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Topic: The Wonderful Uniqueness Of The Steel Guitar |
Les Anderson
From:
The Great White North
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Posted 22 Oct 2009 9:57 pm |
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This past Tuesday night we were having a band practice to work on some new material and to add a bit of showmanship to the stage sessions. Our band leader who prides himself in being able to play almost all instruments decided that we should do a set where we all run around swapping instruments as we played through a couple of upbeat numbers. The guys (and one gal) could play most of the band’s instruments at a fairly respectable skill level until they sat down at my Remington, D 10 non-pedal. Not one of them could figure it out without it sounding like someone dragging a freaked out cat over hot nails.
The lead guitarist, “Mister Plays Them All” wanted me to change the front neck tuning to an open E so he could at least get a few licks going. Nope, would I have to change the tuning for everyone as they ran up to take their turn at my steel? In the end, no one could do anything with my steel that would work with any tune they wanted play so they just skipped the steel in their running around showmanship display.
Was I smug?????????? You bet you’re a*** I was. 
I wonder what they would have done with a U12 pedal steel?????  |
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Bryan Daste
From:
Portland, Oregon, USA
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Posted 23 Oct 2009 2:09 am
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 nice! |
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Donny Hinson
From:
Glen Burnie, Md. U.S.A.
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Posted 23 Oct 2009 2:49 am
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Running around and swapping instruments? Gosh! That schtick's almost older than me! (It's kinda reminiscent of Vaudeville days, don't you think?)
Tell them doing a great job on one instrument is far more impressive than doing a mediocre job on five or six.  |
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Lee Baucum
From:
McAllen, Texas (Extreme South) The Final Frontier
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Posted 23 Oct 2009 4:31 am
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| Les - Isn't it fun to be smug every now and then! |
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Steve Benson
From:
Massachusetts, USA
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Posted 23 Oct 2009 6:04 am
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The steel seat is never given, only earned. I'm still trying to earn mine. 
_________________
Carter-Magnum S10. Georgeboards S-8 Stealth. Chandler Lap. Peavey Powerslide. Bunch of mandolins. Sitar. Oud. All that and a bag of chips. |
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Dom Franco
From:
Beaverton, OR, 97007
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Posted 23 Oct 2009 6:26 am
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I love playing an instrument that none of the other band members will touch. When I played Tele, other guys would kill the strings with their greasy fried chicken fingers.
I even had a bass player take apart my vintage Strat to check the dates.(I had left it over night in our rehearsal studio!)
I am still amused that nearly every guitar player, asks "whats that tuned to?"
Dom
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https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCYG9cvwCPKuXpGofziPNieA/feed?activity_view=3 |
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Joe Naylor
From:
Avondale, Arizona, USA
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Posted 23 Oct 2009 6:35 am
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This is funny - I have a very good friend that plays Bass, guitar, keyboard, drums, etc
He is great at all of them - so he wanted to borrow a pedal steel from me - so I took him one Saturday AM (about a couple years ago) by Sunday afternoon his teenage daughter called me and begged me to come get this thing away from her Dad - later I found that he had just yelled, "Calf Rope" - and then "I'm done call Joe"
We still laugh about that - I wish I could play keyboard and guitar like he does though.
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Joe Naylor, Avondale, AZ (Phoenix) Announcer/Emcee owner www.steelseat.com *** OFFERING SEATS AND Effects cases with or without legs and other stuff ****** -Desert Rose Guitar S-10, Life Member of the Arizona Carport Pickers Assoc., Southwest Steel Guitar Assoc., Texas Steel Guitar Assoc., GA Steel Guitar Assoc., KS Steel Guitar Assoc. (Asleep at the Steel) tag line willed to me by a close late friend RIP |
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Ray Montee
From:
Portland, Oregon (deceased)
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Posted 23 Oct 2009 9:03 am Vaudville showmanship?
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Well, at least they haven't decided to play an entire set "BACKWARDS"........... (like, facing the rear of the stage).
