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Post new topic Use of harmonics these days..................
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Author Topic:  Use of harmonics these days..................
Ray Montee


From:
Portland, Oregon (deceased)
Post  Posted 20 Apr 2013 6:37 pm    
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Harmonics used to be a major tool in a steel players bag of affects...........way back when.

Red Foley's "Kisses on Paper".......with Billy Robinson utilized the finger harmonics for an into' and solo chorus.

Jerry Byrd used the same type of harmonics in several recorded songs. Jerry also played a lot of palm harmonics for fills and playing harmony with the vocalist.

Is this still being done?
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Tom Snook

 

From:
Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, USA
Post  Posted 20 Apr 2013 9:06 pm    
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Nope,no one has played any harmonics since June 22nd 2011.
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Doug Beaumier


From:
Northampton, MA
Post  Posted 20 Apr 2013 9:22 pm    
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Quote:
Is this still being done?


I put harmonics in almost every song I play, whether backing a vocalist or playing an instrumental. They are becoming a lost art though. So are hammer-ons and pull-offs, 'ting-a-ling' steel', boo-wah' tone control, bar slams, and so many other steel guitar techniques of yesteryear.
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Steve Green


From:
Gulfport, MS, USA
Post  Posted 21 Apr 2013 2:16 am    
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Doug Beaumier wrote:
. . .

I put harmonics in almost every song I play, whether backing a vocalist or playing an instrumental. They are becoming a lost art though. So are hammer-ons and pull-offs, 'ting-a-ling' steel', boo-wah' tone control, bar slams, and so many other steel guitar techniques of yesteryear.


Doug,
I'm familiar with most of those:
Harmonics (Sleepwalk)
Hammer-ons/pull-offs (Remington Ride)
Ting-a-ling steel (most anything by Roy Wiggins)
Boo-Wah tone control (lots of Kayton Roberts' stuff)

But what is a "bar slam"? I've seen it mentioned on the SGF before, but don't know what it is. Could you (or anyone) point me to some youtube videos featuring bar slams?
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Jeff Au Hoy


From:
Honolulu, Hawai'i
Post  Posted 21 Apr 2013 5:21 am    
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Yep, every song!
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Tom Snook

 

From:
Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, USA
Post  Posted 21 Apr 2013 5:28 am    
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I was just thinking,I'll bet not a day goes by that Jeff Au Hoy doesn't play harmonics.I think we're connected Shocked
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Erv Niehaus


From:
Litchfield, MN, USA
Post  Posted 21 Apr 2013 5:54 am    
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I use a bar slam as a comping effect.
You just bang the bar down on the strings at the proper chord position and forget about picking the strings.
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Doug Beaumier


From:
Northampton, MA
Post  Posted 21 Apr 2013 8:02 am    
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Yes, like Erv said, for a "bar slam" you bang the bar down on the strings instead of picking the strings. Speedy West and Alvino Rey did that a lot. They would hammer the bar down at each fret, moving up the fretboard to create a 'chattering' sound.

It's too bad that so many old time steel guitar techniques have fallen out of favor in the steel guitar world. I guess these sounds are considered dated or unnecessary on pedal steel guitar nowadays, unfortunately.
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Mat Rhodes

 

From:
Lexington, KY, USA
Post  Posted 21 Apr 2013 11:14 am    
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Harmonics are too much to carry around in my gig bag because you have to have at least 12 of them for songs that are played in different keys. So a while back, I sampled all of them on a keyboard and just use that for songs like "Isn't She Lovely".
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Dennis Smith

 

From:
Covington, Georgia, USA
Post  Posted 21 Apr 2013 11:31 am    
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Here's Chris Scruggs doing it all.
http://youtu.be/qa2Eg98fMJE
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Steve Green


From:
Gulfport, MS, USA
Post  Posted 21 Apr 2013 12:38 pm    
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Doug Beaumier wrote:
. . . for a "bar slam" you bang the bar down on the strings instead of picking the strings . . .



Guess you don't see many "bar slams" among Leavitt players. Rolling Eyes Very Happy
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Jeff Mead


From:
London, England
Post  Posted 22 Apr 2013 12:44 am    
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Dennis Smith wrote:
Here's Chris Scruggs doing it all.
http://youtu.be/qa2Eg98fMJE


Love what Chris is doing at the very start of this clip - like someone hammering away at the top end of a piano.

I might steal that Smile
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Tim Whitlock


From:
Colorado, USA
Post  Posted 24 Apr 2013 8:58 am    
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Doug Beaumier wrote:
It's too bad that so many old time steel guitar techniques have fallen out of favor in the steel guitar world. I guess these sounds are considered dated or unnecessary on pedal steel guitar nowadays, unfortunately.


+1 They are my bread and butter, so I'm kind of glad to have a wide open field. Actually, most of what I do is considered dated or unnecessary, which suits me fine. Smile

Killer clip of Chris Scruggs - he gets it!
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