The Bar Hand Exercise

[David Mason]

Holy cow! At the risk of being a doof, I'd add a bit(s) that I stole off a Carl Flesch violin book first for guitar, then steel.

These represent scale tones:

1-2-1-3-1-4-1-5-1-6-1-7-1-8-1-9 ... and back down. (8's the octave & the 9 makes it count out in 4's). Then:

8-7-8-6-8-5-8-4-8-3-8-2-8-1 ... (add something to make it count out).

Major, minor, symmetric, whole-tone, double harmonic minor scales are fun, all keys, you start on single strings only. Fix 'em to count in 4's till you get bored. After a while you can start on the third, etc. - (modes....); and move towards multi-string arpeggios.

I'd only dare add it because it's so similar, and it's so-oo easy.... to think about. The first thing I noticed when I bought a bunch of steel records was how hard most steelers try to avoid moving the bar. Baffling, to me.

[Ben Jones]

What this exercise has done for me is this: at every fret change I go right to it and play... no "setting" the bar before picking, or sliding up to the note (unless I want to of course). "Real" steel players can do that ... play it almost as a keyboard instrument when they want. That's one thing that separates steel players from slide players, to me.

woah, hold the phone! are we supposed to be lifting the bar off the strings between each of these movements ?? we are not touching strings when moving the bar?!

[Franklin]

Ben,

No lifting the bar....I don't believe Dean was suggesting that.........If there is an unwanted sliding sound connecting the notes from each fret position, the right hand is the problem.....There are several methods for muting strings with the picking hand......Palm blocking and Pick blocking are the most widely used techniques..I strongly discourage bar lifting as a method for muting strings......Paul

[Ben Jones]

Gotcha. Thanks for the clarification.
-Ben

[Bill McCloskey]

Paul,

Thanks again for sharing this exercise. Lately, I've been exclusively focused on weissenborn tuned to open E and D.

Are there any variations on this exercise you would suggest for acoustic 6 string 151351 strung instruments.

Bill

[Bruce Bouton]

I was taught this exercise by Paul many years ago. Much to my regret I didn't practice it daily. I can only imagine where my technique would've been.
That being said it's fun to start learning and practicing again.
BB

[Sonny Jenkins]

Would it be possible for someone,,,(hopefully Paul himself) to include an audio clip as to how this is supposed to sound?

[Sonny Jenkins]

TTT

[Dave Ristrim]

If I remember correctly from the pick blocking exercise tape, you should only hear each note separately without a slid note between them, or overlap from the previous note hit. In other words using strings 7 and 6 you would hear a F# then a G#. After moving the bar two frets you would hear only a G# an A# etc. If you hear overlapping notes or a slide during the bar move, slow down until you can do it cleanly then speed it up, and only then.
I hope I explained this correctly.

[Walter Bowden]

Since I need to learn good basics I too am practicing this exercise nightly if I can. I'm using the E7drone and my trusty old wind up wooden metronome.Thank you so much Paul for this skill builder exercise.
A question for those who are doing this too. Paul recommends using a metronome for timing and starting slow and moving up gradually to quicker tempos. I am comfortable using metronomes for skill practice but I am curious as to how many BPM's you guys are winding up on when proficient and "in the zone"?

[Dan Tyack]

Thanks, Paul!

This sort of technique is one example of how you have moved beyond the 'pedal steel lick' style to defining your own universe of playing.

This kind of reminds me of an excersize that I have used where I get students to play an entire melody (e.g. "just a closer walk with thee") on a single string.

[Adair Torres]

Would it be possible for someone,,,(hopefully Paul himself) to include an audio clip as to how this is supposed to sound?

Hi Sonny Jenkins...

You can see and hear it on Steve Palousek Course. I don't remember wich one, #140 or #150. Both by Emmons Guitar CO. (VHS format).

[Ben Jones]

This kind of reminds me of an excersize that I have used where I get students to play an entire melody (e.g. "just a closer walk with thee") on a single string.

you have students?
I am jealous of them.

Chuck Campbell does this on his dvd and it was one of the best things I got from that dvd. Its been a couple years, I need to revisit that dvd and see if theres stuff I am capable of understanding now, that i wasnt as a stone cold beginner when I first got the dvd.

[Jerry Kline]

Thank you Paul.

[Dave Morrison]

Thanks Paul;I know how busy you are,but I am so glad you take time out to hang out with us here on the forum.Your posts are very valuable to us all.Dave Morrison

[Bob Hoffnar]

I modified my drone CDs to suit Paul's excersize.

http://bb.steelguitarforum.com/viewtopi ... 52#1554152

[Brett Lanier]

Thanks Paul,
I'm going to try this out in a bit.

You mentioned blocking here,, I'm mostly a pick blocker, but I noticed not too long ago that on certain occasions(usually when moving down the strings) I'll block with the index or middle finger but not the pick, just the little area of finger between the nail and end of the pick. Wondering if you or any others do this sometimes,

p.s. where could one obtain a PF instructional course? I've never seen one available, thanks

[Nathan Golub]

What a cool exercise. I've been playing this using Buddy Emmon's paradiddle picking pattern too, which is a lot of fun.

[Ricky Thibodeaux]

Sounds like Greek to me. Think I'll just stick to playing by ear with a little help from tabs. You can't teach this old dog new trick fo sho.

[Tony Prior]

it's maddening but for 5 or 10 min at a clip it can be tolerated . I gotta be honest, after a few repeat cycles I have to rest and I do not do this at each sit down...I know I should...

I never did an exercise like this as detailed by Paul for the Steel until I read this thread, although I find the mechanical eye to fret extremely valuable I also find that hearing the 'TONES' and SEEING where they lay is pretty much a fundamental core learning exercise. I wish I had been doing this for a couple of decades. But 5 or 10 minutes a few times a week is still forward progress, even now.

thanks Paul,

t

[Storm Rosson]

Ditto that Tony, I sound like I have boxing gloves on ,and am trying to practice this with more persistence......I hope with this exercise I can at least change to welding gloves after 2 or 3 mos.

[steve takacs]

Thanks,Paul,Larry,Bob,Dave and others; funny how things "seemingly" so simple on paper, but not necessarily in practice, can have such power. stevet

[Paul Sutherland]

I practice it everyday, with a metronome and Bob Hofnar's drone CD. My wife sings along, in a rather mocking fashion. That's how I know I've been putting in the time. Would love to have more drills like this one.

[Elton Smith]

Great tip..... If I'm playing C6th (lap steel), would the base note be a C instead of an E?

The guitar is tuned to the chord of c,so the scale starts with the c chord.First fret c# second fret d then d# next is e and so on up the scale from starting at c.

[Ariel Lobos]

Thanks Paul and dean parks for this exercise and concepts!
Any suggestions for the right hand to do it well ?