How to expand on a lead line? Where to go from here.

Jim Williams · From: Meridian, Mississippi, USA - Home of Peavey!

I've been playing around a year now, using a lot of different materials and tab. I have played other instruments for some time, and have a pretty good ear. I've gotten to the point on the lap steel ( six string c6) that I can find a single string melody to just about what ever I want, but I bog down when it comes to combining it with harmony notes and chords to create a solo. I really like a chord melody style of playing with generous use of harmony. Any suggestions or does it just take more time and practice and it will come?
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GFI SM10 3/4, 1937 Gibson EH-150, 2 - Rondo SX Lap Steels and a Guyatone 6 String C6. Peavey 400 and a Roland 40 Amps. Behringer Reverb Pedal.

Dom Franco · From: Beaverton, OR, 97007

I would suggest that you start out by going through a song just playing the chords. (Hum or sing the tune) and after you are familiar with the progression...

1. Find the first note of the melody in the first chord (if it's not there you will have to move up or down a fret or two then get back to the chord for the next note.)

2. Continue searching for the melody in the chords, only moving off them if needed and get back to the chord position as soon as possible.

3. When you find the melody though the whole song, evaluate all the places where you have to move the bar several frets, and try to simplify by playing single notes or two note partial chords instead.

4. Practice your slants on the accidental notes that you have to leave the chord fret for, and you will find all the partial chords in between the I, IV and V.

5. In answer to your question...
With time and practice It WILL come!
Dom
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https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCYG9cvwCPKuXpGofziPNieA/feed?activity_view=3

Jim Williams · From: Meridian, Mississippi, USA - Home of Peavey!

Thanks Dom, and thanks again for the tab, looks good. Can't wait to try it when I get home later.
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GFI SM10 3/4, 1937 Gibson EH-150, 2 - Rondo SX Lap Steels and a Guyatone 6 String C6. Peavey 400 and a Roland 40 Amps. Behringer Reverb Pedal.

Ray Montee · From: Portland, Oregon (deceased)

What tuning are you playing in?
That's an extremely important factor..........

Much of the playing in C6th is done on the first and second strings utilizing backward slants; and the second and third strings, using many forward slants.

To broaden your music......jump to the first and fourth strings, again, using many reverse slants while the second and fifth strings will pretty much round it out for you. There's other string combinations you'll eventually use but that will come later.

This is were understanding musical scales comes in handy.

James Hartman · From: Pennsylvania, USA

Have you worked out where your basic chord shapes are in C6, up and down the neck? There are plenty of reference materials available if you need them.

Here's one:

If you know where to find the different inversions of whichever chord, it's (relatively) easy to harmonize various melody notes. Understanding melodic construction in relation to the underlying harmony (principal tones v. dependent tones) is helpful, but many folks do fine just relying on their ear.

Jim Williams · From: Meridian, Mississippi, USA - Home of Peavey!

Thanks Ray, I'm playing in C6th, currently everything I have is six string and using standard CEGACE tuning. Thanks for the charts, I'll print them out and work on them.
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GFI SM10 3/4, 1937 Gibson EH-150, 2 - Rondo SX Lap Steels and a Guyatone 6 String C6. Peavey 400 and a Roland 40 Amps. Behringer Reverb Pedal.

Jean-Sebastien Gauthier · From: Quebec, Canada

The easiest way I know to harmonize a melody is to use third and sixth. You play the melody on the higher strings and and harmonize it with the lower strings.

You should learn your sixth and third all over the neck. I like to use the myxolidian mode for that. If I play a melody over a G7 chord I will use the G myxolidian or if you prefer (its the same notes) the C major scale.

C major = C Dm Em F G Am Bm

If you look at the first 2 strings you have E and C, E is the major third of C. So for the next chord in the scale go to fret 1 on the string 1 and fret 2 on string 2, you have Dm and go like that for all the scale.

Sixth are just the same note as the third but in reverse order. For exemple if you take string 1 and 4 you have E and G. E is the major sixth of G but G is the minor third of E. So If you play string 1 and 4 you have your Em. Move to string 1 fret one and string 4 fret 2 and you have a major F.

Ray Montee · From: Portland, Oregon (deceased)

However, with more than seventy years of successful playing the steel guitar, both pedal and non-pedal, I have NEVER found it necessary to memorize all of those musical terminologies. Trying to read the above diagrams, frankly, overwhelms me to the point
I'd give up before getting started.

I'm not arguing with you more knowledgeable musicians and I admire each of you for all you've endured while learning all of that stuff. This is no easy task.

But as the novice I admittedly am, it seems like some of you folks actually go thro' some 3, to 5 steps before you get down to playing the machine. Then others will actually write out tabs on top of it, etc.

A hands-on instructor would be my best recommendation. I'd first know what STYLE I hope to play one day for without it, the learning process is wide open and quite likely won't take you where you want to go. Many students of piano, find themselves playing classical standards; violinists orchestral arrangements instead of 'fiddle'.

Those that play in A6th or C#min are ALWAYS going to
sound different than you in C6th. Stick with your
STYLE.....and don't waiver.

It's a worthwhile trip, full of challenges and offering many REWARDS. Lots of luck to you.

Rick Aiello · From: Berryville, VA USA

Jim, this may be of value to you ...

Read the heading (the first block is the major scale written using the "number system" & the slant bar examples are written in tab) .... Then scroll all the way down to C6/A7 ....

http://www.horseshoemagnets.com/_sgg/m8_1.htm

This is just a visual display of what Ray was talking about in his first reply ...

It'll be good homework for you to make new charts for other keys ... the tab for the slant practice is written for the Key of G for this particular C6 variant tuning (C6/A7) ...

Once you get the hang of it ... You can write a set of charts with the sixth string tuned to C instead of C# ... Winking

Once you "see" the pattern for each string group ... It'll become second nature ...

Hope that helps ...

Mr. Green

Mike Neer · From: NJ

Jim, this is a musical issue, not a steel guitar one. Learning about improvising or "expanding on a lead line" (really creating melodies spontaneously) is something that all instrumentalists have in common. There are many sources of information available for learning how to improvise.

It is simply a matter of learning how to express yourself on your instrument. One of the easiest ways to get started is to sing your ideas and try to work them out on steel. Work in short phrases, as if having a conversation. I did a few articles on my blog about this that you might find helpful.
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