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Topic: A couple of cuts from Julian Tharpe |
Frank Freniere
From:
The First Coast
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James Flaherty
From:
California, USA
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Posted 21 May 2017 1:35 pm |
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| Great selection. Thanks Frank. |
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William Litaker
From:
Kannapolis, North Carolina, USA (deceased)
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Posted 22 May 2017 5:47 am
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Thanks Frank for posting this. He was amazing.....as I recall he played a 14 string....
_________________
William Litaker
Emmons Legrande 111
Learn TO PLAY STEEL GUITAR@
http://www.pedalsteeler.com/ |
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Frank Freniere
From:
The First Coast
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Posted 22 May 2017 5:51 am
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| William Litaker wrote: |
| Thanks Frank for posting this. He was amazing.....as I recall he played a 14 string.... |
Yes, William, he's standing by a big ol' Sho-Bud 14-stringer on the cover of the album. |
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Ron Funk
From:
Ballwin, Missouri
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Posted 22 May 2017 6:40 pm
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Frank
Would you know if this particular version of Danny Boy was played by Julian Tharpe without using his bar?
Ron |
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Frank Freniere
From:
The First Coast
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Posted 23 May 2017 6:29 am
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Good ears, Ron!
I checked with Dan Burnham of BMI and he confirmed Julian did it without a bar in the key of A.
Dan has a lot of cool videos about the 14-string tuning and Julian himself at his website here: www.danburnham.com/julian-tharpe.html
Here's Julian's tuning from the Winnie Winston book:
From his SGHOF plaque:
Julian Tharpe
SOLO ARTIST, RECORD PRODUCER, SONGWRITER, BAND LEADER, AND A MASTER OF THE FOURTEEN STRING STEEL GUITAR COVERING A FULL 3 OCTAVES IN THE OPEN POSITION. HE WAS ONE OF THE FIRST PLAYERS TO PERFECT THE "SPEED PICKING" STYLE WITH EXTREME DEXTERITY AND EXECUTING THE MOST DIFFICULT OF PASSAGES WITH EASE - WHICH STILL REMAINS UNEQUALED TO THIS DAY.
BORN: MARCH 28, 1937 SKIPPERVILLE, ALABAMA
DIED: NOV. 1994
INDUCTED 2008 |
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Dan Burnham
From:
Greenfield, Tennessee
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Posted 24 May 2017 6:18 pm Frank Thank You
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Frank,
Thanks for posting about Julian. Julian, was my HERO when it came to pedal steel. To affirm what we talked about when Julian did Danny Boy, he did it in the Key of A. Julian had the tuning setup so he could do the whole song without a bar.
I have attempted to play it at a couple of shows in the side room never on the stage. What was so difficult about it is at the last section of the song he would palm the harmonics with his palm and pick the strings. Most guys will use their little finger on the 12th fret to chime the harmonic. Julian did not. He picked and played it with the right hand only. Not only did he do that but he chimed the chords as well all with one hand.
Russ Hicks and Zane King will confirm this. Maybe Zane King will jump in here and tell the story what Julian told him before he did it. The night he did it at St. Louis he gave his bar to Zane King and told him that he could have it because he wouldn't need it for that song.
Most players were intimidated by Julian and that includes some of the players that everybody worships. Julian was a genius and true master. There will never be another like him,
Dan
_________________
BMI S12 Zane Beck's Tuning
www.danburnham.com |
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