| Author |
Topic: Do you ever over-slant? |
b0b
From:
Cloverdale, CA, USA
|
Posted 11 Jul 2015 7:43 am |
|
Slant is one of the hardest techniques of lap steel. I feel lucky to have learned it long ago - it's engrained in the muscle memory of my hands. I don't miss the target notes too often, but when I do it's cringe-worthy, and it's always because I didn't slant far enough.
Does anyone have the opposite problem? Do you ever over-slant?
_________________
-πππ- (admin) - Robert P. Lee - Recordings - Breathe - D6th - Video |
|
|
 |
C. E. Jackson
|
|
|
|
Erv Niehaus
From:
Litchfield, MN, USA
|
Posted 11 Jul 2015 8:17 am
|
|
| What's tricky is to change guitars with different string spacing. My first electric guitar was a Gibson and then I went to a T-8 Fender Stringmaster. The spaciang on the Fender was so much tighter that is was nigh impossible to go back to the Gibson. |
|
|
|
Andy Volk
From:
Boston, MA
|
Posted 11 Jul 2015 8:35 am
|
|
Never over slant, sometimes under slant. It seems to take a smidgen more rotation than my brain expects so need to have my ears on.
_________________
Steel Guitar Books! Website: www.volkmediabooks.com |
|
|
|
Robert Allen
From:
Tennessee, USA
|
Posted 11 Jul 2015 10:23 am
|
|
| I mastered slants before the age of 10 and have been playing 68 years so I never avoided slants. I am primarily a dobro player. I find I'm not quite on with slants when I change to an 8 or 10 string lap steel with narrower spacing and a different scale length. A little under or over for the first few bars with a different instrument, then my brain seems to click and recognize the difference. Never any problem changing back to the dobro. By now, that must be indelibly burned into my brain. |
|
|
|
b0b
From:
Cloverdale, CA, USA
|
Posted 11 Jul 2015 10:48 am
|
|
Most of my slants aren't on adjacent strings, so they aren't radical on the low frets even with close string spacing. I do slants on pedal steel, too. Often there's not a pedal or knee lever available to get the note I want.
Most of the time I'm right on the money, but when I make a mistake it's because I didn't slant enough. I don't think I've ever over-slanted.
_________________
-πππ- (admin) - Robert P. Lee - Recordings - Breathe - D6th - Video |
|
|
|
Quentin Hickey
From:
Nova Scotia, Canada
|
Posted 11 Jul 2015 11:16 am
|
|
Would like to learn some more types of slantz. Its a great technique. I find if I do not do it often than I am all over the place with my landings but usally its an underslant.
Last edited by Quentin Hickey on 11 Jul 2015 4:52 pm; edited 1 time in total |
|
|
|
Michael James
From:
La Crosse, Wisconsin, USA
|
Posted 11 Jul 2015 11:40 am
|
|
Are you all talking about two or three note slants?
Last edited by Michael James on 11 Jul 2015 12:43 pm; edited 1 time in total |
|
|
|
Clyde Mattocks
From:
Kinston, North Carolina, USA
|
Posted 11 Jul 2015 11:55 am
|
|
If you have to err one way or the other, over slanting is more desirable. That way, you go past the pitch on the way up AND on the way back. With under slanting, you never reach the pitch. The ear forgives over slanting more so than under slanting.
_________________
LeGrande II, Nash. 112, Fender Twin Tone Master, Session 400, Harlow Dobro, R.Q.Jones Dobro |
|
|
|
Doug Beaumier
From:
Northampton, MA
|
Posted 11 Jul 2015 12:13 pm
|
|
Another issue in slanting... is keeping the "unslanted note" in tune when doing a two string slant. The note (the string) that is supposed to remain constant throughout the slant tends to drift sharp sometimes when a player does the slant. Keeping that note constant and in tune during the slant is an important part of the equation. When practicing slants, it's helpful to place a tuner on your guitar, do the slant, and then check each of the slanted notes separately on the tuner to see how close (or how far off) you are.
_________________
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 |
|
|
|
Bill Brunt
From:
Texas, USA
|
Posted 11 Jul 2015 3:25 pm
|
|
| C. E. Jackson wrote: |
b0b, I began playing lap steel in 1949, and still practice forward and reverse slants regularly, mostly from 1st to 15th fret.
C. E. |
Hmmm...
My tone bar is not long enough to reach from the first to the fifteenth fretΓ°ΕΈΛΛ |
|
|
|
C. E. Jackson
|
Posted 11 Jul 2015 4:00 pm
|
|
Bill, my description was slightly off. I will try to do better in the future. 
While I don't have a bar that will reach from the 1st to the 15th fret, I do have the longest bar I have ever seen. While in Indianapolis in 2004, I visited Arthur's Music Store looking for vintage steels, and purchased the largest steel guitar bar I have ever seen. The bar is 13/16" x 4 1/2" with bullet nose on both ends. Kinda hard to play with on small steels.
