The Steel Guitar Forum

Is it possible to attract listening audiences to the art of playing pedal steel guitar by playing melodies that they can relate to? Versatility in various selected tunes could cause a stir where things have been so-so far too long.

I agree. Playing songs is what I do. Admittedly, I am weak on backup and fill-ins, but when some one asks me to play something, I can play a song or twenty-five. I read somewhere on this forum that so-and-so has never played a song. How sad!

Yes, I agree. But you can count on one hand the too few artists who have played "FADED LOVE", for example. It's a great steel tune, and a good proving ground for both player and title song. It would also snap listeners to attention! It might also be a good idea to forget oddball arrangements made with oddball tunings.

I had previously believed that others would be interested in this thread's subject matter. As soon as I discovered that readers were not interested, in the title song ("Faded Love"), I proceeded in checking out some of well known artists who may have featured the "Western Swing" song in their past recordings. To my surprise, very few have featured the song instrumentally in the past. One well known female teacher teaching how to play the song on the Dobro, said, "It's a 3 chord song". I disagree with that source of information. The point is finding a learning experience in all things is beneficial, even finding that interests are not as diversified as I once believed.

That's a song that is mostly played by fiddlers as Mr. Wills was known for,it is a good steel instrumental also but as mentioned basically a fiddle composition.

Been there, done that. Robert Randolph, Voodoo Chile, Slight Return. It worked. Introduced a whole generation to the possibilities of the pedal steel. Faded Love??? Not so much. That is like a fiddle player playing Steel Guitar Rag.

Stephen Silver wrote:Been there, done that. Robert Randolph, Voodoo Chile, Slight Return. It worked. Introduced a whole generation to the possibilities of the pedal steel. Faded Love??? Not so much. That is like a fiddle player playing Steel Guitar Rag.

I have a fiddlin' friend who with a few shots & a joint will play "Steel Guitar Rag",however he will go out back & throw up afterwards

I once played in a band with an overzealous fiddler. He couldn't keep the bow still for love or money. He wanted to "kick off" all the "intros" for the lead singer... even some of the well known intros where the steel would fit perfectly with the opening lyrics. The bandleader said she "loved" him to pieces, from day one. A short time later, she hired a steel player who all but blew him away. Her fiddler exultations at that point became nonexistent, and she retired the fiddling fiddler in favor of the pedal steel player. So much for the life of lead players at the mercy of bandleaders.

I believe there are some forum members that are taking the instrument to the "General Public". I think where we play, has that effect and I don't recall any of the "half in the bag" listeners that I've played to ever taking up the steel. I first heard the steel guitar while I was in grade school at an assembly. I'm sure the player played some beautiful songs, but I only remember airplane, train, truck horn and whistle effects. But, I was exposed. I've played library's, fairs and private gathering that generated much interest from young prospective players. Those seeds may someday take root. I think the members that are playing in there churches have a unique opportunity to influence young steel guitar maybes. What do you think?

I do not understand not playing "Faded Love". I have played that from day one............normally in D with the bridge in A. It has been played by piano, sax, accordian, dobro, mandolin and whatever........even a harp.

It's a composition that is easily transposed to other instruments but as mentioned is more suited to fiddle,or is it bag pipes,I fergit.

Dick Sexton,

You've made some good points about the influences that come into play whenever susceptible future steel guitarists hear the wide range of advantages featured in a steel guitar for the first time. Nothing in today's world of stringed instruments can come close, dollar for dollar. Oftentimes, it isn't unusual to see a wanna-be publicly giving the steel a bad name with one of those "glass" slides played on a Spanish guitar. Those ridiculous things contribute nothing but detrimental noise to the listening public. I seriously doubt if the ultimate finesse would alter the poor excuse for the sound of the pedal steel guitar. With the pedal steel "waiting in the wing", I can't decide which is the most asinine, the "CAPO" or the "GLASS" SLIDE.

Funny, I was just listening to John Fahey playing steel guitar rag. Yea, he is an asinine wanna be as Bill points out.....LOL. Oh, and now it's that wanna be Sonny Landreth, using his glass slide to play things that Bill Hankey only has wet dreams about being able to do.

And I use the slide of choice that Lowell turned me onto....a Craftsman Spark Plug socket. My 65 Strat never sounded so good playing Rocket in my Pocket or Fatman in the Bathtub.

SS

I wonder what some of the old blues slide guitar players(6-8 string lap steels) would think of Mr.Hanky's comments.

Ransom, they would think what most of us think about Mr. Hankeys comments.
Then they would have a good laugh.

S

Stephen,

What are the chances of placing my finger in a tight aperture such as a GLASS SLIDE? None what-so-ever. It reminds me of forcing undersized rings on fat fingers. If there is anything that I can live without, it's an emergency situation. As a matter of fact, I don't wear rings, or stretch band watches. Our vascular tree needs all the free movement of our vital blood flow that we can provide. There happens to be several trouble areas that need to be considered while seated at the steel guitars. Such things as a fat wallet can cause undue strain on the spine; for example. I once worked with a man who was exceedingly adept in many occupations. When we worked around yellow and red brass, he couldn't see the difference in color. He was color-blind. It's a known fact.. some are good in some things, but they can't measure up in all things that require skills.

