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Topic: Am I on the right path ? |
James Sission
From:
Sugar Land,Texas USA
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Posted 25 Apr 2005 2:15 pm |
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| Well, after 2 weeks on my carter starter, I am playing a few different scale patterns so far. Today, I got a little bored with them and I learned "Cold Cold Heart". I am playing it pretty slow, because unlike just playing scales, I am having to use more pedal and knee lever moves combined. I think its helped me relate the scales to the music by applying it some what. I am waiting on Gary Moore to send me the chord video so I can learn more chord positions. I seem to learn more from videos than I do work books; at least that's how it was with guitar. Now, to my question, I learned 5 chord positions on the neck of the telecaster and then learned a major scale pattern for each chord positions. I then learned a pentatonic pattern out of each of those. In all honesty, I play MAINLY pentatonic scales when I do a lead solo on guitar and mix some "double stop" 6ths and 3rds in with those pentatonics. Would that be a good learning objective for steel? I really don’t hear much about steel players learning pentatonics and the tablature I learned "Cold Cold Heart" from was mostly what seemed to me like harmonic scale positions or, three note grips for the most part. Not knowing the fret board really well yet, it seemed to me that the grips were manipulations of various chord positions as opposed the scale degrees. Am I looking at this correctly? ...I am just trying to learn a little about the thing before I take my first one on one lesson. Your input would be appreciated….Thanks...James |
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Jim Hankins
From:
Yuba City, California, USA
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Posted 25 Apr 2005 2:28 pm
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| Hi, James, double stops and pentatonics are a major part of my leads, so I think you are on the right track. Also your major scales can be used creatively, with "scale substitution". Furthermore you can mix in some arpeggios with your chord posistion grips, Jim |
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Dave Mudgett
From:
Central Pennsylvania and Gallatin, Tennessee
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Posted 25 Apr 2005 2:57 pm
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As a guy who has played guitar since the late 60s and steel only for the last 5 years or so, I'd argue that pentatonics are a good place to start on guitar, but not on steel. Unless you're interested mainly in playing blues and rock on steel - in which case, ignore the rest of this.  But if you're interested in classic country music, I'd recommend starting on major scales and the basic 3-chord country progressions, using different grips on strings 3, 4, 5, 6, and 8 and your AB pedals up or down. These are normally the left two pedals on your steel. "Cold, Cold Heart" has a real major-scale feel, not a pentatonic feel, and that goes for a lot of old country music. I'm not saying pentatonics aren't important - they are, but I'd start out major. The simple pedal and lever changes on steel are geared to making it easier to play the major-scale feel. An awful lot of nice music can be made using just those two pedals, the resulting chords, arpeggios, and double-stop harmonized scales. Focus also on good tone and intonation, no matter what you do. |
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James Sission
From:
Sugar Land,Texas USA
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Posted 25 Apr 2005 3:00 pm
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| Jim, when you say "arpeggio", you mean playing 1,3,5 or a variation of the triad (inversion) melodically instead of harmoically? That is to say, your suggestion would be to play single notes contained within the "grip" instead of playing the grip as one stroke containing all 3 notes?...James |
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Jim Hankins
From:
Yuba City, California, USA
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Posted 26 Apr 2005 9:13 am
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| Yes James, Thats it, throw in various sequences of the individual notes of the chord, ditto to what Dave said too,,Jim |
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Leroy Riggs
From:
Looney Tunes, R.I.P.
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Posted 26 Apr 2005 10:58 am
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| Nevermind. [This message was edited by Leroy Riggs on 26 April 2005 at 11:59 AM.] |
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James Sission
From:
Sugar Land,Texas USA
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Posted 26 Apr 2005 11:06 am
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| Thanks guys, I kind of figured on major scales, however, I was HEAVY on the major pentatonic when I played improvised leads at a jam session (telecaster, not steel). It was like a "cant go wrong" type of situation and it sounded nice and country because of the Don Rich style "poping" execution of the notes. I am just trying to get comfortable enough to book my first lesson so I will at least know enough to ask some questions and a little less clumbsy at the pedals.I appreciate the input....James |
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