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Topic: It Is All About The Bar Hand |
Larry Behm
From:
Mt Angel, Or 97362
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Posted 15 Apr 2020 9:30 pm |
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According to Lloyd and Paul. You can pick your butt off but the expression and emotion and soul come from the other hand.
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'70 D10 Black fatback Emmons PP, Hilton VP, BJS bars, Boss GE-7 for Dobro effect, Zoom MS50G, Stereo Steel amp, Telonics 15” speaker.
Phone: 971-219-8533 |
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Ake Banksell
From:
Stockholm, Sweden
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Posted 16 Apr 2020 3:04 am
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| So very true. |
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Ian Rae
From:
Redditch, England
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Posted 16 Apr 2020 4:35 am
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And vice versa. Sound is in the hands (plural), although I clearly have masses of soul even if my picking sucks 
_________________
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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Jay Dee Maness
From:
North Hills, CA
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Posted 18 Apr 2020 7:15 pm bar hand.
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| I totally agree. |
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Erv Niehaus
From:
Litchfield, MN, USA
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Posted 19 Apr 2020 7:51 am
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Yes, that's why the best guitar players are left handed! 
Erv |
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Larry Ball
From:
Airdrie, Alberta, Canada
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Posted 19 Apr 2020 8:15 am
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Yes I agree also, “But†there is a combination of things that happen to express the emotion, sound, warmth etc. To me that is in the phrasing of the song through selections of the bar, pedals, volume pedal etc.
I listened to a song Lloyd Green was playing the other day and the phrasing made that song sound like I have never heard before. The song was “I Started Loving You Today†which I have heard .........that many times, but not the way Lloyd plays it.
I also think a Players style has a lot to do with it. When you listen to great players like JD, Lloyd, Paul, Buddy ..etc..etc. etc that adds to the emotion.
_________________
Mullen SD10, Sho~Bud SD10 LDG, Show-Pro SD10 LDG, Peavey Nashville 112, Boss Katana 100 MK11, Telonic's F100 Multi-Taper Super Pro V/P, Wayne Brown “Custom Designed Amp” |
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Bobby D. Jones
From:
West Virginia, USA
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Posted 19 Apr 2020 7:19 pm
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Jimmy Day made a statement one time about playing a steel guitar. Quote "Hook your Heart to the Bar and your Soul to the Pedals".
He never mentioned the picking hand or picks.
I guess Mr. Day made that statement before, Mr. Jackson, Mr. Emmons and Mr. Day had added Knee Levers to a Steel Guitar to mention them with the pedals. |
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Ian Rae
From:
Redditch, England
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Posted 19 Apr 2020 11:21 pm
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I've just realised why this makes sense. The instant you've played a note or chord, your right hand is finished.
But there's still plenty the bar and feet can do.
_________________
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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Robert W Wilson
From:
Palisade, Western Colorado
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Posted 20 Apr 2020 8:17 am
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| Erv Niehaus wrote: |
Yes, that's why the best guitar players are left handed!
Erv |
Joking or observable? I am a 2 year lefty playing RH and frequently wonder if I made a mistake. In dreams I pick left handed. I have never had a problem with LH bar. Fast picking, blocking and memorizing changes are challenging. I always feel like the left hand doesn’t have enough work to do.
It is a RH world so all lefties must adapt. I remember getting my left hand slapped in kindergarten. Ah well, she helped me become somewhat ambidextrous  |
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Erv Niehaus
From:
Litchfield, MN, USA
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Posted 20 Apr 2020 8:23 am
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No, if you are left handed play a right handed guitar so your "good hand" controls the bar.
Erv |
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Georg Sørtun
From:
Mandal, Agder, Norway
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Posted 20 Apr 2020 8:49 am
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| A degree of ambidexterity helps, at least for me. |
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Erv Niehaus
From:
Litchfield, MN, USA
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Posted 20 Apr 2020 9:50 am
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The ability to walk and chew gum at the same time helps also. 
Erv |
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Robert W Wilson
From:
Palisade, Western Colorado
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Posted 20 Apr 2020 10:54 am
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| Erv Niehaus wrote: |
No, if you are left handed play a right handed guitar so your "good hand" controls the bar.
