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Topic: Making Noise On a Pedal Steel/Lap Steel Experimental Sounds |
Mark Hershey
From:
New York, USA
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Posted 22 Sep 2016 6:11 am |
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During the Wilco Tiny Desks Concert
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KMQQqa21ZVs
at roughly the 4:58 mark Nels Cline uses what looks like a nail file on his dobro to create some good noise during the bands freakout in 'Misunderstood'.
I love it when a band can take it way out there and bring it back like that. Got me thinking what other experimental PSG/Lapsteel players are out there that take the art form into the experimental territory? Any ambient steelers? Avant Garde? Psyche?
Farmer Dave Scher is another one that comes to mind. His layering of effects on the steel takes the music to another dimension. Any recommendations I welcome. Thanks!
Last edited by Mark Hershey on 23 Sep 2016 7:16 am; edited 1 time in total |
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Jim Cohen
From:
Philadelphia, PA
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Erv Niehaus
From:
Litchfield, MN, USA
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Posted 22 Sep 2016 8:15 am
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If you want to make noise on an instrument, I would recommend a bagpipe.
A Scottish friend of mine says that the bagpipe is the missing link between noise and music.  |
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Ian Rae
From:
Redditch, England
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Posted 22 Sep 2016 8:35 am
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In the 18th century the English banned the Scottish pipes as a weapon of war. Not sure if the Act has ever been formally repealed.
_________________
Make sleeping dogs tell the truth!
Homebuilt keyless U12 7x5, Excel keyless U12 8x8, Williams keyless U12 7x8, Telonics rack and 15" cabs |
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Mike Neer
From:
NJ
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Posted 22 Sep 2016 8:54 am
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Chas Smith and Susan Alcorn
_________________
Links to streaming music, websites, YouTube: Links |
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Mark Hershey
From:
New York, USA
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Posted 22 Sep 2016 9:11 am
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| Jim Cohen wrote: |
| Susan Alcorn comes immediately to mind as someone who uses extended techniques on PSG... |
Found her on youtube, yep that's in the ball park of what I'm looking for. Does she just perform solo or is there any examples of her in a band setting? |
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Mark Hershey
From:
New York, USA
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Posted 22 Sep 2016 9:20 am
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| Mike Neer wrote: |
| Chas Smith and Susan Alcorn |
Just watched a video of Chas Smith. He would fit right in on an Eno Fripp recording. I loved it, any examples of him in a band setting? |
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Mark Hershey
From:
New York, USA
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Donny Hinson
From:
Glen Burnie, Md. U.S.A.
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Posted 22 Sep 2016 7:13 pm Re: Making Noise On a Pedal Steel/Lap Steel Experimental Sou
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| Mark Hershey wrote: |
During the Wilco Tiny Desks Concert...at roughly the 4:58 mark Nels Cline uses what looks like a nail file on his dobro to create some good noise during the bands freakout in 'Misunderstood'.
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He's actually using a coil spring, looks like about 1/2" in diameter and 8" long. Something like you used to see on old screen doors!  Just use your imagination, and anything you can find.
For a Halloween party/dance in college, I once got "monster-roar" types of sounds by using a tape delay and scraping a hand mike across a plastic speaker cabinet. Awesome sounds were made for the Star Wars movies by using simple stuff in unconventional ways. Chas Smith is a veteran at such stuff.  |
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Howard Parker
From:
Maryland
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Posted 23 Sep 2016 5:17 am
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Susan does lots of ensemble work. She makes frequent concert announcements here on the forum.
Here's a recent discussion & video.
h |
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Mark Hershey
From:
New York, USA
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Posted 23 Sep 2016 7:09 am Re: Making Noise On a Pedal Steel/Lap Steel Experimental Sou
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| Donny Hinson wrote: |
| Mark Hershey wrote: |
During the Wilco Tiny Desks Concert...at roughly the 4:58 mark Nels Cline uses what looks like a nail file on his dobro to create some good noise during the bands freakout in 'Misunderstood'.
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He's actually using a coil spring, looks like about 1/2" in diameter and 8" long. Something like you used to see on old screen doors! Just use your imagination, and anything you can find.
For a Halloween party/dance in college, I once got "monster-roar" types of sounds by using a tape delay and scraping a hand mike across a plastic speaker cabinet. Awesome sounds were made for the Star Wars movies by using simple stuff in unconventional ways. Chas Smith is a veteran at such stuff. |
I have to say most of my time is spent trying to learn traditional intros and licks but this is inspiring me to go out there a little bit more.
At the 15:00 mark he pulls out that door spring again
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KMQQqa21ZVs
To replicate the synth sounds from the original. Amazing stuff:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iof2IAnQKwI 3:12 mark. |
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Mark Hershey
From:
New York, USA
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Posted 23 Sep 2016 7:10 am
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| Howard Parker wrote: |
Susan does lots of ensemble work. She makes frequent concert announcements here on the forum.
Here's a recent discussion & video.
h |
Fantastic, listening to the recording right now.
