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Topic: Mike 'Slo-Mo' Brenner--lap steel instruction vid |
Mike Brenner
From:
Pennsylvania, USA
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Posted 19 Jul 2018 6:17 am |
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Hi folks---kicking off my partnership with Industrial Guitars by releasing my first Lap Steel as a Second Language (LSSL) video. Geared towards beginning steelers who want to integrate lap steel into their music asap, this first vid focuses on pick blocking. Big thanks to Chris Fouke at Industrial Guitars. Hope the vid is helpful to some folks out there. More vids in this series to be released soon. thanks, Mike
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sswQcxo0Q5M&feature=youtu.be |
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Mike Brenner
From:
Pennsylvania, USA
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Bob Blair
From:
Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
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Posted 3 Aug 2018 9:33 am
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| Great job Mike! |
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Mike Brenner
From:
Pennsylvania, USA
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Posted 3 Aug 2018 9:52 am
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| thank you Bob--much appreciated! |
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Stephen Abruzzo
From:
Philly, PA
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Posted 4 Aug 2018 6:55 am
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Good work on your first 2 videos. Very informative.
_________________
Four Pettingills and a Clinesmith Aluminum. Fender Blues Junior. Quilter Mini-101. |
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Mike Brenner
From:
Pennsylvania, USA
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Posted 6 Aug 2018 4:08 am
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| thanks Stephen! |
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Peter Jacobs
From:
Northern Virginia
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Bill McCloskey
From:
Nanuet, NY
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Posted 6 Aug 2018 8:40 am
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pick blocking is really a matter of practicing it over and over again mindlessly. I used to practice it while watching TV.
Joe Wright has a good tutorial on pickblocking which is where I learned it. I found that doing Wright's exercises over and over, I had pick blocking down in a relatively short time. Once you have it, you have it. It is about muscle memory
_________________
Rose D13 tuning: Cabinet by J.R. Rose with mechanics engineered by Darvin Willhoite.
Williams D10 9x9.
Mullen Pre-RP D10 8x5. |
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Ed Pettersen
From:
Tennessee, USA
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Posted 6 Aug 2018 8:44 am
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Awesome Mike!
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Singer-songwriter, author, composer and full-time musician, ie: poor! <g> |
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Mike Brenner
From:
Pennsylvania, USA
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Posted 6 Aug 2018 11:31 am
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thanks so much folks!!
agreed on pick blocking: do it 15mins a day (all tempos/all string spacings) and then, after a little while, your hands will begin to take over. It's worthwhile-very hard to get that super crisp clarity without pick blocking. Good luck! thanks again for checking out the vids. 3 more coming soon, Mike |
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Andy Volk
From:
Boston, MA
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Posted 6 Aug 2018 12:01 pm
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Really well done, Mike!
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Steel Guitar Books! Website: www.volkmediabooks.com |
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Joe Breeden
From:
Virginia, USA
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Posted 6 Aug 2018 2:07 pm
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| Best how to drill I have ever seen. Joe |
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Mark Helm
From:
Tennessee, USA
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Posted 7 Aug 2018 1:33 am Thanks, Mike!
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How about a tutorial on palm blocking? Thanks!
_________________
Remington Steelmaster S8 w/ custom Steeltronics pickup. Vox MV-50 amplifier + an 1940's Oahu cab w/ 8" American Vintage speaker. J. Mascis Fender Squire Jazzmaster, Hofner Club bass, Ibanez AVN4-VMS Artwood Vintage Series Concert Size Acoustic Guitar. 1920s/30s Supertone Hawaiian-themed parlor guitar. Silvertone parlor guitar. |
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Mike Brenner
From:
Pennsylvania, USA
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Posted 7 Aug 2018 4:59 am
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thanks Andy and Joe!
Mark--besides just learning to use bits and pieces of my right palm, I'm not really a 'palm blocker.' I love listening to pedal steelers who can bounce on the strings and keep it nice and crisp. I don't really have that skill in hand. Working on it!! |
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Stefan Robertson
From:
Hertfordshire, UK
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Posted 7 Aug 2018 5:20 am
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After many years I realised that naturally we all use pick blocking, palm block and behind the bar blocking with the finger.