I have the solution!
First we need a black silk top hat, add to that a black shoulder length curly wig, extra dark sunglasses, sleevless black tee shirt, black leather vest, faded jeans, black sandles with toe nails painted black and on the way home....stop at the Harley dealer and get some weekend tatoos.
at least enough to almost cover the arms. Then for the performance (now that we look like we know what we are doing)2oo watt amp at least wide open, distortion pedal full on, play UNCHAINED MELODY super slow all in triads with lots of bar vibrato. Next play the same song four time the normal speed.
There ....that should to it. I can see it now......cover photo for some music gear catalog.

Bill, does your wife wear a wedding ring? If so, you had better get her to take it off as you stated, she could lose a finger or her life wearing that ring.

As to men who are married and don't wear a ring.......well, we all know what that is about now don't we.

SS

Stephen,

If by chance your memory is a shade touchy, may I remind you of the late MISS KITTY WELLS' recording of "THIS WHITE CIRCLE". It's a song about the wedding band, and how after many years, will leave a permanent raised white circle on the ring finger of your left hand. I imagine with the price of gold somewhere in the range of sixteen hundred dollars an ounce (troy), there are countless white circles circulating. Not to mention the frequency of broken marriages. The steel guitar remains in the middle, as a given. We can always depend on it to provide the enjoyment, during and after hard times.

http://youtu.be/QgLhZFaYo-A

Don't sound like a fiddle to me.

http://youtu.be/WWagS7oCoqE

Perhaps Mr Wright will change some minds.

http://youtu.be/lGHbXBCTqDA

Bill Hankey wrote:Dick Sexton,

You've made some good points about the influences that come into play whenever susceptible future steel guitarists hear the wide range of advantages featured in a steel guitar for the first time. Nothing in today's world of stringed instruments can come close, dollar for dollar. Oftentimes, it isn't unusual to see a wanna-be publicly giving the steel a bad name with one of those "glass" slides played on a Spanish guitar. Those ridiculous things contribute nothing but detrimental noise to the listening public. I seriously doubt if the ultimate finesse would alter the poor excuse for the sound of the pedal steel guitar. With the pedal steel "waiting in the wing", I can't decide which is the most asinine, the "CAPO" or the "GLASS" SLIDE.

Oh, I dunno...I have heard some steel guitar stuff that sounded down right rotten and miserable and a bag pipe would have been welcome as a choice to the wang rang clang wow of a poorly played steel...

It seems to me that if we want to attract new players, especially younger ones,it should be with new music. Faded Love is a fine song, but how may 20-somethings can relate to it? How many 20-somethings have even heard it before?

How are we going to make the steel attractive to younger people by offering them music that they consider hopelessly out-dated?

We need more players like Robert Randolph, and players who will work up tunes by Lady Gaga and others her age. (BTW unlike a lot of other pop stars, Lady Gaga writes her own songs, actually sings in tune, and plays keyboards quite well. She deserves our respect, regardless of whether or not we like her music.)

Mike Perlowin wrote:It seems to me that if we want to attract new players, especially younger ones,it should be with new music. Faded Love is a fine song, but how may 20-somethings can relate to it? How many 20-somethings have even heard it before?

How are we going to make the steel attractive to younger people by offering them music that they consider hopelessly out-dated?

Of course, Mike, the same argument could be made with regard to "classical" music!

I must say that my own interest in attracting people to the steel guitar (or anything else musical) is actually pretty much confined to that segment of the human population that subscribes (consciously or instinctively) to the philosophy stated by Duke Ellington and others: There are only two kinds of music : good music and bad music.

Naturally not everyone will agree on what music falls into which category ("good" or "bad"), but viewed from that angle the concept of music being "outdated" is meaningless.

They that have ears, let them hear.

Indeed Brint, the same argument can be applied to classical music. (Why did you put it in quotation marks?,) and it is a problem. The kids can't identify with it and don't want to listen to it or learn how to play it. Remember, the subject is attracting new players.

I have a question. How many people here regularly listen to classical music? Now, nobody in their right mind will say that Mozart's music is bad, but few of us listen to it because it's foreign to most of us. It's not part of our American cultural heritage. Most of us identify with country music because it's a major part of our culture. We heard it as kids and listened to it all our lives.

Today's young people identify with the music of their generation, and just as many people here don't easily relate to Mozart, likewise, most kids don't relate well to the music, country or otherwise, of us older folks.

I say that if we are trying to attract new younger players, we have to do it by meeting those younger people on their own musical terms.

I totally get what Bill is saying ..and there is a happy "in the middle"...and we have talked about this countless times.

You go to a Jazz club and the Sax guy is great, awesome..but many can't relate to the ad-lib solo's over various scales. I can..but I know many cannot. People who love Jazz can..others say.."yeh he's good but it all sounds the same to me, lets go"

Now lets substitute Steel players who play zero melody lines or Speed pick their way thru the night...

It's great to ad-lib, it's great to play counter point..but at some point we also need to just play the dang song because that's what we are doing.."playing a song"...

People love to sing along as they are sitting at the Moose Hall tables , dancing etc..even if just in their heads. Even I have to admit it's hard to silently sing along to Rocky Top as I am Speed pickin' my way thru the verse !


My very good friend here in Charlotte, Joe Smith, he is a premier Steel player, I doubt there is anything he cannot play and play well. But, each gig..he plays "Over the Rainbow"...and everyone remembers this and talks about it. When they see Joe, that's what they ask for...he connects...

And I think that's the point here...