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Topic: Learn a song in one key, play in any key? |
Billy Murdoch
From:
Glasgow, Scotland, U.K.
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Posted 25 May 2009 12:57 am |
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I continually read posts giving what I think is confusing advice to newbies.
Cast Your mind back to YOUR newbie days,Your knowledge of the steel is very limited.
You spend many hours of practice and learn a song note for note,phrase for phrase etc in the key of G.
You begin at the third fret and eventually climb to the eigth,eleventh and fifteenth fret and can play the song all the way.
Someone on the Forum has told You that to play in a different key,all you need to do is move up or down the board to the start position.
Great,lets try it in the key of E flat.Start at the eleventh fret and eventually end up at the?next table!
I think it much better to say that the song can probably be played within a couple of frets of the
"learned" position, and to advise the new player to endeavour to find the appropriate positions to play the song using different strings within a better comfort zone.
Sorry for the waffle but today is a holiday and I have no housework to do. 
Billy |
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Larry Bell
From:
Englewood, Florida
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Pete Burak
From:
Portland, OR USA
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Posted 25 May 2009 6:44 am
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Every Musician, regardless of Instrumet(s), needs to be able to play any song in any key... on the fly.
As a card carrying member of "The Brotherhood Of Men" it is my duty to inform...
Lets save the "within a couple of frets" thing for chick singers.
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Bo Borland
From:
South Jersey -
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Posted 25 May 2009 8:50 am
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| Sounds like it's time to learn a little basic music theory. |
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Donny Hinson
From:
Glen Burnie, Md. U.S.A.
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Posted 25 May 2009 10:09 am
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What Pete said!
If you can only play "Together Again" using strings 3&5, you need more study and practice! Just like a straight guitar, pedal steel has different "positions" or inversions. Learn to use more than one for any particular song. |
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Jon Light
From:
Saugerties, NY
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Posted 25 May 2009 10:43 am
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or stated differently, but same opinion--
Learn a song note for note, fret for fret, phrase for phrase and you are all set to sit in your bedroom and play it by yourself over and over for the rest of your life.
Learn how to apply it to other keys, how to play it in different positions and you have a start in the direction of actually playing music. With musicians. |
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James Morehead
From:
Prague, Oklahoma, USA - R.I.P.
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Posted 25 May 2009 2:57 pm
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| How many ways can you play a chord? Find that chord every where possible on the neck in every grip possible. Learn what it sounds like in every grip, anywhere on the neck. Then change keys and do it all over again. Study the neck, and it will all clear up, if you do it enough. |
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James Morehead
From:
Prague, Oklahoma, USA - R.I.P.
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Posted 25 May 2009 3:58 pm
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| I wanted to add, when you can get around and know where you are on the neck, move into some easy song and try different positions and see how it sounds. Move through different inversions as you go to the next chord in the song. Then change keys and see if you can pull it off in the new key. That in itself makes a fun excersise. |
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Bo Legg
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Posted 27 May 2009 4:16 pm
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| When I first started playing and I learned to play a song in the key of G and somebody wanted me to play it in another key, I'd just move up or down to another town. |
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James Morehead
From:
Prague, Oklahoma, USA - R.I.P.
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Posted 27 May 2009 7:20 pm
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So Bo, if you were in G, and they requested B, you'd move up the hiway two towns?  |
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Micky Byrne
From:
United Kingdom (deceased)
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Posted 28 May 2009 3:06 am
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Totally agree with you James....learn a chord in all the various positions, not just open tuning and pedals down...they are everywhere
Micky Byrne
United Kingdom
www.micky-byrne.co.uk |
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Don Brown, Sr.
From:
New Jersey
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Posted 30 May 2009 3:45 pm
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Billy, I think what you've been hearing is, that the Intervals, remain the same distance from one key to the next.
Besides its good practice to not leave out the upper registry. |
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J D Sauser
From:
Wellington, Florida
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Posted 31 May 2009 1:18 pm Re: Learn a song in one key, play in any key?
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| Billy Murdoch wrote: |
I continually read posts giving what I think is confusing advice to newbies.
...
You spend many hours of practice and learn a song note for note,phrase for phrase etc in the key of G.
You begin at the third fret and eventually climb to the eigth,eleventh and fifteenth fret and can play the song all the way. |
This (the bold part) is where the confusion REALLY comes from. One should NOT move to fret NUMBERS but move in fret intervals instead, like from the open fret (G=3) up FIVE frets and so forth. THEN, it's all the SAME in ANY key.
... J-D. |
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Jim Bates
From:
Alvin, Texas, USA
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Posted 31 May 2009 8:55 pm
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J.D. is correct, that is the 'rule' I have always used to guide me in transposing. Of course the other thing I do is use the C6th neck if that gives me a better voicing and position for the chords. Maybe the 'crying steel' is better on the E9th, but you can find all the notes on the C6th also and play the melody by moving your bar.
After several years of playing local opry shows, you learn to play "Crazy" and " Walking After Midnight" in every key and tempo!!
Thanx,
Jim |
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CrowBear Schmitt
From:
Ariege, - PairO'knees, - France
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Posted 1 Jun 2009 12:48 am
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some of you can remember when they were learning bar chords on the guitbox ?
the index finger being a mobile capo
barred Es, As & Cs ?
well if you learned the different positions, you were on the way to the holy land
i'd say this applies to pedal steel or non pedal as well
the bar being the mobile capo
transposing keys is essential
of course some keys are not as comfortable or easy as others
Eb for example is a breeze on the C6 neck |
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Tony Prior
From:
Charlotte NC
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Posted 1 Jun 2009 3:43 am
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| James Morehead wrote: |
| So Bo, if you were in G, and they requested B, you'd move up the hiway two towns? |
or down 1/2 town
Once a player is familiar with the intervals and the "roadmap" you should "see" the song in any key.
Of course Eb may be a crummy key on the 11th fret, but not on the 6th fret ! Intervals and positions.
How about the singers that call Eb and they meant Bb !
Quick, release Peds A and B !
t |
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Jerry Hayes
From:
Virginia Beach, Va.
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Posted 1 Jun 2009 4:04 am
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One thing that's always helped me as far as playing the same song in different keys is the number system. For many years I've thought of chord progressions as I, IV, V, etc. so it helps when you're called to do a tune in another key. Also, just learn the basic scales in the open (no pedals) position, with the A & B pedals down, with the E's lowered, and with the A pedal and F lever. Just being comfortable with those basics will help you a bunch.
Donny H. mentioned playing Together Again on strings 3 and 5 only. When someone sings it in any key below B natural you have to go up the neck for the IV to V chord moves. For that I have a zero pedal that raises the 7th string F# to G# so you can play this in the key of G and make the lower moves on strings 4 and 7 with the 4th string lowered a half. I had to do this as the main vocalist I work with does the song in the key of G and I wanted to keep it in the lower register........JH in Va.
_________________
Don't matter who's in Austin (or anywhere else) Ralph Mooney is still the king!!! |
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Paul Frank Bloomfield
From:
Greece
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Posted 1 Jun 2009 4:34 am
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I can remember we, Frisco, were playing at a rather
large Country Music Fesival and the second song
featured me playing my masterpiece of an intro only to find upon completion that I'd played it three
frets too high ! the singer was not amused !
Oh,well, never mind ,"It was a live show folks !"
All the best
Frank. Corfu
_________________
" The problem with doing nothing is not knowing when you've finished "
ZBSD-10,ZB D-11/10, Franlin Tele,Epiphone customised Les Paul, 'Fender pro 185 amp. |
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