The Steel Guitar Forum

I would just as soon go out to the garage and listen to the lawnmower run. It's more melodic, even if it is almost as boring as todays so called country music,

I listened to the Eric Church song ("The Outsiders") in Bill H.'s link. I haven't had that good a laugh in a long time.

(To be clear, it's that they're calling it "country" that I'm laughing at. I don't hate distorted guitar, or rock music. I actually thought the song was kind of cool, in a Led Zeppelin-ish way.)

The writer on the website said " when it comes to country as many have known it for the past few decades, certain portions of this song feel entirely foreign."
"Certain portions"???

Yes, country music--any genre of music--has changed quite a bit over the years, raising the question of what any genre label really means. But calling that song "country" is like showing a picture of a cow and saying it's a chicken.

The chord changes on this one are especially worn out.

I listened to "country" radio today for the first time in probably 6 months or longer. In the half hour or so that I was driving, they played maybe 5 songs. 1 was a Lady Antebellum song that I knew. Maybe 4 Bro-Country songs came on that I have never heard before. I was able to hum the chord changes and melody (what melody there was) to every one of them. Luckily, I have a problem on the circuit my radio in my truck is on. I have to pull that fuse when I park, or the battery goes dead. That makes the radio lose it's memory. So instead of trying to find the radio stations, I just listen to CD's or I plug my phone or Mp3 player into the radio and listen to what I want.

We've just had a two day country music festival here in the uk. Was mostly rock. One act, who shall remain nameless was like a cross between guns and roses and zz top! Our only real country star was Lee Ann Womack.
I can't help but wonder, if there's so many guys and gals on here, and various facebook sites with a downer on modern and bro country, why does it make so much damn money?i found a young kid called Mo Pitney. I think real country is saved.

Look him up on YouTube.

Last year and old friend asked me to go to the Daytona 500 he had Pit passes and great seats and they had Brad Paisley playing there. Talk about a look at me play fast and tone down the steel guy. He hogs about 90 % of the solos. I understand he is a great ( legend in his own mind) player. He sings well but turns me off with I'm the boss look at me attitude.

I know at least one guitar picker out there who could teach him a lesson..

I sometimes wonder if great players like Ray Flacke and Phil Donnelly can still make a living.

Across nearly all current forms of pop music there's a trending toward louder mixes, with much less dynamic range. In country you can hear it particularly in some of Miranda Lambert's stuff, the entire song sounds distorted… I suppose part of it is competition in the radio fear/mindset that if someone changes a channel and the music is quieter (more dynamic) they will change to the next channel seeking stimulation. The other factor is so much music being mastered for ear-bud delivery (in iPods and so on). There's just not much sonic accuracy there and the trend is to mix as loudly and "up front" as possible. Until consumers demand quality and dynamics again, the market will follow what it sees as competition for market share.

"Country" is competing for a narrowing corner of the larger pop market and seems to be pretty much cut out of the same cloth anymore. "Excitement" = louder guitars, louder mixes, more sonic density and less dynamic movement. I'm not even sure if most of their market cares about the quality of their music anymore, just that it's the latest flavor of the week. Sad times.

Joe Casey wrote:Last year and old friend asked me to go to the Daytona 500 he had Pit passes and great seats and they had Brad Paisley playing there. Talk about a look at me play fast and tone down the steel guy. He hogs about 90 % of the solos. I understand he is a great ( legend in his own mind) player. He sings well but turns me off with I'm the boss look at me attitude.

Paisley makes me want to puke.

The "Old Road Hog" knew a good picker when he heerd old "Wichita" tune up. "The Cadillac Cowboys",way better than some of todays so called country music.

Paisley's playing on the new Asleep at the Wheel album is some of the best I've heard out of him in a long time. Too much of his stuff is just blowing a million notes a second. Also his music ridiculous normally.

IMHO, Paisley is just a Brent Mason clone who can't sing a lick. This after having played many of his tunes when I was in cover bands. Very nice guy, though from what I've seen.

Jason Lynch wrote:We've just had a two day country music festival here in the uk. Was mostly rock. One act, who shall remain nameless was like a cross between guns and roses and zz top! Our only real country star was Lee Ann Womack.
I can't help but wonder, if there's so many guys and gals on here, and various facebook sites with a downer on modern and bro country, why does it make so much damn money?i found a young kid called Mo Pitney. I think real country is saved.

Look him up on YouTube.

I'm late to the party, but I caught Mo Pitney on t.v. the other night. Great young talent, traditional roots. Oh, and Lee Ann Womack has long been a favorite of mine. A real Country singer.

