The "Sneaky Strings"- Peter Kleinow genius MP3

Dave Van Allen · Post by **Dave Van Allen** » 9 Jan 2007 7:46 pm

Danny O'Keefe "Quits" from the album So Long Harry Truman

(4.6MB MP3) quits.mp3

everything that sounds like a steel is Sneaky Pete.
everything that sounds like a string section, is Sneaky Pete.
things that don't don't sound like anything you ever heard before are also Sneaky Pete.
I think it was on the liner notes Billed as the "Sneaky Strings"

I think this is one of my favorite things I've heard that Pete did as a session player.

BTW WXPN radio in Philadelphia played a 5 song tribute to Sneaky Pete this afternoon... Hot Burrito #1, Joni Mitchell's "California", Stevie Wonder "too Shy To Say",Little Feat "Willin'" and Jackson Browne "Take it Easy"

RIP Maestro

Billy Wilson · Post by **Billy Wilson** » 10 Jan 2007 1:47 am

That's really nice. Did he get the string sound using his steel?

Dave Van Allen · Post by **Dave Van Allen** » 10 Jan 2007 8:58 am

That's really nice. Did he get the string sound using his steel?

yes. This is a pre-digital-synthesizer-days trick; I first heard it used live by Smiley Roberts back in about 1974. but I don't know who originated the trick...

A fuzz tone (boss tone preferred for the quality of it's square wave I guess), and a massive amount of reverb. hit 2 notes in unison-almost...just enough out with each other to get a few "beats" for the fuzz&reverb to react to and, like magic, with practice, you can simulate string section lines...

Sneaky multitracked this with higher octave line and a lower line in subtle action against it, and overdubbed some "straight" steel and harmonics as well.... what an arranger!

Jody Carver · Post by **Jody Carver** » 11 Jan 2007 2:54 pm

Sneaky played a "FENDER OF COURSE"

Michael Breid · Post by **Michael Breid** » 11 Jan 2007 7:44 pm

Soooooooooooo nice.

Jeff Bradshaw · Post by **Jeff Bradshaw** » 12 Jan 2007 8:42 pm

Very pretty, that's for sure. ..jeff

Russ Tkac · Post by **Russ Tkac** » 13 Jan 2007 6:42 am

Thanks Dave. That was really nice.

Russ

Bob Carlucci · Post by **Bob Carlucci** » 13 Jan 2007 8:45 am

Just incredible.... thanks Dave......

Randy Phelps · Post by **Randy Phelps** » 13 Jan 2007 9:56 am

That was chicken skin gorgeous.

Dave Van Allen · Post by **Dave Van Allen** » 23 Jan 2008 10:40 am

has it been a year + already?

Bent Romnes · Post by **Bent Romnes** » 23 Jan 2008 11:11 am

Dave, Great stuff no doubt. The "strings" brought back memories of Jeff Newman showing his students this exact thing. The boss tone cranked up, playing 2 strings almost unison. He also showed us a way to duplicate the..oboe?? You know, the small bass fiddle you play with a bow. It sounded awesome.

Why is it not being used these days? Or is it being used all the time with the digital synthesizer and we just don't realize it?

Anyway, it is drop dead gorgeous and sure shows the versatility of the steel when played by a virtuoso like Sneaky.

Dave Van Allen · Post by **Dave Van Allen** » 23 Jan 2008 1:01 pm

You know, the small bass fiddle you play with a bow

Cello

oboe is a woodwind

Bent Romnes · Post by **Bent Romnes** » 23 Jan 2008 2:52 pm

QUOTE:
Cello

oboe is a woodwind

I stand corrected.[/b]

Jack Stanton · Post by **Jack Stanton** » 23 Jan 2008 5:15 pm

"BTW WXPN radio in Philadelphia played a 5 song tribute to Sneaky Pete this afternoon... Hot Burrito #1, Joni Mitchell's "California", Stevie Wonder "too Shy To Say",Little Feat "Willin'" and Jackson Browne "Take it Easy" " Now if he had only included Frank Zappa's " It Just Might Be A One Shot Deal"- the song that that first opened my eyes that a steel could be used in something other than a "country" or "Country Rock" framework. It's one of those songs I remember exactly where I was when I heard it..it had that much impact.

I do love that Danny O'keefe song- "Call it seperation, independence, divorce if that word fits, call it what you want to, I just call it quits" Sneaky made it that much better!

Marc Jenkins · Post by **Marc Jenkins** » 28 Jan 2008 4:18 pm

Holy doodle!

Dave Van Allen · Post by **Dave Van Allen** » 28 Jan 2008 6:29 pm

Marc Jenkins wrote:Holy doodle!

!?

Andy Greatrix · Post by **Andy Greatrix** » 30 Jan 2008 11:16 am

This is proof that you can get a full sound without a ton of compression (or dubbed-in crowd noise).
This is so musical and artistic, what music used to be like, and still is, if you hunt it down.

Fred Bova · Post by **Fred Bova** » 30 Jan 2008 11:41 pm

Fantastic, Sweet, Tender, sensitive, Music.....

Cables and only 8 strings ....