The Steel Guitar Forum

I have only been playing for 14 months, and I am still clueless as to the function of the F# to G# lever.

Does anyone have some tasty licks or fills incorporating the G lever?

Mason<p ALIGN=CENTER><FONT SIZE=1 COLOR="#8e236b">[This message was edited by Mason Eubank on 11-09-99]</FONT></P>

What does the G lever do?

Yeah Mason; those knee levers are called so many different things it's hard to keep up with which is which. Like b0b said; what exactly does that knee lever do(which strings does it pull).
Ricky

Sorry about the vagueness of my question. I was looking for some ideas on using the knee lever that raises the F#'s to G#. Any help would be most appreciated!

BTW Ricky, when are you and Dale coming back to Cincinnati?

Mason

That's not that new "Gastro" lever that Mike Perlowin invented over in the "Humor" section is it?

Just foolin'

Great topic though, I too have had a hard time getting a feel for the knee levers and the best way to use them. It will be nice to get some of the mystery taken out of them.

Thanks for askin' Mason.

Hey Mason; I don't see Cincinnati on the books till spring I suppose; sorry about that. As far as the knee lever that raises the F# to G#; I don't have that change and never really had any use for that particular one. So maybe some of the folks here have come up with some cool stuff they would like to "share".
Ricky

Mason, this lever originally raised f# to a G.
But now it's doing something all together different. It raises to a G#, as you well know.

I won't mess with the chords and stuff that come from this change, but I will give ya couple of quick trix.

Engage the lever, with your pedals released.
Stings 1 & 3 are in unison. (They sound the same.)
While plucking string #1, release it, and pluck string #3. Or do the opposite.

With pedals A&B engaged, engage the lever.
Pluck #3, then #1 and release, string #2, string #4, string #5, and release #5, and...... Something like that. My guitar is in the case, so I'm doing this from mem'ry. (I don't have much of a mem'ry!)

It's a "lick" and I do it without thinking about it, so I may be off of it just a little, but if ya fool with it you'll get the point.

I should also tell ya that my f# raise is on a verticle lever. LKV.

It has formal applications, but they aren't that important right now.

Good Luck, hope that helps ya.




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Thanks for your help. I have observed that many steel players do not use the F# to G or the F# to G# changes on the first string very much.

Ricky, I enjoyed your video tape of tabbed licks. You should make a sequel!

Mason

Mason,
I've got that change;F# to G, on an up-knee. That same knee lever lowers my sixth string G# to F#. The sixth string change is worth having. The first string change I never use. It's just as easy to pull that 1st string up with the middle finger of your left hand. Although the first string change will give you some chord combinations, I can do without it. It's hard to play an up-knee and a vertical knee on the same side of the guitar at the same time.
,Kevin

Mason, a cool simple lick to play with the F# to G# change is, with A and B pedals down, lower the knee and then pick the 3rd string, 1st string and 4th string in that order. Its a rock lick that works great in some of that New Country Stuff!

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The Young Steelkid

Eddie:
Lower which knee? Do you mean lower the 4th string 1/2 step? Also, at what point in your lick do you raise the 1st string a full step?

Oh hey; I forgot that there is that lick that Paul Franklin does in his version of "Farewell Party"; that I tabbed out on the steel clip page. It's in the 1999 pages and here is the link.
Ricky
http://users.interlinks.net/rebel/steel/steel.html

Hi Mason,
Forumite and wonderful steeler Bruce Bouton uses that change alot. I had to cop his solo from Lonestar's "Everything's changed", which uses it several times. I've called it a "G" lever here, and written it out in the key of G, I don't know if that's the original key. You can move it around.
L means lower one semitone:
<font size="3" face="monospace"><pre>
"Everythings Changed" solo by Bruce Bouton

G C
1--15(g~~15------------------------------|------------------|
2----------------------------------------|------------------|
3----------------------------------------|------------------|
4------------15~~15L--15~~15L------------|----------------8-|
5------------------------------15(a~~15--|--15(a~~8~~8(a----|
6----------------------------------------|--15(b~~8---------|
7----------------------------------------|------------------|
1 . 2 . 3 . 4 . 1 3 . 4

D7 D7
1------------10~~10(g)~~10----------------|-----|
2-----------------------------------------|-----|
3--10(b~~10-------------------------------|-----|
4---------------------------10------------|--10-|
5-------------------------------10~~10(a--|-----|
6-----------------------------------------|-----|
1 . 2 . 3 . 4 . 1
</pre></font>
Hope that's useful.
-John <p ALIGN=CENTER><FONT SIZE=1 COLOR="#8e236b">[This message was edited by John Steele on 11-11-99]</FONT></P>

John,

Thanks for tabbing this out. I will try it this evening.

Mason

oops, wait a second, got my leg stuck in my left vertical G# to H lever...<p ALIGN=CENTER><FONT SIZE=1 COLOR="#8e236b">[This message was edited by Mark van Allen on 11-15-99]</FONT></P>

Hey Mason, I've been messing with the F#-G# for a couple of years, the beauty in those changes on the higher strings is how they stick out in a melodic line, or float on top of a lower string chord... It's a great change- 2 to 3 of the scale at "no pedals" position, 4 to 5 at the "A & F pedal" position, (don't miss that one) and 6 to natural 7 at the "pedals down" position-check out "Last Summer" from Garth Brooks for a great example. (Was that you, Bruce?)

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Mark van Allen-"Blueground Undergrass" Mullen D-10, Fender Triple 8, Dobro
<p ALIGN=CENTER><FONT SIZE=1 COLOR="#8e236b">[This message was edited by Mark van Allen on 11-15-99]</FONT></P>

. . . a slightly different twist
<font size="3" face="monospace"><pre>

Standard E9 -- I to IV change (in C as shown)

1 F# | 8-8G--8----10 | 13------13G
2 D# | |
3 G# | 8-----8B---10B | 13B-----13
4 E | 8-----8C---10C | 13C-----13
5 B | |
6 G# | |
count 1---2-----3----4----| 1---2---3---
</pre></font>


LTB

Hell...I'm a G-lever addict... I just love using the 1-3 string F#-->G# unison bend...the lever I simply can't get used to using is my X-lever (I think that's it)... it's my LKV that lowers B--->Bb... it's kind of bluesy...the only application I've found is with the A/B pedals pressed...butting my knee up and down a few times...gives me a 7th chord that I rarely use...only in bluesy transitions....and I hate blues

Any X-lever ideas?
mark

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Mark M. Machak
'94 Mullen D-10 8x5,
'99 Mullen Royal Precision D-10, 8x5
chewpick@mc.net

Mark..
Sorry... This is a family forum and we don't get into any x-rated stuff

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Carter D10 8p/10k
www.sinkler.com