| Visit Our Catalog at SteelGuitarShopper.com |

Post new topic John Hughey's "falling-sound" ????
Reply to topic
Author Topic:  John Hughey's "falling-sound" ????
Stan Knowles NC

 

From:
North Carolina, USA
Post  Posted 29 Oct 2008 11:54 am    
Reply with quote

I hate to sound stupid...but I have never understood
how John Hughey and others get that "falling-sound"
while transitioning from one lick or chord...to
another.

Can somebody tell me how YOU do it....and more
that that...how I can get that effect!

Stan...
_________________
Emmons Legrand II D10 - Gretsch White Falcon stereo - Peavy NSVL. 1000 - Peavy Stereo Chorus 400
View user's profile Send private message Send e-mail
Daniel Morris


From:
Westlake, Ohio, USA
Post  Posted 29 Oct 2008 1:12 pm    
Reply with quote

Hey, Stan:
The only truly stupid question is the one not asked.
If you're referring to John Hughey's "crying" passages, with a generally descending pitch, try using your 5 and 8 strings. If you're starting on a G chord, you can hit those strings at the 15th fret, maybe rock on and then off the A pedal (that raises the 5 string), and then "shiver" the bar as you slide to the 10th fret and add the A pedal back on when you get there. Shivering means roughly that - you move the bar down the neck, while using what amounts to a heavy vibrato; think how you'd be moving the bar if indeed you were shivering from the cold.
Hope this helps; sorry if it doesn't, in which case someone else can probably help out.
View user's profile Send private message Send e-mail
Larry Bressington

 

From:
Nebraska
Post  Posted 29 Oct 2008 3:48 pm    
Reply with quote

Lots of B/C pedal with strings 3,4,5,
G chord 3rd fret, pick 345, press B/C, then slide to fret 6 with E's raised and pedals off [G7th]lots of Vibrato and glissando, thats just a small lick he does, but you can build on it. Dont pick every move, he may pick once and slide 3 times.
Go backwards an octave higher and connect to all the other chords.
_________________
A.K.A Chappy.
View user's profile Send private message
robert kramer

 

From:
Nashville TN
Post  Posted 30 Oct 2008 8:19 am    
Reply with quote

Stan, The original texts for Hughey's style would be the Conway Twitty vinyl LP's on MCA. The following sides are available from iTunes:

(1) I See The Want To In Your Eyes
(2) I Love You More Today
(3) Lost In The Feeling
(4) (Lost Her Love) On Our Last Date
(5) There's A Honky Tonl Angel

Also available for download are: Fifteen Years Ago/After The Fire Is Gone/To See An Angel Cry/I Can't Stop Loving You/You've Never Been This Far Before/Hello Darlin'/Touch The Hand/This Time I Hurt Her/Linda On My Mind/Next In Line/She Needs Someone to Hold Her/Feelin's/How Much More Can She Stand/She Needs Someone To Hold Her/I Can't See Me Without You/Next In Line/(I Can't Believe)She Gives It All To Me....and many more

Here's "Georgia Keeps Pulling On My Ring" another masterpiece from John & Conway:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Z7umRsEY1o
View user's profile Send private message Send e-mail
robert kramer

 

From:
Nashville TN
Post  Posted 30 Oct 2008 8:35 am    
Reply with quote

Conway Twitty w/ John Hughey on the pedal steel guitar:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JitrY4JHTzk
View user's profile Send private message Send e-mail
Bill Ford


From:
Graniteville SC Aiken
Post  Posted 30 Oct 2008 8:43 am    
Reply with quote

Stan,
Here you can see (sorta)what JH is doing.A picture worth a thousand words.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=67GSo3MxGi0&feature=related
_________________
Bill Ford S12 CLR, S12 Lamar keyless, Misc amps&toys Sharp Covers
Steeling for Jesus now!!!
View user's profile Send private message Send e-mail
Richard Sinkler


From:
aka: Rusty Strings -- Missoula, Montana
Post  Posted 30 Oct 2008 11:53 am    
Reply with quote

Another thing he does quite a bit is, when he is sliding and shivering, he fades out completely before he reaches his destination. Say sliding from the 17th fret to the 12th fret, you won't hear him actually play the chord at the 12th. He's faded out by then.
View user's profile Send private message Send e-mail
John Steele

 

From:
Renfrew, Ontario, Canada
Post  Posted 30 Oct 2008 2:12 pm    
Reply with quote

Bill, that clip is too beautiful. Thanks for posting that.
Right around 33 seconds in the Hello Darlin' clip, you'll hear a great example. Wow.
It seems to be a combination of two close chord voicings, choice pedal manipulation, and a very distinct vibrato.
I'm afraid it's probably like picking up a pen; everyone makes their own mark... and that's the way it sounds when John Hughey did it. Smile
-John
View user's profile Send private message Send e-mail
Don Brown, Sr.

