I made a mess!

Reggie Duncan · Post by **Reggie Duncan** » 20 Jul 2002 6:51 am

I played steel in the studio all day yesterday. I had a great tone and it seemed that everything I did was in pitch, and most all the fills I did well on the first take. I tried overdubs, and nearly everyone fit perfectly with the first track. I was hot!
I said to myself, "Self, tonight at the Country Village (my gig)
things are going to be great!"

But, to my dismay, I had NO tone, my chops were out of sync, and my guitar sounded out of tune all night! Back to ground level. Ever happened to you? Why? Is it live vs studio playing?

Jerry Roller · Post by **Jerry Roller** » 20 Jul 2002 7:03 am

It's just LIFE Reggie. Kinda keeps us humble.

Jerry

Marco Schouten · Post by **Marco Schouten** » 20 Jul 2002 7:26 am

Although at this moment I'm only a home player, some days the playing is great, great tone speed everything works out OK. Than the next day it can seem like a struggle, no tone, wrong notes, big mess.
Than the other day THIS sound (I play a Sho-Bud) is there again. I'm sure that tomorrow THAT sound will be there again, Reggie.

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Steelin' Greetings
Marco Schouten
Sho-Bud Pro III Custom

Paul Graupp · Post by **Paul Graupp** » 20 Jul 2002 7:42 am

Reggie: Last week on the saturday night gig, I thought my tone had the BE High Vacumn effect ((really sucks !!)) all night.

Last night, I went back to exactly the same set-up with no changes to the Tube-Fex or amp and it sounded good again. Everything was in tune whereas last week everything was out of tune and dull sounding. I've had it happen before and one night I even recall blaming it on my setting the Fender Twin Reverb up against some stage curtains. I doubt now if that had anything to do with it at all but it does happen for whatever reason.

BE says that when he gets his new Standel, he will finally have the sound he has been looking for for years. Perhaps we are never satisfied completely and some nights it is just more obvious to us.

Still, when it is good, we know it and it shows in your music !!

Regards, Paul

Tony Prior · Post by **Tony Prior** » 20 Jul 2002 8:07 am

Two weeks ago I had a similar scenario with both the steel and the Tele. It was humid, I was hot, not in the mood, everything felt off.The Tele neck was sticky, the steel sounded dead and out of tune.etc... I was hanging my head in shame at the end when the band leader says "You were Awesome Tonight !" He must have taken to many drugs ! Go figure. Generally when these things happen we are the only one that is really effected and probably no-one else give a hoot ! I'd be willing to bet that Reggie was in autopilot mode and played great and sounded great regardless.
tp

Larry Bell · Post by **Larry Bell** » 20 Jul 2002 8:36 am

Reggie,
Be thankful it wasn't the OTHER WAY (great tone and chops in the club and trainwrecks in the studio). I've had both happen and, as you're aware, those little studio things that you figure will just get buried someplace can come back to haunt you.

There's material for dozens of psych PhD dissertations re: the perception musicians have of their own playing. One principle I've found to be true, however, is what you mentioned. No matter how LOUSY I think I sounded there's always audience or even band members who'll tell me how great I sounded. It's hard to know what it sounds like 'out there'.

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Larry Bell - email: larry@larrybell.org - gigs - Home Page
2000 Fessenden S-12 8x8, 1969 Emmons S-12 6x6, 1971 Dobro

Bobby Lee · Post by **Bobby Lee** » 20 Jul 2002 8:41 am

After playing in studio conditions, the uncontrolled variables of live performance can jar the senses. The band isn't really in tune, sound is coming at you from all directions, bouncing off the walls, customers are shouting, someone is "harmonizing" out of key, etc. All of this gets superimposed on the subject of your interest - your steel guitar sound.

I have heard some great performances that were "a little off", and all the greater for it. The effort required to make an instrument sound right in a difficult context adds to the emotional content of each note. People pick up on that. So, even when we think we sound like crap, the audience hears the emotion and effort that went into the performance, and they respond to that.

We rarely have to play for other musicians. That's the good thing.

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<img align=right src="http://b0b.com/b0b.gif" width="64" height="64">Bobby Lee - email: quasar@b0b.com - gigs - CDs
Sierra Session 12 (E9), Williams 400X (Emaj9, D6), Sierra Olympic 12 (F Diatonic) Sierra Laptop 8 (D13), Fender Stringmaster (E13, A6)

Marc Friedland · Post by **Marc Friedland** » 20 Jul 2002 9:03 am

Sometimes it seems like I'm in the "zone" where everything sounds good and it's effortless, and then later the very same day I could sit down at the guitar and feel I can't even play ONE note in tune no matter what I do. I still haven't figured out if it's all just my perception and how I happen to be feeling, or if there really are such drastic differences in how I play and sound. -- Marc

HowardR · Post by **HowardR** » 20 Jul 2002 9:13 am

Reggie, some days you're the pidgeon, other days you're the statue...

Wayne Morgan · Post by **Wayne Morgan** » 20 Jul 2002 9:39 am

state of mind,,,,,,90%
Steel pickers are great, even on a bad day.

Paul Graupp · Post by **Paul Graupp** » 20 Jul 2002 10:08 am

...the audience hears the emotion and effort that went into the performance...

I like that ! It's a keeper !! Thank you b0b !!!