Erv |
Thank you Erv, what I hoped to hear.
| Erv Niehaus wrote: |
The ability to walk and chew gum at the same time helps also.
Erv |
But don’t try brushing your teeth and cleaning your ears at the same time... not wise and it hurt  |
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Erv Niehaus
From:
Litchfield, MN, USA
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Posted 20 Apr 2020 1:29 pm
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I'll remember that! 
Erv |
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Donny Hinson
From:
Glen Burnie, Md. U.S.A.
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Posted 20 Apr 2020 4:17 pm
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I hate to disagree, especially with "legends", but...
It's a delicate dance we do, as players, and I think all of the involved physical parts are important.
To get maximum expression, feeling, and emotion, we really have to utilize everything we have.
That means that both hands give us expression. The left gives us vibrato, and lets us move into a note or chord. Do we plant dead on it, or slide up or down into it, giving us the lilt or fade we're seeking? Oh yeah, that gliss is important. The right hand gives the dynamics of picking. Do we "nail" the timing on the beat, or delay it slightly? And do we pick hard or soft, and when do we use harmonics? That stuff's critical, too! The pedals and levers also contribute; do we just mash away, or do we squeeze and release thoughtfully and with variety, instead of just mechanically pressing it? Last, but certainly not least, is the right foot, that one that controls the volume. And there, to me, is a main source of emotion and expression. And to hear (IMHO) the "best of the best", all we have to listen to is Jimmy Day and Curly Chalker. Those two guys really just excelled at using the volume pedal.
And of course, like any other art form, you must also have heart, soul, and imagination. That's where the mind comes into play; you must "hear it in your head" before anything else happens. The brain directs all else. |
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Larry Dering
From:
Missouri, USA
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Posted 21 Apr 2020 5:33 am
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| Donny nailed a good part of it that rings true for me. Also the position of my right hand in relation to the bridge and bar makes a considerable difference in the tone I want to get. Lately I am working on that technique and it's having a positive impact on tone. |
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Franklin
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Posted 23 Apr 2020 3:14 am
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duplicated
Last edited by Franklin on 23 Apr 2020 3:18 am; edited 1 time in total |
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Franklin
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Posted 23 Apr 2020 3:17 am
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First, let me say we were not saying everything is not important to master. We were talking about where the emphasis is for expressing music emotionally.
The right hands job is done in an instant so is pressing pedals and knees....The bar controls the heart of the note as it continues to express itself through sustain..Whether its emotional are not from there on depends largely on bar skills. Curly and Day would always say its in the left hand....And Jerry Byrd's discography is proof that it can be done without a volume pedal although I would never lead anyone there. Cass said Buddy looked up at him showing his picks and said this is my volume pedal and showed the bar and said this is my heart.
Paul |
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Austin Tripp
From:
Nashville TN
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Posted 25 Apr 2020 9:12 pm
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When I first started playing nearly 15 years ago now, my bar hand was terrible. I paid more attention to my right hand than I did my left and looking back at old videos, it showed. My vibrato was so fast, it sounded like I was using effects. And I was slanting the bar a bit causing it to be out of tune. Shortly after I started noticing my left hand was terrible, I started working on it and corrected it before I had any bad habits. Pressure, vibrato and correctly lining the bar up over the fret for intonation are very important. I sure wish I had someone tell me that 15 years ago! So I'm glad to see these posts pop up every now and then, to help remind me to pay attention to my left paw haha.
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"Hotrod"
Steel guitarist for Cody Jinks
Member CMA |
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Larry Ball
From:
Airdrie, Alberta, Canada
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Posted 26 Apr 2020 7:46 am
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Watch and listen to Paul’ bar control and movements when he plays with Vince Gill on the song “Together Again†I think that answers everything.
_________________
Mullen SD10, Sho~Bud SD10 LDG, Show-Pro SD10 LDG, Peavey Nashville 112, Boss Katana 100 MK11, Telonic's F100 Multi-Taper Super Pro V/P, Wayne Brown “Custom Designed Amp” |
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