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Here is a recording I did of Love Me Tender. All comments and suggestions are always welcome. Just trying to improve. Love Me Tender Thank Ron
Line 6 Guitar Port Gear Box POD Farm Pedal Steel Guitar My Music
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Ron
No bad notes but I have two minor comments.
1 perhaps a little vibrato on the sustained notes.
2 The ending needs to be a bit more dynamic.
I am in no position to criticise. Though I play other instruments I have been battling the pedal steel for a couple of years Battling discribes it pretty well I was using an old Shobud but my wife just treated me to a beautiful Carter Magnum. levers & pedals are much easier to work for my tired old leg muscles. Everybody will be pleased to hear that I still don't play well enough to post anything.Keep up the good work..Hank
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Hank,
Thanks for your input, I agree with both.
I'm still playing an old Carter Starter. Looking to get new one.
Maybe a Jackson or Pro Carter.
Regards
Ron
Line 6 Guitar Port Gear Box POD Farm Pedal Steel Guitar My Music
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Don't know Jackson butI like my Carter
Hank
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Jackson is fairly new. Same people that made the Sho-Bud.
Ron
Line 6 Guitar Port Gear Box POD Farm Pedal Steel Guitar My Music
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ron,
nice job and no count-in clicks. i agree about the ending. maybe try fading it out and see what that sounds like. audacity again.
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Thanks Don,
I'm working on the ending.
Ron
Line 6 Guitar Port Gear Box POD Farm Pedal Steel Guitar My Music
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I think it sounds great - very cool playing! I just got me a steel this week, so it was nice to hear what can be done. Excellent tone! ...Time to practice 
----- Do you love the Floyd as much as I do? If so, click away the moments that make up the dull day: www.canadianpinkfloyd.com
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Josh,
Thanks a lot.
What did you get?
Ron
Line 6 Guitar Port Gear Box POD Farm Pedal Steel Guitar My Music
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Enjoyed the recording. Very nicely done.
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.
Hi Ron!
Excellent intonation and tone production.
Can you try playing a little more loosely? Most of the melody notes are strictly on the beat, which gets old fast. Try attacking some of the notes a little behind or a little before the beat. Listen to Elvis do it and you will get the idea.
If you loosen up in the first two 4-bar lines, then tighten up on the 3rd 4, then loosen up again for the last 4, it will make a nice contrast. I hear the rhythm section coming in stronger on the 3rd line. A noticeable shift to strict rhythm there, for 4 bars will work nicely. Also use fewer glissandi on the third 4.
Also think about phrasing. When you glide from one note to another, the first is emphasized and the second is rendered less important. Part of the art of phrasing is the art of putting a clean attack on the most "important" notes and saving the slides for the other notes. This is of course a matter of taste and style. Your way of doing this is one of the things that will make your style unique. On this recording I cant avoid the impression that the choices of whether and when to slide or not slide are made randomly, without much consistency or planning. Am I wrong about that?
Phrasing comes with practice. It comes after you know the material well enough to play without thinking about notes, picks, pedals and levers. When it is your unique and beautiful voice coming through the strings you will know it, and you can tell armchair critics like me to take a flying leap.
.
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Nice work. The steel gives it that Hawaiian feel. Keep up the good work! Thanks for sharing! Listen To My MusicRead My BlogMy Web PageReverbnation
My TunesPsalm 57:7 My heart, O God, is steadfast, my heart is steadfast; I will sing and make music.
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Line 6 Guitar Port Gear Box POD Farm Pedal Steel Guitar My Music
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Good job, Ron. How long have you been playing psg? Sounds like you've got some hours on it. Carter starter is not bad at all. I have a Mullen I love and an old Carter D10 that sounds great. The Magnum is a great sounding guitar, to hear it at it's best do a search for 'Sarah Jory' .
Howard
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Thanks Howard.
I played some in my early years then got real busy in the business world sold all my equiptment and didn't play anything for about 40 to 45 years. I retired 7 years ago and a couple of years ago bought the Carter Starter then picked up BIAB. I enjoy messing around with it.
