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Topic: Article in Oxford American "Spinning Steel Into Gold" |
Mike Neer
From:
NJ
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Jack Hanson
From:
San Luis Valley, USA
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Posted 16 Apr 2014 7:18 am |
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| Thanks, Mike, for posting the link to that wonderful article for all interested Forumites to peruse. Wonder why "John" was not identified in the piece. Most of us here will know his identity, but the regular readership of the Oxford American likely will not recognize him. |
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Barry Blackwood
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Posted 16 Apr 2014 8:26 am
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| Most of us here will know his identity, but the regular readership of the Oxford American likely will not recognize him. |
They probably wouldn't have recognized him if he had been identified. I'm not sure if it was a conscious decision or not to leave out John's last name, but I'm thinking it's McClung.. |
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Frank Freniere
From:
The First Coast
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Posted 16 Apr 2014 12:09 pm
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| Great article. Pity she never got around to mentioning the Forum - or joining it. |
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Dave Mudgett
From:
Central Pennsylvania and Gallatin, Tennessee
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Posted 16 Apr 2014 12:47 pm
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The author is a forum member.
Perhaps I'm wrong, but methinks that the primary target audience for this article is not steel players. Thus the lack of mention of the forum - "where steel players meet online" - does not seem unreasonable to me.
Interesting article for the uninitiated. But I do not think that steel (or even pedal steel) is "entering a period of terminal decline". I keep on hearing people say that, but I continue to see solid and steady interest in the instrument. |
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Tom Keller
From:
Greeneville, TN, USA
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Posted 16 Apr 2014 1:07 pm
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Great article, thanks for sharing.
Tom |
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Donny Hinson
From:
Glen Burnie, Md. U.S.A.
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Posted 16 Apr 2014 1:46 pm
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| Dave Mudgett wrote: |
Interesting article for the uninitiated. But I do not think that steel (or even pedal steel) is "entering a period of terminal decline". I keep on hearing people say that, but I continue to see solid and steady interest in the instrument. |
Well, "solid and steady" interest is what we had before the internet. One would think that it would be literally exploding, with all the improved communications we have now. Anyway, as an avid reader and writer, and the owner of what some might consider a rather impressive personal library, I found the phrase "entering a period of terminal decline" equally apropos for printed matter. Magazines, books, newspapers, and most other printed matter are also now in a period of serious decline.
Ironic, isn't it?  |
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scott murray
From:
Asheville, NC
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Posted 16 Apr 2014 4:02 pm
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really good article.
I remember discussing the possibility of the steel being replaced by samples here on the Forum back in the late 90s. It just didn't really seem possible but we've come a long way since then.
so I looked up the Wavelore Pedal Steel website and I'm still not convinced that our instrument can ever be successfully or convincingly replicated:
http://www.wavelore.com/products.php?product=WLPS
_________________
1965 Emmons S-10, 3x5 • Emmons LLIII D-10, 10x12 • JCH D-10, 10x12 • Beard MA-8 • Oahu Tonemaster |
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Curt Trisko
From:
St. Paul, Minnesota, USA
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Posted 16 Apr 2014 7:53 pm
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I don't get the theme of "terminal decline" either. I'm not old enough to remember the 'golden age' of steel guitar, but it seems to me like it was a period of unusual popularity for the instrument which shouldn't be measured against. Steel guitar is inherently a niche instrument that doesn't have a foundational role in modern music like drums, guitar, and bass do. Looking back at the early days of the instrument, sometimes it sounds like songs go out of their way to feature it. I guess it must have been new and cool back in the day.
But I definitely understand the theme of steel guitarists being esoteric tinkerers. It occupies a whole 'nother level applied music theory and instrument design/mechanics. |
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Erv Niehaus
From:
Litchfield, MN, USA
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Posted 17 Apr 2014 8:03 am
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| I think the glory days of the steel guitar were the days of Hawaiian music. That was after the second World War when the GI's were returning home. They had heard the music in Hawaii and liked it. My guitar teacher was from that era and played it on the Vaudeville circuit. He was even on the same venue as Will Rogers. At that time there were only two type of guitars: the "Hawaiian" guitar and the "Spanish" guitar. |
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Frank Freniere
From:
The First Coast
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Posted 17 Apr 2014 9:54 am
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| Dave Mudgett wrote: |
The author is a forum member.
Perhaps I'm wrong, but methinks that the primary target audience for this article is not steel players. Thus the lack of mention of the forum - "where steel players meet online" - does not seem unreasonable to me.
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Well, she's hidden away purty good 'cause I couldn't find her in the memberlist, and when I searched on keyword "Dellenbaugh," only the recent "Oxford" posts by other members came up.
The last line of her article reads: "The community that had nurtured the individual sounds of Buddy Emmons, Lloyd Green, and Paul Franklin is slowly disappearing." She might have mentioned that a whole new community of steel players has cropped up in its place - and many of them now commune at SGF.
If indeed the primary target audience is not steel players, this would have been a great opportunity to expose that audience to all the good things on the SGF. |
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Rick Schmidt
From:
Prescott AZ, USA
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Posted 17 Apr 2014 2:04 pm
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It was definitely John McClung. I know Silvio as well.  |
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Curt Trisko
From:
St. Paul, Minnesota, USA
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Posted 17 Apr 2014 7:47 pm
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| Quote: |
| so I looked up the Wavelore Pedal Steel website and I'm still not convinced that our instrument can ever be successfully or convincingly replicated: |
Even if the sound could be convincingly replicated, a person would have to have an incredible musical imagination to create the kind of pedal steel arrangement that an experienced player could create... not to mention do it tastefully.
I'm not quite getting why pedal steel players should feel threatened by software like that. Would it ever replace paying session work? It can't replace a paying gig for a live band. Wouldn't the opposite be true? A musician who might not otherwise use pedal steel would use the software out of convenience and then want to hire a pedal steel player for a live show.
And younger folks who would never have thought to use the pedal steel may get hooked on the sound from listening to the software samples. It seems like most people that get into pedal steel first got hooked by hearing really simple arrangements. |
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Mike Neer
From:
NJ
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Posted 18 Apr 2014 3:32 am
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| Curt Trisko wrote: |
I'm not quite getting why pedal steel players should feel threatened by software like that. Would it ever replace paying session work? |
Yes, absolutely it would. Not all sessions are big $$$ sessions--in fact, these smaller sessions (sometimes demos) keep a lot of the lesser known steel players working.
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Links to streaming music, websites, YouTube: Links |
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Jerome Hawkes
From:
Fayetteville, North Carolina, USA
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Posted 18 Apr 2014 5:11 am
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i bet even experienced musicians would be shocked at how much sampled, computer generated electronic music they are exposed to and never know it...
_________________
'65 Sho-Bud D-10 Permanent • '54 Fender Dual-8 • Clinesmith T-8 • '38 Ric Bakelite • '92 Emmons D-10 Legrande II |
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Jim Robbins
From:
Ontario, Canada
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Posted 18 Apr 2014 3:06 pm
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| Interesting article, thanks for posting. |
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