R Randolph and a New Era for Steel Guitar?

Jody Carver · Post by **Jody Carver** » 21 Nov 2002 8:53 am

Mark
I will copy your comments for Jerry and Paul
Ash,they will be interested in what you posted. They dont open "attachments" so I cant foward this "link to them",,,but they will receive a copy from me.

Thanks. Mark,,,that was an informative post. It will NOT go un-noticed.

Mark van Allen · Post by **Mark van Allen** » 21 Nov 2002 9:28 am

Hey, thanks, Jody. One of the best things for me about being on the road playing for college age kids is all the folks that come up to me asking about the steel. I always tried to take a few minutes to explain how it worked and let 'em try it out- I've never forgotten the seeds sown with me by the guys who would show me stuff when I'd ask. I keep in touch with a lot of those "questioners" and have helped quite a few get started on lap and pedal. As I was learning I would often run into an "old school" player who seemed intent on maintaining the image of the aloof cool guy who sat on the edge of the bandstand playing that bizzare thing and smoking in between licks- I guess it kept things "mysterious" but probably didn't inspire too many fledgelings. The steel really needs some ambassadorship to keep it moving along, and that's what high visibility players like Robert R can do!

Dave Van Allen · Post by **Dave Van Allen** » 21 Nov 2002 12:25 pm

A new player insprired by Robert Randolph's music isn't likely to "graduate" to the Nashville or Texas styles.

I beg to differ b0b... I think that they might well "work their way" to the players and styles we know the same way I did. I didn't know squat about the rich history of pedal steel until some years after I had already fallen in love with the sound of the instrument on a Rock recording...(I wanted to be the Jeff Beck of the steel guitar-making cartoon noises and splanks... I didn't know Speedy had already done that 40years earlier... )but darn if I didn't start seeking out every player of whatever style so that I could understand better.... and continue to learn more obscure stuff all the time.
but back to my point (enough about me)

it's kinda like marijuana as a "portal drug" ... however you become addicted to steel guitar, it's likely you will graduate to the hard stuff

Stephen LeBlanc · Post by **Stephen LeBlanc** » 21 Nov 2002 12:31 pm

Yeah Mark, that was a great post.

Joe Goldmark · Post by **Joe Goldmark** » 22 Nov 2002 9:57 pm

I think we're missing something here. The Sacred Steelers have a very different tuning that obviously helps them play in that bluesy, gospel style. Dan Tyaak is the only "traditional" player that I know who has tried to learn that tuning. Maybe he could expound on why it works so well. Kids who are influenced by RR will need to at least play a variation of his tuning to do those runs. It's kind of like trying to cop Sneaky Pete licks. You can get a few, and then you say wait a second, how did he do that? One has to be an experienced and exceptional player to overcome the limitations and programmed licks of a particular tuning (like E9). So who's going to teach Sacred Steel tuning? The new kids will have to go to church to get it!

Dan Tyack · Post by **Dan Tyack** » 23 Nov 2002 12:36 am

Thanks, Joe!

Well, the first thing I would like to say about the Sacred Steel playing is that is not primarily about their tuning. The late, great steel player Glen Lee used a standard E9th tuning for years, including the cuts on the very first Sacred Steel CD (Robert Randolph used a version of one of these cuts on his 'the Word' CD). All of the recordings I have done with the Campbell Brothers were done with a pretty standard E9th (or my wierd C6th tuning). And I have gotten great response from the Sacred Steel audience with a standard E9th tuning.

That said, I have been experimenting with a tuning I got from b0b which matches a standard E9th with the Sacred Steel. Here's a link to my site: http://tyack.com/Technical%20stuff.htm . The Sacred Steel guys say this type of copendent comes from divine inspiration. I'm not going to argue. For sure it's inspired. Just one of the things this tuning brings in the capability to do AC/DC rhythm figures. What else would you want?

I personally thing that the future of the pedal steel will come from guitar players using the pedal steel as a super lap steel (using a Sacred Steel type tuning), and figuring out the possibilities.

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www.tyack.com
[This message was edited by Dan Tyack on 23 November 2002 at 12:42 AM.]

Chuck McGill · Post by **Chuck McGill** » 23 Nov 2002 5:20 am

This new aproach to pedal steel can only lead
to new players and listeners. I expect to see
teenagers with an interest. When I play my
Dan Tyack CD for young people they freak. That can't be a steel guitar. Oh yes.

Dan Tyack · Post by **Dan Tyack** » 23 Nov 2002 10:11 pm

Let me change my statement in the last post from saying "the future of the pedal steel will come from guitar players using the pedal steel as a super lap steel (using a Sacred Steel type tuning), and figuring out the possibilities" to suggesting that the approach I outlined will be one of(probably the most popular) ways to use the pedal steel. There always will be the 'traditional' approach to pedal steel (which I love), but I see a future in which a huge number of neophites to the pedal steel take the instrument in new and unexpected ways. This is great for the instrument. Back in the 60s guitar players lamented that artists like the Beatles and Jimi Hendrix would bring the end of the guitar as an instrument as they knew and loved it, but the fact is that with the increased popularity of the guitar, *all* kinds of guitar playing benefited. Would record companies have invested the money they did on guitar oriented jazz recordings in the 60s (e.g. Wes Montgomery, Joe Pass, George Benson) if it hadn't been for the Beatles? I doubt it.

Mark van Allen · Post by **Mark van Allen** » 24 Nov 2002 8:41 am

I think Dan's really gotten the thinking behind my original post here! Many thousands of top flight guitarists can date their initial attraction to the instrument with the Beatle's Ed Sullivan appearances. How many steelers remember that one concert or TV show appearance that got them to go looking for a steel? (another "Teach Your Children" thread, anyone?). These days, along with the airplay a large major label investment can bring come MTV, Leno, Letterman and Conan, Music magazine endorsement ads ,interviews and reviews, package tours with mega stars, and all kinds of other exposure. Regardless of WHAT kind of tuning Robert plays, the Pedal Steel itself is an obviously DIFFERENT and interesting animal to folks who haven't been exposed to one. Robert's young, black, and VERY exciting to watch- I honestly think he's going to get LOTS of attention. Millions of kids today have a real creative spark just waiting for something to jump it off. Some of them may find their inspiration in the venerable history of our instrument, some may look forward (or sideways!)- but it's going to be an interesting ride.