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Ron Bednar · From: Rancho Cordova, California, USA

I am just a beginner but my teacher, Pete Grant, tells me that's a great technique to learn phrasing with and highly recommends it to everyone no matter what style of music you are into. He was telling me a buddy of his, David Lindley, does his practising listening to Aretha Franklin. Said, pick a singer who you like and take a phrase of their's and try to play it note for note slide for slide. Ain't easy for me...but one day maybe.

Jim Cohen · From: Philadelphia, PA

Listen to some of the slower, moaning sacred steel recordings to really hear a human voice come out of a steel guitar!

basilh · From: United Kingdom

Aloha Jeff......I have always said that you're really getting somewhere when you can emulate the expressiveness (Sic) of the human voice....I think probably the first musical instrument.
Also..The lack of integrity of some instrumentalists often amazes me.Playing consecutive verses of a song with total disregard for the lyrics is not only wrong, but an insult to the listener, who, whether they know it or not, are subliminally singing the song along with the person playing it. ANY variation from the known words IMMEDIATELY makes the listener feel uncomfortable, and they feel SOMETHING is wrong.(Not always being able to pinpoint what).
The choice of key and tempo are also critical.Just because a tune is easier to play in a particular key is no reason to do it in that key....one should bear in mind the listener AT ALL TIMES.
As I stated before most listeners are subliminally singing the song....if the key or tempo are too far removed from the well known definitive version, the listener again feels alienated from the performance and not part of it.
The composer intended the song to occupy a certain part of the musical spectrum...move it more than two or three steps up or down, and you loose the INTENDED sound register.
Question... If you don't know the words, then how can you possibly play the song ?
Baz www.waikiki-islanders.com

An example of the relationship of lyrics to the Instrumental version of a song is in the latest edition of "Aloha Dream" using Sweet Leilani as an example..... the second lines of verses 1 + 2 have 9 sylables , whilst the second line of verse 3 has only 8

I know I am straying from the subject so I'll Get on with the draft book on European steel Guitarists....!!!

Ray Montee · From: Portland, Oregon (deceased)

Great point Jeff!
I've been doing that for years. It certainly helps one develop great bar movement in mimicing a great vocalists' inflecitons, slurs, etc. From this comes Style, right?
I also envision my bar as an extension of a hula dancers body/hand movements. Graceful, swaying, gentle..........etc.

Donald Ruetenik · From: Pleasant Hill, California, USA

Good discussion. Not intending any humor but consider the voicing of the late Mario Lanza, IMHO the greatest Tenor of the last century. His expressive renditions of 'popular songs' place him far beyond the annals of the 'mechanical' tenors of his, and our time (with the exception of Andrea Botcelli). Emulation, however, is only a dream, rather vocally or otherwise. But that should (and will) never deter one obsessed with realizing that end.

George Keoki Lake · From: Edmonton, AB., Canada

Anyone figured out how to imitate "Satchmo" Louis Armstrong's voice on the steel ?

Now, there's a real challenge!

Rick Schmidt · From: Prescott AZ, USA

Absolutely! That's the "secret" of great single note playing IMHO. I also think that chord melody playing sounds best when trying to emulate vocal groups.

Mike Ihde · From: Boston, MA

I've always taught my students that the human voice was there first and instruments came much, much later. No matter what part of the world you discuss, you find the instruments imitating the voice characteristics of that land. Hawaiian singers have wide vibratos and love to sing in a high falsetto, the steel copies them. Blues singers use tons of ornaments on their notes and blues guitarists (and Sacred Steel players) copy all those inflections. Country singers are very in tune and major sounding with lots of 2 to 3 scale degree slurs, well that's the old first pedal lick when holding down 2 pedals. Bluegrass singers use a lot of 4ths and 5ths as harmony notes and so do fiddlers etc etc etc. It's really quite interesting when you start to research it a bit.

Jussi Huhtakangas · From: Helsinki, Finland

It's also fascinating the other way; I was just listening to Anita O'Day's version of "Lover Man" and realized how much she phrased and sounded like a saxophone ( or is it because all good sax players try to emulate a human voice??? )
On the other hand, the older gentleman who said there's nothing prettier than a human voice, has obviously never heard any Mrs Miller-records!!

Andy Volk · From: Boston, MA

I'd like to sound like Anita O'Day! She's a true original. A plunger muted trumpet can sound like a voice. Darrick Campbell and Aubrey Ghent sure can get close.

Freddie Roulette has an amazing routine down he calls "audio illusion". He imitates a man and woman having an argument. He speaks while the guitar answers as the woman. It's dead-on and very funny.

I heard Carlos Santana say that he listened carefully to Dionne Warwick for phrasing ideas (and astrological advice?).

Alan Kirk · From: Scotia, CA, USA

Good discussion. Must disagree with Basil's statement "Just because a tune is easier to play in a particular key is no reason to do it in that key." I'll buy this for an instrument, but not for a lead singer. If the lead singer doesn't feel comfortable in a given key, you'd better change the key to accommodate that singer's range or your whole band will sound terrible. Listeners will put up with a lot of instrumental mistakes, but an uncomfortable vocalist will clear the room quicker than a power outage.

