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Topic: Question for Hawaiian players |
Edward Meisse
From:
Santa Rosa, California, USA
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Posted 22 Jul 2013 8:21 pm |
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Having switched to a pedal guitar for my electric playing and having had an excellent experience, I'm wondering why Basil Henriques style pedal playing of Hawaiian music has not caught on among the Hawaiian players. Once you get the hang of it, you get alot more out of a pedal guitar with a lot less effort, it seems to me.
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Doug Beaumier
From:
Northampton, MA
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Edward Meisse
From:
Santa Rosa, California, USA
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Posted 22 Jul 2013 9:33 pm
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I have the Buddy Emmons C6 set up on mine. I have found it to be very versatile. I understand that Basil has an old D8 Fender 1000 with a version of E9 on the main neck. I'm not sure what's on the other. I'm working mostly on G.A.S. at this time. But I do have some Hawaiian numbers in mind. My experiments with, "Pearly Shells," are going pretty well. When I work up the energy, I'm hoping to work up a pedal version of, "Estrellita." I'm kind of weak on the volume pedal though.
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basilh
From:
United Kingdom
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Brad Bechtel
From:
San Francisco, CA
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Posted 23 Jul 2013 6:24 am
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Since this is about pedal steel, I'm moving it to Steel Players in the hopes that more pedal steel players will respond.
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Brad’s Page of Steel
A web site devoted to acoustic & electric lap steel guitars |
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Martin Curnan
From:
Lihue, Kauai
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Posted 23 Jul 2013 9:40 am Hawaiian pedal steel
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| IMHO if thet had them they would play them. It is also quite and investment for a beginner and here in the island if you thought the steel guitar is scarce the pedal steel is almost extinct, much less someone to teach . Much appreciation to Alan Akaka for his commitment to perpetuating the steel guitar. I also can't imagine lugging the instrument around. John Hughey's "Look At Us" is 'chicken skin' music. One day I will get a pedal steel to try and learn that song only. |
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Ron Whitfield
From:
Kaaawa, Hawaii, USA
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Posted 23 Jul 2013 12:35 pm
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Hawaiian motto: keep it simple.
They did exceedingly well without pedals and few have come close since.
"Don't need no pedals" Jerry Byrd
Besides, who'd want to mess with that ton of stuff?
I got more... |
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David Matzenik
From:
Cairns, on the Coral Sea
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Posted 23 Jul 2013 3:01 pm
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It is entirely a matter of taste, but here is my objection to pedal guitars for Hawaiian music:
If you take a simple example of a major triad on the top three strings it is possible pivot into either slant and produce a pleasing and sometimes interesting effect; I would not play a whole piece this way, it would get tedious.
However, due to he concept of the pedal guitar, the straight bar with pedal control of string tension achieves exactly what I have just described. It produces a continuous whine which may be popular at Grinder Switch, but it is not in Hawaii.
Yes,this continual pivot tone can be avoided with pedal guitars, but then what would be the point of the pedals?
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Don't go in the water after lunch. You'll get a cramp and drown. - Mother. |
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basilh
From:
United Kingdom
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Edward Meisse
From:
Santa Rosa, California, USA
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Posted 23 Jul 2013 11:47 pm
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Excellent examples. Sounds to me a lot like what Billy Hew Len was doing on the, "Steel Guitars Hawaiian Style," album. Know anything about his copedent? Which makes the question even more of a puzzle to me. He was an excellent and very popular player. But almost nobody seems to have followed his lead.
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Amor vincit omnia |
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Edward Meisse
From:
Santa Rosa, California, USA
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Posted 23 Jul 2013 11:49 pm
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| Brad Bechtel wrote: |
| Since this is about pedal steel, I'm moving it to Steel Players in the hopes that more pedal steel players will respond. |
The reason I put it in the non pedal section is that I was looking for comments from non pedal Hawaiian players. But you may have been right to move it. It may attract comments here from both sides.
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Edward Meisse
From:
Santa Rosa, California, USA
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Posted 24 Jul 2013 12:06 am
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Dave, I used to think the same thing as you until I heard some pedal steel players doing jazz and hawaiian (like Basil's samples above) and had it pointed out to me that Billy Hew Len used a pedal guitar on a CD that I had and loved. I hadn't noticed it. But once it was pointed out, it was undeniable.
Ron, your objection about the ton of stuff is getting more true these days. I see more and more Hawaiian style players using just one neck. But my S10 psg is no heavier than a high quality D8 non pedal I'll bet not to even mention a T8. And it can do everything they do and more.
Martin, yes the expense. I wouldn't have a psg if I had not come into a moderately sized windfall a couple of years back. But I learned everything I know from books and DVD's that I bought here on the forum and at the Jeffran website. But it looks like nobody in Hawaii is even interested. And I don't get it.
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Amor vincit omnia |
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Jeff Au Hoy
From:
Honolulu, Hawai'i
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Posted 24 Jul 2013 1:40 am
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Baz, also Jules' (Ben Kalama's) "Miloli‘i"!
Billy Hew Len is my #1 steel idol.
I've got a Fender 1000. It's too much to bring to the gig. |
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basilh
From:
United Kingdom
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Posted 24 Jul 2013 2:00 am
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| Jeff Au Hoy wrote: |
I've got a Fender 1000. It's too much to bring to the gig. |
Yeah, not fo me..I have always used my "1000" at gigs, even took it to Hawaii with me and said to hell with the cost. I ALWAYS take my own instruments with me no matter where I'm gigging.
