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Topic: Latest Build With Audio Demo Stella By Starlight |
Bill Hatcher
From:
Atlanta Ga. USA
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Posted 15 Sep 2022 7:41 am |
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this is the latest lap steel i have completed. its a 10 string done in figured maple and walnut. the new owner wanted to use the alkire tuning. he also wanted me to do a demo of the guitar playing the standard "stella by starlight". i have never played the alkire tuning, so this was another challenge. a very wonderful complex song and an unfamiliar tuning. i had told bill mcClosky years ago that i would try a song on the alkire tuning so this came to fruition. i chose to just play solo and see what i came up with. this tuning has some 1/2 step intervals in it, so nice close musically dissonant things started happening. there are a couple of classical music quotes, some malaguena, a chord from the tune "invitation" and even moon over miami. just remember...dissonance is in the ear of the beholder. when you play a solo lap steel thing, you are out on a limb with every note so thanks for listening. someone tell me the names of the classical themes. https://soundcloud.com/bill-hatcher/stella-lap-steel
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Bill Hatcher
From:
Atlanta Ga. USA
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Posted 15 Sep 2022 7:55 am
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camera flash makes the lacquer a bit lighter. its has an amber tint to it. here is a pic with no flash.
also, it has flat wound strings on it which i rather enjoyed playing. they require a bit more downward pressure or a heavier bar, but they sound nice.
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Steven Pearce
From:
Port Orchard Washington, USA
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Posted 15 Sep 2022 8:22 am
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Just beautiful, your transitions through themes is seamless.
I just know that ‘As Time Goes By’ I will never be able to do that.
And that’s ok too. Thanks Bill
Steve Pearce
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http://www.fentonstwang.com/fr_home.cfm |
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Ethan Shaw
From:
Texas, USA
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Posted 15 Sep 2022 8:40 am
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| Man, looks great and sounds great! |
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Mike Neer
From:
NJ
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Posted 15 Sep 2022 8:41 am
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Bill, there is no one in the world who plays like you do. You are in the Julian Tharpe league, except hipper.
Your steels look and sound great, too!
_________________
Links to streaming music, websites, YouTube: Links |
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Bill McCloskey
From:
Nanuet, NY
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Posted 15 Sep 2022 8:45 am
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That is great Bill and thrilled both that someone else is playing the Alkire tuning and your recording. Bravo.
_________________
Check out the Steel Guitar Union Hall Youtube Channel https://www.youtube.com/@steelguitarunionhall |
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Stefan Robertson
From:
Hertfordshire, UK
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Posted 15 Sep 2022 9:04 am
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Bill. I absolutely love the sound on the guitar you built me and your builds are getting slicker and slicker. 
Not sure if I get the dissonance but I always love your playing.
_________________
Stefan
Bill Hatcher custom 12 string Lap Steel Guitar
E13#9/F secrets: https://thelapsteelguitarist.wordpress.com
"Give it up for The Lap Steel Guitarist" |
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Mike A Holland
From:
United Kingdom
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Posted 15 Sep 2022 10:14 am
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| Great sounding guitar and a nice thoughtful demo I thought. Clearly masses of potential with that tuning. Really excellent! |
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Jim Mckay
From:
New Zealand
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Posted 15 Sep 2022 10:49 am
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As always. Just amazing: Beautiful guitar. Incredible playing.  
_________________
Canopus d-8
Excel Jerry Byrd frypan
T-8 Stringmaster |
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Samuel Phillippe
From:
Douglas Michigan, USA
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Posted 15 Sep 2022 11:18 am
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That is one beautiful guitar.
Sam |
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Tim Toberer
From:
Nebraska, USA
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Posted 16 Sep 2022 5:58 am
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| I feel like I could hand you a broomstick with some wires nailed into it and you would find a way to play Mozart on it! Absolutely beautiful Bill! I love the close dissonant harmonies. That is not something you hear often on steel guitar. |
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Jerry Overstreet
From:
Louisville Ky
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Posted 16 Sep 2022 8:02 am
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| Another winner Bill. Delicious sweet tone. I'm just amazed that you can pick up a tuning you never used and make it your own like that. |
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Bill Hatcher
From:
Atlanta Ga. USA
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Posted 16 Sep 2022 8:41 am
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| Jerry Overstreet wrote: |
| Another winner Bill. Delicious sweet tone. I'm just amazed that you can pick up a tuning you never used and make it your own like that. |
several folks have asked about approaching a new tuning.
i can only speak from my experience of building instruments for folks and setting up the guitars with THEIR tunings and then trying to play a demo on the instrument.
first of all, i know what i want to play and what i hear. i dont need a tuning or a guitar in front of me. if you dont have the musical thought in your head, then it wont matter what your tuning is.
so, when i approach a totally different tuning, first of all, i look for the basic things that we need to know...where 1 4 5 chords are. where minor chords are and very important where all the "interesting" connective chords live...7s dim altered b5 b9 13 etc. if i can just find where some of the basic chords are hiding, then thats most of the battle.
then i go the reverse route. when your tinkering with a tuning you dont know, just put the bar down and make some right hand grips and listen. when you land on something, then develop that and dont move on to something else until you make a note of what that was and where you can use it.
problem with just doing one tune on a non familiar tuning is that i may never see that tuning again for a period of time and when i do see it again, i will have to hunt and peck all over again! lol |
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Travis Brown
From:
Florida, USA
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Posted 21 Sep 2022 2:44 am
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As always, amazing work, and thank you for sharing.