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Brad Bechtel · From: San Francisco, CA

I find that trying to mimic the way a good vocalist sings a song is an excellent way to improve your phrasing. Unfortunately the vocalist I've chosen to imitate is Mrs. Miller.

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Brad's Page of Steel
A web site devoted to acoustic & electric lap steel guitars

Bob Stone · From: Gainesville, FL, USA

Much of the approach used by the "sacred steel" players is based on imitating the vocal style they hear in church. Aubrey Ghent got much of his phrasing for his instrumental version of "Amazing Grace" from Aretha Franklin.

Sam Baldwin's vocal arsenal includes some very high falsetto phrasing. You can hear him mixing it up with Darick Campbell on "He's Sweet I Know" on Arhoolie 472 and "Where Could I Go?" on CD 502. On "He's Sweet" it's actually more like Sam's voice is imitating Darick's steel. Not only are the notes and phrasing very close, but the timbre of Sam's voice is very steel-like. He's a lot of fun.

Here's a recent quote from Ft. Pierce, FL steeler/preacher Elton Noble:

"And also, the moanin'. That's one of the best parts to me is the moanin'. I played... in Lake City, at a small church...I played and I let it moan, and a woman jumped up and screamed and fell out, just because the guitar was moanin'."

Chuck Campbell often gets a voice-like sound, especially with his E-bow.

Andy Volk · From: Boston, MA

Brad, how can I have gotten this far through life without knowing about Mrs. Miller? Wow. I bet the CIA uses her records to extract information. Even the dog's ears went sat up when she heard her.

Bob Stone · From: Gainesville, FL, USA

Mrs. Miller...? I swear we've met. Now there's a voice!

basilh · From: United Kingdom

Alan... I did say ....Tune .....Play. not sing..We were discussing emulating a singer.
Baz

Terry Edwards · From: Florida... livin' on spongecake...

Could it be that I have subconciously been trying to imitate my own voice singing!

No wonder my steel playing sucks!

I need to focus on playing like Aretha Franklin sings, definitely not Bob Dylan!

Terry

Donald Ruetenik · From: Pleasant Hill, California, USA

How about the stylizings of JONATHAN & DARLENE EDWARDS? I have just about attained that level in regards to my playing.

George Keoki Lake · From: Edmonton, AB., Canada

Don...What Jonathan and Darlene did took REAL talent ! If you are at that stage, congratulations. Paul Weston and Jo Stafford must have had fun doing those recordings. But I'm sure it took a helluva lot of concentration to 'play it wrong' as well as they did !

[This message was edited by George Keoki Lake on 15 November 2003 at 09:12 AM.]

Donald Ruetenik · From: Pleasant Hill, California, USA

Gee, it doesn't take any concentration at all for me to 'play it wrong' as well as I do.

You are right, George, and my tongue is now stuck a little too far in my cheek. And it appears a little egg got on the face, too. Would that I were that accomplished. I was wondering if anyone out there remembered those recordings from back in the '50s.

Playing their records as background while entertaining guests is almost as hilarious as their music. "Is there something wrong with your Stereo?" is a usual response. Definitely loosens up a party.

[This message was edited by Donald Ruetenik on 15 November 2003 at 10:43 AM.]

George Keoki Lake · From: Edmonton, AB., Canada

I recall playing one of those records at a house gathering which included a lady who "thought" she was a vocalist. I almost bent over in hysterical laughter when this lady commented how nice "Darlene" sounded!
Those recordings are priceless gems for any true "music lover"!!!

[This message was edited by George Keoki Lake on 15 November 2003 at 12:28 PM.]

Andy Volk · From: Boston, MA

You are so right, George. Jo Stafford had impossibly perfectr intonation - like the most in tune flute you've ever heard. She could flat or sharp a note at will. It took tremendous talent to sing badly as her alter ego Darlene.

Keith DeLong · From: Dartmouth NS Canada

Mrs. Miller--omigawd!!! I'd forgotten all about her. The funny thing is, I think I've been emulating her voice on the steel subconciosly. My wife says I sound sick when I'm playing the steel, now I know why

Mark van Allen · From: Watkinsville, Ga. USA

What Jim and Bob said- the Sacred Steelers have a lot to show the rest of us about organic phrasing. I think it's Aubrey on the sacred steel video trading phrases with a vocalist, absolutely mesmorizing, spooky and inspiring. A must see for sure. Lots of folks are very taken with BE's beautiful E-bow on his convention recording of "Once Upon A Time In the West"- if you've seen the movie (that's the movie theme), you would hear he's done a spot on interpretation of the orignial melody which was a female voice just singing pitches, no words. So beautiful! Oddly, listening to the movie soundtrack, it's almost easy to think of the voice on that tune as emulating a steel guitar!

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