The Steel Guitar Forum

I've played this on and off for years on guitar, been starting to mess with it on steel...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=myTo7R28xnI

Wow, that's some serious pickin'. There is so much energy in your playing! I like the sound of your Tremblay steel with those Lollar Stringmaster pickups... a vintage tone from a modern lap steel. Well done.

Smokin' man!!

Yowza, Steve! Hot stuff. Can we teleport you back to 1936 Paris for a few days?

Yeah Man! Thats some pickin there.....

Yeah! That is awesome to the max!

Steve, that was a real blast, man. You've got great rhythmic phrasing and fire, and just the right mix of oddball harmony and humor to make it stand apart.

Definitely worthy of a placement in an animated film, like The Triplets of Belleville.

What everyone else has already said - great stuff Steve, as always.

Holy smokes! Awesome!

Top stuff! More please.

Your rhythmic definition is outstanding. I mean, specifically - standing out. The easiest thing in the world to do on steel, besides play out of tune, is to just sort of slither around amorphously, with no real definition of one beat over another and no punch to it. I would guess (presumptively?) that working it up on guitar first really helps with that?

To me, Chris Combs of the Jacob Fred Jazz Odyssey is the "other" modern guy who tries to pile on some jam with the jelly, so to speak. Tom Morrell & Cindy Cashdollar will get a whiff of it, too. Other than that, you almost have to go back to Speedy West & Joaquin Murphey to hear the attack-trained steel. Fine job, sir.

Thanks. That one goes on my to-do list now.

always mighty fine!!!!!!

Thanks for the comments y'all.

David Mason wrote: The easiest thing in the world to do on steel, besides play out of tune, is to just sort of slither around amorphously, with no real definition of one beat over another and no punch to it. I would guess (presumptively?) that working it up on guitar first really helps with that?

You're right David.
In general, my steel playing has always been heavily influenced by my guitar playing, which is very rhythmic, and attack-oriented...which is probably why I do better with a flatpick instead of a thumbpick.
What's cool is how much my guitar playing has been influenced by my steel playing...definitely more melismatic than it used to be.

Wow, Steve - smoking indeed! Really cheered me up.

Fred

That is pretty good, it made me smile. now on to Djangology.

Great job Steve. Enjoyed it indeed.

Fantastic!

Thank you guys.

Super nice! Thought of Speedy too.

Really dig this and am inspired by the fact that you aren't using fingerpicks as I have been avoiding using those. I'm sure you have mentioned this before but what tuning are you using here?

thanks,

C

Thanks guys.

Chris, the tuning is F#9...low to high, F#-A#-C#-E-G#-A#-C#-E. However, for this song, which is essentially a minor blues, I consider the tuning to be more of a C#m6(w/low F#). Intervallic semantics, eh?

Interesting. I have yet to delve into a tuning with a 9 in it or an 8-string for that matter. I am more and more curious about the options that 8 strings allow.

thanks,

C