a new solo piece

Charlie McDonald · From: out of the blue

Here is a new tune I decomposed.
If it's real country you're looking for, better take the next off ramp. This isn't it, it's just my impression of it.
[url=http://www.freefilehosting.net/?id=rd79l6vf ] A Highway Runs Through It[/url]
Left column, click download; about 20 sec. to open.

beneath the steel
Carter Self Starter
Six months ago I couldn't spell copedant, and now I can spell it.

[This message was edited by Charlie McDonald on 15 September 2005 at 05:14 AM.]

Jody Carver · From: KNIGHT OF FENDER TWEED

Charlie
man thats cool really sounds great I had some trouble getting it to open but when I did WOW.

Michael Barone · From: Downingtown, Pennsylvania

Charlie, nice New Age arrangement. Deep Chords. Your unique tuning demonstrates a major ninth inversion not possible on a standard E9 (I think). You can tell the keyboard ear is there.

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Mike Barone
Sho-Bud Pro-1 5&4 with RHL | Nashville 112
Assorted Guitars & Keyboards

Rick Schmidt · From: Prescott AZ, USA

Cool Charlie!

Thanks for contributing!

Jody Carver · From: KNIGHT OF FENDER TWEED

What steel are you using Charlie?

Charlie McDonald · From: out of the blue

Deep chords; I like that, Mike.
The A bass gives me the major ninth (I/IV) that I can't live without. It's got a B right next to it and an E below it.

It's a Carter Starter, Jody. Nice little machine. Makes me want a Carter Uni when I grow up.

Thanks, all.

Bob Carlucci · From: Candor, New York, USA

I emailed Charlie with some comments on this.. My feelings were shared privately.. both postitive and negative... I 'll say something about what I heard however.. The stuff I heard coming from a guy that has been playing a steel about a short month was jaw dropping...

I would love to hear Charlie post something each month or so,, so we can follow the development of someone we consider a friend and are all rooting for..

To use a metaphore, It will be akin to "watching him grow up".. I told Charlie he has a formidable head for music,which most of us know,and that in his case, It may be a short while before the physical part of his game catches up with the mental part...which is usually the case with experienced musicians first learning pedal steel.

boy ..do I wish I had his musical wiring in my head.. I was MIGHTY impressed.. bob

Alan Pagliere · From: Ann Arbor, MI, USA

I can't for the life of me get it to download. From all the comments I'm dying to hear it. I've clicked, I've tried to save files to my hard drive to hear later....
Any suggestions? I've got a Mac, but I'm sure that shouldn't make a difference....

Jack Francis · From: Queen Creek, Arizona, USA

Can't open it....My loss, I'd guess!

Mike Perlowin · From: Los Angeles CA

I can't open it either. The page won't open on my computer.

Maybe it's a PC/Mac thing.

Charlie McDonald · From: out of the blue

That's funny, I can't either.
So much for free file hosting; I'm getting one of the .ws websites my wife has available.
Nothing lasts forever.

Alan, Jack, Mike: it may not be a great loss.
This is freshman show and tell--something organized around what I've learned so far.
To quote Bob Knight, from humor:

Giorgio Robino · From: Genova, Italy

Hi Charlie

I enjoyed your piece and experimentation with your new pedal steel guitar

Immo, your harmonic ideas, maybe in a "slow motion" direction would be amplified by the addition/addiction of strong reverberation an delaying ... but you know ... I'm an extremist on that

I like the chord progression ... pedal steel permit, not limited by the lap steel limits.

all teh best
giorgio

Jim Phelps · From: Mexico City, Mexico

Charlie, you're doing great. We know and you yourself know that you're pretty new to the pedal steel, but you are off to a great start.

If you can play like this now, imagine how you'll play in 5 years. You've already got a unique style and sound, more time and practice will give you more knowledge of what's in your instrument, more technique and even more ideas of what to do with it.

I already admire your sense of harmony and chord structure, your direction, and most of all your originality, because that is what makes a player something special.

Keep it up.

[This message was edited by Jim Phelps on 07 September 2005 at 02:35 PM.]

Charlie McDonald · From: out of the blue

I thank you all. I always appreciate the supportive nature of your comments; the spirit on this forum can really get the desire to improve going. Thanks for your interest.

b0b · From: Cloverdale, CA, USA

It downloaded to my Mac just fine, and played in Quicktime 7.

