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 Tele pickers; suggested start learning materials (Page 1)
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Dave Van Allen Member From: Doylestown, PA , US , Earth |
posted 10 June 2005 07:04 AM
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learning material for a beginner? I seem to have bought a Tele on ebay- don't ask how these things happen - any recommendations appreciated... ------------------ www.dvanet.net :: zbcustom73@dvanet.net :: www.lasttrainhome.com |
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Marty Pollard Member From: a confidential source |
posted 10 June 2005 07:50 AM
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Yeah, look up Terry Couch at guitartricks.com Lots of annoying popups from this site however. Some country boy w/a vidcam and a potload of useful hotlicks. BTW, I'm just assuming that you already know open and barre chords. If not, maybe Mel Bay? [This message was edited by Marty Pollard on 10 June 2005 at 07:52 AM.] |
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D Schubert Member From: Columbia, MO, USA |
posted 10 June 2005 07:51 AM
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Spend some time hanging out at the Telcaster Discussion Page... www.tdpri.com |
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Dave Van Allen Member From: Doylestown, PA , US , Earth |
posted 10 June 2005 08:16 AM
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Marty Mel Bay may not be a bad idea  When I was a kid I wanted real bad to play guitar, but by the time I could afford to I had gotten sidetracked by the sound of a pedal steel and that took addictive precedence I know barre chords (A & E maj & minor form) and several "cowboy" position chords, but have never officially "played" guitar per se... never owned one before to practice on. I know many chords by shape 'cause I've had to follow changes watching so many guitar players thru the years... I grew up around some of the best Tele pickers in DC so I never really felt the need to play myself; but I got the bug bad watching the Buckaroos "Ranch Show" videos to try and make that sound. I have no illusions about becoming a multi instrument utility guy; PSG is my axe. I just want it to twang around on and have around the house... & something my boy might take up if he's inclined to.... I have all the peripheral stuff, oodles of various sized Fender amps, and the music theory... so why the heck not? D Schubert- I have been lurking on the tdpri for a little while, and the Fender Discussion Pages... |
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Marty Pollard Member From: a confidential source |
posted 10 June 2005 08:31 AM
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I got serious about tele 3 yrs ago and am totally addicted. My advice is to use your finger picks and dig in; you'll get that twang. It's a small leap from knowing your basic chord/scale positions to learning cool chromatic and double stop licks. Have fun! |
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Jerry Hayes Member From: Virginia Beach, Va. |
posted 10 June 2005 10:08 AM
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Hey Dave, I agree with the fingerpicks thing! I played lead guitar as my primary instrument full time for over 22 years and always used a thumb and fingerpicks on guitar as well as steel. You'll find you can get some things that just won't happen with a flatpick. If you can find any of the old Hot Licks Videos by Albert Lee or Ray Flacke they'll do you a lot of good and they're easy to follow.....JH in Va. ------------------ |
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Terry Sneed Member From: El Dorado, Arkansas, USA |
posted 10 June 2005 11:08 AM
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Dave, Elderly.com has a bunch of country guitar courses. There are a lot of beginner and intermediate courses on the website. Terry ------------------ [This message was edited by Terry Sneed on 10 June 2005 at 11:14 AM.] |
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Dave Mudgett Member From: Central Pennsylvania, USA |
posted 10 June 2005 12:05 PM
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Primarily, I've been a guitar player most of my life, steel came lately, and Teles are my favorite. There are really two issues here. The first is basic guitar technique. There are so many fine books and videos out there it's hard to recommend just one. I like "The Wolf Marshall Guitar Method, with CD included". The Basics series comes in three volumes, and really covers the fundamentals for most styles. This is what I got for my kid when starting guitar after a few years of classical piano. This series is clear and methodical, starts from the beginning, but is not dumbed-down, IMO. Marshall is known primarily as a rock player, but he can play/teach about anything, I think. It should be possible to find and take a look at this in a local music store, certainly is here in State College. The second relates to how you're going to play. For guitar, I use a flatpick and fingerpicks on middle and ring fingers. If you want to try that approach, I recommend James Burton's Hot Licks video. He uses the flatpick and just the middle fingerpick, but you get the idea. He starts out with the Susie Q riff and moves from there to lay out his chicken pickin' style. His tone is so good, and runs the limit from his red 50s to paisley 60s to 80s JB signature model. That's not the only way to do this of course. Brent Mason has a good Hot Licks video out on the thumbpick and fingers approach. I like the Hot Licks country guitar series in general. Arlen Roth in particular lays things out very clearly. Danny Gatton, Ray Flacke, Albert Lee, all cool, though I don't see Ray's and Alberts videos listed anymore. Descriptions are here: http://www.hotlicks.com/countryguitar.htm There are tons of other instructional materials out there. Nothing against the old Mel Bay series, but I would have given my eye teeth for the Wolf Marshall and Hot Licks videos when I started out. I agree, tdpri is cool. |
