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Topic: Right Hand Question on S-10 |
Mark Eaton
From:
Sonoma County in The Great State Of Northern California
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Posted 8 May 2006 9:40 am |
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I'm new to pedals. I have played 6 string lap steel and dobro for a long time.
Several weeks ago, I "took delivery" on a GFI Ultra S-10 Keyless. For the same price I could have had that guitar in the SD-10 with keys.
I really wanted to go for the pad guitar-but three different people advised against it. Their point, in a nutshell, was that pad guitars were for experienced players that are used to reaching across the C6 neck to get at the E9, and as a rookie, I would be better off with an S-10. I know someone will chime in that "I learned on an SD-10 and I'm fine" but I had to decide quickly and took the advice given to me at the time.
I watch some players, live or in photos, that play an S-10 or S-12, and they are resting the "heel" of their picking hand on the bottom string as they play all the higher to middle strings. If they are playing the lowest strings, naturally they have to remove their hand to pick them.
Is resting the heel of your right palm a bad habit, or is it standard procedure and a desirable approach?
Quite often on a lap steel, you have a cover of some kind over the pickup as a place to rest that heel, and on dobro you have the raised metal piece over the bridge that is literally called the "palm rest" and is a place to anchor your hand.
Keeping my right hand suspended in the air on the pedal steel is striking me as being very awkward, after lap and dobro I'm looking for someplace to plant that "heel."
Obviously on an SD-10, the forearm is resting on the pad as a form of anchor.
So what do you guys think?
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Mark
[This message was edited by Mark Eaton on 08 May 2006 at 10:44 AM.] [This message was edited by Mark Eaton on 08 May 2006 at 02:13 PM.] |
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Larry Strawn
From:
Golden Valley, Arizona, R.I.P.
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Posted 8 May 2006 11:01 am
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Mark,
I play a double body single neck for some other reasons than just having a place to rest my hand, and fore arm. The double body guitar is so much more comfortable for "Me", my legs and feet fit more easily under the guitar.
As for "Me", resting the palm of my hand on the lower strings is my way of blocking unwanted sound from those lower strings. Whether this is good practice or not I don't know, I'm sure some one will let you know, but it works for me.
Larry
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"Fessy" S/D 12, 8/6 Hilton Pedal, Sessions 400 Ltd. Home Grown E/F Rack
"ROCKIN COUNTRY"
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Brad Sarno
From:
St. Louis, MO USA
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Posted 8 May 2006 11:13 am
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Mark. I think having no pad is good for technique. It'll teach your right hand how NOT to bend down and rest on the pad. It will teach you to rest that hand on the strings so you can become a good palm blocker, and it will also help your hand maintain a good horizontal position when picking. IMHO
Brad
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David Wren
From:
Placerville, California, USA
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Posted 8 May 2006 1:00 pm
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What Brad said.
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Dave Wren
'96 Carter S12-E9/B6,7X7; Twin Session 500s; Hilton Pedal; Black Box
www.ameechapman.com
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Donny Hinson
From:
Glen Burnie, Md. U.S.A.
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Posted 12 May 2006 8:19 am
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If I had a choice, I'd take the guitar with the pad. The pad neither interferes with your technique, nor slows you down, it's just a more comfortable guitar, and nothing is more important than a "comfortable" guitar! Guys that play single-bodied guitars are no more faster or better players than those who don't, so that shoots down the "pads are bad" theory, as far as I'm concerned!
The only down-side of a single-double guitar is that it's bigger and a little heavier. [This message was edited by Donny Hinson on 12 May 2006 at 09:20 AM.] |
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Don Blood
From:
Illinois, USA
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Posted 13 May 2006 3:31 pm
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Mark,
If you ever want to try a pad, I make a
pad that connects to the legs. I can make it any size to fit your steel. It is fully adjustable. I offer a money back guarantee, so if you try it, and it doesn't work out for you, just send it back for a refund.
I prefer a pad myself, but I can understand why some don't. I have a variety of colors available also.
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Larry Robbins
From:
Fort Edward, New York
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Posted 13 May 2006 4:28 pm
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Mark,
Im with most of the others here, I like to rest my hand slightly on the lower strings to help block unwanted noise.Do whatever works for you and relax and play! Its supposed to be fun!...Let it be  I see you already play dobro, you can incorperate much of the same to steel.
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72 Professional 8&5,73 PRO II 8&4, 79/80 PRO III 8&4,Fender Steelking, Hilton pedal, USA Tele, Fender Twin,Peterson tuner,Tut Taylor Reso's and Twang to the Bone!!
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