Sound Effect Techniques?

Terry Farmer · From: Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA

Reading another post I was reminded of old time steel guitar sound effects; sirens, straffing guns, bombs, birds, etc. Anyone have any favorites and associated techniques they'd like to share? Cool

Tucker Jackson · From: Portland, Oregon, USA

Hey, Terry, I do this sound effect on E9 I call "The Shriek."

Basically, you play strings 3 and 5 while pumping the A and B pedals. Do this until your 3rd string breaks and cuts your finger. You reflexively jerk, drop the bar, and scream.

That one never fails to get a reaction from the audience. Smile

Terry Farmer · From: Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA

LOL That's what I'm talking about! Nothing wrong with a fun audience reaction!

Tucker Jackson · From: Portland, Oregon, USA

OK, here's a "train whistle" effect that Pete Burak showed me on E9. (Terry, from your avatar, it looks like you play lap steel, so you'll have to figure out how to adapt this to your tuning):

Put the bar somewhere around the 15th fret. You'll grab a 7th chord using some of the lower strings (on E9, you could do it on strings 9, 6, and 5) with the nose of the bar slanted forward about one fret.

With the volume pedal off, pick the chord.
Step on the volume pedal and slide the bar up about 2 frets -- while also substantially increasing the amount of the bar-slant.
Slide back to your original bar position while backing off of the volume pedal.
The whole move should last about one to two seconds.

There are a few other ways to do a train whistle; I'm sure others will chime in.

Stu Schulman · From: Ulster Park New Yawk (deceased)

Terry,I can do a pretty good "House Fly"imitation...here's how.Pick a high string lets say on the 3rd fret fade into it,then as fast as you can move your bar about 1/4 tone sharp,and then a 1/4 tone flat and keep doing than that with your left hand..Now with you right hand you reach up like you are gonna grab the fly at the same time you stop the sound,Like a magic trick...Stu

I've got one more a Jet Plane,Take your thumb pick hold it down on your lowest string right at the end of the bridge,now scrape the pick all of the way down the neck towards the lower frets,you wont need to use your left hand for this one....Enjoy!

If these work I'll let you know how to do the laughing Steel Guitar,I might have to swear you in for that one.
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Steeltronics Z-pickup,Desert Rose S-10 4+5,Desert Rose Keyless S-10 3+5... Mullen G2 S-10 3+5,Telonics 206 pickups,Telonics volume pedal.,Blanton SD -10,Emmons GS_10...Zirctone bar,Bill Groner Bar...any amp that isn't broken.Steel Seat.Com seats...Licking paint chips off of Chinese Toys since 1952.

Stu Schulman · From: Ulster Park New Yawk (deceased)

One more..Car Horn,this works well in the dreaded "Mustang Wally"
If the song is in the key of A grab the 1st,and 3rd of an Ab chord"2 strings" and swell into it twice Beep! Beep!Actually I'm better at making noises than playing music!
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Steeltronics Z-pickup,Desert Rose S-10 4+5,Desert Rose Keyless S-10 3+5... Mullen G2 S-10 3+5,Telonics 206 pickups,Telonics volume pedal.,Blanton SD -10,Emmons GS_10...Zirctone bar,Bill Groner Bar...any amp that isn't broken.Steel Seat.Com seats...Licking paint chips off of Chinese Toys since 1952.

Kyle Everson · From: Nashville, Tennessee

I do my train whistle imitation with 6th chords. In Folsom Prison ("I hear that train a-comin'...) I just lower my E's and slide from fret 4 to 5 twice (western swing lick).

*side note: I was tuning up at a club once and an old bearded hillbilly said "make 'at thing sound like a freight train"...which I proceeded to do...and he nearly fell out of his chair with excitement Very Happy

.

David Doggett · Posted 13 Feb 2007 9:07 am

Wolf whistle: on any top string hit a note and slide up an octave, then repeat and slide just short of an octave and back down again. This works best if it is your wife or girlfriend. Otherwise you can get in a lot of trouble. Wink

Dog whine: pick with the bar way up on any high string and slide down a few frets. Good for a laugh on Walkin' the Dog or other dog related songs. Do not do this one for your wife, girlfriend or any other woman. Crying or Very sad

Dick Wood · From: Springtown Texas, USA

Last two bands I worked with knew I was a cop and when we'd play The Fireman, I'd make a siren sound and it always got a big laugh.

