------------------
84 SKH Emmons Legrand D10
session 400'rd Steelin for my Lord.

The power that is available from those 2 little thin stings is untapped.

I am thinking that the most common set-up these days has the 1st string with a full tone raise and the second string with not one, not 2 but 3 changes. 1/2 step raise, 1/2 step lower and full step lower.

You're probably not aware of the many many things you hear that come directly off of these 2 strings .

Another point I would like to bring forward. And I don't mean to diminish anything that has been previously stated. I personally think it is a mistake to tie knee lever and pedal changes only to the proper chord spelling. My opinion is that if you are only looking at chord possibilities then you are missing abundant phrasing opportunities whether it be for passing phrases or melody lines. These 2 top strings are an absolute necessity for this Instrument, forget about the correct chord spellings that may be available with various combinations..look at them as a means of getting from point A to point B..

The 2nd string with 3 notes coming off the levers ( 4 including the natural) is a party all by itself !

Keep in mind what Joe Pass states in his guitar instructional video..

" I'm not really sure what the correct name of this chord is, I know what family it's in, but I know it sounds good, and thats most important"

Sometimes we get so hung up in the technicals we forget to play the music .

A nice excersise with these strings ( and more) is to play nursery rhymes. Single notes, then 2 notes. Obviously using your AB pedals as well .Old Macdonald, Mary had ....etc...

The trick about playing these types of tunes is you already know them..you don't need to learn the melody.

good luck

[This message was edited by Tony Prior on 04 June 2004 at 03:18 AM.]

Very respectfully, if you are not using strings 1 and 2 ALL the time, you are missing out on much of what one hears on 1000's of recordings, plus 99% of steel shows.

I can equate with those who don't use them however. Because they are not chronologically within the scale; along with one of them being a "dissonant" note, it is not natural for most (at first) to use them. Until one forces their use, several scenarios loom large in a given players style:

1. Locked in to the major chord voicings, IE, strings 3, 4, 5, 6, 8 and 10. With an occassional foray with strings 7 and 9.

2. Strings 1 and 2 stay uncovered (with the bar) throughout entire songs in most cases.

If this is happening to you, or any other reader of this thread, I urge you to immediately force yourself to discover the incredible "gold" in these two awesome strings.

One habit that can happen, and remain without doing the above, is what I call playing only Bud Isaacs licks. He did not have these two strings. It was not until Buddy added them, that E9th became the gem that it is today. Those strings allow sounds NOT possible on this tuning, in any other way.

Yes you can find the notes, BUT you won't find the sound. And therein, lies the secret to those two "gotta have" strings. I will give you just one example. A very common movement in music is a flatted 5th note resolving immediately back to the natural 5th note. EX:

Key of C..3rd fret..pedals down... picking strings 4, 5 and 6. The 4th string is the "5th". The music suddenly calls for you to pick that string flatted one note or b5.

Without string 2, you are forced to slide the bar down one fret and get that note. The problem is it breaks the harmony notes. So what most do (without string 2) is to mute the chord, slide down one fret, pick string 4 and slide back. Or worse slide the whole chord down, which makes at least one of the harmony notes incorrect.

Now do the same thing...only this time, simply reach up WHILE 4, 5 and 6 are ringing and pick string 2. Then slide your bar back off of string 2 and mute it with your finger(s) behind the bar and repick strings 4, 5 and 6.

Great players have done this since strings 1 and 2 were added. When done with practice and correctly timed muting, it affords a steel player a privilege once denied on most other steel tunings.

You can do the same thing with the 1st string. Only in this case you stay at th same fret. NOTE: this is just with the open string tunings, not to mentioning the hidden "gold" when you bring in knee levers that alter these strings' notes. Which was stated correctly by others above.

Try it! I promise you will "lack" it.

May Jesus bless you in your quests,

carl

[This message was edited by C Dixon on 04 June 2004 at 10:34 AM.]

Before we had those strings, Zane Beck used to get that D on his 13 tuning, so he had the D right next to the C#(A pedal- B to C#) It sounded dissonant both together but worked great, and with pedals down it put him in D. With the D on top. Clever man that Zane....al

------------------
My Website..... www.cmedic.net/~almarcus/

For the newer players, visualize where the strings sound lies....the first string F# lies between the #4 and #3. That move using the bar movement is a heck of a lot different
from using the chromatic string #1.
Same thing as using string #2.....
I hope to be on here some now !!!
Moon

------------------
<< Moon Mullin in Alaska >>
==Carter S-10==
<< Old Fender-400 >>
== Evans FET 500 Custom LV ==

CLICK HERE FOR MOON'S ALASKA WEB SITE

How could we ever forget what Hal Rugg did when he backed Loretta Lynn on most of her classic hits? He used those strings to the ultimate IMO.

I suppose if I had to pick one song that showed it the best, it would have to be "One's On the Way". Hal's intro and turnaround in that classic, is almost mind boggling and is extremely difficult to do. If perfect blocking was ever necessary, this tune would be the one I think.

If you have not heard this song, click on the following link, then scroll down to 1972, click on it, then scroll down to Hal's intro. You will hear that 2nd string used to its ultimate, IMO.
http://users.interlinks.net/rebel/steel/steel.html

I suppose you could be correct and if I am wrong I sincerely will stand corrected. But I could swear that is what I am hearing. I do KNOW this. There are other licks He came up with that DO use the second and of course 1st string. And I seem to hear parts of them in this particular intro.

Again, if he didn't and in fact used mostly the 3rd and 5th strings, I stand corrected, and beg your humble apology. In any case, it is my favorite lick by Hal of all his classics. And it is heckuva an intro IMO. Do yo agree?

If someone could work out the parts to "One's On The Way", I would appreciate it. Maybe Bob Hempker could shed some light on these Hal Rugg lick's.

1_________________________________________________________________________________
2_________________________________________________________________________________
3________20b~20b__21b~21b___22b______20b______20_____18_____15b______15___________
4_________________________________________________________________________________
5________20_~20a__21_~21a___22a______20a______20_____18_____15a______15___________
6___20b__________________________22b______20b_____20_____18______15b_____15________
7_________________________________________________________________________________
8_________________________________________________________________________________
9_________________________________________________________________________________
10________________________________________________________________________________

1_________________________________________________________________________________
2_________________________________________________________________________________
3___13_____10b______8b_____8____7____6____3b~3b__3b~3b__3b_3b_3b___3b_3b_3b_______
4_________________________________________________________________________________
5___13_____10a______8a_____8____7____6____3_~3a__3_~3a__3a_3_______3a_3___________
6______13______10b_____8b____8____7____6_______________________3b_________3b_______
7_________________________________________________________________________________
8_________________________________________________________________________________
9_________________________________________________________________________________
10________________________________________________________________________________

1_________________________________________________________________________________
2_________________________________________________________________________________
3___3b~3b__3b~3b__3b_3b_3b__3b_3b_3b______________________________________________
4_________________________________________________________________________________
5___3_~3a__3_~3a__3a_3______3a_3__________________________________________________
6_______________________3b________3b______________________________________________
7_________________________________________________________________________________
8_________________________________________________________________________________
9_________________________________________________________________________________
10________________________________________________________________________________

Another change that's fun to work on is using the 4 tones of the 4th string at any position (i.e. C pedal, c pedal 1/2 or F lever, no pedal, then D lever) along with the first or second string. I'm sure Buddy was doing this 40 years ago, though I still aint figured it out.

[This message was edited by Ray Minich on 14 June 2004 at 01:50 PM.]