What makes "SACRED" steel unique?

Wes Hamshaw · Post by **Wes Hamshaw** » 14 Oct 2006 12:49 pm

I’ve been a member of the Forum for some time now and there seems to be more and
more threads regarding “Sacred Steel” guitar playing, showing up. Maybe I’ve been
out of touch but to me, music is music wherever it’s being performed.

What is so different about playing the instrument in a religious environment? I can understand that the player may not want to sound quite the same in church as he does in the bar outside of town but the fundamentals of music are there regardless of where you play it.

Lately, there is even a thread regarding a tone bar that is designed especially for the
playing of Sacred steel. As I understand it, the bar has two or three grooves in it so
as to hold on to it easier. Is this any more necessary in church than anywhere else?

Food for thought.......Wes

Mark Tomlinson · Post by **Mark Tomlinson** » 14 Oct 2006 1:05 pm

My take on this specific style of playing is that it's more about melodic intrepretation and style, than about God or religion or spiritual playing. I think about vocal lines that drift between flatted 3rds, and 7ths - blues type scales. Specific harmonies and arrangements from baptist church choirs I've heard. I have a few albums from Charles Fold (live), and The Anointed Pace Sisters.

Listen to this sample from the Campbell Brothers Sacred Steel website
http://www.campbellbrothers.com/songs/Campbell%20Brothers%20-%2010%20-%20Jump%20for%20Joy.mp3

Certainly, we all have physical, emotional and perhaps spiritual reactions to the music we hear. I'm not sure this is correct forum for debate about someone's spiritual reaction to steel playing. But, there's no denying that Dan Tyack and the Campbell Brothers/family have got the goods on this type of steel playing.

------------------
Mark Tomlinson
mark@careytomlinson.org www.careytomlinson.org

[This message was edited by Mark Tomlinson on 14 October 2006 at 02:09 PM.][This message was edited by Mark Tomlinson on 14 October 2006 at 02:14 PM.]

Earnest Bovine · Post by **Earnest Bovine** » 14 Oct 2006 1:06 pm

"Sacred steel" refers to a musical tradition that started in the House Of God church in the 1930's with players such as Willie Eason. The tradition has been handed down to present day players such as Robert Randolph and the Campbell Brothers.

David Doggett · Post by **David Doggett** » 14 Oct 2006 2:34 pm

Wes, Earnest is right. Sacred Steel is African-American blues-gospel with steel as lead instrument. It is mostly lap style steel, even though some players have 12+ string pedal steels. It is played in churches in Florida, New Jersey and other places around the country, and they have national conventions. Musically, some of it overlaps what might be played by any secular R&B player on steel (of which there are very few). But Sacred Steel is not secular blues, but is all gospel. A few of these groups, such as Robert Randolph and the Family Band, and the Campbell Brothers, have gone out of the churches and play at rock venues. But even these play all gospel music, even if the beat is rocked up a bit. I'm not aware that any Sacred Steelers play any secular music at all. Even in secular venues, it is all gospel if you listen.

Bob Stone · Post by **Bob Stone** » 16 Oct 2006 1:36 pm

This question cannot be answered briefly. The "Sacred Steel" doc video I directed for Arhoolie probably does it fairly concisely (I hope), and presents many musical and contextual examples.

As far as steel guitar technique a few things come to mind:

The instrument is often played linearly along the fretboard, i.e., extended passages are played on one or two strings. This helps give a singing sound and enables the steel guitarist to execute melismas (see below). If you want to sound like Aubrey Ghent, for example, you pretty much have to play that way.

The extensive use of melismas. For example, the word "Jesus" has two syllables, but a sacred steeler (imitating the black gospel vocal style) might make six or eight notes of it.

Moans, imitating the low-register vocal moans (which are usually melismas), played on the bass strings. Sacred steelers do this extensively, especially when playing in church. To my knowledge this is not done in other musical genres--at least to anywhere near the extent the sacred steelers do it.

Rhythmically strumming (which they call "framming") the pedal steel guitar. Pretty much unheard of in other pedal-steel guitar genres. Many sacred steelers play a lot of percussive, syncopated strums.

The common use of a wah pedal as a tone (timbre) control, as opposed to making the wah, wah, wah sound. Often combined with a degree of distortion. While rock and blues steel players may use a wah pedal sometimes to get a similar tone, the Jewell Dominion style, as established by Lorenzo Harrison in his later years, is built on this being the most common tone.

