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Topic: Steel guitar 'hooks' |
Leslie Ehrlich
From:
Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada
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Posted 2 Feb 2006 9:59 pm |
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| I've often wondered why steel players, especially in country music, don't repeat licks or riffs in songs and always have to do something different when they insert little fills here and there. Are there any songs with steel in them where the steel player does a catchy little riff over and over that gives a 'hook' to the tune? |
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Ray Montee
From:
Portland, Oregon (deceased)
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Posted 2 Feb 2006 10:02 pm
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In some circles, to do as you question, would be a definite No-No.
In Rock & Roll what you say is quite common; for instance, where they play the ending 8 bars over and over and over........
Variety for the EAR is the secret. |
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Brendan Mitchell
From:
Melbourne Australia
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Posted 3 Feb 2006 1:27 am
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I do this quite often . I reckon repeating a certain line or "hook" really ties a song together.
Brendan |
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Sonny Jenkins
From:
Texas Masonic Retirement Center,,,Arlington Tx
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Posted 3 Feb 2006 8:41 am
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| The name Jerry Garcia comes to mind,,,,,???? |
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Alex McCollough
From:
Nashville, Tennessee, USA
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Posted 3 Feb 2006 9:16 am
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| Dan Dugmore - "Wrapped" by Bruce Robison |
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Shaun Marshall
From:
San Rafael California, USA
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Posted 3 Feb 2006 9:32 am
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There is a real nice hook on the song Rage'n Fire on Jimmy Day's live at the 500 cafe from Dallas with Johnny Bush, not sure if he wrote it or not but it's a great hook.
The other Steel Guitar Hook is the one my ex-girlfriend wanted to put me on after I spent our vacation money on an amp....... |
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Doug Earnest
From:
Branson, MO USA
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Posted 3 Feb 2006 10:01 am
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| Paul Franklin's way too cool repeating lick in Dire Strait's "Calling Elvis" is a good example of a repetitive lick used effectively, IMHO. I still haven't figured out how to play it. Of course I'll never play the song with anyone so I haven't tried real hard, either. |
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Charlie McDonald
From:
out of the blue
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Posted 3 Feb 2006 1:08 pm
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| His part in that song is one long, unending hook. I don't see how Dire Straits ever did that song without it. It's like a train. |
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Tim Bridges
From:
Hoover, Alabama, USA
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Posted 3 Feb 2006 1:09 pm
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| JD Manness', Tears In Heaven. |
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Ray Minich
From:
Bradford, Pa. Frozen Tundra
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Posted 3 Feb 2006 1:38 pm
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| "The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald" comes to mind. |
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Pat Burns
From:
Branchville, N.J. USA
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Posted 3 Feb 2006 4:17 pm
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Doug, I asked Paul Franklin one time how he did that lick, and this was his response:
...well, here's a link to the page with his response..scroll down to nearly the bottom of the page...I couldn't get the tab to copy over to this format..
http://steelguitarforum.com/Forum5/HTML/005865.html [This message was edited by Pat Burns on 03 February 2006 at 04:38 PM.] |
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Charlie McDonald
From:
out of the blue
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Posted 4 Feb 2006 4:32 am
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Here it is:
6__0B__2B(h)_____2B__0B(H)_________________
7______________________________2B___0B(H)__
8____________2B____________2B______________
*(h)=hammer on/don't pick
*(H)=hammer off/don't pick
Thanks, Pat, for the link.
Now if I could only read tab....
2B or not 2B, that is the question.
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Donny Hinson
From:
Glen Burnie, Md. U.S.A.
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Posted 4 Feb 2006 6:10 am
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I think you should play whatever works, and fits the song. In some cases, that means repeating a lick or riff. Many steelers look down on another steeler if he repeats a lick, but I feel that if it serves the song...it's good. I get no big charge out of a steeler who never repeats anything if his playing doesn't serve the song. The song is everything. IMHO, music, like any other artform, should have consistency and continuity.
"Uhhh, excuse me Michelangelo, but didn't you already use that same brush stroke and color right over there?"
How dopey would that sound?
A song should be an emotional work of art, not a "dictionary" of everything you can play. |
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Walter Stettner
From:
Vienna, Austria
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Posted 4 Feb 2006 7:12 am
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Lloyd Green's recordings for the Little Darlin' label are a good example for creating licks and riffs that were used throughout the complete song, several of the famous Paycheck recordings have that, but also some of the lesser known recordings.
Here is a good example, it is Bobby Helms and "He Thought He'd Die Laughing"...
http://www.lloydgreentribute.com/vocalclips/laughing.mp3
Kind Regards, Walter
www.lloydgreentribute.com
www.austriansteelguitar.at.tf [This message was edited by Walter Stettner on 04 February 2006 at 07:16 AM.] [This message was edited by Walter Stettner on 04 February 2006 at 07:18 AM.] [This message was edited by Walter Stettner on 04 February 2006 at 07:20 AM.] |
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Chris Forbes
From:
Beltsville, MD, USA
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Posted 4 Feb 2006 9:53 am
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I'll use the same lick over and over in the same part of a song, but that's cause I only know one lick!!!!!!!!  |
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Jim Sliff
From:
Lawndale California, USA
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Posted 4 Feb 2006 10:07 am
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"In Rock & Roll what you say is quite common; for instance, where they play the ending 8 bars over and over and over........"
That's not a "hook". That's just a lame ending, more or less.
A "hook" would be an identifying phrase in a song, by which it's universally (at least by fans) recognized. Some examples of songs with timeless hooks:
My Girl
Soul Man
Day Tripper
Satisfaction
Smoke on Water
Sunshine of your Love
There's an old Martin Mull album called "Martin Mull and His Fabulous Furniture". Besides his acting, he's a darnned good guitar player. Anyway, one song on that record is a classic IMO: "Licks off of Records"; talking about how he has no style of his own, only "licks off of records that I've learned". The ending includes the hooks from Day Tripper, Satisfaction and Sunshine of Your Love. It's a hilarous song, that rings far too true in many cases.
Sidebar - I think Sneaky Pete played on the record!
Now I have to go dig it out of the vinyl stack and put it onto CD. Another great tune, "How Could I Not Miss a Girl Your Size?"....
heehee.... |
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Doug Earnest
From:
Branson, MO USA
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Posted 4 Feb 2006 6:45 pm
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| Pat, Charlie, (and of course Paul F)thanks for the "Calling Elvis" tab. |
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Dave Grafe
From:
Hudson River Valley NY
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Posted 5 Feb 2006 12:30 pm
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A number of prominent recording feature repeated steel "hooks" - the first that comes to my mind is "The Emptiest Arms in the World" (Haggard w/ Weldon Myrick) - the solo break is nearly note-for-note repeat of the intro and there is very little else heard from the steel in the rest of the song.
On the other hand, I don't believe that Jerry Garcia ever played anything the same way twice.
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David Wren
From:
Placerville, California, USA
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Posted 7 Feb 2006 1:12 pm
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Pete Drake did a lot of this (Easy Loving comes to mind, and the George Harrison tunes as well).
I try to do this, on tunes I think need the support of something that is a reocurring point of reference, but not all tunes I work on.
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Dave Wren
'95Carter S12-E9/B6,7X7; Twin Session 500s; Hilton Pedal; Black Box
www.ameechapman.com
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