Pedal Licks

Jerry Horner · Post by **Jerry Horner** » 9 Jul 2002 11:51 am

Guys, I need a little help. I seem to be in a rut with what I know and what I play. Stuck on the same old things if you know what I mean. So I'm going to throw my ego out the window, humble myself and ask some of you to post your favorite lick. As I don't read charts, put it in black and white where I can understand it. You have to hit an old man in the head pretty hard to get his attention sometimes.

Thanks,

Jerry

Post by **Joey Ace** » 9 Jul 2002 12:24 pm

Jerry,
Are you saying you can't read tab?

If so I suggest you learn.
It's not rocket-surgery.

You'll then have a world of great licks to choose from at this forum's TAB Area, and other pages such as the Big E's and Rebels.

Don't be afraid to ask how to understand tab if that's the case. It's as easy as knowing what fret you're on, what string to pick, and what (if any) pedal or KL to press.

You'll get lots of help here.

You won't be instantly playing (sight reading) Tab, but you'll be able to play the notes slow (maybe one at a time) and go from there.

Also, are you asking about standard E9 or ?

That's the best advice I have to offer.

Donny Hinson · Post by **Donny Hinson** » 9 Jul 2002 5:12 pm

Jerry, sometimes the simplest of licks can be very pretty, and start you thinking in new directions. Here's an E9th lick even a "first-day" player can do that has a nice sound! Pick strings 3, 5 and 7 (together) with the bar on just the 5th and 7th strings at the 5th fret. Now slide the bar up to the 7th fret while engaging the "B" pedal, then slide back down to the 5th fret while letting off the "B" pedal. The "open" 3rd string gives a unique sound. Do it a couple times, then try "embellishing it" a little by hitting the open 2nd and 1st strings while you're at fret 7. This simple lick shows the use of barred and open strings played together...sometimes called "moving harmonies". Pretty stuff![This message was edited by Donny Hinson on 09 July 2002 at 06:15 PM.]

Jeff Lampert · Post by **Jeff Lampert** » 9 Jul 2002 6:04 pm

Jerry, why don't you learn to read tab? There's loads of free stuff that you could avail yourself of if you just learn tab. You don't have to sight read it. Practically no one can read tab fast. It's just a matter of understanding tab so that you can learn lots of good licks. How about it?

Larry Bell · Post by **Larry Bell** » 10 Jul 2002 6:20 am

I agree with Jeff (as usual).

I read tab like "see Spot run", but find it useful to communicate both TO and FROM others. It's the same with standard notation -- I'm no sight reader by any stretch of the imagination, but I can learn a melody from a fake book, for example.

Jerry -- I suspect you've been at this a long time and I understand it's hard for an 'old dawg' to learn new tricks -- it is for me too. But if you can tap into that great list of tunes that Graham and Ricky and Jeff and others have assembled at the Rebel 'n' Ricky website, you will have a source of learning for many years. You can play the sound file right on your computer and read the tab and learn the lick using both your ears and your eyes. You know that most licks are easy except for some little trick. Well, that's the part you can get from tab. Learn the rest by ear and home in on the part that's hard to figure out by ear.

I don't mean to sound 'preachy' -- I've just learned a lot from reading stuff that others have 'donated'. I think this could really help you as well.

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Larry Bell - email: larry@larrybell.org - gigs - Home Page
2000 Fessenden S-12 8x8, 1969 Emmons S-12 6x6, 1971 Dobro[This message was edited by Larry Bell on 10 July 2002 at 07:22 AM.]

Jerry Horner · Post by **Jerry Horner** » 10 Jul 2002 7:18 am

Thanks guys. I am taking your advice and giving it a go at reading tabs. After 52 years on steel you would have thought that things wouldn't come as hard as they do sometimes. Thanks again to all.

Jerry

Post by **Joey Ace** » 10 Jul 2002 7:29 am

Hey Jerry!

I looked around for what would be a good way to start learning Steel Tab.

I suggest "Together Again" at http://users.interlinks.net/rebel/steel/together.html

You probably already know it, but try to understand what the tab means.

Ask any questions you need to. We're glad to help.

Here's some mre discussion on the topic: http://steelguitarforum.com/Forum8/HTML/000482.html
http://steelguitarforum.com/Forum8/HTML/001109.html

Bill Ford · Post by **Bill Ford** » 10 Jul 2002 11:10 am

Hey Jerry,
Learning to read tab is simple >>>>even I can do it.

Bill

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CrowBear Schmitt · Post by **CrowBear Schmitt** » 10 Jul 2002 11:35 am

So can i Jerry.
readin'Tab is easier than readin' written Musik.
Just sit down to it, be patient, + you'll get it.
Steel what ?...

Corky Owens · Post by **Corky Owens** » 10 Jul 2002 10:13 pm

Hey,Jerry. I can tell you, I love tab and learn alot from the Forum. Yes, even Gene Watson's steel player learns from tab. Great stuff. Bob Tuttle taught me that. Corky.

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RON PRESTON · Post by **RON PRESTON** » 11 Jul 2002 5:11 am

Jerry,
I always say.....if you can count to 10, and know your ABC's.....
Ya got it "LICKED"
OK, So you might have a 12, string, no problem, if you can count to 12,(or 14, and I think they make a 16 string

Ya got it.
If TAB was around back in the 50's and 60's, ect. ect., many players, including myself, would be alot more advanced today. Sometimes, I can LOOK at the tab for the 1st time, and can HEAR IT in my head before I play it.
Good Luck, Jerry,
Ron [This message was edited by RON PRESTON on 11 July 2002 at 06:13 AM.]

Post by **Joey Ace** » 11 Jul 2002 6:40 am

"Sometimes, I can LOOK at the tab for the 1st time, and can HEAR IT in my head before I play it."

Me too, but that only comes after years
of working with the stuff.

A beginner should not be turned off if they can not do that at first. Nobody could!

TAB is valuable if you only learn to memorise three notes at a time from it.

Remember the first time you sat at a computer? Now I'm fluent at it, but I don't remember when it happened. Just sorta crept up.

[This message was edited by Joey Ace on 11 July 2002 at 07:41 AM.]

Jerry Horner · Post by **Jerry Horner** » 11 Jul 2002 7:48 am

Guys,
One thing I have noticed about this forum is that there does not seem to be many big "I"s and little "You"s. It does not seem to matter what spot you hold in the music world, each of you try to jump right in and help. You have no idea what an honor it is for me to be part of this forum. When I started playing you could probably count the realy good steel players on one hand. now there are so many of you that sometimes I get to feeling that I've been left behind, though I know that probably isn't true. So in closing I will say that I have just learned to read my first tab. It's the one that Joey picked out for me. I, like the rest of you, had played that song 15 jillion times, but seeing it on the tab opened up a new world for me. Thanks Joey and thanks to the rest of you guys for steering me towards starting to learn tabs.

Jerry