Have been there and had to endure it. |
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Les Anderson
From:
The Great White North
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Posted 23 Oct 2009 11:47 am
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| Lee Baucum wrote: |
| Les - Isn't it fun to be smug every now and then! |
Well, it sure does set one apart from the others. |
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b0b
From:
Cloverdale, CA, USA
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Posted 23 Oct 2009 12:38 pm Re: The Wonderful Uniqueness Of The Steel Guitar
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| Les Anderson wrote: |
| The lead guitarist, “Mister Plays Them All” wanted me to change the front neck tuning to an open E so he could at least get a few licks going. |
Tell him, "It is an open E! Just stay on strings 4, 5, 6 and 8."  
_________________
-𝕓𝕆𝕓- (admin) - Robert P. Lee - Recordings - Breathe - D6th - Video |
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Les Anderson
From:
The Great White North
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Posted 23 Oct 2009 1:19 pm Re: The Wonderful Uniqueness Of The Steel Guitar
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| b0b wrote: |
| Les Anderson wrote: |
| The lead guitarist, “Mister Plays Them All” wanted me to change the front neck tuning to an open E so he could at least get a few licks going. |
Tell him, "It is an open E! Just stay on strings 4, 5, 6 and 8." |
B0b, you don't let these guys in on anything. First no one could figure out the front neck’s tuning of (low to high) G# F# E
C# B G# F# E D B, of which I generally use for country. In fact, correct me if I am wrong with this, I think you were the one who suggested this D 10 tuning for me.
No one even touched the second deck.
I think more than anything else, they were thrown by looking at ten strings, having to use a rather heavy bar and the first six strings not being tuned to open E. I actually loved it!!! |
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b0b
From:
Cloverdale, CA, USA
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Posted 23 Oct 2009 2:21 pm Re: The Wonderful Uniqueness Of The Steel Guitar
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| Les Anderson wrote: |
B0b, you don't let these guys in on anything. First no one could figure out the front neck’s tuning of (low to high) G# F# E
C# B G# F# E D B, of which I generally use for country. In fact, correct me if I am wrong with this, I think you were the one who suggested this D 10 tuning for me. |
That's very different! I hope it wasn't me who led you so far astray. 
Never mind. 
_________________
-𝕓𝕆𝕓- (admin) - Robert P. Lee - Recordings - Breathe - D6th - Video |
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Les Anderson
From:
The Great White North
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Posted 23 Oct 2009 3:34 pm
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Actually b0b, I have followed your tunings for a 10 string non-pedal since I got this thing a year last summer. Below are the two tunings that I tend to use most; depending on the music I will be playing of course.
E B D E F# G# B C# E G#
E G# B D E G# B C# E G#
I also have used Bob Hoffnar's ten string tuning of
B D E F# G# B C# E G# F#, which I do like.
Sometimes Tom Morrel's catches my fancy now and then. E D E F# G# B C# E F# G#
I am an experimenter who will try dozens of strange tuning tweaks just to see what I can get out of them. Some work while others will work for one or two pieces but not the majority. String gauges???? Now that's another story.
People do follow or at least try a lot of tuning suggestions that have been placed on this forum and I am one of those. It's amazing what one can do without pedals if you really want to put your mind to it.
Les |
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Alan Brookes
From:
Brummy living in Southern California
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Posted 23 Oct 2009 4:48 pm
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| In my experience, steel guitarists can fill in on most instruments, but non-steel-guitarists don't even know where to start on pedal steel. |
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Chris LeDrew
From:
Canada
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Posted 25 Oct 2009 9:30 am
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| Alan Brookes wrote: |
| In my experience, steel guitarists can fill in on most instruments, but non-steel-guitarists don't even know where to start on pedal steel. |
I know....it's as if they become instantly drunk when they sit down at it. Very rarely does a guitarist take on my steel....but when he does, it's truly fun to watch the severe ineptitude - especially in front of a live audience.
_________________
Jackson Steel Guitars
Web: www.chrisledrew.com |
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Bent Romnes
From:
London,Ontario, Canada
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