Jerry Byrd's course book 1 finished, video Sweet Lei Lehua

[Francisco Castillo]

Hi all.
It's me again.
Jerry Byrd's Book 1 finished. It took me about 6 weeks to study almost all the songs. Then did a pause to let it settle down.
(It's been 1 year now since i started playing lap, and feel very enthusiastic with this new instrument in my life.)

Now i'm in B11th in 2nd Book, and practicing as much as I can. If was younger, unemployed, not married and childless, i'd be playin all day long....

This is Sweet Lei Lehua, in E9th from 1st book.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wOI0s-QK9lY

Thanksfor watching and commenting
Iorana, maururu

[Mark Helm]

Way to go, Francisco! I know those slants are difficult. Kudos to you for being so fearless! What's that guitar?

[Francisco Castillo]

Hi Mark

Thanks for your kind words.
This is my studying guitar. A nice Melbert lap.

Iorana

[Mark Helm]

Sounds great! I hear good things about those Melbert laps. What kind of amp are you running it through and what gauge strings are you using?

[Francisco Castillo]

Guitar --> Roland Jazz Chorus JC-40

GHS strings, C6th set

I tried picks, but couldn't get used to them, so bare fingers.

Tuning L --> H
B-E-F#-G#-B-E

In the book it's played in a different tuning, so E9th is the closest tuning without going too far away from original pitch (C6th strings set), cause right now i'm studying tunings (B11th n A6th) that can be used with same gauge as C6th sets.
When i first studied the book i used additional strings (thicker) from guitar sets, for those lower strings that requiere more tension. Now i think i won't go back to those gauges (at least for a while).

Iorana

[Mark Helm]

I tried picks, but couldn't get used to them, so bare fingers.

My friend: NO ONE (myself included, 100%) likes to hear this, but IMHO you shouldn't
give up on picks. When I first started a few years ago, I bought a set of picks, tried to play with them for a few weeks, then gave up and decided to use my fingers (I even found a teacher on line who used his fingers and said I didn't need picks.* I made a little progress, but I just couldn't get the sound I wanted--especially when it came to stuff like cross-picking, banjo-style rolls, and--most especially--harmonics.

Eventually I found a really good teacher here in Nashville who urged me to give picks another shot. So I did. And it was a disaster--but only for the first couple weeks. He told me to get a set of needle-nose pliers and adjust the tightness and angle until I started to feel more comfortable. That helped a little. Then, he gave me some exercises for major and minor chord grips and told me to practice with my picks for 10-15 minutes (no longer!), 1-3 times a day as my time allowed.

Well, it took me about a month to start really feeling comfortable. A year later--while I'm still making minor adjustments--I NEVER want to play without them. The difference in sound is, for me, night and day. And, unbelievably, I actually prefer playing with picks!

*Now--as with many things, there are exceptions to the rule. An long-time member told me Buddy Emmons once posted to the Forum that he tried playing with his fingernails and couldn't tell much difference. But that was Buddy Emmons! And there are some fine players out there who use their fingers. I would still urge you to give fingerpicks a go--at least use a thumb pick.

But don't take my word for it! Post a thread under "Steel without Pedals" and see what the gang says (just be prepared--some folks have pretty strong opinions. I once heard of a guy whose teacher refused to instruct him if he was just going to use his fingers. Now, my teacher never said that, but he STRONGLY suggested they were necessary.

[Francisco Castillo]

Mark, i do believe that finger picks is a MUST, but .... i can't get used to them.
I've been plucking strings with my bare fingers for 25 years, and the hardest part was playing two unplugged guitars (me and my flamenco teacher) and 10 voices, having to solo and make it audible for the singers .... looking backwards i can see it helped me develop a little bit of extra strength to overcome the need of picks and just trust my nails.
Some will disagree, but i think rules can be broken.

Iorana.

[Mark Helm]

...rules can be broken. I have a friend who's a very good player who only uses a thumb pick. I would try for at least that. But, hey--if you're happy and it sounds good, who cares, right? Playing should bring joy--that's what matters in the end.

[David M Brown]

I suggest making an effort to get used to fingerpicks - they are part of the traditional Hawaiian sound and style of playing steel.

Sure you see the occasional mainlander playing with a flatpick or bare fingers, but show me any Hawaiian pro that did not use fingerpicks.

[Kirk Francis]

nahenahe! that's a tough one, brother, and you did a good job on it -- keep it up.

aloha from laupahoehoe!

[George Keoki Lake]

No picks is like trying to play the piano with your fists. Don't go there. JB's great tone and expression would not have happened had he not used picks. JMHO for what it's worth.

[Mark Helm]

Well, the analogy is hilarious, but not exactly correct. As we know, it’s possible to play and play fairly well without picks. But, where Mr. Lake is spot on is that it’s nearly impossible to capture the rich tonal beauty and subtleties of touch that the best Hawaiian steel guitar playing demands without the use of metal finger pucks and a plastic thumb pick. There’s a reason everybody uses them.

Sure, playing with finger picks is really hard at first and you may feel like you’ll never get used to them (I didn’t think I would, and I’m betting a lot of other guys felt the same); but you will surprise yourself if you stick with it. Cross my heart!