The Value Of Single String

Roy Thomson · Post by **Roy Thomson** » 28 Jan 2006 2:12 pm

There is much beauty to be found in the single string technique when playing the Steel Guitar. Imitate the voice.
It saves a lot of work trying to play all those chords.
This one was done one recent morning while the coffee perkulator was working in the
background.
It is also included in a Song Folio for Hawaiian Lap Steel Guitar which I have acailable. Particular on my Web Site. http://freefilehosting.net/?id=q9rwmq/e

My Site: http://www.clictab.com/RoyT/lap_steel_e6th.htm [This message was edited by Roy Thomson on 28 January 2006 at 02:14 PM.]

Andy Sandoval · Post by **Andy Sandoval** » 28 Jan 2006 2:25 pm

Beautiful tone Roy. which guitar did you use for this one?

Craig Prior · Post by **Craig Prior** » 28 Jan 2006 2:51 pm

Great arrangement, Roy! And I loved the coffee perkulator's part.

Craig.

Dan Peterson · Post by **Dan Peterson** » 28 Jan 2006 3:06 pm

Lovely ...Roy ..absolutely, positively just lovely! Thanks for sharing it with us ..

dan

Roy Thomson · Post by **Roy Thomson** » 28 Jan 2006 3:53 pm

Here is my favourite, the Steel on
the subject song.
http://img93.imageshack.us/img93/8661/nationalforforum1ap.jpg [This message was edited by Roy Thomson on 28 January 2006 at 03:54 PM.]

George Rout · Post by **George Rout** » 28 Jan 2006 7:24 pm

I love that stuff Roy. Keep up the nice work. Geo

John D. Carter · Post by **John D. Carter** » 29 Jan 2006 10:03 am

Roy, I like your tone. Can you describe the pick-up technology of this National guitar? Is it an original single coil, an aftermarket pick up or a horseshoe? It somewhat has the sound of a Rick.?

Roy Thomson · Post by **Roy Thomson** » 29 Jan 2006 11:30 am

Hi John,
My National has all original parts intact.
I will try to put the pic beneath here.
If not follow the link.
http://img518.imageshack.us/img518/5787/pickupnational5td.jpg [This message was edited by Roy Thomson on 29 January 2006 at 11:34 AM.]

John D. Carter · Post by **John D. Carter** » 29 Jan 2006 2:17 pm

Roy, as a beginning steel player (about 6 weeks) I am trying to understand what the major factors are in a particular tone quality. You posted, a couple of weeks ago, the clip Yellowroses, which, like the clip here, demonstrates a very rich and beautiful tone quality. Yellowroses was recorded on a Gibson BR9 if I recall correctly. The tone quality is very similar, although not quite the same, as the tone of your National recorded here. Would you attribute your sound as much to the amplifier as to the guitar or more to the particular guitar? What amplifier did you use to record these two clips? I suspect that it is the same amp at the same settings. Is this correct? Thanks.

Roy Thomson · Post by **Roy Thomson** » 29 Jan 2006 4:52 pm

Good questions John!
I will try to answer as best as I can.

Besides the National and the Gibson BR-9 I also have a Richenbacher. I use the BR-9
most, not because it is the best but rather because it is tuned C6th and without changing
strings I can also tune to B11th and Leavitt
in short order. They are all good lap steels
and the fact is I can express myself musically on each one with equal tonal results. My sound remains the same.

I use a Peavy Nashville 400 for my practicing
and while writing arrangements. When I record I go direct to my digital recorder and by pass the amp. Nothwithstanding my sound remains the same.

I was fortunate that my teacher introduced
me to the music of Jerry Byrd shortly after I started taking lessons. Jerry's tone
entered my brain and it has not left since.
Later,I was also influenced by the playing of Buddy Emmons. They both taught me what real tone was all about. Their guitars, amps and equipment changed many times throughout their careers but their tone was always a constant factor. Beautiful!

So if you have a decent guitar and amp,
experiment until you get a clear pleasant
tonal sound from your settings and then start working on "your" tone. Visualize how you want to sound and let your mind and hands be guided accordingly.

That is my "feeble" answer. The real answer is " Blowing In The Wind "

My very best to you. I have a feeling you will learn to play very well.