I see she has played with Nels Cline as well. I would love to hear that recording, going to do a google search for it once this is done playing. |
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Mark Hershey
From:
New York, USA
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Posted 23 Sep 2016 8:06 am
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fYVOlik29mE
There is a video to the gig of Nels Cline with Susan Alcorn.
Just wow! Reminded me of early Doctor Who BBC Radiophonic Workshop meets Sun Ra. Thank you so much for recommending her music, I am a fan! |
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Barry Blackwood
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Posted 23 Sep 2016 9:09 am
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| Quote: |
If you want to make noise on an instrument, I would recommend a bagpipe.
A Scottish friend of mine says that the bagpipe is the missing link between noise and music. |
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David Mason
From:
Cambridge, MD, USA
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Posted 23 Sep 2016 4:54 pm
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| Bill Walker is a leader in the whole ambient steel loopy sect. A lot of these guys "group" around loopers, as they become... fun. I was going to say "essential" but that would be lying. There are thriving software and hardware looper scenes. |
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Brett Lanier
From:
Madison, TN
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Posted 8 Oct 2016 1:04 pm
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| I have some stuff up on my soundcloud that I guess I'd call experimental. Pretty sure I used an Eventide harmonizer on all three. They weren't recorded all that well so I had to do a bunch of eq'ing to trim the buzz. https://soundcloud.com/brettlanier/sets/steelexperiments |
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Bob Hoffnar
From:
Austin, Tx
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Posted 8 Oct 2016 9:24 pm
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Here are a couple pieces written for me by Just tuning composers
https://liminalsoundseries.bandcamp.com/album/2014-liminal
https://liminalsoundseries.bandcamp.com/track/summation-tone-blues
Also checkout the "Conduction" recordings. Will Van Horn is on those recordings also.
I'm working on getting most of the archived stuff from my music series online soon. There is an ensemble with Susan Alcorn that I'll put up next.
I've been really drawn to just intonation music lately. It's pretty weird sounding at first but it opened up my ears to hearing things that can only happen over long periods of time.
The extended techniques thing is cool but I have been more interested in using the pure sound of the steel in different contexts these days.
Most of the music I have been working on has been in the supply without a demand category...
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Bob |
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David Mason
From:
Cambridge, MD, USA
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Posted 9 Oct 2016 2:23 am
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Here's a link to the loop-happy crew:
http://www.loopers-delight.com/loop.html
I'm on a feed there to my e-mail, I read them but don't dig in too much as I am way rookie and these peeps are like pioneers and leaders. There's currently a long thread on the Mobius software looper and trying to work around, and through, the constant updating of things that work fine - until they're updated... come to think of, that's actually the only other music thread I see regularily, the content is just as adult as here. The good "adult." |
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Mark Hershey
From:
New York, USA
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Posted 9 Oct 2016 7:52 am
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| Brett Lanier wrote: |
| I have some stuff up on my soundcloud that I guess I'd call experimental. Pretty sure I used an Eventide harmonizer on all three. They weren't recorded all that well so I had to do a bunch of eq'ing to trim the buzz. https://soundcloud.com/brettlanier/sets/steelexperiments |
Thanks for sending that along. When I went to the folder I couldn't get the track to play but I went to your main page and think I found it there. Very cool sound and some good melodies in there. |
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Mark Hershey
From:
New York, USA
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Posted 9 Oct 2016 7:56 am
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| Bob Hoffnar wrote: |
Here are a couple pieces written for me by Just tuning composers
https://liminalsoundseries.bandcamp.com/album/2014-liminal
https://liminalsoundseries.bandcamp.com/track/summation-tone-blues
Also checkout the "Conduction" recordings. Will Van Horn is on those recordings also.
I'm working on getting most of the archived stuff from my music series online soon. There is an ensemble with Susan Alcorn that I'll put up next.
I've been really drawn to just intonation music lately. It's pretty weird sounding at first but it opened up my ears to hearing things that can only happen over long periods of time.
The extended techniques thing is cool but I have been more interested in using the pure sound of the steel in different contexts these days.
Most of the music I have been working on has been in the supply without a demand category... |
Thanks for sharing! Reminds me of Gyorgi Ligetti and some of the eerie music on the old black and white Doctor Who episodes. I love what I heard there in Liminal. |
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Mark Hershey
From:
New York, USA
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Posted 9 Oct 2016 8:06 am
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| David Mason wrote: |
| Bill Walker is a leader in the whole ambient steel loopy sect. A lot of these guys "group" around loopers, as they become... fun. I was going to say "essential" but that would be lying. There are thriving software and hardware looper scenes. |
Just looked up Bill and checked out his clip on the Moog lap steel. This is definitely something new to wrap my head around. I definitely own all those Fripp/Eno looping albums and love the effect.
From what I heard out of Bill so far he gets some good percussion patterns going on his loops. I'm enjoying it! |
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James Kerr
From:
Scotland, UK
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