Bach Sarabande, tab for multibender, .wma

Steve Atwood · From: Massachusetts, USA

This has a lot of sadness in it, but also a lot of beauty. Because of the way it's constructed it's one of those pieces that seems like it was written specifically for this instrument.

Segovia plays it on Youtube here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v88WjvLexto

Would anyone be willing to rate my playing?

http://www.yourfilelink.com/get.php?fid=485224 (Click on the blue "Proceed to File Download Page" when it appears in the lower right after a few seconds (don't click the red "Download" button), then on the next page click the gray "Download File" button.)

Considering the slowness of the piece and the fact that I've been playing for over three years, I give myself a D+ for performance, but a B+ for interpretation. I can't afford lessons, would appreciate any feedback.

Bill Hatcher · From: Atlanta Ga. USA

I give you an A+ for your hard work and adventurous nature!!! You just don't rattle these Bach pieces off on a steel guitar. They take an immense amount of work. You took on quite a task to play this.

First thing I would do is go back and make another file of this and correct the panning of the track. I heard most of it coming from one side of my headphones. Also bring up the overall level so that the subtle runs into the melody are not lost.

Pretty amazing that you were able to just about get all the correct notes in the arrangement on your guitar without having to leave any important ones out.

You did very well to play this piece on a steel guitar with I take it some manner of a multi bender on it. Good for you!!!!

Also thank you for the tab.

James Kerr · From: Scotland, UK

I agree with Bill, a big task to undertake, but you did very well with a difficult piece.

Its good to see someone ploughing their own furrow, I would like to hear more in future, and a photo of your Guitar would be interesting too.

James Kerr.

Steve Atwood · From: Massachusetts, USA

Thanks for listening! It was a lot of work, and felt like an accomplishment, even though the recording isn't very good. (I was using a borrowed "Superscope" recorder, without the manual.) Next time I'll try something easier and concentrate on playing and recording it right.

Bill, If you liked the tab, I also wrote one for the Bourree from the same suite:

http://bb.steelguitarforum.com/viewtopic.php?t=130696&highlight=bach+bourree

James, I tried uploading a photo of the Gretsch lap steel and it wouldn't take, but there's a partial shot of it here:

http://bb.steelguitarforum.com/viewtopic.php?t=116181&highlight=multibender+installation

James Kerr · From: Scotland, UK

Steve,
Its all good fun, just keep going my friend.
Here is a shot of my 1954 Teisco R1 I'm hooked on these now, my Pedal Steel is gathering dust, I have started to build two Replicas, a National Dynamic from the 1950s and a National New Yorker from the 1940s. At least one of these will be fitted with a Bender,

James.

Roy Thomson · From: Wolfville, Nova Scotia,Canada

Hello Steve,

You have a " playing tone" well suited
for the Classical approach on Steel Guitar.
I hope you stay with it and render more samples
of your work in the future.
Good Luck.

Roy
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Doug Beaumier · From: Northampton, MA

You're on the right track Steve. I can see that you put a lot of work into that, and it sounds good. The recorder you used does not do justice to your playing however. Why don't you download Audacity? It's FREE recording software. I've been using it for a couple of years to record my stuff and it's very user friendly, and sounds clear as a bell. Keep up the good work!
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Steve Atwood · From: Massachusetts, USA

Thanks, friends.

James, I recommend the Multibender highly. It's well made and does what it's supposed to. It takes some getting used to - it's hard to pick and harder to strum while holding a lever down, but you can learn it with practice. You can't palm-block, but I've been learning to pick-block, and it's surprising how much damping you can do with your left thumb and fingertips. The only problem I've found with the machine is there's a limit to how heavy a string the levers will take. Where the string is wound at the end it might be too thick to fit into the socket. I just use two levers on the second and third strings, so it's not a problem for me. Also, since it's 3 1/4" long it doesn't fit on a lot of guitars.

Thanks for the encouragement Roy and Doug, and

Mike Harris · From: Texas, USA

Steve,

nice work--I'd recommend listening to some other versions besides Segovia's to get a better-rounded view of the piece. He did some wonderful things and had unbelievable tone, but you may get a cleared idea of the exact rhythms from hearing some more literal, straight-ahead players...there are probably some keyboard renditions out there as well. I find each different player offers a little insight into the piece, for what it's worth.

Steve Atwood · From: Massachusetts, USA

Thanks Mike.

I just did a search for mp3 samples of people playing this and was surprised how many there are. Most of them are very slow, and I definitely prefer Segovia's rhythm. I didn't find any literal performances - they all add pauses, as Segovia does, to the notes as they appear in the sheet music.

I used to play it on classical guitar and also liked his interpretation and copied him. When I stopped playing guitar I learned it on my keyboard (church organ setting) and it sounded much more alive with the sustained notes and fuller chords.

There's a lot in the music, and I wonder a lot about how the composer would have played it. I hear shades of "Machine Gun" in it (Hendrix), and you could make it sound like a war zone, with screaming downward slides. Another way to look at it is as being about submission, acceptance of some kind of a burden. Segovia's performance is great because it seems to me he's just playing the notes as they're written and keeping himself out of it so the music can just be what it is.

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