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Leslie Ehrlich Member From: Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada |
posted 10 June 2005 12:12 PM
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Listen to James Burton. |
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Tom Jordan Member From: Santa Maria, CA, USA |
posted 10 June 2005 03:48 PM
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Yeah, listen to James Burton and also check out truefire.com. Truefire will let download a few freebies in MP3 and PDF format. This is home of the Helecasters and will get you right into the meat of twangin'. Tom Jordan |
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Mark van Allen Member From: loganville, Ga. USA |
posted 10 June 2005 03:48 PM
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One video I haven't seen mentioned is the often-overlooked "Country Jazz Guitar" on Hot Licks with Joe Dalton. He really disects the modern country guitar styles using combinations of major/pentatonic/minor scales. Loaded up with far more info than the usual star videos, in my opinion. When I was playing Tele in country bands it was a tremendous help to me. ------------------ |
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Eric West Member From: Portland, Oregon, USA |
posted 10 June 2005 04:08 PM
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DVA. I posted a similar query a few months ago and got some GREAT answers. Were I not on the way to a gig after working today I'd search for it. There are some good'uns. EJL [This message was edited by Eric West on 10 June 2005 at 04:09 PM.] |
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Tim Harr Member From: East Peoria, Illinois |
posted 10 June 2005 04:14 PM
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I have been a Tele Picker for about 25 years.. Get any Buck Owens LP, Merle Haggard LP or anything with James Burton, Jerry Reed, Brent Mason, Danny Gatton, or Albert Lee .. I feel you need to listen to this style to get the hang of it. It is in fact just that, a style or maybe even a "technique". Learn to play with a thumbpick or with a flat pick and your fingers. Just because you have a telecaster doesn't mean you will achieve this sound...but I am sure you have found that out. There is a book called "Masters of the Telecaster" It has a CD and all.. You can get going with something like that. I also suggest that you find someone to get together with locally. This can be a big help. Good luck. Tim |
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Jeff Garden Member From: Center Sandwich, New Hampshire, USA |
posted 10 June 2005 04:31 PM
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Check out Steve Trovato's instructional material (do a google search and I'm sure a lot of his books/videos will show up at various music sites). Also, check out his website www.stevetrovato.com although it looks like it's in the process of being updated Johnny Hiland www.johnnyhiland.com also has a series of CD's, books, and a video on chicken pickin |
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David Mason Member From: Cambridge, MD, USA |
posted 11 June 2005 01:37 AM
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I'd recommend that you think about learning the guitar neck before specifically becoming a "Tele Picker" with the "Tele" hat, T-shirt, belt buckle etc. I always point people at the book "Fretboard Logic SE" by Bill Edwards. Amazon's got 'em, here's his own site: http://www.billedwards.com/frameset.html You've got to learn this stuff eventually if you want to play well, you can either spend years figuring it out on your own (like I and countless others did) or buy this book and be zipping up and down the neck in no time. |
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Roger Rettig Member From: NAPLES, FL |
posted 11 June 2005 06:00 AM
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Brent Mason, Albert, Ray Flacke, James Burton - all those tapes are great. If you don't mind risking an inferiority complex, however, check out Scotty Anderson's tape (or his CDs) - he's unnatural!!! RR |
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Ben Lawson Member From: Somerset, N.J. |
posted 11 June 2005 06:15 AM
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Dave, Joe Dalton is a good friend of mine and he's putting out instructional DVD's now. He's the guy I work with in Atlantic City and other places when I'm not on the Hayride.I'll see if I can appropriate some material from him. |
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Tim Harr Member From: East Peoria, Illinois |
posted 11 June 2005 09:55 AM
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I learned a ton from the Steve Travoto tapes...also Joe Dalton video. These are excellent recomendations! |
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Glyn Bone Member From: Halifax.Nova Scotia. Canada |
posted 11 June 2005 04:18 PM
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You could also check out the book ( with record) by Arlen Roth...loads of good Tele style stuff in there....he also has a couple of `Hot Country` videos out Just my 0.2centimes Glyndwr. |
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Bob Smith Member From: Allentown, New Jersey, USA |
posted 11 June 2005 06:31 PM