 

From:
New Jersey
Post  Posted 30 Oct 2008 4:41 pm    
Reply with quote

I'll add to that by also saying, that regardless of what instructional material, or watching and listening to it, that's about as close as anyone will ever get to pulling it off in the way John did.

That's just one more example of how much each of us, differ from one another. Although close, everyone has his/her own signature, more or less, to what we play.

It's also, a perfect example of something so simple, and played with such ease, grace and emotion, and yet can only be duplicated precisely, by the man himself, for the very reasons above.

RIP John
View user's profile Send private message
Darrell Hodges


From:
Texas, USA
Post  Posted 30 Oct 2008 7:26 pm    
Reply with quote

Hey Stan,

There is a man in Dallas that gives free instruction on you tube by the name of Mickey Adams. He cannot give you the emotion but he gets close to the licks that JH played in "Look At Us". see http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NR33BSyw4AY&feature=related. I have learned so much from him and I just started playing in December. What a legend was John Hughey!

Thanks
Darrell Hodges
View user's profile Send private message Send e-mail
Chris LeDrew


From:
Canada
Post  Posted 31 Oct 2008 3:47 am    
Reply with quote

The times I've seen the great John Hughey perform, he always seemed to have a lot of gas in his volume pedal. That way, he would not run out of volume as he descended. Some of that descending magic also seemed to come from his use of keeping one note raised on a two-note descent, such as descending two frets on the 3-5 strings and engaging the A pedal to keep the lower note raised. Hard to explain, but I hope you get my drift.

All in all, however, it was John's heart that inspired his playing and made it so special to all of us.
_________________
Jackson Steel Guitars
Web: www.chrisledrew.com
View user's profile Send private message
Greg Wisecup


From:
Troy, Ohio
Post  Posted 31 Oct 2008 5:43 am    
Reply with quote

Bill Ford-- That vid is worth a thousand dollars if you want to learn the Falling Phrasing!!! Greg

ps Check out that sweet stool he's sitting on........
_________________
Derby SD-10 4&5 Black!(duh)/
Derby D-10/Steelers Choice/
Goodrich 120/ 2- Katana Boss 100's
/Nashville 400
RV-3/ Zoom MS-50G
As long as I'm down in the mix I'm Fantastic!
View user's profile Send private message Send e-mail
Bill Ford


From:
Graniteville SC Aiken
Post  Posted 31 Oct 2008 7:06 am    
Reply with quote

Greg,Here is the one that everyone wishes he/she could do.Enjoy
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IvFYj9-LU80
_________________
Bill Ford S12 CLR, S12 Lamar keyless, Misc amps&toys Sharp Covers
Steeling for Jesus now!!!
View user's profile Send private message Send e-mail
Ben Jones


From:
Seattle, Washington, USA
Post  Posted 31 Oct 2008 7:51 am    
Reply with quote

I had always thought it was as Daniel Morris said above, just the A pedal on 5 and 8 with alot of shiver, but in Bill Fords Hello Darlin video it sure looks like he is using that LKL (E raise?) also.

????
View user's profile Send private message Send e-mail
Scott Swartz


From:
St. Louis, MO
Post  Posted 31 Oct 2008 8:06 am    
Reply with quote

Those JH clips are amazing, a touch like nobody else....
_________________
Scott Swartz
Steeltronics - Steel Guitar Pickups
www.steeltronics.com
View user's profile Send private message Send e-mail Visit poster's website
Don Brown, Sr.

 

From:
New Jersey
Post  Posted 31 Oct 2008 9:04 am    
Reply with quote

Does anyone have a video of "I've Just Destroyed The World I'm Living In" ?

That is another one of John's entire signatures all the way through it from one end to the other, of his fantastic (really into it) playing ability.

The kickoff, also really grabs your attention being again, so subtile, simple, and yet so unique for a kickoff Intro..