They all have different applications depending on the situation. Learn all of the different ways possible.
I learnt this after studying Buddy and Doug's right hand technique.
Haven't seen anyone of that caliber use just one technique only. Chords, arpeggios, scales, slants use what naturally feels right and perfect the muting/dampening technique as aforementioned.
_________________
Stefan
Bill Hatcher custom 12 string Lap Steel Guitar
E13#9/F secrets: https://thelapsteelguitarist.wordpress.com
"Give it up for The Lap Steel Guitarist" |
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Bill Sinclair
From:
Waynesboro, PA, USA
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Posted 7 Aug 2018 8:07 am
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Mike,
Like Peter, your 1st video inspired me to take another stab at pick blocking. I quickly realized that I had already been doing it unconsciously with certain licks. I'll use your method to expand it beyond two adjacent strings.
Does anybody use the thumb and index finger for pick blocking instead of the middle finger? Seems like most of my muscle memory has developed between 1 & 2. It does seem like 1 & 3 has some advantages when you're jumping over a couple of strings. |
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Mike Brenner
From:
Pennsylvania, USA
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Posted 7 Aug 2018 9:29 am
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| Thank you Bill---I'd try taking a page from pedal steel exercises and try thumb/index, then thumb/middle, then try some 3-fingered exercises: thumb/index/thumb/middle; thumb/middle/thumb/index, etc...also try starting on index or middle too. good luck and thanks again! |
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Mark Helm
From:
Tennessee, USA
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Posted 7 Aug 2018 10:39 am
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| Stefan Robertson wrote: |
| After many years I realised that naturally we all use pick blocking, palm block and behind the bar blocking with the finger. |
Agreed. But the fact remains that, if I want to play lap steel guitar using both single notes & chords, and play it without distortion or effects in either the Hawaiian or Western Swing/Country style, then palm blocking is absolutely vital. I'm learning that the hard way as I work my way through some John Ely arrangements for C6 (I'm doing "Cold, Cold Heart" and "Secret Love" at the moment). On their face, these arrangements look relatively simple when you glance at the tabs--but nothing could be farther from the truth. Oh, they're easy enough--if you want to play them badly! The trick, of course, is the subtleties, of which palm blocking is one that's crucial. It's impossible to get a smooth, clean, clear sound without it. Of course, it's REALLY difficult--although my teacher Jeff Kearns assures me that, with a lot of practice, it eventually becomes reflexive (I'm still waiting).
So--if anyone knows any good exercises they'd like to share, please pass them on. I'm reading Jerry's book right now and his tips are helpful, but I prefer instructional vids, as I'm sure a lot of us do.
Aloha, gents Very Happy
_________________
Remington Steelmaster S8 w/ custom Steeltronics pickup. Vox MV-50 amplifier + an 1940's Oahu cab w/ 8" American Vintage speaker. J. Mascis Fender Squire Jazzmaster, Hofner Club bass, Ibanez AVN4-VMS Artwood Vintage Series Concert Size Acoustic Guitar. 1920s/30s Supertone Hawaiian-themed parlor guitar. Silvertone parlor guitar. |
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Guy Cundell
From:
More idle ramblings from South Australia
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Posted 7 Aug 2018 12:57 pm
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| Mark Helm wrote: |
-although my teacher Jeff Kearns assures me that, with a lot of practice, it eventually becomes reflexive (I'm still waiting).
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Mark, is Mr Kearns a PSG player by any chance? |
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Mike Brenner
From:
Pennsylvania, USA
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Mike Brenner
From:
Pennsylvania, USA
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Posted 7 Sep 2018 7:12 am
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here are the final 2 segments of this 5 segment series. Hopefully, some new steelers got something out of them. Big thanks to Chris Fouke and Industrial Guitars for the support and inspiring instruments. Thanks for checking them out--any feedback is always appreciated. Mike
https://youtu.be/4s-HgyKUYOY
https://youtu.be/liFqpLt6Dmw |
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