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Topic: Left hand index finger technique |
Ian Rae
From:
Redditch, England
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Posted 8 Apr 2015 7:28 am |
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I've been reading Daniel's thread
http://bb.steelguitarforum.com/viewtopic.php?t=282151
and I ended up buying William Litaker's 32 Technique Exercises. I'm away from my guitar at the moment but I've been watching the video. I noticed something I've never spotted before, which is that he crooks his left index finger so that he can move the bar back and forth independently of the rest of his hand. I didn't think about it again until I stumbled upon Jody Cameron playing Here's That Rainy Day, and he does something similar.
(I imagine that this video is so famous that everyone knows it, but just in case you don't it's some of the most expressive playing I've heard on any instrument https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D_LovsJJA_0)
Anyway, how many players use this independent movement of the bar? Does it give extra flexibility or does it confuse things for the beginner? I suspect it's a what-works-for-you, but I'd like to know what views folks might have.
_________________
Make sleeping dogs tell the truth!
Homebuilt keyless U12 7x5, Excel keyless U12 8x8, Williams keyless U12 7x8, Telonics rack and 15" cabs |
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Richard Sinkler
From:
aka: Rusty Strings -- Missoula, Montana
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Posted 8 Apr 2015 9:11 am
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Sorry. Misunderstood question.
_________________
Carter D10 8p/8k, Dekley S10 3p/4k C6 setup,Regal RD40 Dobro, Recording King Professional Dobro, NV400, NV112,Ibanez Gio guitar, Epiphone SG Special (open D slide guitar) . Playing for 55 years and still counting.
Last edited by Richard Sinkler on 9 Apr 2015 9:42 am; edited 1 time in total |
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Brint Hannay
From:
Maryland, USA
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Posted 8 Apr 2015 9:51 am
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Are you referring to the way the first finger is flexed with the middle knuckle raised?
I've seen where a lot of players do that. Personally, I have the first finger lying flat along the bar. I'm no paragon myself, but plenty of other players keep the finger flat as well.
Then there are some who bend the first finger around the bar so that the nose of the bar sticks out in between the first two fingers. Bobbe Seymour is one who did that (before his hand accident). |
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Ian Rae
From:
Redditch, England
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Posted 8 Apr 2015 12:31 pm
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Richard, no I'm not talking about that (although it's interesting) and Brint, yes I am. The next two videos I watched were of Messrs Emmons & Hughey, both of which show a traditional flat finger, so I don't feel compelled to do different!
I shall keep my eyes open for more examples and experiment when I get back to the steel.
_________________
Make sleeping dogs tell the truth!
Homebuilt keyless U12 7x5, Excel keyless U12 8x8, Williams keyless U12 7x8, Telonics rack and 15" cabs |
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Howard Steinberg
From:
St. Petersburg, Florida , USA
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Posted 8 Apr 2015 2:09 pm
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The crooked finger seems to better allow for rolling the bar for vibrato. I've been trying this, with some success but I can't detect a difference sonically between rolling as opposed to dragging for vibrato. The technique exercises are great for gaining right hand control and accuracy. If you practice what Mr. Litaker says, you get better - simple and effective stuff.
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Justice Pro Lite (4-5), Justice D-10 (8-5)x2 , Quilter Steelaire, Hilton Pedal, BJ's bar. |
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Jim Lindsey (Louisiana)
From:
Greenwell Springs, Louisiana (deceased)
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Posted 8 Apr 2015 3:47 pm
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If you're referring to the raised forefinger crooked for the tip of the finger to rest on the bar, as in my photos below ...
... I can say how it works for me. I used to lay my finger flat on the bar in the infancy of my playing and it was okay and all; but, a few months into my playing I met Gary Hogue and noticed he held his bar as in the photo examples above. I decided to give it a try. For me, I found it gave me overall better control over the bar, it helped in my bar shiver regardless of whether I was rolling it or moving side to side, and it really opened a new door for me for bar slanting as well as hammer-ons and bar bouncing, etc.
The Catch-22 when talking various bar techniques is that each person is individual; what works well for one player doesn't necessarily work well for another. I've always held the idea that it never hurts to experiment with a new bar technique, but once the technique that works best is found, stick with it. 
_________________
1986 Mullen D-10 with 8 & 7 (Dual Bill Lawrence 705 pickups each neck)
Two Peavey Nashville 400 Amps (with a Session 500 in reserve) - Yamaha SPX-90 II
Peavey ProFex II - Yamaha R-1000 Digital Reverb - Ross Time Machine Digital Delay - BBE Sonic Maximizer 422A
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Goodrich Match-Bro by Buddy Emmons - BJS Steel Bar (Dunlop Finger Picks / Golden Gate Thumb Picks) |
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Ray Montee
From:
Portland, Oregon (deceased)
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Posted 9 Apr 2015 8:52 am age old question..................
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I use that technique as did Jerry Byrd.
I use the arched index finger TIP.........
as the pivot point for any/all bar slants.
Some folks use the hand, wrist, elbow and shoulder and in some case the whole torso in order to slant their bar.
By arching that index finger the player has an actual PIVOT POINT and the bar is swiveled/slanted beneath it.
That's my story and I'm sticking to it. |
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Daniel Policarpo
From:
Kansas City
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Posted 10 Apr 2015 8:00 am Re: age old question..................
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| Ray Montee wrote: |
| I use that technique as did Jerry Byrd.....By arching that index finger the player has an actual PIVOT POINT and the bar is swiveled/slanted beneath it... |
That's what I've found, too. I could get precise, good sounding, expressive slants, not to mention the effect on vibrato. I initially worked a flat finger approach, but my hand would become fatigued, so I went with the arched index and I didn't have any more fatigue. For somebody else it might be natural to do it another way. |
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Erv Niehaus
From:
Litchfield, MN, USA
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Posted 10 Apr 2015 8:36 am
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I think my index finger has a mind of its own. Sometimes it lays flat and other times it's arched up.
Maybe has something to do with the weather!  |
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Richard Sinkler
From:
aka: Rusty Strings -- Missoula, Montana
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Posted 10 Apr 2015 2:15 pm
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Mine has a mind of it's own too.
_________________
Carter D10 8p/8k, Dekley S10 3p/4k C6 setup,Regal RD40 Dobro, Recording King Professional Dobro, NV400, NV112,Ibanez Gio guitar, Epiphone SG Special (open D slide guitar) . Playing for 55 years and still counting. |
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Marc Friedland
From:
Fort Collins, CO
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Posted 10 Apr 2015 6:01 pm
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Looking at photos from live gigs, I now realize that sometimes there's a fair amount of finger slant, and sometimes pretty flat, or as shown in this case, somewhere in the middle.
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Marc Friedland
From:
Fort Collins, CO
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Posted 10 Apr 2015 6:04 pm
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I recommend having a small bird, in this case, a gray cheek, on your left hand... I'm not sure if helps with pitch control, but the vibrato is interesting.
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Ian Rae
From:
Redditch, England
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Posted 11 Apr 2015 12:22 pm
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Many thanks to all who have responded. I have now had a chance to experiment, and I'm quite happy with my first finger lying flat on top of the bar! Admittedly I don't attempt slants and I'm never likely to - plenty to keep me puzzled without them 
_________________
Make sleeping dogs tell the truth!
Homebuilt keyless U12 7x5, Excel keyless U12 8x8, Williams keyless U12 7x8, Telonics rack and 15" cabs |
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