C. E.
_________________
My Vintage Steel Guitars
My YouTube Steel Guitar Playlists
My YouTube Steel Guitar Songs
A6 tuning for steels |
|
|
|
b0b
From:
Cloverdale, CA, USA
|
Posted 11 Jul 2015 7:39 pm
|
|
| Michael James wrote: |
| Are you all talking about two or three note slants? |
I rarely attempt 3-note slants, except for this one:
| Tab: |
C7
E ___________
C ______7____
A ______7____
G _____/_____
E ____6______
C ___________ |
I don't really have a problem with that one. As for 3-note slants that span 2 frets - I can't get them to sound right except for the forward slant on the top 3 strings (C6), and even that is touch and go.
_________________
-πππ- (admin) - Robert P. Lee - Recordings - Breathe - D6th - Video |
|
|
|
Joe Burke
From:
Toronto, Canada
|
Posted 12 Jul 2015 3:57 am
|
|
To me, slants are the whole reason for playing - forward and reverse. I play in G, and use 3 note slats often. Lately I've been doing a reverse slant on strings 2, 3 & 4 (major triad) and adding a string pull on string 1, adding a flat 7th. So a four string slant.
A7
D --5--
B --5---
G ---6--
D ----7-
B -------
G ------- |
|
|
|
Len Amaral
From:
Rehoboth,MA 02769
|
Posted 12 Jul 2015 6:32 am
|
|
| Is there any instruction for slants? I have good bar control but slats have elude me. |
|
|
|
C. E. Jackson
|
Posted 12 Jul 2015 8:27 am
|
|
Len, both Jerry Byrd and Herb Remington made excellent steel guitar instruction videos which included proper slanting techniques. Jerry's video came from Scotty's, and Herbs from his web site. Jerry's "Instruction Course for Steel Guitar", is available from Scotty's, and includes instruction on Slant Bar Technique.
C. E.
_________________
My Vintage Steel Guitars
My YouTube Steel Guitar Playlists
My YouTube Steel Guitar Songs
A6 tuning for steels |
|
|
|
Michael Johnstone
From:
Sylmar,Ca. USA
|
Posted 12 Jul 2015 12:20 pm
|
|
Just practicing a lot on the same guitar and tuning has got me to where I can hit it more times than not. This is A6 with a 7th on the bottom like Junior Brown's tuning except in A. I use a pedal steel bar for added reach.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OqYJKYWtbVw |
|
|
|
Stefan Robertson
From:
Hertfordshire, UK
|
Posted 13 Jul 2015 3:05 pm
|
|
I slant sometimes. Based on proximity technique and if it serves the mood. But the more I am studying Jazz the less time there is for full note slant chords. I prefer straight bar voicing a now.
On that note voicing a are doing my head in. So many to choose from where to begin. Seems endless.
However slanting in and out gives that pedal sound. But I'm finding I use slants only if there is a need for a specific voicing.
With that being said as always the more you know the more options you have. This instrument truly takes a lifetime to master.
_________________
Stefan
Bill Hatcher custom 12 string Lap Steel Guitar
E13#9/F secrets: https://thelapsteelguitarist.wordpress.com
"Give it up for The Lap Steel Guitarist" |
|
|
|
Johnie King
From:
Tennessee, USA
|
Posted 14 Jul 2015 7:47 am
|
|
| Seems like Billy Robinson can slant both ways in one motion. He may slant an pull a string at the same time. He is the slant king IMOA. |
|
|
|
Johnie King
From:
Tennessee, USA
|
Posted 14 Jul 2015 7:55 am
|
|
| Man Michael that some very good playing I likes it! |
|
|
|
Greg Moynihan
From:
Bremerton, Washington, USA
|
Posted 14 Jul 2015 8:29 am
|
|
I think I do over-slant sometimes. It usually happens when I start from a slanted position at a lower fret, and move up quite a bit higher, like an octave, without reducing my slant angle enough. When this happens, I know pretty quick because it sounds truly bad. It's also hard for me to nail the backward-slant, 3-note dom-7 chord quickly and accurately. G7, for example:
13
x
14
x
15
x
I've only been working hard at the lap steel guitar for a couple years, I still consider myself a bit green. |
|
|
|
Stephen Cowell
From:
Round Rock, Texas, USA
|
|
|
|
Rick Collins
From:
Claremont , CA USA
|
Posted 15 Jul 2015 10:25 am
|
|
When practicing slants, if at first it seems you have the angle about right, give the angle a "tad" more toward the extreme __ you will be closer to being "on the note".
After a while, it will be "automatic" to keep this in mind when playing these positions.
In C6th tuning I play a lot of backward slants on strings one and four (E & G). Hold the note on the E string and move the back of the bar on the G string.
It adds a lot to the Hawaiian sound when playing these tunes. The more "gliss." the better, if it's in good taste. |
|
|
|
