Rock/Country Rock Style on the e9 pedal steel

[Dave Grafe]

There is certainly a different sort of tension when one slides the bar rather as opposed to pushing a pedal, and I tend to put a lot of pressure and crazy vibrato on some of those strings when I do that, can't tell you why, it just feels and sounds "right" so that's what i do....

[b0b]

I use a different bar for rock, usually the Shubb-Pearse SP2. It encourages different kinds of movements in my left hand.

[Mike Perlowin]

I use a different bar for rock, usually the Shubb-Pearse SP2. It encourages different kinds of movements in my left hand.

Interesting. The question of who else, if anybody, use these types of bars deserves its own thread.

[Chris Reesor]

I have a Shubb SP2 bar on the way, for rock and blues overdrive playing.
This was inspired by watching Roosevelt Collier playing with the Lee Boys this summer, up close. Much of his single note blocking and articulation seems to be done by dropping or lifting the bar while his left hand palm, pinkie and ring finger stay down on the strings behind the bar.
Yes, could be a thread in itself; I might have something useful to add after my new bar arrives.

Cheers, Chris

[Chris Brasher]

Here's a link of Paul Franklin playing Walk Of Life with Mark Knopfler.

Paul's solo is at the end around 4:25.

Nice work.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TSkyHhEhGk4

[Steve Hotra]

Remember Duane Allmans favorite tuning was open E, of which you have 5 of those 6 strings, on your open E9th
Rick

Yep... I am a big Duane Allman fan. With the right overdrive pedal and amp, you'll be able to play "modern country" Its working out for me!

[Steve Hotra]

I have a Shubb SP2 bar on the way, for rock and blues overdrive playing.
This was inspired by watching Roosevelt Collier playing with the Lee Boys this summer, up close. Much of his single note blocking and articulation seems to be done by dropping or lifting the bar while his left hand palm, pinkie and ring finger stay down on the strings behind the bar.
Yes, could be a thread in itself; I might have something useful to add after my new bar arrives.

Cheers, Chris

I own one as well, but haven't been using it. Can you start a thread and share your experiences with the Shubb? User tips, etc.

[Dan Lynch]

Have you tried one of those 'sitar' bars??? It's a normal bar with a flat milled into the bar and gives a slightly distorted sound. Have not scene many around for years but sounds like it would be ideal for what you are trying to do.

I used mine a fair amount of time when playing similar music back in the late 70's.

Robert

If you can't find a sitar bar, I saw a really good player, Kurt Johnson, playing with a small Allen wrench a few nights ago.

[Dan Lynch]

As I still feel myself as a beginner on PSG, I afraid to record much, but here's one played with slight drive, solo starts at 1.50:
http://soundcloud.com/tonutimm/kassitapp

I just joined a local band, Extended Family, after doing a sit in with them about a month ago. I use a BOSS ME-50. By mistake I selected this effect, organ sound, but it worked beautifully on this song. I come in around 1:50. I have never practiced with these guys except to play along to their CD. There is a really good slide guitarist, Gregg Cole, I think we jam it pretty good.

Here's the song


http://www.pocoworld.com/music1/Extende ... 0-%20B.mp3

[Dan Lynch]

I use a different bar for rock, usually the Shubb-Pearse SP2. It encourages different kinds of movements in my left hand.

Along these lines I have a PB40 and the bar that came with my Carter in 2007. How much difference does the smoothness of the bar make on the sound you get? I can usually hear a difference between these two but what the difference is I can't really explain.

Thanks

[Adam Moritz]

Mike and Gerry,
Thanks for the info. Is there anything available today that's comparible to the MDI pickup? I love that sound.

Would you believe I had a Boss-tone GIVEN to me some years back, but I think I gave it away cuz I already had one. Shame on me! But I'm sure that steeler is enjoying it. Who would've thought this stuff would go off the market?

actually i bought a unit a couple years ago that was being made by sonuus from the peterson tuner booth at the St. Louis show. It's called SONUUS G2M "universal guitar to MIDI converter" and basically it has an analog 1/4" input and a MIDI out. It was surprisingly cheap. I've plugged it directly into my soundcard on my PC and can track all my steel stuff into midi (at least single note runs). It's not perfect, but you could easily use it live for a number of things if you had a synth-keyboard or other MIDI controller unit. The SONUUS was something like $99. By the way if you are not familiar with MIDI it's a computer protocol used primarily for digital modeled sounds. You could, for example, make any presampled sound like "piano", "broken glass", "gunshots", or "orchestral ensembles" from your steel guitar.

