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Topic: Sliding From Open Position |
Bruce Burhans
From:
Bellingham, Washington, USA
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Posted 18 Mar 2005 10:43 pm |
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Greetings to one and all,
I am finding it impossible to slide from open position without
making all sorts of crummy noise.
Will somebody please tell me the secret?
Bruce
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Mike Wheeler
From:
Delaware, Ohio, USA
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Posted 19 Mar 2005 11:27 am
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That's a classic problem, Bruce. On most steels, the tops of the strings comming over the roller nut are not on the same plane. In other words, they don't all touch your bar evenly. So, the ones not touching the bar firmly, will rattle.
I know of only two solutions. 1: install gauged roller nuts. 2: Press down hard as you come over the roller nut, then ease up as you slide up the neck.
Good luck,
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Every day is a Great day,
Mike
(aka Sideman)
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Bruce Burhans
From:
Bellingham, Washington, USA
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Posted 19 Mar 2005 1:07 pm
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Thanks, Sideman.
I was afraid it was something like that.
Maybe it would be better if the steel was tuned to E-flat,
because I certainly don't play in A/E/B-flat anywhere near as
often as I do in A/E/B and so forth, and don't think others
do either.
That's about half-serious...
Bruce
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Mike Wheeler
From:
Delaware, Ohio, USA
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Posted 19 Mar 2005 1:33 pm
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Understood. If you like the lower voicings a lot, you probably should consider a lower tuning reference...same copedent, but in say D9th instead of E9th. Of course you'll have to experiment with different string guages and there may be some fret markings to re-learn, but, it would work fine.
I think there others who have tried this route. Maybe they could shed more light on some details to help you out.
Again, Good luck,
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Every day is a Great day,
Mike
(aka Sideman)
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Drew Howard
From:
48854
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Larry Strawn
From:
Golden Valley, Arizona, R.I.P.
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Posted 19 Mar 2005 5:40 pm
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Drew!!
Non-Tuning Related!!
Nice Pic of your "steel" Would be nice to see your Mug tho,,lol...
Larry
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Emmons S/D-10, 3/4, Sessions 400 Ltd. Home Grown E/F Rack
"ROCKIN COUNTRY"
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Bruce Burhans
From:
Bellingham, Washington, USA
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Posted 19 Mar 2005 5:50 pm
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Sideman,
Okay. I read you. And now I'm seriously entertaining
the idea of using slightly heavier gauge strings and
dropping the open tuning down 1/2 step to B-flat C#
E-flat, etc., and just pretending the open strings
don't exist.
It would, as you point out, make the position markers
read differently, but that's not so hard.
I know that there are neat sounds that you can only make
with the open strings, but for every one of those there
are 10,000 neat sounds you can make without them.
And it _is_ very cool to be able to play everything you
know in any key at anytime.
I wonder if there is anyone who does this?
(I'd need a new tuning fork :-)
Thanks again,
Bruce
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Novice [experienced musician new to the pedal steel]
Sho-Bud S-10 E9 3+5
http://tinyurl.com/65rcv
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Bruce Burhans
From:
Bellingham, Washington, USA
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Posted 19 Mar 2005 5:54 pm
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Drew,
I hear you.
It sure pays off. Already I am doing things that I just
thought were flat impossible a few weeks ago.
Blocking is starting to come a little naturally!
Bruce
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Novice [experienced musician new to the pedal steel]
Sho-Bud S-10 E9 3+5
http://tinyurl.com/65rcv
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Les Pierce
From:
Shreveport, LA
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Posted 19 Mar 2005 9:34 pm
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I wouldn't mess with alternate tunings unless I felt I was far enough along to know standard tuning wasn't going to work for me.
Try to become more comfortable with other "E" positions. If you are sliding to A, use the E position at the 3rd fret, with the A pedal and F lever combination. Lift the A pedal and you have E7th. It's a little tricky, but works well when you need a lower E chord and still want the bar on the strings.
Les
I know it's tough, particularly if you used to play standard 6 string.
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Strat,Tele
Dekley S-10
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Bruce Burhans
From:
Bellingham, Washington, USA
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Posted 19 Mar 2005 10:59 pm
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Les Pierce,
There are a lot of positions to play an E chord from,
aren't there?
And novices like me should attend to the basics first.
Thanks for bringing me back down to earth.
Trippy instrument! It's like being able to fingerpick
a six-string and saw a fiddle at the same time!
Bruce
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Novice [experienced musician new to the pedal steel]
Sho-Bud S-10 E9 3+5
http://tinyurl.com/65rcv
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