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Topic: Lap steel guitarists are problem-solvers |
Mike Neer
From:
NJ
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Posted 14 Jun 2016 6:39 am |
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By the very nature of the instrument and the way it is played, I find myself often looking to solve problems I encounter in playing the instrument. In a lot of ways, this has led me to some really creative solutions and discoveries that may not have ever happened otherwise.
Not only has this happened in terms of technique, but the limitations in choices with regard to harmony and chords and difficulties of single note playing have caused me to simplify and shift my thinking in terms of the musical stuff I know. I've done it because I feel that the instrument is capable of a high degree of expression, and there is so much that hasn't been played on the instrument yet. It is very fertile ground.
Don't give up in trying new things, even if they are gadgets. Personally, I am not a fan of anything that gets in the way between my picks, bar and strings, and that includes pedals, levers and other gadgets, but everyone has a different path to take.
Thoughts?
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Links to streaming music, websites, YouTube: Links |
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Andy Volk
From:
Boston, MA
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Posted 14 Jun 2016 6:46 am
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| there is so much that hasn't been played on the instrument yet. It is very fertile ground. |
You hit the nail on the head there as far as I'm concerned, Mike. Unlike standard guitar, steel guitar still feels like a relatively untouched canvas. With some notable exceptions, it seems like there are so many more colors in the palette than many have chosen to paint with so far. The instrument's limitations are exactly what can lead to a singular type of beauty via simplification. It reminds me a bit of modern architecture and furniture design that filters out the history of overly ornate design to get to a beautiful balance between form and function.
I guess I must be really into analogies this morning!
Keep doing what you're doing, Mike! You are opening a door through which others will follow.
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Steel Guitar Books! Website: www.volkmediabooks.com |
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Mike Neer
From:
NJ
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Posted 14 Jun 2016 6:55 am
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More importantly, I find myself getting deeply involved in the process of listening and shaping every note so it is articulated the exact way I want it to sound.
I've been listening to recordings of my own playing for way too long now, especially in making this record, but I have been doing it for a while now. When I hear things I don't like, I try to find out what it is about it that bugs me. Sometimes it's too much sliding, too little, too much vibrato, too little, etc.--very, very picayune stuff, but it all has a great effect on the way we sound. When to pick, when to slur...it just means you're really focused.
I do like a controlled sound, but that can be boring, too. So, it's important to know when to let it all hang out and when to rein it in.
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Links to streaming music, websites, YouTube: Links |
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Andy Volk
From:
Boston, MA
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Posted 14 Jun 2016 11:32 am
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Every little note is important to you, every single note: the tone, the pitch, how you sustain it - everything. You can have too much foot control, or not enough.
Or you can have too much vibrato, or not enough. You can let it die on you between those places, you can pick your bar up, you can mute when you shouldn’t be muting. There’s really no shortcut. ... Do it ‘til your fingers start aching. Then do it a few more times after they ache. When you think you can’t do it any more, do it a few more times. It’s going to get easier and easier and easier. |
- Tom Brumley
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Steel Guitar Books! Website: www.volkmediabooks.com |
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Nate Hofer
From:
Overland Park, Kansas
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Posted 17 Jun 2016 4:10 am
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Not sure where I heard this but I think it's true:
as opposed to pedal steel, the lap steel has more of a one-to-one relationship with the musician. I like being able to open up my case, whip it out and play immediately.
I also play pedal steel (and maybe play it better than lap) but I always feel pedal steel is higher maintenance to get anything done. |
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Frank Welsh
From:
Upstate New York, USA
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Posted 17 Jun 2016 9:55 am
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| Nate Hofer wrote: |
Not sure where I heard this but I think it's true:
as opposed to pedal steel, the lap steel has more of a one-to-one relationship with the musician. I like being able to open up my case, whip it out and play immediately.
I also play pedal steel (and maybe play it better than lap) but I always feel pedal steel is higher maintenance to get anything done. |
My thoughts exactly. I believe I have about the same competence on my U12 pedal steel as I have on my D8 non-pedal steel but I feel that my playing is much more expressive on the non-pedal since I do everything with the bar and picks alone.
Noticing the increased interest in non-pedal steel, Herb Remington has said on more than one occasion "The hand is connected to the heart."
To this very day the most famous instrumental steel guitar hit has to be "Sleepwalk," played simply on non-pedal steel but with a great deal of expression. Listen to Santo & Johnny's second album "Encore" for example and hear how "other worldly" and sweet the expression can be with single note style playing and tons of feeling. |
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