Scraps From The Masters' Table.

[Danny Mitchell]

A few sweeties for us humble servants of the steel.

[Haddock]

Thanks for posting all this stuff Danny. Its always interesting to see what’s going on in other peoples heads (well, ‘often’ is perhaps a better word). I notice they discuss using whole tone scales half way through this. Has anyone else thought about how the whole tone character is changed by using just intonation? I couldn’t find much from a google on the subject. I’m already convinced that the seven main ‘modes’ are considerably sweetened by using just (particularly Locrian) and probably much closer to the way they were originally used before some bastard invented a keyboard! Anyone got any thoughts? Also, a nice easy way into using whole tones is to press A and V at the same time, and then work at 2 fret intervals all the way up across the neck.
Just some Saturday morning wittering for you……..
Cheers
Calum

[Danny Mitchell]

Calum, (I'll be talking out of my arse here, btw!)
I've never really grasped 'modes', I'm afraid, so please bear with my ignorance.
If you were playing only in modal style, using harmonies built from whatever mode you were in, then, having Just Intonation would result in sweetened, ('no-beating') harmonies/chords on the steel? Taking into consideration changing tensions, due to pedal and lever use, and the dreaded cabinet drop.
Tuning was a major hurdle for me. I started using my waxy orifices, as recommended by Joe Wright, moved on to Emmons Sweetened, as recommended by Prof John Craig (SSGW). and finally settled on my own preset for my Peterson HD Strobe, which I arrived at cross referencing 2 digital tuners on the PC and the aforementioned orifices. This journey probably took months, and after I loaded this preset into my HD, I vowed never to go through the door marked, 'Tuning Inquiries', ever again.
I'll certainly be giving the 'whole tone' moves a try. I've always enjoyed those angular 12 Tone sounds. The wittering went down a treat, thank you.

[Haddock]

Your arse talks sense Danny! Here's some further research from my arse! Comparing the just whalebone with the ET whalebone throws up some interesting results, (as does the spellchecker but I'm just going to leave that because its funny)! Here's a table that shows the difference in Hz and as even an untrained ear can hear a 1Hz difference, then it would appear indeed that the steel can play a heavily sweetened whole tone scale and that the equal tempered scale is stinking out of tune! Indeed it probably relies on the dissonance for its character and I shall now seek out some Debussy and the like to see what's going on. Whole tones with perfect intervals might be a 'whole' new genre, exclusive to pedal steel and brass sections.....
Cheers
Calum

[Mcneilwaeasteel]

As I seem to be in good company when talking through a hole in my arse, here goes!
Calum, I had been reading your fishy tails about scales and got lost after Do, Rae,and got stuck with little old Me.
The other problem I have is in the use of a vertical lever that I don’t have and if that hypothetical lever should lower the B string to Bb what happens if you use your A pedal at the same time by raising the B to C#? Do you end up with a tangle of pull rods in the undercarriage trying to get a C note ?
Would it not be less dramatic and contortionistic to just use a half depressed A pedal to get that C note and if your playing the 5th string what string do you use for harmony going up the board two frets at a time when playing skip to the loo?
P. S.
Just asking for a friend!

[Haddock]

Robert, the half pressed A is beyond my skill range but knock yourself out! My A pedal is far too sensitive for that to be reliable, particularly on the way down but I know it works for some. I think it was a Micky Adams video that convinced me I had to have a vertical back in my LDG days and Bob was quick of the mark to sell me all the bits. Couldn’t do without it now and theres not too many rods involved, especially if you have split screws. Look forward to your rendition of a whole tone skip to my loo!
Cheers

[Ken Byng]

I love the speed that Tommy cops the augmented run that PF played. That will go in Tommy's huge repertoire of runs and licks. I go on Tommy and his wife's (Teresa) vlog live on YouTube every Monday night. They do a lot of reviews on Nashville eateries, and Tommy demonstrates things like resonator guitars etc. You can chat to Mr & Mrs White live on their vlogs, which is nice.

[Ken Byng]

Robert, the half pressed A is beyond my skill range but knock yourself out! My A pedal is far too sensitive for that to be reliable, particularly on the way down but I know it works for some. I think it was a Micky Adams video that convinced me I had to have a vertical back in my LDG days and Bob was quick of the mark to sell me all the bits. Couldn’t do without it now and there's not too many rods involved, especially if you have split screws. Look forward to your rendition of a whole tone skip to my loo!
Cheers

Dave Wheelhouse (of Sheffield Steel fame) has a setup on his personal guitar that has a mechanical half stop feel on his A pedal. It's not for me - I prefer the natural half way press, which becomes natural over the years. When Dave built a D10 Sheffield for Tommy White, the built-in half stop raise on pedal A put him off and he asked Dave to remove it.

[hickenjr]

Robert, the half pressed A is beyond my skill range but knock yourself out! My A pedal is far too sensitive for that to be reliable, particularly on the way down but I know it works for some. I think it was a Micky Adams video that convinced me I had to have a vertical back in my LDG days and Bob was quick of the mark to sell me all the bits. Couldn’t do without it now and there's not too many rods involved, especially if you have split screws. Look forward to your rendition of a whole tone skip to my loo!
Cheers

Dave Wheelhouse (of Sheffield Steel fame) has a setup on his personal guitar that has a mechanical half stop feel on his A pedal. It's not for me - I prefer the natural half way press, which becomes natural over the years. When Dave built a D10 Sheffield for Tommy White, the built-in half stop raise on pedal A put him off and he asked Dave to remove it.

I find that half pedal-ing your A pedal becomes second nature with a good ear and muscle memory. Kind of like launching your car with half throttle when racing between the lights, which I definitely don't do

[Haddock]

Thats interesting, Ken. Amazing how many ingenious mechanical solutions there are to musical problems on this instrument! Personally, I find the vertical to be the most flexible for what I want and by working at it, it has become second nature with the Bb bonus too! The hardest thing is not nailing the notes themselves but getting the rate of change between different combinations to be smooth. Always a compromise!
Cheers
Calum