[b0b]

I use a different bar for rock, usually the Shubb-Pearse SP2. It encourages different kinds of movements in my left hand.

Along these lines I have a PB40 and the bar that came with my Carter in 2007. How much difference does the smoothness of the bar make on the sound you get? I can usually hear a difference between these two but what the difference is I can't really explain.

Thanks

I do hear a small difference in tone between various steel bars, but it's nothing that an audience member could hear. When I switch to another material, like a ceramic or glass bar, the difference is much more dramatic. These rougher surfaces have less sustain and very different tonal qualities.

I use glass for the Dobro effect, and ceramic (by Rex Blattenburger) with distortion for the rock bottleneck effect. I take my foot off the volume pedal for both.

[Jack Aldrich]

I play rock stuff with a flanger or a chorus - "Honkey Tonk Woman", eg, and make it sound like a slide guitar ala Ry Cooder or Keith Richards. Since I also play keyboards, I usually play keyboard on rock stuff - Rock on, Jerry Lee! - Jack

[Todd Weger]

I use a different bar for rock, usually the Shubb-Pearse SP2. It encourages different kinds of movements in my left hand.

I'm in the same camp as b0b here. I switch to a Dunlop 919 JB bar when I play rock/blues on the PSG, and approach it as a lap steel. Sounds more 'correct' to my ears (whatever that means... ) The smaller bar is quick and nimble, gives me a lot more mobility, and it feels like I'm playing lap steel again as opposed to PSG. I learned on a JB bullet nose bar in Hawaiian styles, and I do single note work by tipping the bar up, and that's how I do it. I generally bring a vintage Magnatone lap steel with me when I know I'm going to need it, but if not, I play the PSG more like a lap steel, and avoid the pedals.

For a faux-C6 "straight steel" work-around, if I don't have a lap with me, I re-tune my low D to a C#, hold down the B&C pedals down and play sans pedals. Not the same as my Stringmaster, but it works well enough, and I can still do bar slants (albeit not as easily with the narrower string spacing). I am definitely glad now that I learned to play steel on 6 and 8 string lap and console steels before getting into PSG. It's been coming in handy a lot lately!

Necessity is indeed the mother of invention.

TJW

[Todd Weger]

I forgot to mention that I take my Nashville 1000 on PSG gigs, and I use a Fulltone OCD pedal in the pre-EQ effects loop. I can get everything from just the slightest bit of 'tube' warmth at it's minimum setting to full-tilt high gain tones with a few dial twists. If I need it foot-switchable, I put it in line after the volume pedal on its way to the amp input.

I prefer a smaller wattage tube amp with a 10" or 12" speaker for lap, but this actually works OK, and I don't have to drag two amps around!

TJW

[Larry Robbins]

Dave Grafe,
Great vid...great playin'!
Had to sub that channel!

[Dave Magram]

If you like the Duane Allman/Dickie Betts sound, and wondered how it would sound with a steel guitar, you might consider getting "Highway Call- Richard Betts" with the one and only John Hughey playing Allman-like twin lines and trading fours with Dickie.

John's playing on the five normal-length songs, and the one 14-minute jam piece (C6) is just amazing!

Only $7 on Amazon. Listen to the samples at:

http://www.amazon.com/Highway-Call-Rich ... B000008DEV

- Dave

[Alan Bidmade]

Thomas Butler mentioned the Joe Ely album 'Live Shots' recorded in London with Lloyd Maines on pedal steel. I was there! The high pitched whistling between tracks is me - sorry!
The gig was absolutely full-on from the first minute. The bass player broke a string in the first number! I remember well thinking that psg fitted so well with the more up-tempo songs. This was their first visit back in London after the legendary gigs with The Clash and the whole set just flew by. Awesome.
I was right at the front and picked up one of Joe's dropped plectrums - Fender, tortoiseshell, heavy gauge. Given the price of thumb picks on e-Bay I was thinking of asking $500 for it - but I can't find it and I don't feel right buying any old Fender plectrum and passing it off as the real deal. So, if you see one advertised pretty soon - I found it again!
The gig was the 2nd best I've ever been to - topped only by the late Doug Sahm - again, in London. Now that was incredible! Solo, apart from Augie Mayers joining him towqards the end. Great show and a phenomenal player of anything with strings on. Phew!!