The Steel Guitar Forum

I must say that I am completely overwhelmed by the amount of responses that I have received to my posts so far....incredible!

I have now learned the steel kick off to Big City from tab and my next goal is to learn Buckaroo.....I thought then I might tackle the kick-off to Patty Loveless' "Blame It On Your Heart," but I'm not sure that I would know where to start without tab......

Does anyone having any tricks or suggestions when learning a particular lick to try and figure out what strings and position to start in? Or is it pretty much hit and miss? I know on the fiddle I can "hear" what position a lick is in to duplicate, but I'm not that proficient on the steel. How about it, any ideas??

That is what makes figuring tab or just copping licks so frustrating and fun.
Sometimes you can hear it, like you say you can on fiddle--the purity of the lower frets, the fatness of bigger strings on highter frets--sometimes it is Sherlock Holmes--hmmm...he's pedaling in this note. So it must be 10th string, 8th fret. Therefore the previous 3rds leading up to it most logically would be played here on these strings...--you know what I mean?
You want to learn as many variants of how to play the same thing. Stuff like harmonized thirds kick-offs can be done on the same two strings walking up the neck with and without pedals and it can be played walking up the strings going back and forth between two frets--


<font face="monospace" size="3"><pre>
1----------------|----------
2----------------|----------
3----------------|----------
4----------------|----------
5----5A---8---9--|--10------
6----5B---8---9--|--10------
8----------------|----------
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<font face="monospace" size="3"><pre>
1-----------------|-------
2-----------------|-------
3-----------------|-------
4---------3----4--|--5----
5----5A---3A---4A-|--5A---
6----5B-----------|-------
7-----------------|-------
8-----------------|-------
</pre></font>

<font face="monospace" size="3"><pre>
1--------------------|---------
2--------------------|---------
3--------------------|---------
4--------------------|---------
5----------------9---|---10----
6----10----10B---9---|---10----
7----------10--------|---------
8----10--------------|---------
9--------------------|---------
10--------------------|---------
</pre></font>

Big City is an example of how it can be done a number of ways but I believe that the tab on Rebel&Ricky is correct based on the growl on the recording.
Anyway, I didn't really answer your question. Just confirmed that there are a million paths.
Learn them all.

I think Jon Light explained it perfectly. That is the way I figure out how to tab someones steel parts. There are so many different ways to play a certain part; but listening to the texture of the string(s) in question takes alot of listening to alot of steel parts; and after a while you start hearing the right contours. Also one thing I have noticed about most of our legend steel players; as I have tabbed alot of their stuff. Taking one player and tabbing alot of their steel parts; you tend to start noticing patterns in their playing. John Hughey was the hardest even though his playing is very simple; he can make two strings sound like "9" strings; and he always chooses the perfect harmony strings that are so pleasing to the ear; that they sound larger than life>then his vibrato is a whole nother story>"the guy is amazing".
So keep listening and learning and it comes easier with time; but never a piece of cake.
Ricky

------------------
Ricky Davis
http://hometown.aol.com/sshawaiian/RickyHomepage.html
http://users.interlinks.net/rebel/steel/steel.html
sshawaiian@aol.com

All great insights...

I have had some success in transcribing or learning solos from records by taking the approach "he can't be making it too hard on himself", and trying to put myself in the picker's place thinking "how can I do this with the most economy of movement" ...
many times an amazing sounding tonal jump is likely to be within a few frets distance although it sounds as if the picker "spanned the neck" getting to it.


Of course, all bets are off with Speedy West...

Missy, One thing that really helps in trying to find licks is to memorize the sound of pedals off and pedals on. The more you do this the more you will start hearing it done in the music and in time you will be able to figure out the lick just by listening to it.

Missy,
I think the kick-off to "Blame It On Your Heart" is a double lead played by a steel, and regular guitar. I used to do it some time back in a band. Unfortuneately, I've long since forgotten it. .. Jeff

You nailed it Jeff. It is steel and guitar.