For context, here's a more conventional version of the song. It's a pretty dissonant song with lots of weird changes, I recommend you check it out if you are into studying jazz songs.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RSwcCTRB6-g |
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Bill McCloskey
From:
Nanuet, NY
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Bill Hatcher
From:
Atlanta Ga. USA
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Posted 21 Sep 2022 11:19 am
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| Bill McCloskey wrote: |
| I just started my exploration of Pedal steel and I was amazed to find out how many similarities there are between the E9th tuning and the Alkire tuning. Here is my original post on the topic for those interested https://bb.steelguitarforum.com/viewtopic.php?t=384759 |
Bill. Are you approaching the pedal guitar in a way that instead of licks using the pedal movements, you are using the pedals to change the tuning of the guitar to another tuning or a chord and and then using your technique as if you were playing a non pedal guitar?
If you look at old fender literature that came with early cable style pedal steels, the instructions seem to show how to push a pedal down and change the tuning and then play as if playing a non pedal. The diagrams show different tunings you can get from one guitar by just pushing down pedals and combinations there of.
I think that approach is much more adventurous than tuning to E9 and playing the standard fare of country E9 licks that every one plays. Perhaps fender thought that a pedal guitar could allow a steel player to only need one neck for different tunings instead of 2, 3 or 4 necks all tuned differently. The pedal steel evolving to be dominated by E9 to me is much less interesting musically than the various non pedal tunings and what they offer. It might havebeen speedy west that lamented that when All the players went to E9 then everybody started to sound the same. |
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Andy Volk
From:
Boston, MA
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Posted 21 Sep 2022 12:12 pm
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Bill that was the hippest noodling I've heard in a long time! Your steel is unique and always surprising. Guitars are getting nicer with each build too. It's humbling to listen to you but I love doing so.
_________________
Steel Guitar Books! Website: www.volkmediabooks.com |
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Bill McCloskey
From:
Nanuet, NY
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Posted 21 Sep 2022 12:53 pm
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Bill I would say it is a combination of both. I have begun spreadsheeting the tuning for each of the various pedal/lever combinations and treating them as non pedal tunings, but I also want some of those trad country licks under my belt so I can say I can do it. I still go back to my extended Alkire tuning when I really want to play.
_________________
Check out the Steel Guitar Union Hall Youtube Channel https://www.youtube.com/@steelguitarunionhall |
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Bill Hatcher
From:
Atlanta Ga. USA
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Posted 22 Sep 2022 6:17 am
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| Bill McCloskey wrote: |
| Bill I would say it is a combination of both. I have begun spreadsheeting the tuning for each of the various pedal/lever combinations and treating them as non pedal tunings, but I also want some of those trad country licks under my belt so I can say I can do it. I still go back to my extended Alkire tuning when I really want to play. |
go down to pages 6 and 7 and see the charts supplied with early fender 400 pedal guitars. the info is all about chords. the mindset at fender was coming out of the non pedal steel world. looks like they envisioned the use of the pedals to change the tunings chord wise and then you approached the instrument with you non pedal technique. my how things changed quickly with the pedal guitar into almost abandoning the non pedal techniques which i think are still very viable.
https://steelguitar.com/manuals/Fender400_OwnersManual.pdf |
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Bill McCloskey
From:
Nanuet, NY
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Posted 22 Sep 2022 7:41 am
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fascinating chart. Can't wait to hear what you play on the extended eharp tuning. You'll find it really opens up the tuning.
_________________
Check out the Steel Guitar Union Hall Youtube Channel https://www.youtube.com/@steelguitarunionhall |
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Bill Hatcher
From:
Atlanta Ga. USA
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Posted 22 Sep 2022 8:51 am
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| Bill McCloskey wrote: |
| fascinating chart. Can't wait to hear what you play on the extended eharp tuning. You'll find it really opens up the tuning. |
if i was an eharp player, i would first extend the tuning in the low end rather than add to the top. |
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Bob Watson
From:
Champaign, Illinois, U.S.
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Posted 22 Sep 2022 2:22 pm
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| That is a very cool version of Stella By Starlight Bill. Thanks for sharing it with us. I really enjoyed your use of dissonance. You obviously have a masterful understanding of harmony. |
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