The Paul Franklin bar hand exercise, by Steve Palousek

Alain-Yves Pigeon · Post by **Alain-Yves Pigeon** » 8 Dec 2011 6:14 pm

For those of you who'd like to see and hear the Paul Franklin bar exercise, Steve Palousek shows it on his E9th Intermediate Video course # SPV-120 about 20 minutes after the beginning (it's a VHS and not a DVD)and he plays it with great dexterity at a mind blowing speed with a dead on accuracy. Very impressive to see and hear.

BTW, this tape was shot in 1994 and I know PF has been teaching this exercise for almost 30 years but it's the only time I've ever seen it played.

Regards,

Tommy White · Post by **Tommy White** » 8 Dec 2011 6:34 pm

What ever you fellas' think.

Paul Carestia · Post by **Paul Carestia** » 8 Dec 2011 6:58 pm

Absolutely spot on Mr. White. This is no different than the Chinese stealing US patents!

Paul Sutherland · Post by **Paul Sutherland** » 8 Dec 2011 9:40 pm

We don't know whether or not Steve Palousek had permission from Paul Franklin to demonstrate this exercise. I've never seen or heard the tape by Palousek. If he gave PF credit, then Palousek was not trying to secretly profit from the intellectual property of PF. And if PF was wronged some 20 years ago he had a legal remedy then.

Paul Franklin personally started a thread on the forum about two or three years ago wherein he described in great detail his bar control exercise. As I recall, he generally described the posting as his holiday gift to the steel guitar community (my words, not his). It's a great thread, well worth looking up in the archives.

I greatly appreciated Mr. Franklin's gift. I do my bar control exercises every day. I consider them very valuable. And I don't hesitate to tell other steelers about the exercises. I always give credit to Paul Franklin.

I've never seen or heard of a recording of these exercises by Paul Franklin. I don't believe such a lesson is offered on his website.

Recently in another thread, a forum member asked for an audio track of the exercise. I suspect that was the impetius for Alain-Yves Pigeon starting this thread. (I see no evidence that Alan is trying to sell any product of his. I suspect he was just trying to help out.)

Once Mr. Franklin posted the exercises to a world-wide audience, with no restrictions placed upon use, he lost copyright on them.

Mr. Palousek may have violated Mr. Franklin's rights, but the statute of limitations has undoubtedly long since run for any legal action to survive in court.

Now that the steel guitar community has receive the magnanimous gift from Mr. Franklin, anyone and everyone should be free legally and morally to use the intellectual property however they choose, including to make a profit.

I don't see this situation as being remotely related to the stealing of US patents by foreign nations.

Richard Sinkler · Post by **Richard Sinkler** » 9 Dec 2011 3:15 am

DELETED -- None of my business.

Billy Murdoch · Post by **Billy Murdoch** » 9 Dec 2011 3:21 am

Buddy Emmons demonstrated this exercise when He visited England in the eighties,I have seen the video.
Who was the originator?
Billy

Ransom Beers · Post by **Ransom Beers** » 9 Dec 2011 3:50 am

Hee,hee.

Zane King · Post by **Zane King** » 9 Dec 2011 5:07 am

Don't leave us Tommy! You have a very valid point.

Now, I have to go find these exercises because evidently it takes two good hands to play these stringed bicycles.

Tim Miller · Post by **Tim Miller** » 9 Dec 2011 5:56 am

I know Buddy has been referenced a few times in the previous topic regarding this exercise, but here's a concrete reference: a striking similar set of exercises can be found on page 17 of Scotty's E9 Anthology (Mel Bay, 1980) as "Blocking Exercises, Courtesy of Buddy Emmons." It only features one ascending octave of 2-fret, 3-fret, 4-fret, and 5-fret movements, but they are labelled "Whole tone," "diminished," "augmented," "Interval of 4th."

I think it's interesting to note, as I believe PF discussed in his post(s), the different aspects of technique that this "exercise family" works: from BE, it is presented as a RH thing; from PF, LH.

Apropos to this thread, I think it's tough to claim authorship over scales, and PF's numerous postings point toward a remarkable generosity of knowledge in the steel community, from pros to makers to amateurs. Now, if BE and PF could both get their Christmas CDs on iTunes, we can throw them some (more) $, like we like to.

Cheers,
Tim

Ransom Beers · Post by **Ransom Beers** » 9 Dec 2011 6:09 am

I just sent/gave a DVD to a forum member with Joe Wright doing & explaining basically the same exercises,also one with Terry Wood teaching his playing technique.Maybe these guys got it from BE,PF,TW,or whomever.The person I got it from sold it to me & I'm sure he bootlegged/copied it.

Mike Wilson · Post by **Mike Wilson** » 9 Dec 2011 6:24 am

OH MY! Maybe I better not play anymore "G" chords till I find out if someone has a copyright on them. Might have to give Mozart some royalties. The person that taught me to play back in the early seventies had me doing those exercises. I suspect that exercise was around long before steel guitar even was. I mean I'm sure that, those type of hand exercises were done even by guitar players. Don't get me wrong I'm not trying to take anything away from Paul Franklin, Buddy Emmons, Tommy White, Steve Palousek or anyone else. These are some of the best steelmen on the planet and sometimes they are nice enough to come on here and share something with us and then someone has to make some big mystery out of it. Be grateful that they do and spend more time practicing. What do you want to be? A steel player or a lawyer trying to see what law Steve, or Paul or Tommy or Buddy or whomever broke. Just my 2 cents.

Murnel Babineaux · Post by **Murnel Babineaux** » 9 Dec 2011 6:37 am

I figured this whole thing out....

Make your own music !!!!!!!!!

Murnel

Zane King · Post by **Zane King** » 9 Dec 2011 6:56 am

I'm a trouble maker I guess but here is a video I posted a while back concerning the bar hand. All just for food thought....nothing more.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_HTi4tpvFVM

Ransom Beers · Post by **Ransom Beers** » 9 Dec 2011 7:17 am

Jim Hollingsworth · Post by **Jim Hollingsworth** » 9 Dec 2011 9:01 am

Merry Christmas & best wishes to Tommy, Paul, & Buddy!(Mentors all!) May forgiveness & kindness be shared by all.......

Jim[/b]

Mike Cass · Post by **Mike Cass** » 9 Dec 2011 8:56 pm

Buddy Emmons showed me that excercise in '84 at my first private lesson with him. A tip 'o the hat to the late Phil Baugh for arranging that for me. Its a heck of a warmer-upper.........no idea where E got it from....maybe Paul, who knows?
Another cool one was in a 70's issue of "Guitar Player" mag...by Howard Roberts'; "Sonic Shapes". Works even better on steel guitar.

Bill Lowe · Post by **Bill Lowe** » 10 Dec 2011 5:32 am

anybody have the link?

robert kramer · Post by **robert kramer** » 11 Dec 2011 7:52 am

Thanks for the tip - Mike Cass. I found this overview of Howard Roberts' "Sonic Shapes."

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9mUnJTZG3_4

Back to the woodshed.

Scott Hay · Post by **Scott Hay** » 12 Dec 2011 10:45 pm

Perhaps someone can "re-gift" Paul's bar control thread by posting it here

I searched for it and didn't see it, I'll do some more digging, but would enjoy reading it.

Like the "Sonic Shapes" video Robert.

Bobby Boggs · Post by **Bobby Boggs** » 12 Dec 2011 11:26 pm

Here ye go.
http://bb.steelguitarforum.com/viewtopi ... sc&start=0

The Steel Guitar Forum

The Paul Franklin bar hand exercise, by Steve Palousek

The Paul Franklin bar hand exercise, by Steve Palousek

Fwiw