Jerry Garcia pedal steel Dark Hollow

[Marc Muller]

Wow, never heard this. Love or hate him (you really don't need to do either, really, though) what a touch, tone. Unrecreatable.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gPdFcPjsyLU

[Doug Beaumier]

Yeah, a very distinctive style. Jerry played banjo too, and I hear some of that in his steel picking. He picks a lot. I do like his playing, but I don't like his volume pedal technique (or lack of it). It sounds like he pumps the volume pedal constantly. Maybe that's the sound he's going for...?

[Marc Muller]

I know what you mean about the poor volume pedal technique but I find it endearing and one of the elements that make his phrasing so unique. Imagine Teach you Children part played with proper VP technique. Wouldn't be the same thing at all.

[Jerry Overstreet]

Always a treat to hear a Jerry steel performance. Thanks for finding and posting that Marc. No one can say he didn't have a distinctive sound and technique.

[Joseph Napolitano]

Thanks Marc. I really enjoyed that . It sounds like Jerry pumps the volume pedal on the harmonized notes, and leaves it alone for the single note stuff.

[Bryan Staddon]

Thanks, never heard that. I thought it was great, I still don't know why everybody moans about Jerry playing steel, He had his own sound for sure and there was some cool licks in there. Big fun!

[Richard Sinkler]

Love it. Thanks Mark.

[Duncan Hodge]

Thanks Marc.
I loved the tune. Jerry played beautifully and added to the song just what it needed. BTW, I used to live at the other end of 33 from Neptune in Hightstown.
Have a beautiful Jersey day.
Duncan

[Godfrey Arthur]

Thanks for posting.

[Bob Carlucci]

i think some of jerry's distinctive picking style on all his instruments was due to the fact he had no middle finger on his right hand.. His "workaround" for the missing digit on the picking hand may or may not be a contributing factor... bob

[kbdrost]

Jerry Garcia is probably the reason I started playing pedal steel. I was trying to figure out why I couldn't play his "Teach Your Children" parts on my regular guitar when someone explained what he was doing.

He does have a unique style, one that I think resembles Ralph Mooney's, who I think he was trying to emulate. Here is his version of "The Race Is On" (apparently from the same session as that identified in Marc's original post) which demonstrates his particular style on a tune we are all familiar with. Some other stuff, as well. I agree with the volume pedal critique.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=53z-GmOay5I

[Bob Carlucci]

Here's a great example of Jerry's "improper" volume pedal technique... its not the way most of us would use a volume pedal on a studio cut, but as always throughout his enormous career, Jerry made it work.. besides Teach, and his great steel work on the "the Wheel", THIS song in my opinion was his finest hour as far as his steel guitar work is concerned.. this was a hit for Stills, lots of airplay, and the steel was all over it.. Jerry;s discography on pedal steel puts a LOT of much better players to shame... bob

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X6bEs3kXKvw

[Doug Beaumier]

"The Wheel" is my favorite Jerry steel recording. It was on his solo album "Garcia", 1972. His unique picking style with delay and his volume pedal technique are on full display here.

---click--- > https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rYGatU18PMQ

[Bryan Staddon]

Awesome, I forgot how good that Stills tune was. Now I don't have it but I remember a really great one he played on Graham Nash's first album maybe someone remembers that one, I know there's some cool stuff he played on Paul Kantners stuff too. Thanks for "the race is on " seen the dead play it but never heard a Jerry steel version. Could some of you guys elaborate on the volume pedal stuff you're discussing? I'm not getting what you mean. Thanks

[Bob Carlucci]

Awesome, I forgot how good that Stills tune was. Now I don't have it but I remember a really great one he played on Graham Nash's first album maybe someone remembers that one, I know there's some cool stuff he played on Paul Kantners stuff too. Thanks for "the race is on " seen the dead play it but never heard a Jerry steel version. Could some of you guys elaborate on the volume pedal stuff you're discussing? I'm not getting what you mean. Thanks