Regards, Paul

Ray Montee · Post by **Ray Montee** » 20 Jul 2002 11:36 am

EAR WAX! That's what it is! Sometimes it just plugs up the canal and softens the sounds. Other times, if it gets compressed in that confined space...it slows down the sound that's trying to get from the ear to the brain, thus your out of sync. If it's a super clog....it really messes up your mind.
It can go so far as make you completely dizzy and tipsy........like you've been inhaling too much of that funny smoke.
EAR WAX! That has to be what you experienced! No other explanation.

Don Olson · Post by **Don Olson** » 20 Jul 2002 12:08 pm

How true,has happened to me a few times and the older I get the more often it happens.
Say it LOUD ZUMSTEEL

Joe Miraglia · Post by **Joe Miraglia** » 20 Jul 2002 12:14 pm

Larry-- No matter how LOUSY I think I sound(unlike you) everyone agrees with me

. I better start getting ready for tonights gig. The wife wants to go out to eat first--at least the job is only ten miles down the road. Joe

Bill Ford · Post by **Bill Ford** » 20 Jul 2002 5:10 pm

YEP....What everybody said...

Bill Ford

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Donny Hinson · Post by **Donny Hinson** » 20 Jul 2002 6:17 pm

An old friend of mine (a super athlete) used to call musicians "little athletes". He used the term because it seemed to him that musicians used very small muscle groups the exact same way sports stars use big muscle groups. The timing, the strength, the stamina, and the "repeatable exactness" are all there in a good musician...the same as they are in a sports star, only in a scaled-down capability.

Now, on to your dilemma, Reggie. In the lingo of an athlete, you had "lost your edge". Like a fighter in the 9th round, a baseball pitcher after 6 or 7 innings, or a skater after 4 or 5 minutes, you were just plain tired, mentally and physically. You were on the downhill side of a "high"...after playing all day, you were a little wore out. The ears lose their edge, the hands get a little tired, and the brain gets fuzzy and irritable.

We've all been there...it's no big thing.

Bill Llewellyn · Post by **Bill Llewellyn** » 20 Jul 2002 7:17 pm

I'm steel mostly an at-home player, and not really a gigging steeler, but I do know whereof you speak, Reggie. What happens to me on the few days I seem 'hot' (within the confines of my very limited skill set) is that it all can come to an abrupt end for some unknown reason. I'll be blasting away picking along with some backup track and then I'll hit some bad notes or chords and never recover. I just lose it like I've blown a tire or something. About the best I can do at that point is fall back to picking drills or just hang it up for the day.

I wish I could figure out why that happens.

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Bill L | My steel page | Email | My music | Steeler birthdays | Over 50?[This message was edited by Bill Llewellyn on 20 July 2002 at 08:18 PM.]

Reggie Duncan · Post by **Reggie Duncan** » 20 Jul 2002 7:47 pm

I got to the gig a little early and changed the 3,4,and 5th strings. Then, I made up with the old P/P and had a much better night!
Thanks guys for all of your input. Makes me feel a part of this great community!

Larry Bell · Post by **Larry Bell** » 22 Jul 2002 5:17 am

An old push pull is like a good ole hound dog. No matter how much you beat on 'em they'll come back for more and treat you like a king. But sometimes they will pee on the floor.

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Larry Bell - email: larry@larrybell.org - gigs - Home Page
2000 Fessenden S-12 8x8, 1969 Emmons S-12 6x6, 1971 Dobro

Joe Miraglia · Post by **Joe Miraglia** » 22 Jul 2002 6:25 pm

Larry I had the Beast housebroken

Joe

Larry Bell · Post by **Larry Bell** » 22 Jul 2002 7:40 pm

It must've forgot.

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Larry Bell - email: larry@larrybell.org - gigs - Home Page
2000 Fessenden S-12 8x8, 1969 Emmons S-12 6x6, 1971 Dobro

Gary Dillard · Post by **Gary Dillard** » 24 Jul 2002 5:18 pm

DITTO, DITTO to what Jerry Roller wrote above!

Steven Welborn · Post by **Steven Welborn** » 24 Jul 2002 9:39 pm

It seems to me that playing steel demands a lot more physical, mental and maybe even emotional energy than other instruments. Hence, how I'm feeling has greater effect on my steel game(which is probably little league at best anyway). Good to hear off days arent so rare for others though. Its them damn "uncontrollable variables"...thats it. Good thread.

John Bechtel · Post by **John Bechtel** » 25 Jul 2002 3:02 pm

Reggie;You'll never be alone in your dilema! Take comfort in that! I've been playing steel guitar for 54yrs., been all over this country and 1/2 way around the world, and this is one of my most interesting topics! I've owned about a dozen SHO-BUDs,(including #3) and all but one were superb sound, and I am now playing on my third Franklin and all of them were superb sounding. But, I have always had the same problem, and that is, I spend more time than I probably should, just looking for "That Sound". I sit down at home and got it all set, "Boy Oh Boy" this is going to be a great night, but; something always happens to mess up the whole thing, and I'm likely to come home thoroughly disgusted with the whole thing! ALL I can say is hang in there and things have to get better! Thanks, Big John,Nashville,TN.

Franklin · Post by **Franklin** » 25 Jul 2002 5:19 pm

Reggie,

To quote Knopfler, "Sometimes we're the windshield, sometimes we're the bug."

I just finished playing three live gigs with "The Players" within a ten day span. One felt great. The other two gigs were a struggle for me, nothing came as easy as the first gig.

Paul[This message was edited by Franklin on 26 July 2002 at 05:08 AM.]