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Topic: Pedal steel solos on lap steel |
Steve Ahola
From:
Concord, California
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Posted 4 Mar 2011 11:33 am |
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Mike Neer has opened our eyes to the fact that many pedal steel solos can be played on lap steel. I've been working on one of my all-time favorite songs with pedal steel, "Together Again", and it is ridiculously easy. At least to get the basic feel of it- Tom Brumley's subtle phrasing could take a lifetime to learn!
I play it on the 2nd and 5th strings just using the various slant positions- straight across and then +/- one or two frets. For six string E9 (B-D-F#-G#-B-E) I start on the 9th fret. That would be for the key on the original Buck Owen's recording: C#. To play it on C6 tuning, the 2 and 5 grip is a flatted 6th so you would have to adjust your slants accordingly.
I will try to tab it out in a day or two but it is almost easier to learn than to write out with timings. (If someone else want to do the tab that would be great.)
Steve Ahola
P.S. It is a great exercise for forward and reverse slants. And a great study in timing and "white space" being one of the real classics. BTW I am learning the whole song- Tom Brumley's fills are every bit as good as his solo!
P.P.S. This would make a great free tutorial on YouTube since practically everybody knows the song and it is so simple. I think it would get a lot of people out there jump-started in their endeavor to learn lap steel.
_________________
www.blueguitar.org
Recordings on electric guitar:
http://www.box.net/blue-diamonds
http://www.box.net/the-culprits
Last edited by Steve Ahola on 4 Mar 2011 9:03 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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Wayne D. Clark
From:
Montello Wisconsin, USA
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Posted 4 Mar 2011 2:13 pm
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Thanks Steve for the Info. I have wondered why there are not some pedal steel numbers avaliable for lap steel. Sure the changes avaliable on a PSG are unique but why not tab for the lap steel. I have some PSG CD's I would love to have on the Lap. May take a while but I'm retired, think I try to do one.
Wayne D Clark
Melbert 8/counsol/C6th
goodrich pedal
peavey 112 |
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Doug Beaumier
From:
Northampton, MA
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Steve Ahola
From:
Concord, California
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Posted 4 Mar 2011 5:21 pm
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Mike Neer has posted YouTube videos and added tutorials to his store for quite a few pedal steel songs, be sure to check that out!
http://www.steelinfromthemasters.com/
Great stuff, Doug! Both you and Mike are real pros- I was just pointing out that there are some easy and simple stuff that we all could play.
I guess I could elaborate a bit on the 2/5 grip for the E9 tunings, which is a major 6th (or an inverted minor 3rd). I find that I can really do a lot with that grip with slants. A 2 fret reverse slant gives you a perfect 5th (or an inverted 4th) and a 1 fret reverse slant gives you a augmented 5th/flatted 6th (or an inverted major 3rd). A 1 fret forward slant gives you a flatted 7th and a 2 fret forward slant gives you a major 7th.
Slanting 3 frets between the 2nd and 5th string is not an unreasonable reach, with the reverse slant giving you a diminished 5th and the forward slant giving you an octave.
BTW with the E9 tuning you can skip down to the 3rd and 6th strings to get that same major 6th interval 3 half steps lower. With C6 tuning
Steve
_________________
www.blueguitar.org
Recordings on electric guitar:
http://www.box.net/blue-diamonds
http://www.box.net/the-culprits |
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Kekoa Blanchet
From:
Kaua'i
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Posted 4 Mar 2011 10:31 pm Re: Pedal steel solos on lap steel
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| Steve Ahola wrote: |
| BTW I am learning the whole song- Tom Brumley's fills are every bit as good as his solo! |
I'm looking forward to seeing your take on the fills, Steve. There's not much tutorial material on playing backup, so this would be a good resource. |
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Les Anderson
From:
The Great White North
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Posted 5 Mar 2011 4:46 pm
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I have heard many pros and cons about playing non-pedal steel as a pedal steel. I must say that most of those who do not like the cross over are those who have tried it and failed, have tried it but cannot do slants and bend strings at the same time or are just plain using the wrong tuning. Some of those who I have heard try it can't pull a string and stay in tune.
I started bending the strings on my D10 Remington long scale (which has a big jump towards the pedal steel sound to begin with) three years ago and can fool most into thinking I have a pedal steel. It takes lots of practice and of course you don't have the chord range that pedals give you; however, Mike Neer is getting as close to the duplication as anyone I have heard. I would love to have him sit down at my Remington and do his thing. I am certain he would fool even the long time pedal steelers on this board. |
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Steve Ahola
From:
Concord, California
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Posted 5 Mar 2011 8:43 pm
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I just try to play the music I hear in my head and some of it is from pedal steel. I'm not trying to emulate the sound of the pedal steel, but just capture some of its harmonic and melodic structure.
What I pick up from Mike Neer is that we can take lap steel in whatever direction we want to, instead of being limited to its traditional roles, but all the while respecting its heritage and traditional techniques since there is so much we can learn from that.
Steve |
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Andy Sandoval
From:
Bakersfield, California, USA
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Posted 5 Mar 2011 11:51 pm
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| Roy Thomson also gets some very nice pedal steel sounds from a 6 string lap steel. |
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Mike Neer
From:
NJ
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Posted 6 Mar 2011 10:56 am
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I appreciate the kind words, but I'm not really that good at emulating a pedal steel. I do like transcribing and adapting the tunes and solos, though, because they help me build up my chops and give me a lot more ideas. Pedal steel players tend to have lots of right hand chops, and that's what I'd like to develop, too.
