The Steel Guitar Forum

Bo Legg wrote:I'm not knocking what he did in "Teach Your Children" but it did not catch on with other groups, so in general I don't think they were that impressed.

huh?
That song probably got more guys playing steel and more groups using steel than any other.

Buddy Emmons has told the story of L.A. producers asking him to play more like Jerry on "Teach Your Children"... sad but true.

I'd say it caught on.

Gentlemen, I think we are missing the point here. Jerry's ability - or otherwise - on the steel-guitar are a bit of a side-issue. The reality is he played that song the way he did and he made that special sound on that track his own. I referred to it in a previous post as "signing his name on every note" because that's precisely what he did. He had the good sense not to play at certain times, the taste to play in the background at others, and the inspiration to play the intro, fills, turnarounds and ending the way he did. That was his interpretation of what the song needed and how he could do it at the time.

We can luxuriate in the perfect long-distance vision of hindsight, pontificate on how other players might have played it, or even imagine how we ourselves would have played it. But Jerry Garcia was the man on the spot; that's the way he played it and that became the standard for the song.

Issues such as how many people he introduced to steel guitar, or what others thought of him at the time matter little. He created a distinctive sound that has become a classic of the genre, every bit as unique and enchanting as Sneaky Pete's playing behind Joni Mitchell or Ben Keith backing up Neil Young - or a thousand other examples of your favoured steel-players in your favourite pieces of music, if it comes to that. (Don't get me started on Cal Hand backing up Leo Kottke or Peter Lang!)

This fascinating, intimidating, rewarding, intensely frustrating and stimulating instrument has an awesome potential for producing uniquely-voiced sounds, but it all comes back to the hands, feet, knees and brain of the person playing it.

The great concert violinist Jascha Heifitz was once told he had a beautiful-sounding violin. In reply he held the instrument against his ear for a few seconds, then looked at the person and said "I don't hear anything."

It all comes back to the player, and in the world of the steel guitar there is room for every conceivable style of playing, even if it doesn't quite fit in with our established ideas of what "the Nashville sound" or "Western swing" or "Sacred Steel" or any other genre you care to imagine should be like. It is up to us to make the steel-guitar speak musically for us, to express our emotions and how we feel we can contribute to the overall structure and texture of the piece we are playing.

If we try to restrict what our instrument should sound like, what techniques should be used to play it and require all its practitioners to sound like the greats, we run the risk of stagnation and atrophy. We are also going to frustrate and discourage players yet to fall under the fascinating spell of this utterly bewitching instrument - do we have the luxury of an endless supply of potential steel-players, waiting in the wings? I don't think so. Steel-guitarists are not ordinary people. They have been touched, and that marks them as special people, in an age where societies tend to value increasing amounts of conformity and "uniform-ness" as a vague protection against the uncertainties of the onrushing years.

So what if Jerry Garcia wasn't the greatest steel guitar player who ever lived? We have to acknowledge that on "Teach Your Children", Jerry Garcia created a distinctive steel-guitar sound that fitted perfectly with the rest of the band, the music and the message the song gets across to the listener. What he played, and how he played it, seems most appropriate to me. That's what was in his heart at the time, that's what went down on the tape, in the mix and that's what we hear. Now, it belongs to the ages.

(Apologies for being long-winded.)

Great post Ned. I agree 100%.

Ken Mizell wrote:Ditto's what Jerry said, 100%. I once heard CSN (without Y) do Teach Your Children in concert, with Stills doing 6 string where Jerry's parts were on the record. It just wasn't right, and the lack of PSG left a really huge void in the song. I was into this song long before I knew who played the PSG on the record.

Last week I saw my first country concert: Keith Urban opened by Jake Owen. It was all well and good, with very good moments. It was called "Get Closer" and some audience members got on stage and sang, and Keith popped up in various places throughout the coliseum, so it was cool and close up.
However. A fiddle part was played by a girl in a video. And I was waiting for "When Summer Comes Around". My music buddy at work said he plays that stuff on slide, and I kept hearing stuff I'd like to play on steel. Not to be heard that night! When I got back to work she still said Keith played it on slide, but it was SO thin without PSG! If he played it, why didn't he do it that night? But then I said it was a good show overall, which it was - worth seeing given the chance. But leaving the pedal steel and violin players at home seems to be a given these days. There was a Waylon Jennings tribute video at one point, and near the end was a shot of a double deck PSG. Are they trying to say it's a big part of the past, but that's where it should stay? Weird sentiment.
Guess the steel really should explode into other genres, then the country boys might say why did we let it go? Other than the veiled anatomical references, why was the group called STEELY Dan, but for the PSG?