Stu Schulman · From: Ulster Park New Yawk (deceased)

Dick,I saw the Burritos once and they asked Sneaky Pete to play all sorts of cool sounds,he did the cop car,and then he did a French cop car..Stu
_________________
Steeltronics Z-pickup,Desert Rose S-10 4+5,Desert Rose Keyless S-10 3+5... Mullen G2 S-10 3+5,Telonics 206 pickups,Telonics volume pedal.,Blanton SD -10,Emmons GS_10...Zirctone bar,Bill Groner Bar...any amp that isn't broken.Steel Seat.Com seats...Licking paint chips off of Chinese Toys since 1952.

Dick Wood · From: Springtown Texas, USA

Stu, one time I ate a Burrito and right in the middle of Don't you ever get tired of hurtin me, I made a funny noise and the band left.

Stu Schulman · From: Ulster Park New Yawk (deceased)

Dick,I was in a band once where the band leader had done something just like that I think that it was due to egg salad...I ran for my life.
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Steeltronics Z-pickup,Desert Rose S-10 4+5,Desert Rose Keyless S-10 3+5... Mullen G2 S-10 3+5,Telonics 206 pickups,Telonics volume pedal.,Blanton SD -10,Emmons GS_10...Zirctone bar,Bill Groner Bar...any amp that isn't broken.Steel Seat.Com seats...Licking paint chips off of Chinese Toys since 1952.

John Billings · From: Ohio, USA

R2D2. Mute the strings with your left hand around the 12th fret.
Holding your bar in your pickin' hand, tap the nose of the bar randomly on the first 5 or 6 strings, two strings at a time, movin' it all around.

Bryan Daste · From: Portland, Oregon, USA

Fun thread guys! Thanks for the ideas.

Terry Farmer · From: Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA

Yep, these little gems are putting a smile on my face. Very Happy

Of course there is the old hot rod accelerating and shifting gears produced by sliding a pick along a low round wound string. Wink

And Stu, I'll take the oath...........what's the laughing steel guitar????

Dave Van Allen · From: Souderton, PA , US , Earth

clave'
turn off the reverb, mute strings with left hand right next to the pickup, and pick a thin string (e or g#) right over the pickup in a stacatto rhytmic fashion

Billy Wilson · From: El Cerrito, California, USA

What sound effect is this?
With volume pedal up pick strings 9 and 6. Then push down on the pedal twice rather quickly.

Charlie McDonald · From: out of the blue

Train whistle?
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Those that say don't know; those that know don't say.--Buddy Emmons

Stu Schulman · From: Ulster Park New Yawk (deceased)

The laughing steel guitar.take two strings that are the same pitch"Unison" either using a pedal or knee lever to bring a string up or down to match the pitch of the first one,Start at the middle of the neck 7th fret pick both strings once,slide down two frets repeat,slide down one fret repeat,slide dow one fret repeat...now go up to the 9th fret and repeat everything that you did on the 7th fret..It shoul sound like Ha! Ha! Ha!...I might have to send a recording it's a little hard to explain..Stu
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Steeltronics Z-pickup,Desert Rose S-10 4+5,Desert Rose Keyless S-10 3+5... Mullen G2 S-10 3+5,Telonics 206 pickups,Telonics volume pedal.,Blanton SD -10,Emmons GS_10...Zirctone bar,Bill Groner Bar...any amp that isn't broken.Steel Seat.Com seats...Licking paint chips off of Chinese Toys since 1952.

Terry Farmer · From: Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA

Albert Svenddal · From: Minneapolis, MN

Terry, here is a way to make your pedal steel sound like "steel drums". Take a McDonalds straw and weave it over and under the strings. Place it right behind the changer and it throws the strings just slightly out of tune and give a great "steel Drum" sound. But it MUST be a MacDonald's straw. (he he). Blessings, ALbert
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