The Steel Guitar Forum

I can't believe they're still going at it. It shouldn't matter if you pick with your teeth and damp with your tongue. It's the SOUND, THE MUSIC, that counts. I said it before: Just play the damn thing.

Believe it, then get over it.
This discussion brought out some good comments.
How can you be playing the damn thing if you're busy reading this?

C'mon Ron be nice. Bobby is waiting for you to come over to be there when he unpacks his newly modified frypan, so if he don't like it he will have someone there to take it out on.

Cool! I'll let him beat some nice into me with that sucka!

Ron Whitfield wrote:Bill, how do you hold the bar, per your index finger?
Is it straight, or curved?

For those that don't slant much, a straight finger would probably aid in the lifting of the bar a bit, but it's the re-entry impact sound that I have still to eliminate.

Ron,

Sorry I didn't answer sooner, but I've not been getting to the Forum much the last few days.

As for how I hold the bar, after your question I had to go "observe myself" to really find out. Basically, my index finger is normally straight right over the bar. As I go into a slant, my thumb pushes the lower part of the bar to the left and somehow ( I'm not quite sure how ) my index finger curves up into a semicircle sort of and rides the top of the bar. (That's for a forward slant---- on a reverse it's basically the same except the thumb slides back to the lower end of the bar to pull it forward.....) As I come out of the slant the index relaxes back to flush on the bar. It's almost like a string and pulley arrangement. I'm not really aware of it happening but that's what happens. Most of the bar lifts I do are with the index flat on the bar but I think I also may do some with the finger still crooked. Guess I'll have to film it to really see.

I know it's a real mish mash but it just seem to happen without me giving any thought to it.

BTW, If you want to see some truly fantastic left hand blocking, there's a new post on here linking to a You Tube of Alvino Rey that shows some amazing bar control while lifting.

Thanx Bill, for the great response, and Rey tip!

Bill Creller; got to hear Bobby play his 'new' Creller-ized 7 out yesterday, and gotta say, 'you've done it again'! He's a happy clam, as are everybody's ears.

b0b wrote:When you lift the bar off the strings, there is a small noise called "bar kiss". Whether that noise is acceptable or not is a subjective matter of taste.

Not in my case, I simultaneously "Pick Block", and, as pointed out also by Jeff Au Hoy, it leads to faster transitions.

Basilh,

The "bar kiss"sound that b0b is refering to can be heard at 1:49 on the first track you posted. Beautiful playing Basilh.

Mike