The Steel Guitar Forum

Awesome! Thank you for posting this. I LOVE that guy.

-Travis

I still have a set of picks that somebody on the forum made for me several years ago which can be used for the one finger tremolo thing. They're a standard metal finger pick, and the "blade" of another pick has been cut off and then attached opposite to the existing blade. This means the p...

From Brad's Page of Steel: G A A C# E A C# E (string gauges .034, .052, .052, .038, .034, .020, .016, .012) I had forgotten about the 8th string G. The part I said about him using the low doubled A for slants was incorrect; I now remember that the image I had of him using the 8th string for slants w...

I got a chance to sit next to Freddie at a workshop a few years ago, and it was nuts. I could get some of his sounds when I was sitting right next to him, watching his hands, but as soon as I left the room it mostly vanished from my memory. He uses a lot of forward slants, taking advantage of the 13...

Jim Smith: who's "we" and "they"? And what were "they" using before?

Debashish uses several different bars in performance, including a sort of glass egg looking thing.

-Travis

P.S. This is one of the best clips I've seen! Thanks for posting.

I don't mind the look, although it's bulkier than I'd like. It's the sound, and the weight/feel.

-Travis

Personally, I really didn't like it, but I only tried it in the store. I suppose better strings, a better amp, etc. would have helped. The guitar didn't quite fit me, physically, and felt heavier than I expected.

It is cheap, though.

-Travis

Lots of things don't sound "correct" when you've got steel in the mix, but if that's not the goal then you're fine. There's almost always a way to fit in, to add something worthwhile to the music. But that's in a band context. If you're talking about steel as the main presence, then I'd su...

I think that's what it's called. It's cream and brown. Anyways, one of the legs has broken (the bit that screws to adjust the telescoping part), and I'm wondering if anybody sells replacement legs.

All the legs could use replacing, actually. They're functional but in rough shape.

-Travis

I saw him play in St. Louis one year, and he blew me away. Loved his playing, and more than that the joy, energy and brightness he brings to the stage. Amazing. Thanks for the links!

-Travis

"The "Extra layers of complexity" concept is a red herring actually - usually postulated by a person who has never personally explored a pedal steel in depth" That's kind of a cheap shot, but I'll admit that the idea is an interesting one, and I hadn't thought of it that way. I s...

I'm not sure how anybody could claim that playing pedal steel is easier, at least if we're talking about the beginner to intermediate stages of learning (things might be more complicated later). There are simply more things to keep track of. More things to keep track of at the same time equals harde...

If it's in G, it's in G.

So: open C shape, dropped down to G for his baritone guitar, i.e. GDGDGB (low to high).

-Travis

P.S. Unless it's his seven-string, in which case there would be a high D.

I agree that calling a steel guitar a guitar might be considered a bit of a misnomer, but I don't think that calling it a slide zither would help very much with the problem of people not knowing what it is... I've had to give the "steel guitar--what's that?" speech many times, though, so I...

That's an interesting observation, and one I've not heard much before. Can you expand a bit on what makes eight strings easier for you?

-Travis

Live in Tokyo: Playin' Real Good with Hani naser is probably the best place to start. It's the blue one. Bon Temps Roule , Tiki Torches at Twilight , Rag Bag , Mercury Blues/Doin' Somethin' Wrong , and other good stuff. Twango Bango Deluxe would be the next one to get, I'd say. It's the first of th...

The Almost to Tulsa tape (that can be bought from the Forum: do it) has some amazing arrangements of not only their original stuff but some standards as well (their version of Steel Guitar Rag is the only one I can listen to).

Who was the band leader/arranger/whatever you call it?

-Travis

Hey, Bob, would you send me an e-mail? I have some questions about the area and since you're nearby I thought you might be able to answer them.

The same goes for anybody in the area, actually, I'd like to hear from you.

Thanks!

-Travis

A link to the music video(!): Hung it Up . It looks like the section near the end (the second, third, fourth and fifth lines from the end) is done differently than I thought. I'm not sure exactly what he's doing in the video, but it sure looks more practical, what with what appears to be a hammer-on...

Wow, cool to see him playing Hung it Up! It looks like he's doing the thing with the muted triplets near the end of his steel solo differently than I thought. I'll have to give that a try, as it looks like a more practical (read: actually playable) way to get that sound... -Travis P.S. If you want t...

I'm going.

-Travis

To clarify, I liked the way the tune was played, as far as vibrato is concerned, and I don't think it would necessarily add anything. Was just surprised not hear much, even on the last note where it might have been nice (albeit potentially cliche). I know that vibrato can be a tricky thing to get--i...

Having to change strings means not being able to switch back and forth at will, but it probably also means you have to stick with something until you've given it a good run.

Okay, buy one extra guitar, then.

-Travis

That sounds really good! If you're looking for any kind of feedback, I would say that although I like that you haven't gone overboard with the vibrato, it might be nice to hear some ( http://steelguitarforum.com/wink.gif ), perhaps even if only on the last note of the song. I find that good vibrato ...

Really slinging the opinions there, eh, Alan? Myself, I wouldn't worry about not making "any progress" unless I picked the right tuning. Just follow your own ear and do what you need to do to get the sounds you want. Also, eight strings are not, in my opinion, "much better" than ...