Its just "in and out", up and down.... he seems like he's pumping the pedal.. Volume comes up too strong, then fades out at seemingly inappropriate times or something... Almost like he's using a wah pedal, not a volume pedal.. In the day, working with rock producers that didn't do much pedal steel , it was fine, and probably only steel players would ever notice.. Today, with highly skilled mixing/production people and digital technology, it wouldn't fly. It would be smoothed out, if not during recording, then during mixing.... I knew it was there, but as stated elsewhere in this thread, it was just part of the charm of jerry's steel playing. Not correct technically, but always right for the tune.. The cat was a musician, and knew good sound, and good time... He is missed by a LOt of us... bob

[kbdrost]

Its just "in and out", up and down.... he seems like he's pumping the pedal.. Volume comes up too strong, then fades out at seemingly inappropriate times or something... Almost like he's using a wah pedal, not a volume pedal..

I actually think some of Jerry's best stuff occurs on the tunes when he is playing the wah (with fuzz) and pumping the wah, instead of the volume pedal. "Dirty Business" with NRPS and "Sugaree" off the Garcia album come to mind.

[Doug Beaumier]

I agree that his pedal pumping is part of his sound, part of the charm. It's just that after many years of teaching steel guitar lessons and telling students Not to pump the volume pedal, it's hard for me to hear it on Jerry's recordings. Don't get me wrong, I was a big Jerry fan back in the 70s. I had his solo album "Garcia" in 1972 and he had a big influence on me. I'm just hearing things from a different perspective now.

[Joachim Kettner]

Now I don't have it but I remember a really great one he played on Graham Nash's first album maybe someone remembers that one. Thanks

This one came to mind
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hUBzFFlY6S0

[Walter Stettner]

Never heard that one before, thanks for posting!

Kind Regards, Walter

[Marc Muller]

Its just "in and out", up and down.... he seems like he's pumping the pedal.. Volume comes up too strong, then fades out at seemingly inappropriate times or something... Almost like he's using a wah pedal, not a volume pedal..

I actually think some of Jerry's best stuff occurs on the tunes when he is playing the wah (with fuzz) and pumping the wah, instead of the volume pedal. "Dirty Business" with NRPS and "Sugaree" off the Garcia album come to mind.

Hey, that's Jerry on guitar thru a leslie for Sugaree. No steel on that song. He did employ some steel licks on guitar though while he was learning steel at that point in time.

[tom anderson]

I like his use of the Leslie a the wah wah pedal on the first New Riders album. Rusty Young did too on the first three poco albums. Don't hear that style anymore.

[scott murray]

there is some nice steel on that 'Garcia' album. namely on The Wheel and the instrumental Eep Hour. it's also worth noting that Jerry played every instrument on the album aside from drums.

there's a brief clip in the recent 'Long Strange Trip' documentary of Jerry playing his MCI steel in the studio with the Dead in the early 90s. I knew he played that guitar on the Dylan/Dead tour in '87, but apparently he was toying with it in the studio as well. shame it didn't make it on one of their final albums.

[Chris Templeton]

A few years ago I did this steel overdub on "Dire Wolf", checking out Jerry's approach to pedal steel:
http://picosong.com/vk6u/

[Dave Hopping]

There's nothing wrong with Jerry's steel playing that some concentrated woodshedding wouldn't have straightened out,and very nicely....But I don't think that was a priority for him or the Deadheads.If they'd wanted his band to feature pedal steel,doubtless,there'd have been somebody hired.Jay Dee? Red Rhodes?

[scott murray]

Jerry (and Deadheads too!) did plenty of woodshedding. he mastered the 5-string banjo in the early 60s and was known to practice guitar for 8-10 hours a day. if he was awake, chances are he was playing. he studied all the music and guitar books he could get his hands on.

he only played steel actively for a few years, from about '69-'73 and you can bet he put in countless hours behind the instrument. I'd say he did alright for a guy who toured as much as the Dead and was primarily a guitarist, singer, and songwriter.

indeed, by 1974 Jerry decided he would need another lifetime to become the steel player he wanted to be and the Dead did hire somebody. the great John McFee played steel on this excellent tune:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IFSnOZy955U