FYI for Buddy Emmons fans!!!!

wayne yakes md · Post by **wayne yakes md** » 13 Jul 2001 11:40 am

I highly recommend ALL forumites to see the movie "Men of Honor". Robert de Niro and Cuba Gooding Jr. star in it. It is a true story of a Navy Diver circa 1958-66. In the obligatory bar scene, deNiro and Gooding challenge each other and hold their breath in water filled helmits. The important thing is that the background music on the juke box is Ernest Tubb's 1958 hit written by an unknown Roger Miller and the intro and turn around played by a 21 year old BUDDY EMMONS called "Half a Mind"!!! I missed the dialogue because I preferred to listen to Buddy tear it up as only he can. Buddy at dinner once told me and John Macy the history of him playing so much on it. I am also reminded of what Neil Flanz told me years ago when he was in LA on the Santa Monica beach with his radio and after hearing "Half a Mind" exclaimed to himself, "Jerry Byrd is now playing pedals!" Has anyone else seen the movie and left as I did walking on a cloud?

Rick Garrett · Post by **Rick Garrett** » 13 Jul 2001 12:30 pm

Nina and I went to see that movie and it was great! Missed Buddy playing but I'll watch it again and listen closely this time. Thanks for the history Dr. Yakes.

Rick

Rick Collins · Post by **Rick Collins** » 13 Jul 2001 4:47 pm

I caught that one, Wayne. It surprised the heck out of me when I heard it.

Rick

Bill Bailey · Post by **Bill Bailey** » 13 Jul 2001 5:44 pm

Count me in, but I wasn't sure which Buddy was at the helm.
Bill Bailey

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C Dixon · Post by **C Dixon** » 13 Jul 2001 8:17 pm

Buddy's kickoff and turn around on ET's "Half a Mind" is one of his all times greatest hits IMHO!!

Three things standout in that recording to cap off an already awesome feat of backing a singer perfectly:

1. The place where he gets that 9th chord (4th note in the standard kickoff)

2. Those open note harmonies as the melody notes slides under them in the turn around.

and,

2. Those incredible harmonics using pedals and three different thumb sweeps just before he ends it.

Now most players duplicate his harmonics and it is not hard to figure out how he did it. The same thing applies to the open notes thingy.

However that 9th chord is another story. I have NO idea how he got it when he recorded it, but the late Gene O'Neal and I were listening to it one time, and we kept hearing something that was NOT the way most steel players get that 4th note of the kickoff. Including Gene.

Most players slide down two frets and get a minor chord (psuedo 7th) at the IV chord fret (string 3, 4 and 5) going down on the A pedal. But that is NOT the way I saw Buddy get it on the stage of the ISGC one year.

What he did was quite unique. He went up Two frets from the V chord fret (strings 4, 5 and 6), and did a 3 fret slant engaging the A pedal. For a beautiful 9th chord that you don't see players do very much. When I saw Buddy do it, I could not wait to get home from StLouis and try it.

And sure enough it changes the entire flavor of that kickoff.

Try it and see if you don't agree? ONLY Buddy

God bless you,

carl

C Dixon · Post by **C Dixon** » 13 Jul 2001 8:21 pm

Just thought of something on "Half a Mind".

Didn't I hear someone on this forum (might have been Buddy, not sure) say that was the song where Buddy introduced the splitting of the A and B pedals.

I sure seem to recall something along these lines. Does anyone know?

Buddy?

carl

Mike Weirauch · Post by **Mike Weirauch** » 13 Jul 2001 8:24 pm

We rented it on video and when that part came around, I rewound it about 5 times just to listen to it eventhough I have it on CD. Just something about hearing and great song and a great musician in a Hollywood film.

Jerry Roller · Post by **Jerry Roller** » 13 Jul 2001 9:01 pm

C. Dixon, please clear something up for me. I checked out the slant you described and am wondering if you meant to say he did a 3 fret slant or did you mean a 2 fret slant? I did the 2 fret slant with my A pedal and it is a neat sound. I had in my mind that Buddy had moved up 3 frets and used the "E" lowering lever but after checking out what you say, it does sound more right. I was just listening to that song a few nights ago and that very note struck me that I have not been playing it where it like it was recorded. Thanks for the info. I will use it.
Jerry

Herb Steiner · Post by **Herb Steiner** » 13 Jul 2001 10:20 pm

It's a two fret slant on strings 4, 5, and 6, a 9th chord which is a very common slant on the E13 tuning, strings 1, 2, and 3 .

I have a video of Buddy Charleton playing that solo on Ernest's 1965 TV show, showing the slant quite clearly.

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Herb's Steel Guitar Pages
Texas Steel Guitar Association

C Dixon · Post by **C Dixon** » 14 Jul 2001 5:25 am

To Jerry and Herb,

I suppose we are talking "point of view" here.

The frets are 12, 13 and 14 (V9 chord Key of A).

I count that as 3 frets. The separation is of course 2. This anamoly happens a lot in my experience as a teacher. In numbers and many other things, it is not uncommon for students to fall into two groups and be one digit off from each other or have an entirely opposing point of view.