You know, on the topic of this thread, I think the internet is a big boost to traditional country music. There may be a lot more bad, but there is an opportunity for a lot of good musicians who might otherwise never have been given a chance to be heard by the world. You just have to dig a little for it, because it probably won't be on the radio.

It may go underground, but it will always survive and there will always be periodic revivals, I believe.

Joachim Kettner wrote:I sometimes wonder if great players like Ray Flacke and Phil Donnelly can still make a living.

Ahhh ... Ray Flacke ...
A true tele picker's tele picker

I couldn't agree more with this post. Firstly, I've never liked distortion on electric guitars. In the 50s when we found that we were feeding too high a signal for the amplifier to handle we would turn it down. But nowadays amplifiers actually have controls to let you decide how much distortion you want. I just don't like overload. It's as though the amplifier is crying out, "Turn me down."

Next, some of the greatest instrumental breaks have been played slowly, without cramming in a lot of notes, but which fit the nature of the music and the song. Sometimes it seems like the lead guitarist is more interested in showing off than fitting in with the rest of the band. In fact, it takes a lot more skill to play slowly and expressively than running up and down the fingerboard, cramming in notes that have no relevance to the rest of the song.

Years ago I was at a jam session where Eric Clapton was present, and I remember at the time thinking, "This guy isn't listening to the rest of us ...he's going off at a tangent." That was over 50 years ago, but when I watch him now I get the same impression. Don't misunderstand me, he's a nice guy, and he has a lot of talent, but I just wish he would stay more with the theme of the music.

"I get off on 57 Chevys, I get off on screaming guitars".
Still I don't think E.C. fits your description, Alan.

I actually like the sound of the guitars with the overdrive in newer country songs. But, it would be nice if it was used a little more sparingly. Every song is a bit much. But, it is what sells,

I still prefer C6 to E9 on country records. Maybe I'm just outdated.

I used to listen to Country radio a lot - usually on road trips since KSAN went off the air in the late 90's here in SF - until a few years ago when ... it became what it is today. I would slog through some serious schlock just to hear steel on the radio. Now it's just not worth it. There's great Country music still out there, you're just not going to hear it on mainstream Country radio these days. College and community radio is where it's at; listen and donate.

Ian

i try to stay out of these discussions because commercial radio is what it is...they are selling advertising and the "content" is nothing but filler between car ads and whatever else. I have a lot of old friends that have been in the radio business many, many years and none of them can stand it but thats the biz...
so i always get offered free tickets from these radio guys and hardly ever go to the shows - but a while back a bunch of people from work were going and i didnt want to be a music snob so decided to join...it was free, weeknight, what the heck...
4 new country bands that covered the gamut of new country...you had the bad boy who likes to drink (and 'act" drunk)..you had the clean cut boy next door ..you had the duo who worked the crowd...and then the HOT female. the crowd was entirely under 30 and they wanted to party and the acts gave it to them. they were all very polished bands and excellent at working the crowd up and putting on a high energy show....plenty of screaming guitars (not a pedal steel in sight). all that to say that is what the crowd and new country fans want so that is what they get. pop/commercial music is a commodity just like anything else.

i have a strong feeling commercial radio is on its last hurrah - so milk it while they can.

Interestingly enough, if you do go back and listen to the old "screaming rock", a very large percentage of it was played cleaner and quieter than just about any song of modern "country." What made Led Zeppelin work was the contrasts between loud and soft, they practically invented the whole genre... it wasn't their fault it then got beat to death. Led Zeppelin 3 and 4 were largely carried by some fine acoustic guitar structures, with the solos as a spice. I thought the last Hendrix album he had creative control over was his best, "The Cry of Love." There's nothing there but a Stratocaster into a Twin Reverb, played by a genius teaching the world how to play near-orchestral multi-tracked guitar arrangements. The Rolling Stones' peak period - Let It Bleed, Sticky Fingers, Exile on Main Street - chock-full of acoustic guitars and contrast. It's weird looking back and remembering - we all thought music was just going to keep getting better somehow. Oops.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sda63L-NKNo
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CTWrmkqTOfk

It's weird looking back and remembering - we all thought music was just going to keep getting better somehow. Oops.

Yes. Thank you, David.

I never thought that. The sort of music that I've always liked was at its best during the late 50s and it's been downhill ever since.

I agree, I think these so called producers have just cramming it down the young fans throat and they think that's the way it's supposed to be. I don't play steel but I have been lucky enough to work with some of the best and u have to respect what these guys go through trying to learn the instrument to make those great sounds. I started out on guitar before switching to bass, I don't think I could ever learn steel. Oh well, that's just my thought. db