Roy

Don Kona Woods · Post by **Don Kona Woods** » 29 Jan 2006 8:22 pm

John,

IMHO smooth tone comes from the manner in which you smoothly ossilate the bar and the soft touch of your picking fingers.

If you pick more than two strings at one time the evenness and soft touch with two or more picking fingers.

As a beginner, I first of all would practice on your bar oscillation. Start slow and work to a faster oscillation of bar. Listen see what it sounds like. What sound do you like after experimenting? The bar oscillation whether slow or fast must be even-handed.

The second thing I would work on is the touch of the string(s) with your finger(s). Work on the lightest touch first and listen to the sound. Go for consistency in touching the strings each time. Then work on light touch but with quickness of picking. See how that sounds to you. Later, go for light touch to heavier touch for a different expression.

I believe that Roy's emphasis on single string is a good one. I wish that I had started there when I started playing steel and not started with more complicated picking with two or three string picking.

Keep practicing it will come.

Aloha,
Don[This message was edited by Don Kona Woods on 29 January 2006 at 08:28 PM.][This message was edited by Don Kona Woods on 29 January 2006 at 08:31 PM.]

John D. Carter · Post by **John D. Carter** » 30 Jan 2006 6:25 am

Don, I appreciate the good advice and I am working with these techniques. The focus on these answers is in playing technique, an obviously important contribution to music quality. However, I was trying to get to the important contributions of tone that come intrinsically from one's particular equipment and the way that it is set up. I was trying to get at what I think is the electronic/acoustic characteristics to a particular sound, but when Roy tells us that he is bypassing the amplifier and going straight to his digital recording apparatus, I am now scratching my head, because he just took the amplifier out of the whole equation. And since he plays three different guitars with close to the same sound, my thought process was that much of his sound quality (from an electronic/acoustic standpoint) is coming from his amplifier. Would there not be some type of pre-amp in the digital recorder that is contributing to the tone quality of Roy’s sound clips? Even though the amp is bypassed in these clips there is obviously electronic amplification occurring.

Erv Niehaus · Post by **Erv Niehaus** » 30 Jan 2006 7:27 am

Roy,
How did you get that frog to balance on one leg like that?

Erv

Roy Thomson · Post by **Roy Thomson** » 30 Jan 2006 8:05 am

John,
My Digital recorder is a Roland VS-840
and it does have a pre-amp build therein.
Something you must also include in your
research is "timbre" ie the same note can be played on different strings. Different musicians will choose different strings
to achieve the same note or chord?
You can experiment with this yourself. For instance, if your first string is tuned E
open ,,, find all the E's on the fretboard
and play and compare the sound of each.
Just a thought for you to consider.

Herman Visser · Post by **Herman Visser** » 30 Jan 2006 6:30 pm

Roy.... Check left today for the E6th tuning material.
Herman

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Steinar Gregertsen · Post by **Steinar Gregertsen** » 30 Jan 2006 6:45 pm

And since he plays three different guitars with close to the same sound, my thought process was that much of his sound quality (from an electronic/acoustic standpoint) is coming from his amplifier.

John, you're searching at the wrong places. The secret ingredience to Roy's beautiful tone is called "Roy Thomson"....

Steinar

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www.gregertsen.com

[This message was edited by Steinar Gregertsen on 30 January 2006 at 06:48 PM.]

John D. Carter · Post by **John D. Carter** » 30 Jan 2006 7:54 pm

Steinar, I agree the quality of his music is in his playing ability. However, the electronic/acoustic aspect of his sound is different than your sound, and you are also a very talented musician with equal playing ability. Your electronic/acoustic signiture is very different from his. I am now beginning to think the major electronic sound differences is in pickup technology. However, this conclusion is still very frustrating to me, because the Seymour-Duncan website states that a Strat type single coil has the same type technology as the old Fender Stringmasters (essentially the same wire gauge and turns.) How is Roy obtaining an almost-horseshoe-like pickup sound with his Gibson and National? Is it mostly in the pickups? I put a Strat single coil on my steel guitar to experiment, and I am ending up with something like a Strat sound (too bright for my taste in steel sound.) I want the guitar that I am building to have the right stuff. Thanks.