been able to listen to bluegrass since. |
Mike, How can you let one person's opinion influence you to this degree? I hope you are just exagerating. If not, you need to immediately go out and buy anything by David Grisman, Tony Rice, Blue Highway, Alison Krause, Ricky Scaggs, Del McCoury, and Hot Rise. From what I know about you just from this forum, you seem to be the musical adventurist type that does not want to miss out on any musical experience in this lifetime. Mike, YOU ARE MISSING IT! Bluegrass is WAY COOL and being a multi-instumentalist, you don't have to play steel to everything! Check out the David Grisman Quintet for some bluegrass/jazz/gypsy fusion!
 Terry
Sorry about going off topic but I did use the word "steel" in there somewhere!
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Michael Johnstone
From:
Sylmar,Ca. USA
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Posted 26 Nov 2002 2:23 pm
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Hey - I think bluegrass can sound real good on steel.And just because it's not commonly done - who cares? Any kind of music sounds good on any kind of instrument if it's played appropriately and executed well.
I play 3 to 5 nights a week with a brilliant multi-instrumentalist named Cody Bryant.At least once and maybe twice a night,he'll do a set of bluegrass on banjo and/or fiddle and I've had to struggle to keep up.I even started a thread some time back basically saying "HELP! how does one play bluegrass on steel?" I got a lot of good advice from some of you guys and also picked up Doug Jernigan's bluegrass E9 course at the last convention in St Louis. With a lot of shedding and gigging and listening to Jernigan and Jimmy Crawford,I've been able to devise ways to NOT to choke on OBS,Old Joe Clark,Arkansas Traveler,Ragtime Annie and a dozen more Fiddle tunes as well most of the Banjo standards.Of course when Cody puts down his guitar(which he plays like Jimmy Bryant)to play Fiddle or Banjo,there ain't no guitar happening so I've had to be "Merle Travis" in between attempting to shred faux bluegrass on steel.This has been a whole new ballgame for me but I now see that it CAN be done.Mind you,I've still got a helluva long way to go before I can hang with the heavy pure bluegrass cats - but it's a start. -MJ- |
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David Doggett
From:
Bawl'mer, MD (formerly of MS, Nawluns, Gnashville, Knocksville, Lost Angeles, Bahsten. and Philly)
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Posted 26 Nov 2002 4:17 pm
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| Yeah, back in the '70s Jimmy Crawford had an album called Ton of Steel. He did some incredible, fast bluegrass style pickin' on pedal steel with a lot of open string hammer-ons and pull-offs (Old Joe Clark was one I remember). But he was able to pick his key, A I believe, so he had the open strings and the A and B pedals working right for him. Without that going for you, it's gonna be tough to keep up with that fiddle and banjo. I'd rather just grab a Dobro. |
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Stephen Gambrell
From:
Over there
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Posted 26 Nov 2002 9:40 pm
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Hey Mike P. If you're gonna let one person influence you that much, why are you recording classical music on steel? I haven't heard the Firebird Suite thing, but hey, I may not like it, if it ain't Bill Monroe----or Miles Davis.
"Only two kinds of music-good and bad." |
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Bobby Boggs
From:
Upstate SC.
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Posted 26 Nov 2002 10:50 pm
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| Steve,You do understand that A Firebird Suite is not a motor car that a country picker calls home? |
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Mike Perlowin
From:
Los Angeles CA
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Posted 27 Nov 2002 3:15 am
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Terry, being a mandolin player, I am familiar with some of David Grissman's work, and I really like some of it. By I wouldn't call if bluegrass.
Everybody has their subjective taste. Some people like Chinese food, some prefer Italian. (I like them both, and way too much, as my waistline shows, but that's another story.)
Bluegrass just doesn't appeal to me. It never did. 40 years ago when Herb Steiner and I played in a bluegrass band together, he was in it for the music. I was in it because I wanted to play with my friends, but I was far more interested in blues guitar. Herb played mandolin in that band BTW.
But I have been exposed to the music. During that same period I hung around at a folk music club called the Ash Grove club and saw among others, Bill Monroe, Flatt and Scruggs, the Stanley brothers, and the Kentucky Colonels with Clarence White. Herb hung out there too and can tell you more about the performers who played there. |
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scott murray
From:
Asheville, NC
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Posted 27 Nov 2002 7:54 am
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I'd love to hear more about Clarence White.
