Harvest Moon - Ben Keith - Lap steel?

[Bill OCallaghan]

Hello folks, newbie.
I was trying to learn the steel parts for Neil Young's Harvest Moon. From the videos I have seen, Ben Keith is either playing a lapsteel or Dorbro. Was wondering what key he would be playing in. I have the main riff played in standard tuning on my lap steel but not sure that is right. Any feedback greatly apprecaited.



Thanks
Bill

[Joe Burke]

If you watch Ben Keith on the lap steel In the video for the song where the band is playing in a bar, you can figure out some of what's being played. He's playing in C6. Love that song and his steel work.

[Mark Eaton]

The video of the band playing in the bar/restaurant (I lived down the mountain from that place in the Bay Area for awhile in the '80s) is acting/lip synching to the studio recording.The Rickenbacker lap steel was one of the "actors."

I'm about 90% sure that Ben played the song on his S-10 Emmons pedal steel in the studio recording.

Here is the video from the Ryman where they played it live:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PxRKP940Fdw

[Joe Burke]

I agree, acting. But the part is correct.

[Mark Eaton]

I will take Joe Burke's word for it that Ben's "mimed" part in the video on the Rickenbacker lap steel is accurate.

The video is pretty dark where they show him "playing" and frankly, if Joe hadn't already checked it out, I wouldn't have the patience to try to determine if Big Ben Keith was being a stickler for accuracy on the Rick - even though the track we are hearing being played is on an E9 tuned Emmons S-10!

As far as Bill's question about the notes being correct and using standard guitar tuning as the barometer - yes - that's pretty much it.

I have played the song on a flattop acoustic for several years and was taught the tune by my occasional guitar teacher and take his approach. To get the chimey effect Ben Keith got on his Emmons on the riff, I play harmonics on the same top three strings of the 12th fret as illustrated by Bill, then that 4th note in the sequence Bill shows on the 14th fret which is an E, I catch that down on the 5th string, 7th fret as another harmonic.

[Bill OCallaghan]

Thanks for the feedback. I also looked at the video for the MTV Unplugged version of this song and it looked like Ben played on Dobro. It might have been pedal steel on other recordings but I was trying to figure out what tuning is was using on non pedal steel. I will try it out in C6 next.

Bill

[Mark Eaton]

I will have to check out the MTV Unplugged version - I have probably seen it, but it might have been 20 plus years ago.