The Steel Guitar Forum

Hello everyone.
So this past year I had a talk with my band director and he finally gave into the idea of have me play steel for the schools jazz ensemble. We are not going to be performing until much later in the school year but I want to get familiar with the different style of playing. I am still a relatively new player and would like to remain with the e9 tuning. Basicly I just want any tips that could help me write parts for the music and maybe just some basic licks that I can change or jazz up to help better fit my needs. I will be playing with a bass, armpit guitar, and all of the wind instraments, so anything on making a good sound with the other players will also be apreciated. Even a little chord theory will also help. I'm kinda jumping in this head first and not really sure if it is going to go well but I'm trying to get completely ready for everything now. If anyone has anything that can be useful then it would definitely be apreciated.

Many thanks,
Jordan

This may be a very loaded question... But, if I were doing that and sticking with E9, then I would make my own chord charts of 'triad substitutions'.

For example, it is difficult to find a full minor 9th chord on E9; but if you consider that a minor 9th is a simple minor triad with another minor triad extending from the 5th, then you can "hint" at the chord easily. Am9 = A C E G B, that is Am + Em.

Another good thing to remember is that if you are playing with a group, you can Always leave out the root, and usually the 5th too if it isn't altered. A good illustration of this is to play strings 5, 6, and 9 with the A Pedal down. In the open position, this qualifies as an E13 (D G# C# = 7b 3 6).

Where are you in Ohio?

I would also get very familiar with the blues scale. In a school band you could get more than enough licks out of just the blues scale to keep a director happy, but that's if he wants you to come out of the texture a bit. I'm going to be trying this in the winter too, and I've been hitting the blues scale a ton but haven't worked much on chord theory. I'm a little apprehensive too. Thanks for opening this thread.

-Jonah

I guess your approach will also depend on whether you intend to take some improvised solos, or just stick to chord comping.

The blues scale will be a great tool to have for many songs, but don't get too dependent because it sometimes won't fit. It would be good for "Woodchopper's Ball"... But not so much for "As Time Goes By".

Email me when you have a list of the songs you will be playing, I could give you some good tips. I played guitar in high school jazz band, and have since learned steel, so I've been there in both aspects.

One important thing... many of the horn players may take "solos" which are actually pre-written melodies and not improvisations. I would encourage you to NOT play those, and create your own. It will sound more real, even if it's a fixed line that you do the same every time (that's all I was comfortable doing back then).

I think it's pretty cool that the band director is up for it. No one knows what his expectations are, but I can hear string sections.

I think I'd work into it slowly, two or three notes at a time, applying M7ths and ninths to see where they fit,
notes that probably fit the charts. It sounds like a lot of fun, and who knows where it will lead. The brave new world of pedal steel in big band.

Congrats on talking your band director into letting you sit in on steel! Especially if you're new to jazz, your priority for now should be just being able to hang with the ensemble. Do you already have the Jamey Aebersold's Vol 54 Maiden Voyage play-along or the Hal Leonard Pedal Steel Chords and Scales book? Jamey Aebersold's Vol 54 Maiden Voyage playalong is a great resource to practice reading heads and chord progressions, as well as improvise over some tunes that use the blues scale (and more). Speaking of hanging, there's a Hal Leonard book that contains pedal steel chords and scales. Ideally you want to have all the chords and their positions memorized (which will come with time) but until then if you can use both books to memorize the chords/melodies to a blues in F and Bb, as well some ii-V-I progressions, you'll be in good shape and a really valuable part of the group. Additionally lessons in person or over Skype will also greatly expedite the learning process.

Ok. Thanks to everyone who replied. I still have a lot i need to learn but I feel like I have my foot in the front door.
Jordan

If you're saying that you're new to steel AND new to jazz, top marks for difficulty!
I'd spend a lot of time with the E9th neck with lowered Es, making it a B6th.
If you're already to the point of being able to find licks on the guitar that you hear, listen to the more accessible B3 players: The McGriffs and Shirley Scott spring to mind, but avoid Jimmy Smith, as he's often nearly impenetrable.
You don't need to play the whole chord; just two or three notes at a time, and let the rhythm section handle the I, III, and V notes, unless the melody in your head is calling for it.
Most importantly, just hang with the groove.

Play along with tracks, records, everything - many of the other people in the band will be new to jazz too, but the one thing that will make the director change his mind is if you play way out of tune!

Also, make sure to practice scales, arpeggios, chords, etc, in Bb, Eb, Ab, Db, as well as G, C, F... E won't show up much, but know everything in 12 keys!!!!

I'm so excited for you - you have some serious guts, you should be real proud of yourself