Getting the best!

[bob adams]

I have been pondering over our meetings, watching past videos and thinking ... do we get the best out of what we do! The real felling, interpretation, emotion!

Way back, before our meetings I recall Davie Holland saying .. I never play a song right through!

Our instrument is not lead! .. Actually! Our function is! ... The love! The catalyst, The Emotion!

On our evenings we get sweet playing from all ...... but do we get...... the hairs on the back of the neck! The very thing that made us take up this instrument!

The SSGW meetings are the filling station for all who want to motor on PSG and thanks to the core members ... that facility is at the disposal of all.... 'old or new!' ..... a 'RESOUNDING' Success!

Let's however give some thought to tracks with vocals and no steel or bring on the voices ourselves, we are well capable of that! Then let's hear some 'emotional' steel playing! After all .... that's where we all made a shilling!

Case in point! I recall singing 'The Fireman' and Alistair pulling some real awesome middle 8 licks! Steel as we know it!

We need .... much more of that!

Food for thought chaps! B

[Uncle Roy]

Bob, the Jeff Newman's tracks are idea for practice with vocals and do not include steel.
Honky Tonk Heroes and On the Bandstand but I am sure most steelies know about theses.
Just a thought.

[Danny Mitchell]

That's a great idea Bob

Although I recall Lord Donald having to sing Look At Us, about 8 times in a row as the tune passed round the room I swear he started to astrally project as he chanted yon mantra

The discipline of learning full tunes is great for us newbies, but it's also great to hear soulful accompaniment. Especially when we have such crackin' chanters and players in our midst.

From where I sit, 3 back, stage right, it's all gravy

[Willie Gamble]

Nice idea Robert, some decent singers in the room and it would let the young guns ( I use that term loosely of course) see where steel should sit and what the job of a side man is about.

After all we are only there to make the singer sound good.

Asleep at the steel

[Donny Johnston]

If Buddy Emmons were still here, even he couldn't make me sound good. Still a good idea. I elect Mr Gamble should sing Wolverton Mountain 15 times.

[bob adams]

Bollocks Mr J .... nout up wi this!

[Ken Byng]

It's a really good idea Bob. The SESGF had a session last weekend of using the Jeff Newman tracks where you back a singer. It was a kind of jam session but where only one player at a time would play back-up to well known country and swing numbers. Thoroughly enjoyable and it concentrates the mind into not over-playing.

[Jif]

Nowt wrong with that at all Bob, and a fine piece of work on the ivories if I may say so

I like what you are suggesting, for us newbies a bit of guidance and examples of how to back a singer would be most helpful.

I have learned a lot attempting to play the melody on the songs each month, it seems to me that backing on pedal steel is a skill in itself. Totally different from backing on a guitar, it strikes me in my limited experience that the timing and placement of what you play is key.

Bring it on

[Donny Johnston]

It's a new twist but as Bob says it,s how we earned our corn. playing with a band you were lucky if you got 1 solo per gig, the rest was intros, turnarounds and endings trying to emulate what you heard on the records ( LPs ) as they were in those days, although in Reg's case they were 78s. I think Mr Gamble," The Pavarotti of the Pedals" should certainly show off his vocal prowess a lot more.

[Willie Gamble]

Thanks for the compliment Donald, but if they were hanging me as a singer, they would be hanging an innocent man.


Asleep at the steel