On the Michael Jackson song "Beat it", Eddie Van Halen plays a guitar solo that is soooo outside reality, but sooooo perfect for the song. It is probably something that no one else on the planet would have ever come up with, but once you hear it, there really is nonthing else that would ever be as "right" for that song IMHO.
What Jerry did on Teach is that exact same thing, so perfect for the song that there is really nonthing else that could be played on that song that would even come close to being "right" for the song.
JE:-)>

It was a different time and a very different generation-demographically,musically,and(ahem!)chemically.A lot of cool riffs played by musicians who weren't very advanced.Think Luther's original version of "Folsom Prison",Carl wilson's ride in "Surfin' USA",George Harrison struggling through "I Saw Her Standing There",and my all-time fave,The Surfaris' Jim Fuller on "Wipe Out".Jerry's playing on TYC puts me in mind of those guys-musically unsophisticated and not particularly adept technically,but pretty soulful all the same.
If I could ask Steve Stills a question it would be why he didn't slot BE into the TYC sessions.Buddy(and JB too) had already done work for Steve by that time.

So who plays on this one.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EHtZJC_4YmE

Question. If TYC had not been the huge hit that it was, and had gone down in flaming obscurity, would any of us have even noticed or regarded in any way, the steel guitar accompaniment?

Barry Blackwood wrote:Question. If TYC had not been the huge hit that it was, and had gone down in flaming obscurity, would any of us have even noticed or regarded in any way, the steel guitar accompaniment?

Pretty much every other song Gar recorded Steel on fits that catagory (he played Pedal Steel on at least 17 albums that I know of).
I know alot of Steel players who have all those albums and enjoy listening to Jerry G play Steel on what we consider "Obscure Gems".

Barry, there would have been maybe only ten percent of the views this topic has attracted, if this song had remained unknown. But it went famous... there are other examples like Rainbows by John Sebastian and many steel players and fans know it as one of the benchmarks for steel playing, but others went simply unoticed.

Steve Hitsman wrote:So who plays on this one.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EHtZJC_4YmE

I'll bite.I don't know who,but I'm pretty sure it isn't Garcia.

I'm pretty sure it isn't Garcia

For sure it's not. I know that PF played it once with CSNY.

I liked the song, and definitely liked hearing the steel. But I always felt it was a bit "pitchey." It's a Relative Pitch thing that sometimes drives me crazy. I found the playing to be inspirational, nonetheless! I was between guitars, Crossover Custom had been stolen, and I was just beginning to learn.

Among other things I love his ties. Got a closet full of them. The colors and prints are amazing. They'll go with anything.

seems an excellent time for this to resurface. Happy Birthday Jerry!


JB

Hate to say this but there is no picture for me to be seen.
What do I do wrong or have not?

let's see if we can get Jerry to pull another one out of his hat

Maybe it was this one, Peer.

Peer Desmense wrote:Hate to say this but there is no picture for me to be seen.
What do I do wrong or have not?

Somehow this thread got resurrected from a couple of years ago and that server probably had let that picture expire. As I recall it wasnt actually very rare, just not the one everyone usually sees.

Or it was Jerry doing his usual disappearing act.

JB

Oh, see-he's back.

JB! You're way too scarce on the Forum. Was it somethin' I said???

Seriously, it's good to see a post from you.

In honor of Garcia's birthday and your post, a whole NRPS show with Jerry on PSG:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NjESEQGIlbY

Hey guys (and gals) no nasty remarks, Garcia played pretty good for a newbie on the steel.


Keep on pickin'!
Glenn

hey glenn been practicing. and working. i may be around a bit more often.

JB

That's great JB!

Keep on pickin'!
Glenn

Thanks Steve,

I presume there aren't that many pictures of Jerry and his steel.
Hadn't seen this one.

Peer

Peer,

This has been posted before, but I don't know what thread. So, here 'tis again.

Garcia noodling on the PSG (playin' an Emmons P/P) at a NRPS pre-show sound check:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CbwxD5sVSRY

BTW: I like Mickey Hart's comment. For those who don't know, Mickey was a percussionist/drummer with the Grateful Dead and original drummer with NRPS. Anyway, he said something about not practicing but has a couple of songs 'down'. (Sounds like some pick-up jobs I've played) In the band rehearsal it looks like Spencer Dryden on drums, but sounds like Bill Kreutzman (the Dead's drummer).

Keep on pickin'!
Glenn