Herb? Mike? Anyone else? |
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Stephen Gambrell
From:
Over there
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Posted 27 Nov 2002 10:11 am
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| Hey Bobby, I had a Dodge Omni back when I was "playing professionally." It was an all-push! |
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John Gretzinger
From:
Canoga Park, CA
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Posted 27 Nov 2002 10:36 am
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I've always like Bluegrass music and have admired good flatpickers. A good flatpicker is absoulutely amazing to watch and listen to. Additionally the banjo (I know, I know...) is a fantastic instrument (but then again aren't they all?). The Scruggs style of picking is something I have never mastered - it could be a blast on the guitar or steel.
Have you heard our own Al Vescovo on banjo? He was the banjo player in the orchestra for Mame here the past month or so. He plays jazz chords while doing Dixieland as well.
I get something from most good players - the one's I don't get anything from are because of my lack of ability or desire, not their talent.
Say, I just remembered - how about Blueground Undergrass? Not traditional Bluegrass and definately had a bunch of Steel playing.
Michael - where are you playing these days - I need a road trip?
John
------------------
MSA D-10 w/Nashville 400
'63 Gibson Hummingbird
16/15c Hammered Dulcimer
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Michael Johnstone
From:
Sylmar,Ca. USA
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Posted 27 Nov 2002 12:23 pm
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www.vivacantina.com
I usually play Wed & Fri w/Cody Bryant and Thursday w/The Riders of the Purple Sage(which also features Cody).On occasion I'll play there on Saturdays as well. The rest of the time I play other one-nighters and casuals with one or the other of those bands - in and out of town. C'mon down.
-MJ- |
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Mike Perlowin
From:
Los Angeles CA
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Posted 27 Nov 2002 1:57 pm
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| Quote: |
| Have you heard our own Al Vescovo on banjo? |
Al doesn't play bluegrass. He plays a 4 string, and only plays dixieland style.
Without a doubt,if he chose to get a 5 string and play bluegrass, he'd be great at it, but that's not his bag.
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Roses are red, violets are blue, I'm schizophrenic, and so am I
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Donny Hinson
From:
Glen Burnie, Md. U.S.A.
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Posted 27 Nov 2002 8:19 pm
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| In all seriousness, I learned to appreciate bluegrass music back in the '60s...when I sat 10 feet from The Country Gentlemen, and watched their artistry night after night. Better bluegrass hasn't been played since, IMHO. |
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Mark van Allen
From:
Watkinsville, Ga. USA
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Posted 1 Dec 2002 10:56 am
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| As far as great Bluegrass Steel playing goes- Jimmy Crawford and Doug Jernigan have done some some standout stuff- and DON'T miss Emmons on the Osborne bros. "Rocky Top and Muddy Bottom"- amazing! The Steel definitely fits with traditional bluegrass instrumentation on that one! A lot of it has to do with playing with folks who can REALLY play the style- like every genre Bluegrass has lots of nuances and stylsitic quirks that take years of exposure to internalize. The guys in Blueground Undergrass brought lots of musical styles to the table, but several of them had 25 years in the bluegrass world, and believe me, they could THROW DOWN. It took everything I had just to keep up, and I sure learned a lot in the process. On our live shows, we'd often do extended jams on a bluegrass number and morph it into one of our originals. Over the last four years we did a lot of shows with Del McCoury's band, who I think are some of the finest pervayors of the Bluegrass art out there- watching and listening to them work was always major ear candy, and the many jam sessions were musical joy for me! Playing with folks like Del and Vassar Clements have truly been some of the most memorable experiences of my playing career. Just last night I played a show with John Cowan's latest band, and he hit on some bluegrass stuff that was amazing. Don't sell it short 'till you see it done well! And as for bluegrass on tuba- does anybody remember Martin Mull's fabulous two tuba arrangement of "Dueling Banjos"? Best version ever... |
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Joel Glassman
From:
Waltham MA USA
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Posted 5 Dec 2002 8:26 am
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Mike--
I've played a lot of Bluegrass, (because Western Swing, Country and Swing Jazz are so hard to find around here.) Like any roots music there are people who insist on only playing the "classic" traditional sound. I used to rebel against this, and play my swing licks, but in the past few years have investigated trad styles.
Its really helped me grow as a musician,
improve my phrasing, technique, blues playing and melodic sense. "Melodic sense" because this music values solos which follow the melodic contour, and "Technique", because playing fiddle tunes are great practice exercises (requiring intense concentration to play them at tempo.)
Learning to play in a conservative way
is a big challenge-one which Jazz no longer seems to value.
I still try to avoid close-minded musicians,
but if there's a Bluegrass gig which requires
a trad. approach, at least I can now play it. Money is good motivation too --Joel
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