PITCH!

[STEDDIE EDDIE]

Not trying to re ignite discussion re 'just for fun' thread, as i know it has been locked, but 'PITCH' was touched upon, and while im not trying to make out im a psycologist or anything [not sure i can even spell it?] i have observed over the years, that instruments that require the correct pitch to be found by the operator, as against fixed pitch like a keyboard, rely to a large extent on confidence, i have seen a room full of steelies, doing a round robin, and quite a few of the 'lesser' advanced players, can feel intimidated by the more 'advanced' players, and this leads to, kinda holdin back a little,being self concious, thinking 'what are they thinking about me?' and the result is 9 times out of ten, pitching flat or indeed not even pressing the floor pedals fully, now im not a teacher either, not even sure what qualifies anyone or disqualifies anyone to claiming to be a teacher, [having students probably helps] but thats another subject, but if i was teaching, i would try and instill self confidence and belief into my students, I KNOW they will start 'pitching' better, it really is a state of mind,
it was only this week, that i got together with some musicians, in a musical project we are trying to get going, now these musicians are top notch, all in their 50s, have been there and done it, played with top names etc etc, two guitars, keyboard, drums, fiddle, vocalist, and they brought me in on pedal steel guitar and mandolin, now i know, i am a pretty decent guitar player,hold my own with most, but i wouldn't come near these guys, so i could very easily fall into the trap of feeling intimidated, whilst playing steel with these guys, result? holding back, pitching flat, and that would have happened some years ago, but not now, once i knew i had a decent sound from my amp [another source of pitching flat] i was away, just went for it, with confidence, and i didnt make an ass of it, it really is a state of mind, CONFIDENCE,

[Zebedee]

Spot on, Eddie

I always play loud and proud, regardless of mistakes and if there are any luminaries there.

One other aspect that always lets the nervous player down is volume pedal technique.

Don't back it off when you make a mistake, and definately don't back it off to zero at any point whilst playing, because your attack will sound 'wimpish'

[Paul Brennan]

Like the violin, the steel can sense fear! This is part of the learning process. You have to learn how to deal with those nervy situations.

[Basil Henriques]

I THINK that in the past 7-8 years I've got nearer to what I feel is acceptable. For at least 50 years I wasn't at all happy, so do not despair, it goes with the territory..
The day you're completely satisfied with your pitch, tone etc. is the day you're becoming complacent..
Some of the finest classical violinist in the world have said that they're still learning how to play in tune..

Regarding the "Loud and Proud" maxim, I TOTALLY Agree, I play like I talk.. almost too loud, too much and "In your face".
BTW the batteries in MY hearing aid are changed every year (like my strings) whether they're needed to or not.

Does anyone here know about hearing aid IMPLANTS ?.. Ernie Coker has one, and I was wondering if they did them in a matched stereo pair..(Seriously) Can't ask Ernie he's quite Ill at the moment recovering from a stroke..

[Paul Brennan]

I've mentioned this before either on this forum or the US one. One of the finest violin players of all time, Jascha Heifitz, used to say that he rarely hit his notes perfectly in tune first time. He said he was just very quick at adjusting his intonation before anyone noticed. Slow speed analysis of his recordings has proven this statement to be true. He was listening and assessing every note for its pitch/intonation/sweetness.

Like Basil said, learning to play in tune is a long process and one you should be constantly working at. I say throw away those blasted Petersons and really listen to your steel!

[bob adams]

So you are human after all Baz! Jings! I need a seat!!!!

[STEDDIE EDDIE]

re; peterson tuners, i have never used one, i think it tunes to what they call tempered tuning, i know a lot of complex stuff has been written on the subject, just to say i personally always use a korg chromatic tuner, and to my ears, the guitar always sounds in tune, and i do trust my ears, i have to say though, that i dont think i concentrate entirely on making sure the bar is dead over the fret marker, just as a rough guide, and i do think i am adjusting the bar to whatever my ears tell me, though subconciously, ever so slightly, that sounds like what you are saying the violin players have to do, that obviously comes with experience and ear training, and without knowing it, i think you develop that technique over time, that all goes out of the window though, if the rest of the band are playing very loud, my ears cant cope with that,

[Paul Brennan]

Spot on Eddie. I know what you're saying about band mates with volume issues. I guess you just have to deal with it as best you can. In my case, if it gets really bad and I lose patience, I can resort to just playing the six string devil.

Acoustic players with worn frets and rotten strings; bass players who last tuned their instruments in 1985; lead players who think it's cool to "double" with you on your breaks. Ah yes, the joys of playing in a band!

[Zumbilly(Murdoch)]

This is an excellent subject
There are so many directions it can take and each and every one of them could probably be a separate subject.
Peterson Tuners, I have one and for Me it is worth it's weight in gold.I have always been ready to admit that My ears are well battered having worked in a noisy environment for about fifty years.My pitch hearing is less than desirable.I have severe loss of high frequencies and quite bad tinnitus I rely on My peterson tuner,I can tune up on stage in silence when the ambient noise is above the safe level.
I have, thru' practise, got better at pitching and constantly continue to practise,and it pays.Paul Franklin posted a little pitching excesise on the U.S. forum some time ago and it is extremely good.
How do You deal with noisy guitar players,? sometimes I get caught up and try to play at high volume,but only for a short while,I,quite often play quietly on purpose until someone says "We can't hear You" I then get a chance to say that the overall noise is too great,it works for about ten minutes.Richard made a good point about not zero..ing the volume pedal.I have found that I sometimes tend to back off the volume if I am unsure of the part I am playing but once I learn the said song or phrase I am quite happy to play loud(enough)
Keep this thread going guys there is a wealth of information here
Billy

[Dave Nutt]

Pitch?
Ive recently changed steels, my old one had quite thickish markings for fret position, having played it for quite a few years I could (within reason) hit pitch, however with my new steel (Emmons) the fret markings are a lot thinner, Im definately having a few probs with pitch/note accuracy especially when playing higher up the board. I guess it will sort itself with a bit of time, perseverence and practice, seems to be the answer to most of the glitches we get.

Its interesting that the faster I pick the less I notice the inacurate pitching, but when I play the slow chords? not nice.
I guess thats what I need to do to sort the problem.
Dave.