The Steel Guitar Forum

Simply put on a recording that has no steel and add to it?

I do that a lot, for example, my friend Katie Cook does a 1980s song called "Time After Time" for a movie soundtrack and the song has no steel, so I add the steel.

Brett

Kinda how I make my living...

Better for the ego than puttin' on a Ray Price tune from 1961 and tryin' to keep up with Big E

Actually, there are to my mind many tunes out there that don't have steel but could or should.

"There won't be anymore" by Charlie Rich is one of 'em.

They are fun melodies to follow.

Odd you should ask this, but I have tried this several times, and one of the best songs to do it with is Sammi Smith's "Help Me Make It Through The Night", a beautiful ballad totally devoid of any pedal-steel. Just add your own backup!

This is also an excellent tune for playing some laid-back Dobro as well.

Hey NED!
Watcha drivin'? Looks like possibly a PIPER Chiefton or maybe even bigger and more luxurious?

Curious mind wants to know..........

Hi Ray,

I'm in the left seat of a United DC10-10 at Denver in 1999. The F/E was kind enough to shoot the piccie whilst I was transitting Denver for Winnnipeg. Nice, roomy flight-deck with superb view, especially straight down from the shoulder with those big side-windows. Handy for taxying! I have always loved the Diesel Ten; an airframe chiselled out of solid granite and the most tractable of the big high-bypass turbofans (the mighty GE CF6). The chance to get a flight-deck shot was too good to miss.

I have 2 aircraft at my home airport, but I don't fly the heavy metal. I use the pic because at the moment it's the only one I have for an avatar, until someone takes a few of me behind the steel, that is.

Kinda how I make my living...
_________________
Mikey D... H.S.P.

dito JJ

I practise by adding steel to steel-less songs--several numbers by Don Williams, Merle Haggard and Waylon Jennings to name a few. I record the songs on two tracks of a four track recorder (Tascam DP004), then put my part on track 3, then do it a little different on track four, etc.
Also, I try to duplicate steel backups and breaks by the big guys--Huhey, Emmons, Franklin, Finney and so on. Sometimes I get frustrated and throw my hands up, sometimes I get happy and feel like I can actually play the thing!


Derby SD-10, NV-112, TruTone

I practice to my Band in a Box songs and so far I am the best steel player on them Ha!
I have lots of songs if you guys want some I can send em on a email.. But don't tell anyone.
They'll be like tater chips... everybody will want them.

Anybody remember the old "Music Minus One" recordings?" I don't think there were any 'country' versions, however. I know, I'm showing my age ....

Glen,When I first started playing steel 1971?I bought a few Waylon Jennings records that didn't have any steel on them,they were promoted as "Folk/Country? and that's what I played along with when not trying to ape famous records.

what's practice?

Actually, there are to my mind many tunes out there that don't have steel but could or should.

. . . and this is not only a great opportunity to "find out," but also to practice playing-to-add rather than stand out.

Thanks for all the suggestions, everyone. Ken, I'll email you.

How are you certain you're playing in the correct key as the song? I like the theory of doing this but the few times I've done it became frustrated that I might not be in the right key.

Rick Myrland wrote:How are you certain you're playing in the correct key as the song? I like the theory of doing this but the few times I've done it became frustrated that I might not be in the right key.

Well, after 30 years of playing guitar, I should know that.

It's almost the only way I practise. I don't even care if the record already has a steel guitar, I just play along in my own way.

Having played 6-string for 47 years I know what music is about. Going back to simple exercises now learning PSG would be far too boring for me, so I put on some of my favorite records and have fun trying to play along.

That's basically how I learned how to play all my instruments.
Tommy

I used to play along to movie soundtracks learning most instruments. Unfortunately my steel is at the studio. I do put iTunes on random and try and play along. The only problem is every time I do that I know I should be working.

Might need to bring the steel home for a couple of weeks.