My opinion: your musical brain is way ahead of your right hand. You should probably get Joe Wright's 'Technique Bundle' and work through some of the exercises. It's really hard to listen to such advanced musical ideas executed so poorly. You need to get some pedal steel muscle memory into those hands.

I hope you're not offended by my bluntness. I'd have said it in email, but I know you don't like that.

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Bobby Lee
-b0b- quasar@b0b.com
System Administrator
My Blog

Kay Das · From: Los Angeles CA

charlie, nice attempt, keep it going, shades of bruce kaplan in your style,

keep pickin'

tropical regards,

------------------
kay

Charlie McDonald · From: out of the blue

B0b, blunt is good. That's what these exercizes are for.
Mike Perlowin had some similar things to say, and what you say is in line with Bob Carlucci's thoughts about the head being way ahead.
I think simpler tunes, perhaps traditional pieces, would be a good starting place for work on the right hand.
I do have Jeffran's Right Hand Alpha which I'll give a look at, and may indeed check out Joe Wright.

Thanks Kay; Bruce is great, but his right hand is up to his head. So is yours.
Boy, Singapore sure has pretty stamps.
Thanks all.

Bob Carlucci · From: Candor, New York, USA

Charlie.... I may be way off,but my favorite "right hand" stuff is anything by guys like Brumley w/ Buck Owns or even later w, Rick Nelson,,Buddy Cage w/ New Riders of the Purple Sage, Lloyd Green stuff from the 60's 70's.. stuff like that.. I'll tell you why. It is very easy to distinguish the right hand techniques.. Much of the 60's 70's playing from these guys and LOTS of others, was right out there to hear, and you could HEAR the notes being blocked,hear the pedal movement and timing, hear the staccato rythmic comping etc... Its harder to distinuish some of these very basic techniques on highly evolved ,intricate modern steel pieces.. The techniques are VERY advanced these days.. I guess what I'm trying to say is this... With the older stuff it may be easier to pick up and comprehend BASIC right hand technique... I guess I could be wrong, but thats what I think.... bob

Johnny Baldwin · From: Long Beach, California, USA

Hey Charlie....
Took that cover you sold me for my Sho Bud D-10 and cozied up to the speaker to hear Uncle Charlie play. Sounds good. The "cover" misses you, but it looks mighty fine on my PSG. Ha!

Roy Thomson · From: Wolfville, Nova Scotia,Canada

Charlie,
What I like about this is that you are not afraid to stick your neck out and try something different.
To me I don't really hear how good or how bad it is at this point,,,,,,,because it is obvious that it will get much better with time. The important thing is that you are on the way and I hope you keep working with the knowledge that somewhere down the road you will reap the benifit of your efforts.

Bob Carlucci · From: Candor, New York, USA

amen to what Roy said..

Bobby Lee · From: Cloverdale, California, USA

Charlie McDonald · From: out of the blue

B0b, that makes me feel a little better, as I tend to just play around while learning, just like this exercize. Having even a small musical vision and trying to execute it seems to suit me better than trying to play a song But I'll take your suggestions to heart, along with yours, Bob. Muscle memory is one of the most important things in life. In a way, I'm using the steel path to increase that facility, and to try and keep the brain fresh and working well.

Roy and others, glad ya'll get what I'm trying to do, just trying to avoid the ruts. I assume that everybody gets it, and that's not the case.
Glad you like that cover, Johnny; it's nice and soft. A 'steel cozy', sort of.

[This message was edited by Charlie McDonald on 08 September 2005 at 03:42 PM.]

Michael Barone · From: Downingtown, Pennsylvania

Charlie, just to echo b0b's point, I got Joe Wright's pick blocking video last winter. This guy is an excellent, methodical instructor. He shows various camera angles & close-ups. It's well produced. After 8 months of practice, I realize now, that I also need to get the complete bundle.

Joe Wright's video helped me identify some bad habits and caused me to make up my mind once and for all to use 3 finger picks with the thumb pick.

Just my additional thoughts. Good Luck.

Mike

David Doggett · Posted 9 Sep 2005 2:47 pm

After you got tuned up there at the start it didn't sound half bad, until you started tuning up again at the end.

You should get a CD of Bill Stafford on his 14-string uni to hear where you are headed.

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