Travis style playing on steel guitar

Bob Smith · Post by **Bob Smith** » 12 Oct 2002 4:03 pm

Im a new player and got a hold of a video tape with Bob Seymour playing stuff on the steel i never heard or saw anyone do before! I was kinda floored because I never witnessed that type of playing on a steel. Are there any recordings out there that feature that style of steel playing? This way of playing isnt the norm is it??( on the steel guitar i mean) Or havent i been paying attention all these years? Too bad some of this kinda playing cant leak itself into the radio waves in one form or another. bob

Post by **Joey Ace** » 12 Oct 2002 5:25 pm

"This way of playing isnt the norm is it??"

Nothing about Bobbe's normal.

His "Chet Style" C6 pickin is a show stopper. I first saw/heard it at the 1999 ISGC. The house band guitarist, Bobby Caldwell, is great at that style on 6 string. I remember looking for him on 6 string, only to realize those sounds were coming from Bobbe's Steel.

So, how did that originate, Mr. Seymore?

[This message was edited by Joey Ace on 13 October 2002 at 06:43 AM.]

Bill Ford · Post by **Bill Ford** » 12 Oct 2002 5:26 pm

Bobbe Seymoure has a CD (Masters Collection) with Jimmy Day,Tommy White and himself doing some fine fingerstyle picking,also if you can find it Bobby Garrett was as good as there was(IMHO),also have heard Buddy Emmons do a little fingerstyle.......
Nothing about Bobbe's normal>>Truer words were never spoken!!!!!!!!!!If you are ever where Bobbe is playing,get him to do "The wreck". I first saw Bobbe in person at Knoxville in 1988,truely amazing!
Bill
http://b0b.com/products/bobbe.html

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Bill Ford[This message was edited by Bill Ford on 12 October 2002 at 06:28 PM.][This message was edited by Bill Ford on 12 October 2002 at 06:32 PM.]

Donny Hinson · Post by **Donny Hinson** » 12 Oct 2002 5:48 pm

The first player I heard do it was Buddy Emmons...about 40 years ago. He did some of the fingerstyle, or "Travis" stuff on Rose City Chimes, and on a duo w/Shot Jackson...Salty Dog Rag. I had heard, at one time, he learned it from Bobby Garrett, the Texas steelman who wrote Rose City Chimes. (Please don't flame me if that's wrong!

)

The standard steel tunings and pedal setups weren't really designed to do that type of stuff, so it raises eyebrows when you can pull it off. You can also hear it in Chasing Paul, a song from our own Forum-Chief Bob's CD.

Gary Walker · Post by **Gary Walker** » 12 Oct 2002 9:16 pm

How about Bobby Garrett, Frank Hardcastle and I have heard Chalker back in the 60s do some pretty great fingerpicking. Yes, Bobbe is a champ at this also, among other things.

Kenny Dail · Post by **Kenny Dail** » 12 Oct 2002 9:34 pm

When Bobbe was a kid, he wanted to play guitar like Merle Travis and Chet Atkins. His Dad wanted hime to play steel like Jerry Byrd and Speedy West. Since they could not afford both instruments, he was forced to take up steel and as a result, Bobbe taught himself to do Travis/Atkins on steel. Right, Bobbe????

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kd...and the beat goes on...

Doug Seymour · Post by **Doug Seymour** » 12 Oct 2002 9:59 pm

OOPS! Kenny, where did you get your information? 2nd hand? Bobbe's Dad was my brother and I don't think he wanted Bobbe to play steel at all! I was the "non-musician"
steel player in Bobbe's life. Bob Seymour, my brother, was a fine jazz piano man (a natural musician!) who wanted to be better, so he went to college @ Fredonia NY (now SUNY) and graduated with a major in music and
taught instrumental music in Frewsburgh, NY
Chautauqua & Sherman NY. He always played dance music all his life in combos, had the first stage band at Fredonia, arranged dance band music etc, etc. The ukelele you're referring to, Bobbe's Dad sent him from the Pacific when he was a US Navy bandsman during WWII and Bobbe lived with my parents
(and as "like" a little brother to me!) when I had discovered hillbilly music, guitars & the like! I gave him my old homemade triple-neck when I got my first "pedal guitar" (a
MultiKord) The reason for the quotes is.....
I'm not sure we should call it a pedal guitar! Certainly not in today's sense or definition. Back to Bobbe....he could play that thumb style ever since I can remember with his right hand! I used to finger the chords w/my left hand on spanish guitar(he was too young to have learned them yet!) & he'd play the Travis licks w/his right hand. He always told me about learning them on the uke!! and I was always jealous, 'cause I can't Travis pick on anything! and I always loved that style! Atkins, Travis & all the rest of the guys that have been able to do that over the years. Ike Everly was a staff guitarist on KMA in Shenadoah IA when I was there in 1950
(playing the triple neck that Bobbe later had) And that's some of the "Rest of the Story!"[This message was edited by Doug Seymour on 12 October 2002 at 11:02 PM.]