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Dave, The Arlen Roth stuff is real good and covers alot of ground. Get some good pickin records, Redd V. , Johhny Hiland, Bill Kirchen, Albert Lee, and listen to them all the time. Have fun with your tele! bob |
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Glyn Bone Member From: Halifax.Nova Scotia. Canada |
posted 12 June 2005 06:19 AM
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Dave...I forgot to mention the title of the Arlen Roth Book.. it is " Nashville Guitar", I have seen it in several music shops so I know it is still available. there is also a book with two 45rpm records by Mike Ihde called "Country Styles" I think put out by Berkley....hope this helps. Glyndwr. |
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Mike Selecky Member From: BrookPark, Ohio |
posted 12 June 2005 10:23 AM
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I came across this site recently for tele video lessons reasonably priced: http://www.chadmccomas.com/doug/ Also, Truefire used to have a compilation of audio and tab lessons called "Twang Thang" for under $10 - I bought it several years ago after a recommendation from a post on this forum. |
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Jeff Garden Member From: Center Sandwich, New Hampshire, USA |
posted 12 June 2005 12:57 PM
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Just a heads up if any of the tele videos you want are put out by Hot Licks. These are great videos but only buy them from a distributor that already has them in stock. www.hotlicks.com is still accessible on the Internet but as far as I can tell the phone has been disconnected and the business has been closed since around March 2004. My credit card was charged for 3 videos in early 2004 and after they repeatedly delayed my shipment due to "inventory problems" the owners disappeared with no forwarding info and I got ripped off. |
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Pookie Anselmi Member From: Galliano, Louisiana, USA |
posted 13 June 2005 06:17 AM
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Take a look a www.terrydownsmusic.com If you like Roy Nicholls guitar playing with He uses a camera approach over his left arm so you can see the neck of the guitar the same way you'd be looking at yours. |
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Ben Lawson Member From: Somerset, N.J. |
posted 13 June 2005 06:12 PM
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The reason that Hot Licks disappeared may be that Arlen Roths wife and daughter were killed in an auto accident a while back and he's been pretty much down since then. I'll check with Joe Dalton since he and Arlen were pretty close. |
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Roger Rettig Member From: NAPLES, FL |
posted 14 June 2005 03:42 AM
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I happened to meet Arlen Roth a few years back when I went into Rudi's Music Store on 48th Street - we talked about Telecasters and related stuff and, during our conversation, he spoke of his daughter and her musical aspirations. The pride in his eyes was clear to see, and I found him to be warm and pleasant individual. Then, just two days later, I heard about the accident. I'd only spent about thirty minutes with Arlen, but the shock was enormous and almost felt like a personal loss! It's difficult to imagine the effect that such a catastrophe would have on one's life. RR |
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Tony Prior Member From: Charlotte NC |
posted 14 June 2005 04:30 AM
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Well although I agree with everything stated above..I would step back just a tad.. Before jumping into the fire I would woodshed over a smoldering matchstick... Telecasters are not just another Guitar..they are a WAY OF LIFE.... This is probably almost impossible for me to explain...but I'll try... Start out playing simple open chords under and around the 5th fret( here I go again with the 5th fret thing) listen to the tonality of the open strings with the triads..play behind some Merle tunes, or Waylon tunes..just the chords in open positions..use the open stings to walk up to the IV AND V chords, and then bend UP back to the 1 chord from underneath...as well as accenting the triads... a complete love for doing this IS absolutley required.. The twang and the pickin' comes from the simplicity of the music...as well as the tone and attack of each note played.... Now this is not to imply that we will never play above the 5th fret , because we will..and do..and very often..thats where the magic comes from...but a complete understanding of where the basic rudiment music comes from and where it is going is totally relavant.... start simmple..grow slowly...but do know where you are growing from.... Don't learn licks..learn where thay are coming from... and by the way..Arlen Roth is amazing..and what an awful story about his family.... [This message was edited by Tony Prior on 14 June 2005 at 04:47 AM.] |
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Dave Van Allen Member From: Doylestown, PA , US , Earth |
posted 14 June 2005 05:48 AM
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quote: oh, believe me, I understand that. Having grown up musically in the DC area in the shadow of Buchanan, Gatton and a ton of lesser known but monster Tele pickers I have understood this since my musical youth. I was chosen to follow the path of PSG which is equally consuming... but at this point in my life I do want to give it a try. I appreciate very much that "licks" aren't everything, and equally well the history of the styles I want to emulate and the zen of twang. thank y'all for your input on this |
