"Blue Blue Day"

[mick hearn]

This is my version of Blue Blue Day. First heard a steel version by Red Rhodes. I have incorporated a couple of pedal steel licks. Winnie Winston lick and a Wheldon Myrick two finger, one pedal two string thingy that fits everything. Comes in after the guitar and fiddle solo. I think we all learned this lick but I have never heard anyone do it.

Go for it Slim.

[slimbo]

Thanks Mick, now I have something to work on.

[Mcneilwaeasteel]

Mick congratulations
This is a great piece of work and can be put in a class of it's own, certainly pushing the boundaries for lap steel, from 029 to 039 and from 1.30 to 1.50 and beyond, I think it is hard to tell lap from pedal and you must have run out of guitar at some point as the notes just kept going up and up till you fell off the board
Your time on pedal steel was not put to waste when you can play a tune like this on an 8 string non pedal guitar, think of your back and stick to the National, as this recording is exceptional and your steel playing is finger pickin great verging on superb in my opinion.
I think I'll just throw my picks away now and listen to this again, as we all have plenty to work on
Cheers Robert

[Uncle Roy]

Wow Mick, I'm loving that, you are really smoking now my friend, great stuff.

[mick hearn]

Thanks for the comments. I put it up just to show what can be done as there are so many styles that can be played on a plank. Personally I now listen to it and cringe coz there are places that need tidying up and I know where I meant to go and didn't. I just went for it in one take.

Perhaps I should have stuck to pedal steel but the wider string spacing on the 8 string helps and I never did like my pedal steel playing. Having said that ~I do intend to stay with lap steel as I find the twists and turns of the bar interesting. I can also see what is going on in a slant whereas on pedal steel you push a pedal but don't really have a picture as to what effect it is having on the notes.

Those who follow my soundcloud page may notice that I pulled "Rose Coloured Glasses". The more I listened to it the more I heard where the slants were not spot on and I was trying to play it too much like Buddy Emmons. I should have been more like me although there are certain phrases in the original that everyone would look for. I do intend to re-record this so it may appear again. Also JD couldn't understand how I was doing some of the moves so I will try and do a video on that one. I am currently working on Lloyd Green's "White Light" so long as Lloyd will forgive me for even trying as it will never sound like his version, and I know he would not want it to be so . I have found that by trying this I have learnt some nice moves and also where Lloyd wins is where he puts single notes as well as harmonies. Single notes and harmonies are just as important on lap steel as they are on pedal. Also I don't really want to go to string pulling. It will be done because I want to play "white Light" as it is a beautiful piece but I don't want to play it on pedal steel.

Don't throw your picks away Robert

[Donny Johnston]

Mick, that was superb, a masterclass of touch and tone. Regards, Donny.

[mick hearn]

For those interested and want to give it a try - Here is the Weldon Myrick lick. It's in the key of G and starts off around the 5 chord i.e. D (14th fret) then moves down to fret 9 then down from there. For those lap steel players who are not familiar with this pedal steel lick, it can be played at any speed and over any chord sequence and still fit. Play slowly at first then increase your speed. The bar lines just separate sections and has nothing to do with timing. When you can play it try it over your favourite chord sequence. Of course there will come a time when you then have to move on away from this and as I did try to find something that compliments what you have just played.

Give it a go - its fun

TAB: SELECT ALL
Weldon Myrick lick for C6 Lap Steel                                       
                                                                           
                                                                           
                                                                           
G |----------------------------------|------------------------------------|
E |----------------------------------|------------------------------------|
C |-----------14---------------------|----------14------------------------|
A |--14 / 15--------15 \ 14----------|--14 /15-------15 \ 14---------14---|
G |---------------------------14-----|--------------------------14--------|
E |----------------------------------|------------------------------------|
C |----------------------------------|------------------------------------|
A |----------------------------------|------------------------------------|
                                                                           
                                                                           
                                                                           
                                                                           
G |---------------------------------|-------------------------------------|
E |---------------------------------|-------------------------------------|
C |---------------------------------|--9---------------------9------------|
A |-----------15-\14-------14-------|-----10 \ 9-----9 / 10-----10 \ 9----|
G |-----14------------14-------14---|-------------9---------------------9-|
E |-15------------------------------|-------------------------------------|
C |---------------------------------|-------------------------------------|
A |---------------------------------|-------------------------------------|
                                                                           
                                                                           
                                                                           
                                                                           
G |---------------------|---------------|-------------|-------------------|
E |---------------------|---------------|-------------|-------------------|
C |---------------------|---------------|-------------|-------------------|
A |--------10 \ 9-------|-9-------------|--7----------|-5-----------------|
G |-----9----------9----|----9 \ 7---7--|----7 \ 5--5-|----5 \ 4----------|
E |-10------------------|---------------|-------------|-----------5-------|
C |---------------------|---------------|-------------|-------------------|
A |---------------------|---------------|-------------|-------------------|
                                                                           
                                                                           
                                                                           
                                                                           
G |-----------------------|-----------------------------------------------|
E |-----------------------|-----------------------------------------------|
C |---------2-------------|-----------------------------------------------|
A |-2 / 3------3 \ 2------|--2------------------0-------------------------|
G |-------------------2---|------2------0---0-------0~~~~~~~~-------------|
E |-----------------------|-----------------------------------------------|
C |-----------------------|-----------------------------------------------|
A |-----------------------|-----------------------------------------------|

[Mcneilwaeasteel]

Mick, " Give it a go - its fun " I thought that was your idea of an April fool , but I had a look for my picks again, then sat at the guitar and tried using "morse code", dot dash,dot dash, or note for note picking.
Give me a month of Sunday's stuck at the guitar and it might take shape, thanks for the tab, it saved me the embarasment of asking and adds another item to my long list of things to learn, still this is more fun than doing the housework
Cheers
Robert