Kenny Dail · Post by **Kenny Dail** » 12 Oct 2002 11:44 pm

Doug...Sorry if I offended you. This was intended to be a "funny" or "joke". I have known Bobbe since 1965 or 1966 when he moved to Norfolk Va from Dallas. Bobbe and I are friends and as you know, since you are his uncle, he has a great since of humor. It was intended to get a rise out of Bobbe. I will be happy to delete it if you think it is in bad taste.

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kd...and the beat goes on...

[This message was edited by Kenny Dail on 13 October 2002 at 12:46 AM.]

Doug Seymour · Post by **Doug Seymour** » 13 Oct 2002 5:06 am

Hi, Kenny I wasn't offended....just thought I'd add a bit of info for the people that don't know Bobbe (?) When I used to play cowboy, I got so I could do some flat spins
w/a rope. I made a small lariat for Bobbe & put a swivel from a fish line on the end. I'd start the spin for him & he could keep it going (he was about 5 at the time!) One time at the school gym someone took our picture with Bobbe spinning the small loop & me spinning a bigger one around us.....what happens to all these old pictures?? I sure would like to have that one! Uncle Doug
Too old to pick....but not too old to remember!

Buddy Emmons · Post by **Buddy Emmons** » 13 Oct 2002 5:33 am

Bob,
I learned the Travis/Atkins style on a Fender Stringmaster while living in Detroit (1954). We were limited to 8 strings at the time, which required tuning the lowest string down for the root or thumb note. Somewhere out there is a recording with a few bars of the style on E9th when the E note was the bass string but I never attempted to play instrumentals with the style until I added the low C to the C6th tuning.

Joe Miraglia · Post by **Joe Miraglia** » 13 Oct 2002 5:42 am

Doug--You are not too old to pick! Shame on you. Joe

Jim Florence · Post by **Jim Florence** » 13 Oct 2002 6:13 am

Lew Houston was good at it too.
Jim

Buddy Emmons · Post by **Buddy Emmons** » 13 Oct 2002 6:53 am

After I learned the basics of the thumb style and started traveling the Opry circuit, I ran into other steel players, Lew Houston included, that were playing around with it. All it takes is getting out of town to realize you're not as innovative as you would like to have thought. Coming up with something out the ordinary is common for many players, but only a few have the opportunity to expose it to the public.

Bob Hoffnar · Post by **Bob Hoffnar** » 13 Oct 2002 7:16 am

Rob Segal has worked up some great Travis style tunes for his show at the PSGA convention nov 9th and 10th. I'm not sure when he is playing though.

www.psga.org/

Buddy, Did you get that recording of my supply without a demand style of playing I sent ?

Bob

Bobbe Seymour · Post by **Bobbe Seymour** » 13 Oct 2002 9:01 am

Bob Smith, thank you for the very nice words!
I'll try to never let you down.
Radio waves? In America? Me? Hard to do, however even now as I type, my CD "Price-Less", is being played with great success and is the pick CD of the month on radio stations all over Europe, Australia and South America. In this country, just being played by a few friends and independant stations.
I remember my first meeting with Buddie Emmons in 195?,(I think I was 10,He was also one of my greateset inspirations) One of my first questions was "do you play any Chet Atkins stuff? He proceeded to show me that he could, by doing so , and well!
Yes, Doug Seymour was 100% correct, I learned how to play this style on the Uke my Dad sent from the Pacific islands. Doug is resposible for every ounce of desire I ever had for steel though. Thank you Doug!
Kenny Dail, you old friend you! Yep, Norfolk, many years ago! I built many pedal steel there after I left "That Texas co.".
Joey,Thank you also for your compliments and your great understanding of my warped humor! I'll be your friend forever also.
I only have one cassett album that is devoted to this "Travis, fingerpicking" style only, it is called "Tribute to Travis". I also play a lot of this style on my CD named "The masters collection".
Thanks to all of you, Bob Smith,Uncle Doug,Buddy Emmons, Kenny D., Joey Ace and everyone else that loves this style of playing , like I do!

Bobbe Seymour

Buddy Emmons · Post by **Buddy Emmons** » 13 Oct 2002 10:48 am

I sure did, Bob. Three, four, and six, are my picks of the litter and something I wish had been around when I was in my twenties. I had multi colored lights streaking up one corner of my room that would have matched the music perfectly. Unfortunately, all I had to play were Sonny Rollins albums, but it worked. Thanks for sending it and all the best.

