The Steel Guitar Forum

Been playing with Jamie Lee Thurston for a while now. One of the things I like best about the gig is all the crazy Robby Turner licks and solos you get to learn.

It's not necessary to copy everything he does, but it's one of those things where you want to learn what's on the record before you go and try something new. There's one lick he plays that never fails to knock my ego down a peg or two when it comes around.

check it out at 2:39...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Iiv_OlmbaU

I'm sure he's doing something interesting there, but I can't make it out for all the trash and noise the rest of the band is making?

Please, let us know if you figure it out. Is he hammering on and off open strings ?

I can't hear a single note of what he played.

Roger Rettig wrote:I can't hear a single note of what he played.

My first thoughts,,,,"what lick"???

Robby is on Facebook everyday-I’m sure he would tell you!

I'm with Donny, the added trash noise really takes away from any talent that might be trying to get through

Hey John, it's not so much how to play it. It's pulling off those rhythms when the time comes. Obviously not a super important lick to nail live, but i always hear it in my head and it cracks me up if nothing else. Robby's a madman.

And yes, there is a lot of sound happening at that point, with it being a chorus. The fact that he got a lick like that in there at all and it made the cut is an accomplishment in itself.

Robby is awesome on any kind of music he plays on. He's a Paul Franklin kind of guy. I can hear it fine. Cool stuff. He probably don't know how either unless he stopped and listened to it. All those cool licks on records are just spontaneous spur of the moment stuff they may never do again. They seem to have an endless bag of tricks.
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Kinda hard to hear distinctly but I think it may be some B&C pedal stuff...

Jim, I'm pretty sure it's strings 5, 4, and 1 while engaging the A pedal. He then drops back to the 2 frets back position then ends the lick three frets down from there at the pedals down position. That's the jist anyway.

How he's doing it is not really the hard part though. It's those rhythms... It's real fast but the rhythms are so specific. Reminds me of how a dog shakes himself off after getting out of the water.

I'm not playing it right but I think this is at least the positions he's working out of.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/7oxwpqhr9xi8y ... 2.MOV?dl=0

Yikes, an awful lot of competition for "sonic space" right there....

Yes, Bob. In the unlikely event that Robbie might have messed up that lick, perhaps it wouldn't have mattered.

People sure do like to bitch and moan about anything modern here, don't they?!?!


Anyway.......if this helps, here's the steel part in question, isolated a bit to make it clearer.........then the same at 1/2 speed. This lick is above my pay grade, but maybe it'll help someone figure it out and explain it. Feel free to right click and download.

BTW, I did this with the Riffstation app. Highly recommended for transcribing and stealing licks!

http://www.jimfogarty.com/tunes/Just%20 ... e_full.mp3

http://www.jimfogarty.com/tunes/Just%20 ... e_half.mp3

......and GET OFF MY LAWN!!!

I don't have any trouble at all hearing it in the mix. I don't know if I'll ever be able to play it, but I can hear it just fine.

Jim Fogarty wrote: People sure do like to bitch and moan about anything modern here, don't they?!?!

The problem here isn't modern music vs. old music. It's about playing something discernible vs. a clash-bash-trash cacophony. It's about music that requires no software or special tools to enhance or disassemble it so you can hear and appreciate what's actually being played.

"We now return you to your regularly scheduled program."

I love Turner's playing but I agree with the trash and noise comments, steel is not buried, but that over the top distortion buzz throughout the song sure wants to kill the steel.

Cool lick-wish I could help. I love his voice and style- Turner has so many perfectly executed fresh ideas in a very conservative musical world- I love that this made it through the final cut.
Maybe start another thread for the complaints?

I'm with you Asa. Complaint thread , hah. I remember everyone complaining about Robert Randolph. It never ends.

Eh, what can you do : /

A couple people took interest in the lick (contacted me privately), and I was able to get closer. It’s simpler than I thought, mostly just strings 4 & 5. What makes it so tough is that the rhythms snowball very quickly. It’s really fast, but there is some very specific variation in there.

Fwiw, the guys who are playing on that track are monster players, and have each been on a slew of hits over the years. You may not like the mix, but I’ve learned a lot from them.

Who said you can't shred on pedal steel!

Jealousy causes complaints!!! Robbie makes no mistakes. I DO.