The Steel Guitar Forum
Pedal Steel Archive
? for Bill Stafford (Page 2)
UBBFriend: Email This Page to Someone!
profile | join | preferences | help | search
Steel Guitar Strings Strings & instruction for lap steel, Hawaiian & pedal steel guitars http://SteelGuitarShopper.com |
Ray Price Shuffles Classic country shuffle styles for Band-in-a-Box, by BIAB guru Jim Baron. http://steelguitarmusic.com |
This Forum is CLOSED. |
|
|
The Steel Guitar Forum
Pedal Steel Archive
? for Bill Stafford (Page 2)
profile | join | preferences | help | search
|
| This topic is 2 pages long: 1 2 This topic was originally posted in this forum: Pedal Steel |
| Author | Topic: ? for Bill Stafford |
|
Dennis Boyd Member Posts: 156 |
posted 21 October 2000 10:18 AM
Hi Bill, I was wondering if you use your low E string very often. If so, how do you work it in with bass players you play with? Another question is how do you keep from hitting the low string with the bar when moving from the high to low strings? I seem to have that problem on occasion even with a low G# string. Thanks for any info you can provide. Dennis, Sierra E9/6, 14-string |
|
Bill Stafford Member Posts: 1347 |
posted 21 October 2000 08:26 PM
Hi Dennis, nice to hear from you.Good questions. I use the low E just about all the time in both tunings to enhance the full chord structure,not in competition with the bass players area of responsibility. This note really "fattens" up the chords in the sixth tuning is that this note is a low "root" note when you have the standard pedal 6 depressed. ("Standard",in this case, means the typical pedal six on a C6 tuning-same changes except it works out of the B tuning vice C, as you well know). About "dragging" the back of the bar into the 14th string is caused mostly by the amount of pressure you put on the strings with your bar hand and when you pull back from the top strings, the base of the bar digs into the string. I hardly put any pressure on the strings with my bar hand, just enough to obtain a clear note from the strings. Also the bar I use is one of those Zirconia ones that Ed Packard engineered and I made them with a slight angle on the back rim to allow this bar to pass over the stings very smoothly. When I used the BJS bars, I still did not have that problem. Just lighten up on you bar hand. (And a plus here is that you will not de-tune all the strings as much with this lighter pressure). Just practice that a lot and pretty soon it will work for you. Hope this helps.Contact me email and I will be glad to specifically answer you if at all possible. Will you be at the Jacksonville show? Take care and practice, practice, practice.LOL Bill Stafford |
|
Dennis Boyd Member Posts: 156 |
posted 22 October 2000 11:10 PM
Thanks for answering my questions Bill. You seem to have a lot of insight into the art of playing the steel guitar. I don't get around a lot so I won't make the Jacksonville show. I still have to make it to one of the St. Louis shows. Maybe next year. I'm looking around in this area (Northern California) for people to jam with. It's been a while since I played in a band. But I feel the urge coming back. Bill, you're right about the nice full sound of chords when you add one or two of the low strings. I've been trying to use that range more and more often. I have one other question I'd like to ask you. What was the name of the movie that you played soundtrack on? I'd like to hear it if it's still available. Thanks again for all your help. Dennis |
|
Bill Stafford Member Posts: 1347 |
posted 23 October 2000 05:06 AM
Hi Dennis, thanks for the nice comments. The name of that movie is "My Own Private Idaho" starring Keanu Reeves and River Phoenix. (River died shortly after that movie was made from a drug overdose). It is available in the rental stores, but be warned that it is a true story about those homeless people on the streets and depicts their lifestyle very accurately. It was a great honor for me to have been selected to do that sound track and I have a few cds if you would like to have one. Just let me know where to send it. The sound track is played with just my steel guitar, solo, and occasionally -in the sound track-there is a cello which joins in. (I recorded the sound track songs after the movie so the cello is not in the cd). Just my steel with no overdubs as it was done for the movie. Also, back to your question about not "getting in the bass players space", I have a new cd coming out soon with a full band. Beth Travers played bass, David Sign on piano and Gene Breeden on lead and rythmn guitar. Scotty and Mitsuo Fuji also played on this with me and most of the songs were recorded the first time through. I will make a copy of the copy I have of the session and send you so you can hear how the bass and my low strings interact. It is all a matter of taste and feel about how you want the music to sound. No competition at all between players and it comes out just fine. (Beth is Ray Stevens bass player and it was a great honor for me to have had her on the session). And should any of you guys be in the studio, use David on piano. None better and arrangements on the spot are his forte. Great musician and person. Gene Breeden selected all the players and the session was the best I have ever been involved with. I will be very happy to send you this copy of a few songs for review. Let me know. Bill Stafford |
| This topic is 2 pages long: 1 2 All times are Pacific (US) | This is an ARCHIVED topic. You may not reply to it! |
Note: Messages not explicitly copyrighted are in the Public Domain.
Ultimate Bulletin Board 5.46
Our mailing address is:
The Steel Guitar Forum
148 South Cloverdale Blvd.
Cloverdale, CA 95425 USA
Support the Forum