About those flat-pickers . . .

Lap steels, resonators, multi-neck consoles and acoustic steel guitars

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Ed Altrichter
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About those flat-pickers . . .

Post by Ed Altrichter »

Where would I find a cd by steel guitar artists who use a flat pick only ? And I'm presuming that using a flat pick exclusively would not be feasible on a pedal steel, or has that been done by someone, too ?
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Ken Pippus
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Post by Ken Pippus »

There are a ton of recordings available by Tut Taylor, playing a dobro exclusively with a flat pick. I don't know of a pedal steel equivalent.

KP
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Andy Volk
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Post by Andy Volk »

Tut Taylor, Steve Howe, Junior Brown all flat pick non-pedal steel.
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Orville Johnson
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Post by Orville Johnson »

Andy, are you sure about Junior Brown? Seems to me when I've seen him play he uses at least a thumbpick if not fingerpicks on both necks of his guit-steel.
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Dave Harmonson
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Post by Dave Harmonson »

Hey Orv,
Just saw Junior a couple of weeks ago. Definitely playing with a flat pick.
Dave
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Orville Johnson
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Post by Orville Johnson »

I stand corrected. I haven't seen him for a long time and my memory is cloudy. If only the sky around here was as cloudy! D*mn its hot!!
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Dave Harmonson
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Post by Dave Harmonson »

Yeh, what's going on here? Are we in Texas or something? We're not built for 95 degrees.
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David Soreff
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Post by David Soreff »

I am a lifetime of experience and talent away from some of the above mentioned players, but for the record, I sometimes have to resort to playing with a flatpick. I play in a track duo, and some songs that require a bit of steel require that I use whatever I'm playing at the time for steel...usually a nice .73 Dunlop. I of course prefer the thumb/fingerpicks approach, but sometimes, you have to do what you have to do.
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Andy Volk
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Post by Andy Volk »

I saw Rusty Young last weekend with Poco and he used a flat pick on Dobro for an entire tune before reverting to thumb and fingerpicks for a few more steel and dobro tunes.
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Mark Bracewell
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Post by Mark Bracewell »

David Gilmour's another flat picker. And Steve Howe like Andy said - even on PS. OK, now I've outed myself as a prog rocker :)
nick allen
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Post by nick allen »

James Burton plays dobro with a flatpick and one fingerpick on his middle finger. You can hear a lot of it on his "Corn Picking and Slick Sliding" album with Ralph Mooney.
Nick
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Geoff Cline
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Junior with Flat picks AND fingerpicks

Post by Geoff Cline »

Here are some pictures of Junior trying out the newest Guit-Steel from Michael Stevens...clearly playing with flat pick and fingerpicks. And if its good enough for Junior and James Burton...there must be something to it.
Image

Image
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Jerry Hayes
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Post by Jerry Hayes »

I can't remember his name but there was a guy who used to show up at some of those MASGA events who played pedal steel with a flatpick, mostly on C6th. Also, Sid Hudson who was Barbara Mandrell's lead guitarist for many years is a very accomplished pedal steeler. On steel he uses a flatpick and two metal fingerpicks. He was the steel player on the Williamsburg Opry in Virginia a few years back. Years ago there was a steel player with Rose Maddox named Lucky Rogers. If I remember right, he used a flatpick and fingerpicks. I've tried it but I block a lot with my curled under index finger so it doesn't work for me.........JH in Va.
Don't matter who's in Austin (or anywhere else) Ralph Mooney is still the king!!!
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Jan Jonsson
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Post by Jan Jonsson »

I feel all too lightweight to all the names mentioned, but I happen to play the pedal steel and lapsteel with a flatpick and two metal fingerpicks. I started playing the steel guitar too late after 30+ years of regular guitar playing to be able to relearn my picking style. My attempts with the flatpick can be heard on my recent CD (link below).

-- Jan
CDs: Waltz for Elma (2015), Steel Reflections (2009)
Gear: 10-string Desert Rose "Delta Blues", Fender Deluxe 8, Fender CS Nocaster
Transcriptions of Lloyd Green's music: www.lloydgreentribute.com (Tablature menu)
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Jude Reinhardt
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Post by Jude Reinhardt »

Ah, but you're not flatpicking unless you use a flatpick and only a flatpick. When you throw in the fingers to pick with it's a hybrid form of flatpicking. Nothing picks the strings but a flatpick when you're flatpicking.

Jude
"If we live in fear of banjos, then the banjos have won".

"Man cannot live by bread alone, he must have Peanut Butter". - Kruger Bear
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