As for your "1000" Jeff, I'm sure it comes in handy for recordings !
BTW Send me you address I have a VINTAGE Cornell Dubilier "Tiger" Paper/wax.. 0.5mfd .. to replace the slightly distraught on in your frypan..
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Ron Whitfield
From:
Kaaawa, Hawaii, USA
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Posted 24 Jul 2013 1:43 pm
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| Edward Meisse wrote: |
Ron, your objection about the ton of stuff is getting more true these days.
But my S10 psg is no heavier than a high quality D8 non pedal I'll bet not to even mention a T8. And it can do everything they do and more. |
Plus, having a Ferrari mechanic on call to keep it going is just too much for me.
All that considered, it's said the pedal steel's invention was to replicate what Jerry Byrd was doing on his little 7 string Rick. That may not be true, but if not... it ought to be.
I love what some do with pedals, it's just not for me. |
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basilh
From:
United Kingdom
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Posted 24 Jul 2013 2:10 pm
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| Edward Meisse wrote: |
| Excellent examples. Sounds to me a lot like what Billy Hew Len was doing on the, "Steel Guitars Hawaiian Style," album. Know anything about his copedent? Which makes the question even more of a puzzle to me. He was an excellent and very popular player. But almost nobody seems to have followed his lead. |
I don't know so much Edward, I have been heavily influenced by both Billy and Jules with a smidgeon of Barney thrown in for good measure. That of course is in the Pedal Hawaiian Style.
For the non pedal style I must admit to Andy, Sol and Harry Brooker being my biggest influences. (and Idols)
BTW. Just back from the surgery and it was an unqualified success.
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David Matzenik
From:
Cairns, on the Coral Sea
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Posted 24 Jul 2013 8:56 pm
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Like I said, its a matter of taste, if you like the way pedal steel sound that is all that counts. But I am not going out and buy one just so I can try to stop it sounding like a pedal guitar.
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Don't go in the water after lunch. You'll get a cramp and drown. - Mother. |
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Edward Meisse
From:
Santa Rosa, California, USA
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Posted 24 Jul 2013 11:08 pm
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| Ron Whitfield wrote: |
| Edward Meisse wrote: |
Ron, your objection about the ton of stuff is getting more true these days.
But my S10 psg is no heavier than a high quality D8 non pedal I'll bet not to even mention a T8. And it can do everything they do and more. |
Plus, having a Ferrari mechanic on call to keep it going is just too much for me.
All that considered, it's said the pedal steel's invention was to replicate what Jerry Byrd was doing on his little 7 string Rick. That may not be true, but if not... it ought to be.
I love what some do with pedals, it's just not for me. |
Yes, the mechanic. That is one objection I have absolutely no answer to. I'm hoping as the years go by, that I'll figure things out. But I doubt it. When it comes to mechanical stuff, I'm a zero. Good thing there are a couple of good guys not far from me. And at least one of them works way cheap (hope he doesn't read this). One of the reasons I like the Buddy Emmons C6 so much is that I learned lap steel from the Jerry Byrd instruction book. And the Emmons C6 is very compatible with Jerry Byrd's approach. The only thing it doesn't have that would help is a G to F lower. Many players have begun putting that on a vertical knee lever. I am currently experimenting with it on the first pedal in place of the A to B raise. But I'll be damned if after all this time I'm not finding some use for the A to B raise after all on some of the GAS songs. I hate vertical knee levers. But I may have to do it.
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Amor vincit omnia |
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Edward Meisse
From:
Santa Rosa, California, USA
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Posted 24 Jul 2013 11:23 pm
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| basilh wrote: |
| Edward Meisse wrote: |
| Excellent examples. Sounds to me a lot like what Billy Hew Len was doing on the, "Steel Guitars Hawaiian Style," album. Know anything about his copedent? Which makes the question even more of a puzzle to me. He was an excellent and very popular player. But almost nobody seems to have followed his lead. |
I don't know so much Edward, I have been heavily influenced by both Billy and Jules with a smidgeon of Barney thrown in for good measure. That of course is in the Pedal Hawaiian Style.
For the non pedal style I must admit to Andy, Sol and Harry Brooker being my biggest influences. (and Idols)
BTW. Just back from the surgery and it was an unqualified success.
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As far as I'm concerned, Sol is head and shoulders above other non pedal players. But when it comes to non pedal, I have a distinct preference for it to be non electric as well. So that eliminates a lot of otherwise good players.
The surgery?! With the added, I'm tempted to think it might have something to do with some of those advertisements I get on my facebook page from time to time. Whatever it was, I'm glad it went well. First b0b and now you. It seems these days like everybody is having surgery except me.
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Amor vincit omnia |
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Ron Whitfield
From:
Kaaawa, Hawaii, USA
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Posted 25 Jul 2013 2:49 pm
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| Edward Meisse wrote: |
| I learned lap steel from the Jerry Byrd instruction book. |
And with that, the world is a bit more perfect, except that I wish you and every steeler had sat with Jerry, one on one while he was teaching. |
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Edward Meisse
From:
Santa Rosa, California, USA
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Posted 25 Jul 2013 11:02 pm
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Me too.
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