Examples:

How many days are there from one Saturday to the next Saturday? One group always says 7. The other group always says 8. Count them

Annother example is the extra "left knee left" knee lever that many players are going to. Do you call the one closest to the rear of the guitar the "inner" or the "outer" knee lever?

Before you answer this, ask several players. Betcha a nickel you will get two entirely different points of view. And in at least one case, (Ron Lashley and I) a very long debate

Incidently, we did remain friends afterwards, but it took a lot

At any rate, it was a heckuva lick and Herb is correct, we got this 9th chord slanting, using C# minor and western swing tunings for years. However, the use of BE's "squeezing" the A pedal is what made it uniquely different from the way it sounded on a non-pedal guitar.

God bless you both,

carl

Jerry Roller · Post by **Jerry Roller** » 14 Jul 2001 5:59 am

Carl, you guys are too quick for me. Late last night before I fell asleep this slant question entered my mind again and a mental picture appeared of the slant. I saw 3 frets and two spaces and realized what you had meant. I thought "I'm gonna go back in the morning and edit my post eliminating the question about how many frets the slant was and leave the thank you part. Anyway, it is clear to me what you meant and I see what you are talking about. It can certainly be interpreted either way. Thanks again for something I had never discovered.
Jerry

Rick Collins · Post by **Rick Collins** » 14 Jul 2001 7:37 am

It took me a while before I could truly "plagiarize" the kick-off to Charlie Walker's, "Pick Me Up On Your Way Down". You are not expecting slants very often on pedal guitars.

Rick

Jerry Horner · Post by **Jerry Horner** » 14 Jul 2001 7:45 am

I think you will find that the guys who came up in western swing without pedals and then switched to pedals use a lot more slants than the ones who first started out with pedals.

Herb Steiner · Post by **Herb Steiner** » 14 Jul 2001 8:46 am

A few years ago, at ISGC, I was sitting behind one of Bobby Bowman's guitars at his booth, and since the levers were not my setup, I was playing with pedals A & B and using a lot of slant bar. Al Petty walked past me, leaned over and "whispered" loud enough for everyone to hear "Herb, you're really showing your age!"

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Herb's Steel Guitar Pages
Texas Steel Guitar Association

Gene Jones · Post by **Gene Jones** » 14 Jul 2001 12:15 pm

*[This message was edited by Gene Jones on 02 May 2002 at 03:10 PM.]

C Dixon · Post by **C Dixon** » 14 Jul 2001 12:37 pm

Speaking of slants on the PSG, I would like to review a question I asked Buddy when he first posted on this forum.

I had noticed him doing a backward slant that, upon thinking about it, did not seem necessary. He was picking strings 5, 6 and 8 and he was using a backward slanting the 8th string one fret.

So, I asked him why? "Why not just use the F lever?" I don't remember all he said in his response, but the one thing that I do recall is, he said, "it sounds better".

And by cracky it does! I believe I now know why!

Now fellows please I simply refuse to get into the ET/JI verbal diahrea again.

But what is happening is this. When we tune JI our thirds are quite flat from A440 reference. And this sounds great (to most of us) when playing major and minor chords.

However, when playing dimished chords (7th's really

), like when using the F lever, that 3rd note being flat hurts that chord.

By doing what Buddy does, and the fact that the middle string ends up somewhere sharp of the fret, it makes that diminished sound better.

Or this is my "point of view".

Four yrs of experience on this forum has proven positively,

"Dat aint necessarily the opinun of evahbody!!

Bless ya,

carl

JERRY THURMOND · Post by **JERRY THURMOND** » 14 Jul 2001 12:57 pm

Wayne Funny you talked about this movie, I was aboard the USS Hoist when the accident happen, in fact i was only about 15 ft from the bomb when it fell, that was a classified mission we were on was really suprized to see it in a movie, an yes i did hear ET AN BE in the back ground music.

wayne yakes md · Post by **wayne yakes md** » 16 Jul 2001 2:44 pm

Dear Jerry,
My hat is off to all US Servicemen everywhere, thus to you as well sir. I was US Army for 12 years active duty. Yes I was Airborne(paratrooper) and Ranger qualified since 1974. Having served in the Gulf War, I am 1-0 in wars! I too was surprised at the inclusion of that secret mission, but I am certain Master Chief Carl Brashear got all approvals.

Al Marcus · Post by **Al Marcus** » 17 Jul 2001 8:56 pm

Herb, Carl. So right on. I am showing my age now, but way back when I had a 6 string supro, A6 tuning, then I tuned the 3rd string A to G#.
Used a lot for hawaiian songs. C# minor, then slant as you say, I would say 3 frets too Carl.
Anyone ever play "paradise Isle" ? A perfect song for this move. one way to get our 9th chord in those days.
It was beautiful and very effective, and squeeze the vol pedal and it even made it better.
I can see Carl's thought on Buddy using that with the A pedal. It would be even more effective.
Of course, we Did not have any pedals in those days.
(Quite a few players use that Reverse slant for dim instead of using the F pedal, as Carl Says.)
And we did quite well, as Jerry Byrd has so greatly proved.
But I was glad to get pedals....al

[This message was edited by Al Marcus on 17 July 2001 at 10:04 PM.]