Playing pedal steel in variant of E7 or E major tuning as opposed to the E9 chromatic and C6 tunings and copedents commonly used by country and western steelers.

The style(s) of accompaniment--rhythm guitar, bass, and drums--contribute significantly to the total sound. Jewell Dominion rhythm guitarists, for example, have a large number of shuffles, riffs, and boogies that are essential to producing the total sound. Take away the distinctive backup and it sounds more like blues or rock and less like "sacred steel."

There are many phrases or licks that are identified with certain historically important players such as Henry Nelson or Calvin Cooke, for example, that are distinctive, if not totally unique.

Grooved bars:

When pedal-steels began to become popular with House of God steelers in the early 1970s, some of them (Ted Beard may have been the first) had grooves machined into large diameter, long pedal-steel bars. Sacred steelers, including those who play pedal-steel, lift and tip the bar frequently and use a lot of left hand blocking. The grooves make that a lot easier when the bar is large and heavy. (Most country pedal-steelers rarely lift the bar). There are many sacred steelers who play 10 and 12-string necks using a Stevens bar, or something similar.

Like I said, it's a long story. I'm running out of time today...

Hope this helps some.[This message was edited by Bob Stone on 16 October 2006 at 02:44 PM.][This message was edited by Bob Stone on 16 October 2006 at 02:51 PM.][This message was edited by Bob Stone on 16 October 2006 at 03:43 PM.]

Stephan Miller · Post by **Stephan Miller** » 16 Oct 2006 2:38 pm

Bob-- many thanks for taking the time to offer that clear and detailed breakdown of Sacred Steel style playing. I'll have to get that video-- of course there's much more to this story-- but any more observations along these lines will always be welcome. Much appreciated!

--Steve[This message was edited by Stephan Miller on 16 October 2006 at 03:41 PM.]

Bunky Markert · Post by **Bunky Markert** » 16 Oct 2006 6:24 pm

Having seen the Campbell Brothers recently, I'd like to add that there is a sincerity and authenticity to their music, which is painfully obvious, but is crucial to what they do. They are steeped in tradition, in terms of gospel music, the blues, spirituality, or however you want to define it. And it may be undefinable, but all I know is you are profoundly in the presence of it when you hear it. It is deep and there is a reverence that doesn't exist in other styles of music, whether they played steel guitars or not. And whether you are a Christian, believer or non-believer. It's there.

Post by **Brad Bechtel** » 16 Oct 2006 7:23 pm

I'd agree, having just seen the Lee Boys put on a smokin' show at the Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Festival in San Francisco. Watching Roosevelt Collier play his Carter pedal steel, I was struck by a number of things:
1) He played it more like a lap steel than a pedal steel, although at times he made extensive use of the pedals and knee levers.
2) His use of the wah pedal was very subtle. Just gradual changes in tone rather than a specific "wah" sound
3) The spiritual aspect of this music cannot be overstated. They are doing this to celebrate the Lord and it shows in their performance.

------------------
Brad's Page of Steel
A web site devoted to acoustic & electric lap steel guitars

Dan Tyack · Post by **Dan Tyack** » 17 Oct 2006 3:25 pm

Here's my take at a steel guitar standard played in the Sacred Steel style:

The Way to Survive Sacred Steel style

As Bob Stone comments, pretty much the whole thing is played on one string.

------------------
www.tyack.com

Bob Stone · Post by **Bob Stone** » 18 Oct 2006 5:56 am

Nice Dan. I was hoping you would join in this thread.

Another example is "Silent Night" by Chuck and the Campbell Brothers on their Sacred Steel for the Holidays album, Arhoolie 504. Because everyone is familiar with the "straight" version of this tune, Chuck's playing--which is especially masterful here--shows what difference the "sacred steel style" makes. There are sound clips on arhoolie.com and amazon.com, but they are so short you don't get much of a chance to fully grasp the stylistic elements.

I am reminded of Cajun accordionist Marc Savoy who used Silent Night to explain Cajun style accordion. He would play it Cajun style without revealing the title, and rarely could anyone guess the tune. After he revealed the name of the tune and played it again the elements of the style were obvious.