If you haven't heard it, try looking it up. I couldn't find it listed under videos, but possibly it is in audio only. It'll knock your socks off. Very Happy
View user's profile Send private message
Bill Ford


From:
Graniteville SC Aiken
Post  Posted 31 Oct 2008 9:25 am    
Reply with quote

Ben Jones, John played the Day setup, so the LKL may be the Es lower.(yep,just looked it up,Es lower)


On the first one below @ 2;40...typical Papa John, Man, nobody, but nobody can do it like him. On the second one, he does one of BEs with the signature JH "stuff"


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kh_T255pSiM

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BnjHc_-hpvk&feature=related
_________________
Bill Ford S12 CLR, S12 Lamar keyless, Misc amps&toys Sharp Covers
Steeling for Jesus now!!!
View user's profile Send private message Send e-mail
John Steele

 

From:
Renfrew, Ontario, Canada
Post  Posted 27 Dec 2008 7:00 pm    
Reply with quote

I've listened to that video of Conway with John, singing "Hello Darlin'" more than a few times,

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=67GSo3MxGi0

and there are two places in there where he does incredibly beautiful "falling" moves, one at 0:33 and another at 1:02. Both of them are impossible to tab out the emotion and vibrato, but they do involve some fairly definite positions and pedal moves.
The first, at 0:33 -
Tab:

  G7
1-----------------------------
2-----------------------------
3-----------------------------
4--10~~~10L~~9L---8~~~8L~~8L--
5--10a~~10a~~9a---8a~~8a~~8---
6--10b~~10b~~9b---8b~~8b~~8b--
7-----------------------------
8-----------------------------
9-----------------------------
10----------------------------

And the second, which is even more difficult to capture with tab - It seems almost like one big connected drop, but with very small pauses at the tabbed positions:

Tab:

...C7.................................F
1-----------------------------------------
2-----------------------------------------
3-----------------------------------------
4--15~~14~~13---13L~12L~11L~~9L~9L~~8~8~~~
5--15a~14a~13a--13~~12~~11~~~9~~9a~~8~8a~~
6-----------------------------------------
7-----------------------------------------
8-----------------------------------------
9-----------------------------------------
10----------------------------------------


I hope that's interesting and useful to someone.
-John
View user's profile Send private message Send e-mail
David Nugent

 

From:
Gum Spring, Va.
Post  Posted 28 Dec 2008 4:03 am     John Hughey
Reply with quote

For anyone wanting to see (great camera work) and hear John at his best, the DVD, "Jumpin' Time" by the Time Jumpers is a must. After viewing the video several times, his solo on "Sweet Memories" and his version of the instrumental, "My Weakness Is Too Strong" still move me. The absolute master of soulful playing.
View user's profile Send private message
Scott Hiestand

 

From:
MA, U.S.A
Post  Posted 6 Jan 2009 2:42 pm    
Reply with quote

Bill Ford wrote:
Stan,
Here you can see (sorta)what JH is doing.A picture worth a thousand words.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=67GSo3MxGi0&feature=related


That is sick playing! John was amazing. (And you gotta love Conway's hair!!).
View user's profile Send private message Send e-mail
Ulric Utsi-Ã…hlin

 

From:
Sweden
Post  Posted 7 Jan 2009 1:35 am     Hughey...
Reply with quote

Personal flashback,Hughey-related:When I got my first
PSG,the seller,Janne Lindgren,put a Dicky Betts-
vinyl on the turntable for a sample of good Steel
playing,Hughey on some cuts...the essence of it is:
I went home carrying a brand new Steel Guitar...
wonder why...
McUtsi
View user's profile Send private message Send e-mail
Marlin Smoot


From:
Kansas
Post  Posted 7 Jan 2009 3:17 pm     Jh
Reply with quote

While this thread is about JH I just wanted to say how surprized I was when I saw him play live in Atlanta at the Steel Guitar Show a few years ago - his speed picking and C6th playing was impressive,
Something you usually didn't hear on the Conway recordings.

A master of tone and taste - but his speed picking and c6th playing was something to behold. After meeting him, found him to be one of the nicest guys you'd ever want to meet.
View user's profile Send private message Send e-mail

All times are GMT - 8 Hours
Jump to:  
Please review our Forum Rules and Policies
Our Online Catalog
Strings, CDs, instruction, and steel guitar accessories
www.SteelGuitarShopper.com

The Steel Guitar Forum
148 S. Cloverdale Blvd.
Cloverdale, CA 95425 USA

Click Here to Send a Donation

Email SteelGuitarForum@gmail.com for technical support.


BIAB Styles
Ray Price Shuffles for Band-in-a-Box
by Jim Baron