Time spent ,figuring out the " good guys" licks

Bob Smith · From: Allentown, New Jersey, USA

How many guys actually dissect, and "try" to cop the popular steel solos( note for note) on the songs that guys like Paul F. play the steel on? As a six string player i would beat myself up to learn the licks of my heros. To me ,theres nothing more satisfying then to accomplish some of this kind of practice. bob

Bob Carlucci · From: Candor, New York, USA

Bob.. I don't as much these days as I don't play steel out much anymore, except at home, but I did for years and years in country and old country rock bands.

At times, I would get them so close it was scary.. other times,I would not have a clue and would make up my own solo or backup part, as the part I was copying was too complex or in a different tuning.. or something...

I would say that most often, I would try to get it close, and get most of the "signature" licks and then move on.

If it was together and coherent and was recognizable, I was happy with it.

I did NOT try to capture every technical and tonal nuance. bob

Bob Smith · From: Allentown, New Jersey, USA

Yeah I hear ya Bob, but it is a good feeling to be able to whip it out like the original record. I wonder, because most of the cover steel stuff that is played, is done by Paul Franklin, if you need that 4th pedal to emmulate his solos. I would imagine that you would? It would have to be easier with it anyhow bob

John De Maille · From: On a Mountain in Upstate Halcottsville, N.Y.

I'm with you Bob, on that one. Being a steel player, I only really concentrated on the music at hand, especially the steel parts. I tried to get the parts as close as humanly possible for "ME" to do. If I hit the mark, I was always extremely proud of it, if I didn't, I wouldn't go crazy trying to find some lick on a pedal I didn't have. I got as close as possible.

Joey Ace · From: Hamilton, Ontario, Canada

I do. Sometimes it's like a private lesson with the player.

Another important thing to do is figure out why the lick works, in musical terms.

For example; what scale or chord is it based on? Is it implying a move to another chord? Why does it convey the feeling it does (use of flat 5s, or whatever...)

[This message was edited by Joey Ace on 24 July 2005 at 07:20 AM.]

John Bechtel · From: Nashville, Tennessee, R.I.P.

I think most people my have done as I did, way back in the ‘beginning’ and more or less ‘before tabs’! I would buy the record, weight it done slightly if necessary and pick it apart note by note. And then play it again and again, until it sank~in!

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Gary Carriger · From: Victoria, Texas

I've done both...played intros and solos without trying to copy the original, and have spent hours trying to cop licks from the records. Trying to emulate the record I think is a good learning experience (although sometimes pretty humbling). What is rewarding is when after you have given up on an "exact" copy, you may be playing one night and stumble across the right lick. May have something to do with being more relaxed, huh?
(now if I could just get all of Paul's ride on G Strait's "I Hate Everything". That one is challenging me)

Steve Hackney · From: Milton, Kentucky USA

I used to try really hard to copy the steel part in songs exactly as they sounded on the record. Very seldom did I succeed. After years of trying that I finally came to realize, just maybe It's because it's not my style of picking, just maybe I've got my own style. My style may not sound quite as good as the picker on the record, but it's mine. Now I'm pretty well satisfied if I can take a song and make the steel parts recognizable and fit with the song.

Bob Hoffnar · From: Austin, Tx

Its worth it to take the time to really nail a classic steel part.

I have found this transciber software to be a big help.

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Bob
My Website

Chris LeDrew · From: Canada

I know this may be sacrilege, but I play all the classic country favourites as a pedal steel player in a country band, but I've yet to hear most of these songs in their original format. I do my own solos to all the tunes. The only solo I've learned, and this was recently, is Tom Brumley's "Together Again" solo....what a masterpiece. A & B pedals, that's it. I sort of remember the classics on the radio when I was a kid, but I certainly haven't dissected a solo for any of these tunes. No one complains about my own solos, so I can't be that far off base.
Is this a bad thing? Up until recently, I couldn't even name a famous steel player. I only joined this forum a few months ago, and now I'm learning and listening. For the last 4 years, every lick I've played has been from Jay Dee and Lloyd on the Byrds' "Sweetheart of the Rodeo." I didn't know whether they were well-known or what, I just saw their names on the credits.

Tommy Roten · From: Trondheim, Norway

If I like the playing, I copy it, if I don't, I don't...

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Billy Carr · From: Seminary, Mississippi, USA (deceased)

I usually put in the signature licks of a song so the crowd or other players will recognize it and then play whatever feels right at the time as long as it fits. I've got a couple of licks I've been toying with lately on other songs. One is the "Easy Lovin" lick and the other one is one of BE's licks(I think) strings 568 w/o pedals, back up one fret press pedals 1 & 2 w/KL that lowers 8th string, then slide into the next chord. Release KL when you slide up to next fret. I've been working these two licks into several songs experimenting.

Dale Thomas · From: West Branch, IA

I practically never copy a solo verbatum. I hear it and can tell where and usually what has been done. I figure it's been played by the guy who created it and I want to get the flavor of it, but not just a perfect copy. I've been shown licks and passages over the years and I'm grateful for the shortcut. Thanks Buddy,Russ,,, and I've looked over the shoulder of a few greats and then went home and tried it on the bandstand. I kind of like the freshness of spur of the moment neuron activity. That's the exitement for me. Dale

Larry Robbins · From: Fort Edward, New York

I guess I am about the same as most here.
If a tune has a signiture lick Ill of course play it.Other than that Im not gonna knock myself out trying to learn something note for note when Im probably the only one who would know, and besides I have a lot of time in this music thing and if I cant put in some of my own inflections and feelings , then call somebody elese next time

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C. Brattain · From: Balch Springs, Texas, usa

When I first started playing I would learn a lot of songs and when I was on the band stand the guys would do what they wanted and never the songs that I had learned. When I was playing in honky tonks the guys never practed they just played what the people wanted and what ever came to mind. So I just went by the melody and chord progression and did what ever worked.

Franklin · Posted 22 Jul 2005 3:12 pm

I heard this along time ago. "If you don't know how to play it, learn it". I follow that advice every time I practice.

Paul

Bob Smith · From: Allentown, New Jersey, USA

Thanks Paul, for chimming in on this post. bob

Gary Lee Gimble · From: Fredericksburg, VA.

Charleton told me a couple of years ago that what ever you try to copy, you're gonna sound like yourself. Take what you've learned and use where appropriate and let the lesson evolve.

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