The Steel Guitar Forum

Can any of you steel plickers tell me how to play the lick in the song if there is a phone in heaven by mike manul.its the last lick in the first chours and sound like the strings go out of tune.i hear this lick in a lot steel backup but have never found how to play it. I sure need your help on this .. thanks mark

Start at end of first verse into chorus: Lick at about 1:27. It also repeats at the last chorus about 3:00.
https://youtu.be/Nmm2Rsr3qDw?t=48

I call that a release move. I know how to do it but I'm not sure I can tell you. It starts on the lower string and working upward across the other strings while moving the bar back toward the key head. Someone else can probably explain it better, hopefully.🥺...or write it out for you.

Nice tune....BTW, wonder if that's our Bobby D Reed of the forum as writer? Maybe he even played it or can explain the lick to you if so.

I didn't grab the key the track is played in but if that move is over a D chord, for example, you'd play the 8th string at the 10th fret, slide to the 9th fret hitting the 7th string then slide to the 8th fret and strike the 6th string.

No pedals or knees involved, but be sure to let the strings sustain throughout. It's a sort of controlled dissonance. It sounds to me like something very much along those lines.

It starts on 12th fret with the 8th string.E chord. Let all notes ring. Pick the 8th string, slide down to 11th fret. As you get to the 11th fret pick string 7. Continue to slide down to the 10th fret. As you get to the 10th fret pick string 6. Keep in mind that all strings are still ringing. Now slide down to the 6th fret and engage pedals A and B and lower your E's to D#. As you get to the 6th fret and while all notes are still ringing pick string 4 (All notes still ringing). Keep A and B with the Eb lever still engaged and slide to fret 5.
It's a continuous slide with a very brief stop on those frets. If this isn't exact, it's very close to what he's doing.
Another optional move is starting the slide as above, but when you get to fret 10 slide up to fret 11 and pick string 5 and resolve back to fret 12. It's not as dramatic as the total downward slide, but a simple option.

No muting on any of this. It just flows and descends while the notes being added ascends. Kind of a counterpoint lick.

I went back to check and yes - that lick is over an E chord. That means my suggestion needs to be shifted two frets upwards.

Thanks to all the replies to my post. Very helpful. Mark

The first time that I recall hearing that lick was in the Judy Collins recording of 'Someday Soon' (circa 1970's) featuring Buddy Emmons on steel guitar. The phrase occurs in the first verse after the words, "Southern Colorado".

Here’s that very lick from the Big E!

Lee thanks for the tab. Also thanks to a great bunch of steel pickers for your help.mark

Not to be a pill, but that sure sounds like a clam. And as I was told on the electric guitar in 1963, "play it once, it's a clam, play it twice and it's jazz." Smiles...

Hi Mark, That lick is played like this: At the 14th fret, pick the 9th string then the 8th string then the 7th string, letting them all ring together. Immediately after you pick the 7th string, slide all 3 strings down to the 13th fret. Continuing to let all 3 strings ring at the 13th fret, now pick the 6th string. Still sustaining all strings at the 13th fret, now pick the 5th string. Finally, slide all 5 sustaining strings down to the 12th fret.