I have enjoyed listening to Sarah Jory play. I ran across her vids about a year ago.
Regards,
Ron
Line 6 Guitar Port Gear Box POD Farm Pedal Steel Guitar My Music
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I know this is off topic, but since we are in an off topic board I figure this would be ok.
I have always enjoyed steel guitar coming from bands like the Doobie Brothers when they had John McFee. As a guitarist who has never been anywhere within a mile of a steel pedal guitar, I would sure appreciate anyone sharing how these things work. I understand you use a metal bar in lieu of fingers. But, how do you rip through the scales with that? Not having access to one nor the cash ($1200 for a Starter Carter) I cannot figure out the logic on my own. I listen to a player like John Mcfee and stand in awe over how they can play that thing.
With the guitar, you are taught you have positions where you can maximize your melodies while minimizing your mobility (running up and down the fretboard). But, how is that accomplished when you pick up the bar and now have taken away the finger play? I realize you can alternate the tuning from standard to make a vertical single fret chord such as in D tuning. Yet, when the player departs from chords and plays melodies I don't have a clue how they do that.
Thanks for taking the time to explain to this finger player.
RickeG
Last edited by RickeG; 07/16/09 11:40 AM.
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Rick
The pedal steel, as the name implies has three foot pedals activated by the left foot. These lower or raise the pitch of particular strings, much as moving a finger does on the regular guitar. Also four knee levers hang down, one on each side of the knees. Left or right movement again changes the pitch of particular strings.
Hope this helps...Hank
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As Hank was saying you can keep the bar in one position and have access to the scale of say C and it's chords in 5 inversions.
Then by pushing two pedals you have the F scale and chords in three inversions.
You can press one pedal and engage a knee lever for the G Major scale and chords,
Other pedal/Knee lever comb. will get Amin Dmin or Emin
Other combos gives you different dim and aug chords.
There are several other positions on the fret board with other pedal/knee combos that gives you similar results.
You can also get these scales by moving thr bar up and down the fret board.
These examples are for the E9th tuning. There are a whole different set for the C6th tuning.
If you have any other questions fire away and I'll do my best.
Ron
Ron
Line 6 Guitar Port Gear Box POD Farm Pedal Steel Guitar My Music
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The trick is remembering which pedals to press, which knee lever to activate,which strings to pick, which fret to place your bar at & when! This type of steel guitar is more a country instrument than Hawaiian....Hank
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Wow, that sounds more complex than the piano! Would the pedals and levers also have a flex to them? For example, if you wanted to move from C Maj to Db Maj. Would you press the lever/pedal just a hair up to increase the string tension?
Or, do the both of pedal and levers act as sort of an On/Off switch?
Rio, if I understand you correctly, the bar hand in its horizontal line can play a C Maj scale? Then, by moving a lever and or pedal it changes the string tension to fit say an F chord/scale? You mentioned a C scale. Is the instrument tuned to a C scale before moving any pedals or levels? In other words, if I were to not lay the bar down on the strings and not touch any of the pedals or levers I should be able to play a C scale like the way I would arpeggiate a chord on a guitar for example?
Next, you mentioned how you mix the use of the pedals and levers. Does one represent flat/sharp while the other represents minor/major?
Lastly, please check my logic here. Beginning with no pedal/lever movement, If the open string is "G". I press down my bar on the the second fret of that string now the note becomes an "A". Next, I move the lever/pedal to the F position. Now, the open string that was formally "G" has now shifted to "Bb". I press my bar down on the second fret and now I have a "C". Is that logic correct?
Sorry to be so inquisitive. Thank you so very much for taking the time to address my questions. I have always had a fascination with this instrument. While not knowing anyone who owned one in addition to the local music stores never having one in stock to toy around with, I have not had anyone to answer my questions. I want to purchase one some day. Before I do, I would like to know if it is something I can navigate. I do play piano, percussion as well as guitar. In addition, I do understand music theory to transpose and navigate around.
Am I getting warmer?
Thanks
RickeG
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