The Steel Guitar Forum

Flavio Pasquetto wrote:Hi! Here my live version. Hope you like it!

Ciao

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9diNu08JfHY

You guys are great! I love the whole group. Your playing is excellent.

Mike A Holland wrote:...Would I be right in assuming that you are talking about Coventry in the UK? I notice from your Avatar you say you are a Brummy living in the USA. Sounds like a nice move!

Yes, that's Coventry in Warwickshire. I moved to the San Francisco area 38 yrs. ago and I try to get home at least once a year. When I do, I visit the folk clubs. I'm probably the only one who has ever sung Hawaiian songs and backed myself of a resonator guitar at the Black Diamond folk club in Birmingham.

Third Sleep Walk version! Not Lap Steel.....It is a version played on a solo Ukulele! I bought a ukulele to make hawaiian sounding backing tracks for the lap steel. I have had quite a bit of fun with it and found it quite addictive. Hope it is acceptable to post! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OQFnS_PPr9I[/url]

From back when I first learned the tune on lap steel. Played on a Melobar through a Danelectro Hodad 9v battery amp. "Shadows" backing track I found on Youtube.
https://youtu.be/mp51z3wE58M

From a couple years ago, on a Melbert through a Roland Micro-Cube amp. Doug Beaumier's backing track.
https://youtu.be/1IXmSYqrbE8

From back before I even started playing steel, on an acoustic guitar. With live band.
https://youtu.be/oDGDgCSU0Tw

Here's my version, A6 with a F# string on 1. I find this tuning more useful than F# on 8.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tszey-t ... e=youtu.be

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DbdYNixwj14
Sleep Walk has been played on so many different instruments, (even the banjo ).
Here is a version on the Korean Gayageum.

After the original, my favorite version is by my pal Carco Clave. The recording quality here is poor, so I'll explain: He does the A section with a Latin/rhumba beat, the switches to a 4/4 shuffle on the B section.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PtjUHxxb4gM

I love Carco, known him for 25 years. He backs me on guitar on just about every steel show I play. Which is only SWSGA, TSGA, and occasionally the NTSGA. He's a monster.

Two versions:

2009: Cisano, Italy (Sleepwalk - Cosy - Sleepwalk)
https://youtu.be/YCj22QalIcM

2016: California (from CD "Anima")
https://soundcloud.com/kay-das/sleepwalk-2016

Kay

On the Everly Brothers' British Tour during the 90s, Buddy Emmons played a version of Sleepwalk. I wish someone had recorded that tour.

I recorded this using Reaper DAW and the plugins that came with it. The lap steel is run straight into my laptop and is a very old Dickerson/Magnatone 6 stringer with "believe it or not", 15 year old strings. I'm also doing the backing instruments and using Addictive Drums for percussion. I first learned the tune in the original tuning of C#minor7, but C6 is fine for the most part (couple of weird slants at the end). Oh yeah, no finger picks either. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Vl2a9-HnSc

That is down right pretty Jesse!

OK I can never get these to come out exactly as planned, but here is Sleepwalk, playing along with the Larry Carlton Background Track that is on YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YvVGBaw ... e=youtu.be

Mike A Holland wrote:Good topic. I would think we all have a version of this in the cupboard!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pmdsfw30EDc
Basically Dougs version.......C6 tuning.

Been playing along to Mike's version. I especially like the way he ended the song........nothing fancy, just nice, short, and SWEET!

Well, I might as well put my two cents in on this. I probably get us all put in jail, never the less...
Here is my version,,,

Bishop Ron
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K2s12NX_1UY

Bishop Ronnie P Hall wrote:...I probably get us all put in jail...

Gosh, no. In many ways this is probably the best version I've heard. You start off with the tune played normally, but with that Ronnie Hall sound, then you start improvising around the theme and come up with something quite astounding.
Great playing, as usual. Keep up the good work, Ronnie.

My version of sleepwalk is with a vocalist singing while I accompany her with the steel guitar. Would love to hear your feedback.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LmNxbajKxgs

I've just been through this thread and I would like to thank everyone. There are some really great ideas here, and needless to say, I am going to "steel" some of them.

It can't hurt to look at Bobby Ingano @SlackKeyShow..and a rig rundown commentary on a YouTube not posted here yet, but.. Oh my stars; If only I had a fraction of that talent!

Philip Garcia wrote:My version of sleepwalk is with a vocalist singing while I accompany her with the steel guitar. Would love to hear your feedback.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LmNxbajKxgs

This is one of my favorite versions. I've always loved the Betsy Brye version, and my only concern with it is that they used an orchestra of violins in the background instead of having Santo and Johnny back her. What you've created in this version is how the Betsy Brye version should have sounded.

I’ve been doing some recording lately and of course, tend to get hyper focused on each little nuance of phrasing, attack, sustain, etc. This song is no exception!
I found I had tended to pick, then slide up to the opening note, which seems natural
“steel-wise” but doesn’t sound as good as nailing that first (usually C) opening note and quickly adding vibrato. Then same issue for the second note! Strike it clean and add vibrato or slide down from the C? Etc, etc through the rest of the song....argggh!
So many options!! Makes me totally appreciate the simplicity yet sophisticated playing on the original.
I’m not asking which way to pick and slide is best or even whether it’s a worthwhile question but however Santo and Johnny played it, they turned that simple melody into a timeless classic with that perfect execution of melody, phrasing, sustain, attack, vibrato....the whole ball of wax! Perfection 😊

I agree, Tony. A lot of players "overplay" this simple, single note melody. It's very tempting to add in extra fills and licks in the empty spaces. Also tempting to play two-string harmonies throughout the song instead of the plain, single string sound of the original recording. I understand that many players play their own version of the song and I used to do that, but in recent years I've tried to recreate Santo's sound as much as possible. It's not easy to do! He had such a unique style and vibrato.

Ah ha! Finally a picture of the man behind the "HANDS" Always wondered..........
BTW....my avatar isn't me, but close! I'm not a dwarf, don't have 6 brothers, but I have been know to be Grumpy! Guess I have the proper last name!!!!

Yes, that’s me, Bill. That picture was taken last week when I was playing at a local brewery.

My favourite performance of Sleep Walk apart from Santo's classic version is Tom Brumley's. It's just beautiful.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sT-KZ8ngd8E