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Dave Mudgett Member From: Central Pennsylvania, USA |
posted 14 June 2005 06:29 AM
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Quote: "Telecasters are not just another Guitar..they are a WAY OF LIFE...." Definitely agreed. As compared to other electric guitars, Telecasters are raw and exacting, sort of like a straight razor is to a safety razor. Played properly, there is nowhere to hide. They need to be played, and forcibly controlled, more than other electric guitars, IMO. A small change in approach can bring the tone from great to ugly and back in an instant. I liken it in many ways to playing a good acoustic - it's not the same tone, but has that direct transferance from fingers to sounds. Attack, dynamics, tone, articulation and note choice are everything, since they all stick out like a sore thumb if you don't get 'em right with a Tele. I'll tell ya', my Teles are none too happy with the amount of time I've spent the last couple of years on the steel. They are demanding. |
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Frank Estes Member From: Huntsville, AL |
posted 14 June 2005 07:03 AM
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Some other links, etc on previous thread: http://steelguitarforum.com/Forum10/HTML/004755.html ------------------ |
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Dave Van Allen Member From: Doylestown, PA , US , Earth |
posted 21 June 2005 08:39 AM
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Thanks for all the great links guys. It finally arrived Monday- the finish got chipped in transit, but on the back where it don't show.. about the size of a dime, I am pi$$ed about that because... Otherwise It's a near mint beauty: Sea Foam Green MIM '69Thinline RI, Maple Neck, Single Coils; strung it up and plugged it into my Vibrolux thru a JBL 15 and durn if it didn't twang immediately ------------------ www.dvanet.net :: zbcustom73@dvanet.net :: www.lasttrainhome.com |
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Russ Tkac Member From: Waterford, Michigan, USA |
posted 22 June 2005 07:50 PM
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Dave, If you are going to get into Telecasters it can get addicting! |
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Chris Forbes Member From: Beltsville, MD, USA |
posted 23 June 2005 03:48 AM
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Yeesh, just what I need, more competition from another steel/tele player!! Thanks Dave!!  |
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Tony Prior Member From: Charlotte NC |
posted 23 June 2005 04:00 AM
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Dave, congrats on the new axe. we will all wait in silent anticiaption for your next question , which will ( may or should) be .. "Which amp is best for a Twangin' Tele' ? "... or you could just go over to the Tele forum and double your daily internet time and really get lost in the details..(opinions ) t ps..and ..uh..Russ..thats it, only 6 ? [This message was edited by Tony Prior on 23 June 2005 at 04:02 AM.] |
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Russ Tkac Member From: Waterford, Michigan, USA |
posted 23 June 2005 04:53 AM
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I had a few more but ran out of guitar stands. Russ |
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Dave Van Allen Member From: Doylestown, PA , US , Earth |
posted 23 June 2005 07:35 AM
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Fido- it's no competition... relax. A rising tide floats all boats Tony- Gibson LP Jr., Fender VibroChamp, Fender Vibrolux Reverb, Fender Twin Reverb w/ 15, BF Bassman thru either 2x12 cab or 1x15 cab... I think the only likely option missing is a Deluxe reverb Like I said I plugged it into the Vibrolux and it Twanged @ me immediately and I am spending entirely too much time at TDPRI, but with the experience of weeding out the chaff I've gained on this forum Russ- all those Teles and a ZB too!? as Paris Hilton would say "That's HOT!" |
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Russ Tkac Member From: Waterford, Michigan, USA |
posted 23 June 2005 08:54 AM
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Dave, All those tele's, 2 ZB's a Fender 400 8 pedal, 67 Pro Reverb, 66 Bassman 2x12 and I also have a Les Paul Jr. amp like yours with an owner's manual. I also have many more but I'm tired of writing. Russ |
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Dave Van Allen Member From: Doylestown, PA , US , Earth |
posted 23 June 2005 09:03 AM
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quote:http://www.gruhn.com/features/tele-crush/EF6677.html crushed mirrors!!!!!!! what do you say to that, Paris? "oooooh! I can see MYSELF!" [This message was edited by Dave Van Allen on 23 June 2005 at 09:14 AM.] [This message was edited by Dave Van Allen on 23 June 2005 at 09:15 AM.] |
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Joey Ace Sysop From: Southern Ontario, Canada |
posted 23 June 2005 09:10 AM
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If we're gonna start posting pics of our loved ones... |
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Steve Hinson Member From: Hendersonville Tn USA |
posted 23 June 2005 01:47 PM
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Dave...no wonder I don't have a blackface Bassman any more...you got'em all!Congratulations...I think they are the all-round best amp ever!Take care...Steve PS-I DO have two silverface'68s and a white'62... ------------------ |
I think I'll survive
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