I think the living master at emulating pedal steel might be Billy Robinson.
_________________
Links to streaming music, websites, YouTube: Links |
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Roy Thomson
From:
Wolfville, Nova Scotia,Canada
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Posted 6 Mar 2011 12:33 pm
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http://picosong.com/5iB
The above link provides my approach to
emulating the Pedal Steel on the 6 string
C6th tuning. IMO it is in the "feel" which
is beyond the mind perhaps?
_________________
Custom Tabs Various Tunings
Courses Lap Steel, Pedal Steel |
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Andy Sandoval
From:
Bakersfield, California, USA
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Posted 6 Mar 2011 12:46 pm
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Mike, I wanna be "not really that good at emulating a pedal steel" like you. 
Hi Roy, I was hopin I could coax you into postin one of your songs.  |
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Jay Seibert
From:
Woodland, WA, USA
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Posted 6 Mar 2011 3:56 pm
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In my wildest dreams I would like "to be not really that good" too... and very nice playing "beyond the mind", Roy
_________________
www.stoneslides.com is my Paloma Tone Bar and Bottleneck Slide web site
www.clayrabbit.com is my Pottery web site |
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Wayne D. Clark
From:
Montello Wisconsin, USA
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Posted 6 Mar 2011 6:19 pm
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Thank's Roy, for that example. some of his combinations were convincing. I'm sure we all agree we can get more out of a Lap Steel with a little adventure in our noodling.
Wayne D. Clark
Melbert 8/counsol
C6th High "G"
Goodrich pedal
Peavey 112. |
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Steve Ahola
From:
Concord, California
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Posted 6 Mar 2011 6:27 pm
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I think that what Mike is doing that is fairly unique is transcribing entire classic pedal steel instrumentals and adapting them for lap steel guitar. And then making it available to us as tutorials that he sells at reasonable prices.
Steve
P.S. Roy's track sounds great!
_________________
www.blueguitar.org
Recordings on electric guitar:
http://www.box.net/blue-diamonds
http://www.box.net/the-culprits |
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Doug Beaumier
From:
Northampton, MA
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Steve Ahola
From:
Concord, California
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Posted 6 Mar 2011 9:06 pm
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| Doug Beaumier wrote: |
| Last year I posted my lap steel version of "Send Me The Pillow" on youtube, and many of the viewers have commented that it sounds a lot like a PSG, in particular the solo and the ending: Click to watch video |
That is very tasty! Who needs a pedal steel? 
Steve |
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Andy Sandoval
From:
Bakersfield, California, USA
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Posted 6 Mar 2011 9:21 pm
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| Check this one out. Jerry Byrd playin his Fender and gettin a sound that if your not lookin, you'd swear it had pedals. Once A Day |
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Doug Beaumier
From:
Northampton, MA
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Posted 6 Mar 2011 10:31 pm
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Thanks Steve, I'm glad you like the video.
Andy, that's an awesome clip of Jerry and Connie. What a great sound!
Regarding PSG sounds and non-pedal tunings... IMO the diatonic tunings come close to emulating a pedal steel sound. It's possible to play scale patterns and licks similar to strings 3,1,4,2,5A,5 (on E9 pedal steel) using a diatonic tuning. And there are two-note harmonies all over the neck without slants. Very country sounding if the player learns to omit certain strings for the harmonies. One of these days when I get some time I'd like explore C Diatonic more and maybe find some hidden treasure.
_________________
My Site / My YouTube Channel
25 Songs C6 Lap Steel / 25 MORE Songs C6 Lap Steel / 16 Songs, C6, A6, B11 / 60 Popular Melodies E9 Pedal Steel
Last edited by Doug Beaumier on 7 Mar 2011 12:51 am; edited 1 time in total |
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Steve Ahola
From:
Concord, California
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Posted 6 Mar 2011 11:40 pm
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| Andy Sandoval wrote: |
| Check this one out. Jerry Byrd playin his Fender and gettin a sound that if your not lookin, you'd swear it had pedals. Once A Day |
Those harmonies and that vibrato is something that I really love about pedal steel- more than the pedal tricks and gimmicks. Thanks for posting that! |
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Jim Grant
From:
New York, USA
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Posted 8 Mar 2011 7:23 am
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| Steve if you get the tab for together again I would like a copy jim grant |
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John Bechtel
From:
Nashville, Tennessee, R.I.P.
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Posted 15 Mar 2011 9:15 pm
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Doug; C-Diatonic Tuning is an excellent choice for PSG emulation. Of all the tunings I use on my non-pedal steels, this has been my very favorite for many years and I play on it the most, even when I'm not trying to sound like a PSG! It just has such beautiful close harmony combinations! The E9th. tuning would be my 2nd. choice: E~B~D~E~F#~G#~B~E = E9
C~E~F~G~A~B~C~E = C-Dia.
_________________
<marquee> Go~Daddy~Go, (No), Go, It's your Break Time</marquee> L8R, jb
My T-10 Remington Steelmaster |
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