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Topic: Alvino Ray no Pics ? |
Fred Bova
From:
Connecticut, USA
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Posted 2 Mar 2007 11:21 pm |
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Hi, I have been listening to an Alvino Ray CD and noticed on the Cover he is shown playing without any pics, just his bare thumb and fingers.
Is this how he played, or did he just not put them on for the promo picture?
Al Marcus, I'm sure you know. |
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Eddie Cunningham
From:
Massachusetts, USA
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Posted 3 Mar 2007 2:34 pm Alvino Rey + Thumb picks
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| I'm sure he used finger & thumb picks . I read where he did some Chord Harmonics back and forth with the thumb pick and the tip of his thumb. I've tried it and it's possible but not easy !! Was probably just a promotional photo and he didn't bother getting out his picks and bar ?? .IMHO ??. |
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Dave Van Allen
From:
Doylestown, PA , US , Earth
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Posted 3 Mar 2007 6:38 pm
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| I was under the impression he used a flatpick... |
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Eddie Cunningham
From:
Massachusetts, USA
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Posted 3 Mar 2007 10:06 pm Reys flat picks ?
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| Dave, that is very interesting !! I really don't know if Al. Rey used picks but I did read somewhere quite a while ago that he used his thumb pick and the tip of his thumb to obtain sweep harmonics back and forth across the strings as one of his chord effects. He did play full chords and could have just used a flat pick ?? Does any body know for sure ?? None of the pictures I have show anything . |
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Michael Johnstone
From:
Sylmar,Ca. USA
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Posted 3 Mar 2007 11:12 pm
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| I saw him at Scottys a few years ago and he used a flatpick and a huge bar. I have photos. |
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Eddie Cunningham
From:
Massachusetts, USA
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Posted 4 Mar 2007 9:08 am Alvino Reys Picks !!
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| Thanks Michael !! That was very interesting info !! I have to rethink the way he got chords, notes and especially harmonics !! He was even more of a musical genius than I thought !! Holding a pick with thumb and finger sort of makes it difficult to do some other things !! Thanks for clearing up my mistaken thoughts !! Back to practice !!! ( & please point that gun in a different direction !! ) |
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Donny Hinson
From:
Glen Burnie, Md. U.S.A.
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Posted 4 Mar 2007 11:44 am
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Yes, he used a thumb pick. (I've seen that.) Yes, he used finger picks. (I've seen that, too) Yes, he used a flat pick, both with, and without, fingerpicks. (Ditto.)
And yes, he probably even played sometimes with no picks at all!
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Mylos Sonka
From:
Larkspur CA USA
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Posted 5 Mar 2007 11:15 am
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I have a ca 40s film of Alvino and his big band doing St. Louis Blues with the King Sisters. There's a close-up of him and there is no doubt that he is using a thumbpick and two metal fingerpicks.
He played dixieland banjo on a number of albums under a different name. I don't care much for banjo but Alvino Rey was so good you had to like it.
Playing banjo under an assumed name is a fact that deserves its own speculative string here on the SGF-- but the main point is that I don't doubt that he could and did play both ways. He was a real innovator.
Mylos |
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Roy Ayres
From:
Riverview, Florida, USA, R.I.P.
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Posted 5 Mar 2007 11:51 am
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Dr. Hugh Jeffrires would, no doubt, be able to give an authoritative answer to this -- since he was a good friend of Alveno Rey. The best I can recall is that he used a flat pick at times, a thumb pick at times, and a thumb pick and one finger pick at times. Mylos' post above is the first report I have heard of him using two finger picks.
_________________
Pioneers of Western Swing HOF, Seattle 2005
Western Swing Music HOF, Sacramento 2006
International Steel Guitar HOF, St.Louis 2007
Visit my Web Site at RoysFootprints.com
Browse my Photo Album and be sure to sign my Guest Book. |
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Fred Bova
From:
Connecticut, USA
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Posted 5 Mar 2007 11:35 pm
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| Wow, thanks for all the input, I figured he just did not have them on for the photo shoot, but was curious. |
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Al Marcus
From:
Cedar Springs,MI USA (deceased)
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Posted 6 Mar 2007 9:35 pm Alvino Rey
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Fred-I have been off the forum for while. But as mentioned I can tell you that I used to stand right in front of him for 4 hours watching him play with people dancing around by. I knew lot of the band members as time went by. Buddy cole, piano, Skeets Herfurt, Lead Alto Sax. Dick Morgan rthym Guitar an he tuned alvino's steel before they start playing.
Back the the post, He played a lot of classical guitar, and liked it very well. He had it on a stand and stood up wrapped his arms around it and played, then he jumped away and sat down to his Steel , first it was a D9 Gibson, later a Gibson 6 pedal Gibson Electra-Harp.
So he used a flat pick a lot switching from guitar to steel, and strummed a lot for the steel parts. Then he jumped back to the guitar for the res of the arrangement.But When he played at the steel for a whole solo, like "on the alamo", St.Louis Blues,etc, he did use as Roy mentioned thumb pick and one finger pick and sometimes two.
I am goin to quit here because it is late, I remember so much of those days.....al.
_________________
Michigan (MSGC)Christmas Dinner and Jam on my 80th Birthday.
My Email.. almarcus@cmedic.net
My Website..... www.cmedic.net/~almarcus |
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Dr. Hugh Jeffreys
From:
Southaven, MS, USA
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Posted 9 Mar 2007 2:19 pm Alvino Rey
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| Yes, he was fast as lightning on elec guitar and nylon string as well. I ask him why he never went in for speed on steel; he said that early on he decided that was not his bag. In his later years, he practiced more on guitar than on steel. I never asked him why. A few years ago (4-5?), he played classical guitar as guest soloist for the 75 anniversary of Capital Records in L.A. A guitar player there said he was terrific. ----HJ----- |
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Al Marcus
From:
Cedar Springs,MI USA (deceased)
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Posted 9 Mar 2007 4:27 pm
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Dr. Hugh-Yes , you know. anmother thing watching him, he used a drummers throne when playing steel and had it real high like he was almost standing up, he had to lean way over to play the other neck...I don't think he liked the steel, as you say, he just loved the classical guitar and was great at it.But he sure put the steel on the map for me....al.
_________________
Michigan (MSGC)Christmas Dinner and Jam on my 80th Birthday.
My Email.. almarcus@cmedic.net
My Website..... www.cmedic.net/~almarcus |
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Mylos Sonka
From:
Larkspur CA USA
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Posted 11 Mar 2007 10:27 am
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Hi -
Perhaps it was an anomaly that he used three picks for the film.
This post should perhaps belong in the tech section, but if someone could email me detailed instructions as to how to get a film clip recorded in DVD format to either a single frame postable snapshot postable here or to a format where the clip could be posted to YouTube, I'd be happy to share some of my extensive collection. I also have a lot of video of Vance Terry I'm sure people would like to see.
Mylos |
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