Junior Brown question....

Dave Burr · Post by **Dave Burr** » 2 Jul 2001 11:48 am

I'm intrigued by Junior's ability to evoke a pedal steel feel/sound from his "Guit Steel" while playing some of the more "classic" sounding numbers... such as "Holding Pattern" on "Guit With It" or "I Want To Hear It From You" on "Semi Crazy" or "Don't Sell the Farm" on "12 Shades of Brown". Does he use an alternate tuning to achieve some of what I hear or is it all God given ability and whole lot of bar work?

I'm relatively new to the intrument, so forgive me if I'm way off base here.

As a side note, I've noticed that Junior's new album "Mixed Bag", due to release July 30, contains a song that was co-written by himself and the Great Lloyd Green. It's called "Our First Bluebonnet Spring". I wonder if Lloyd will join him on the album? Hope so!

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Dave Burr
Remington Sustainmaster S-10 w/pad 3x4

Ricky Davis · Post by **Ricky Davis** » 2 Jul 2001 12:35 pm

Hey Dave what you are hearing on the CD's> Like Holding' pattern> is Junior's Pedal Steel pal.
When he plays those songs live that are on his CD, that has pedal steel on it> he emmulates it pretty good; but not quite. So when you hear Junior on his CD's and it sounds like a pedal steel> "than it is".
Ricky

Dave Burr · Post by **Dave Burr** » 2 Jul 2001 1:05 pm

Thanks Ricky! I thought what I heard sounded an awful lot like the pedal steel... just had never heard anyone making reference to him playing one.

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Dave Burr
Remington Sustainmaster S-10 w/pad 3x4

Paul Warnik · Post by **Paul Warnik** » 3 Jul 2001 3:21 pm

Junior plays a later model Sho-Bud on his recordings that feature him playing with pedals on standard E-9TH, If you listen closely you will find that he was influenced by Lloyd Green,Hal Rugg, and other great pedal players-when he plays the guit-steel Hawaiian neck it is usually tuned to a C-13TH (eight string) as follows G E C A G E C B-flat (top to bottom)he uses lots of bar slants and choke pulls behind the bar to get pedal sounds on the guit-steel

Scott Moon · Post by **Scott Moon** » 4 Jul 2001 3:38 am

I saw Junior at Gruene Hall a while back and was close enough to watch his hands. I saw him pulling (bending) strings with his fingers just behind his bar. I saw it...but couldn't believe it!

Scott

Paul Warnik · Post by **Paul Warnik** » 4 Jul 2001 9:43 am

Scott-I have seen Junior live several times as his guest when he played up here at Fitzgeralds-he is amazing to see close up in concert-and I have also had Junior as guest in my home playing vintage Bigsbys and the PA-Reissue non pedal triple neck that we built for him-but what is really priceless is Juniors facial expressions when he is really diggin' into it-he really knows how to hold his mouth right!!<FONT SIZE=1 COLOR="#8e236b"><p align=CENTER>[This message was edited by PAUL WARNIK on 04 July 2001 at 10:59 AM.]</p></FONT>