Post by **Joey Ace** » 13 Oct 2002 12:23 pm

"You can also hear it in Chasing Paul, a song from our own Forum-Chief Bob's CD"

I believe your're mistaken, Donny.

"Chasing Paul" is by Forumite Roy Thomson, and can be heard on the Northern Steel CD along with Roy's "Canadian Farewell".

Thanks for the kind words Bobbe. Strange how Country Music gets airplay overseas, but not here, yet.

Roy Thomson · Post by **Roy Thomson** » 13 Oct 2002 12:43 pm

Joey's got it right.
Paul Yandell is one of my favourite guitar
players and he inspired me to write that tune. It is done on standard E9th.tuning.

Bob Smith · Post by **Bob Smith** » 13 Oct 2002 3:43 pm

Thanks a ton Fellas for all the great info and and inspiration, most of all for sharin your great talent. I consider myself a lucky guy that i can communicate with you guys like this!! Heck i couldnt talk to Hendrix or Clapton or Jerry Reed when i started playing guitar,way back, so man the times have changed!I have to get some of these recordings and give my ears a treat, Thanks again Bob

Donny Hinson · Post by **Donny Hinson** » 17 Oct 2002 3:14 pm

Of course, Joey...you're right! Guess I have finally bought too many CD's...

Nah!

Drew Howard · Post by **Drew Howard** » 19 Oct 2002 6:21 am

Quote of the day:
"All it takes is getting out of town to realize you're not as innovative as you would like to have thought."

Ouch. Gently put, couldn't be truer. Thank you, BE.

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www.newslinkassociates.com
www.drewhoward.com

Tony Palmer · Post by **Tony Palmer** » 20 Oct 2002 6:57 am

So, is it possible to approximate this technique on E9?
I can get a Johnny Cash type sound in open E vamping on 8 and 10 and adding 5 and 6 together but that's as close as I can get.

Buddy Emmons · Post by **Buddy Emmons** » 20 Oct 2002 7:55 am

Tony,
The ideal way is to have a root and fifth on the bottom so you can alternate between the two notes between the strum sound. My original pedal C6th tuning had a C and G on the bottom so it was perfect for the style. I haven't recorded the sound too many times but one song that comes to mind is "I Hear Little Rock Calling" on a Ferlin Huskey session. During the rehearsal when it was time for my solo, I did the Atkins thing strictly as a joke but Ferlin liked it and insisted I play it that way.

The C6th tuning allows more melodic freedom but the E9th has a pedal for the 6th, so it's possible to pull it off. To my ear, the E9th is thin sounding for the style and limited to the simplicity of the pedal arrangement, but E13 would work better. I've found it takes a lot more dexterity of the right hand to tame the brilliance of the E9 sound.

The 6th pedal on the C6th tuning has the root on string nine and 5th on ten. On pedal five, the root and fifth are on strings 10 and 8. Also the barroom pedal is great for 7th chords and supplies the root and fifth as well. Between the open tuning and the three pedals, the C6th tuning gives a wide range of 6ths, 7ths, and 9ths to choose from.

To start, establish the root-strum-fifth-strum technique. From there, integrate simple melody notes. I started with the song Camptown Races, which is the easiest because the melody lands on both the root and strum section. From there, I added syncopation to the melody so it would fall between the strum technique in certain spots. It takes right hand/left hand thinking to do the syncopated parts but in time, it pays off.
[This message was edited by Buddy Emmons on 20 October 2002 at 09:00 AM.]

Gary Lee Gimble · Post by **Gary Lee Gimble** » 20 Oct 2002 9:39 am

Another couple easy tunes to work up "thumb" style on C6 is Home Sweet Home and Grandfather's Clock. Both played in the key of C.
Gary Lee

Bobbe Seymour · Post by **Bobbe Seymour** » 20 Oct 2002 12:23 pm

Right on Gary, and as most of you know , I do have a video (VHS)out showing how to play this style on C6th. Several if not all songs can be played this style providing your dexterity is proficiant. Roy Thompson plays GREAT finger style on E9th, he's a weird guy whose talent knows no boundrys! Waltz time songs are very nice sounding using this style also. The Dave Brubeck,"Take Five" is still a little rough on me,but I seldom get this request at steel shows anyway.
Anyone wanting to learn more about this style and about getting into it , just e-mail me and I'll point you in that direction, then in a couple years, you can fire your bass and rhythm player! ( Ha!).
Bobbe