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Author Topic:  Jerry Garcia pedal steel Dark Hollow
Marc Muller


From:
Neptune,NJ USA
Post  Posted 20 Jul 2017 4:40 pm    
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Wow, never heard this. Love or hate him (you really don't need to do either, really, though) what a touch, tone. Unrecreatable.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gPdFcPjsyLU
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Doug Beaumier


From:
Northampton, MA
Post  Posted 20 Jul 2017 5:11 pm    
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Yeah, a very distinctive style. Jerry played banjo too, and I hear some of that in his steel picking. He picks a lot. I do like his playing, but I don't like his volume pedal technique (or lack of it). It sounds like he pumps the volume pedal constantly. Maybe that's the sound he's going for...?
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Marc Muller


From:
Neptune,NJ USA
Post  Posted 20 Jul 2017 5:28 pm    
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I know what you mean about the poor volume pedal technique but I find it endearing and one of the elements that make his phrasing so unique. Imagine Teach you Children part played with proper VP technique. Wouldn't be the same thing at all.
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Jerry Overstreet


From:
Louisville Ky
Post  Posted 20 Jul 2017 5:37 pm    
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Always a treat to hear a Jerry steel performance. Thanks for finding and posting that Marc. No one can say he didn't have a distinctive sound and technique.
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Joseph Napolitano

 

From:
New Jersey, USA
Post  Posted 20 Jul 2017 5:48 pm    
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Thanks Marc. I really enjoyed that . It sounds like Jerry pumps the volume pedal on the harmonized notes, and leaves it alone for the single note stuff.
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Bryan Staddon


From:
Buffalo,New York,
Post  Posted 21 Jul 2017 6:20 am     Big fun
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Thanks, never heard that. I thought it was great, I still don't know why everybody moans about Jerry playing steel, He had his own sound for sure and there was some cool licks in there. Big fun!
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Richard Sinkler


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aka: Rusty Strings -- Missoula, Montana
Post  Posted 21 Jul 2017 7:35 am    
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Love it. Thanks Mark.
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Duncan Hodge


From:
DeLand, FL USA
Post  Posted 21 Jul 2017 9:24 am    
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Thanks Marc.
I loved the tune. Jerry played beautifully and added to the song just what it needed. BTW, I used to live at the other end of 33 from Neptune in Hightstown.
Have a beautiful Jersey day.
Duncan
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Godfrey Arthur

 

From:
3rd Rock
Post  Posted 21 Jul 2017 12:06 pm    
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Thanks for posting.
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Bob Carlucci

 

From:
Candor, New York, USA
Post  Posted 21 Jul 2017 12:29 pm    
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i think some of jerry's distinctive picking style on all his instruments was due to the fact he had no middle finger on his right hand.. His "workaround" for the missing digit on the picking hand may or may not be a contributing factor... bob
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kbdrost


From:
Prospect Heights, IL
Post  Posted 21 Jul 2017 12:41 pm    
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Jerry Garcia is probably the reason I started playing pedal steel. I was trying to figure out why I couldn't play his "Teach Your Children" parts on my regular guitar when someone explained what he was doing.

He does have a unique style, one that I think resembles Ralph Mooney's, who I think he was trying to emulate. Here is his version of "The Race Is On" (apparently from the same session as that identified in Marc's original post) which demonstrates his particular style on a tune we are all familiar with. Some other stuff, as well. I agree with the volume pedal critique.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=53z-GmOay5I
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Bob Carlucci

 

From:
Candor, New York, USA
Post  Posted 21 Jul 2017 12:53 pm    
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Here's a great example of Jerry's "improper" volume pedal technique... its not the way most of us would use a volume pedal on a studio cut, but as always throughout his enormous career, Jerry made it work.. besides Teach, and his great steel work on the "the Wheel", THIS song in my opinion was his finest hour as far as his steel guitar work is concerned.. this was a hit for Stills, lots of airplay, and the steel was all over it.. Jerry;s discography on pedal steel puts a LOT of much better players to shame... bob

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X6bEs3kXKvw
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Doug Beaumier


From:
Northampton, MA
Post  Posted 21 Jul 2017 2:02 pm    
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"The Wheel" is my favorite Jerry steel recording. It was on his solo album "Garcia", 1972. His unique picking style with delay and his volume pedal technique are on full display here.

---click--- > https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rYGatU18PMQ
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Bryan Staddon


From:
Buffalo,New York,
Post  Posted 21 Jul 2017 3:41 pm     Man this is great!
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Awesome, I forgot how good that Stills tune was. Now I don't have it but I remember a really great one he played on Graham Nash's first album maybe someone remembers that one, I know there's some cool stuff he played on Paul Kantners stuff too. Thanks for "the race is on " seen the dead play it but never heard a Jerry steel version. Could some of you guys elaborate on the volume pedal stuff you're discussing? I'm not getting what you mean. Thanks
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Bob Carlucci

 

From:
Candor, New York, USA
Post  Posted 22 Jul 2017 9:36 am     Re: Man this is great!
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Bryan Staddon wrote:
Awesome, I forgot how good that Stills tune was. Now I don't have it but I remember a really great one he played on Graham Nash's first album maybe someone remembers that one, I know there's some cool stuff he played on Paul Kantners stuff too. Thanks for "the race is on " seen the dead play it but never heard a Jerry steel version. Could some of you guys elaborate on the volume pedal stuff you're discussing? I'm not getting what you mean. Thanks


Its just "in and out", up and down.... he seems like he's pumping the pedal.. Volume comes up too strong, then fades out at seemingly inappropriate times or something... Almost like he's using a wah pedal, not a volume pedal.. In the day, working with rock producers that didn't do much pedal steel , it was fine, and probably only steel players would ever notice.. Today, with highly skilled mixing/production people and digital technology, it wouldn't fly. It would be smoothed out, if not during recording, then during mixing.... I knew it was there, but as stated elsewhere in this thread, it was just part of the charm of jerry's steel playing. Not correct technically, but always right for the tune.. The cat was a musician, and knew good sound, and good time... He is missed by a LOt of us... bob
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kbdrost


From:
Prospect Heights, IL
Post  Posted 22 Jul 2017 9:48 am     Re: Man this is great!
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Bob Carlucci wrote:
Its just "in and out", up and down.... he seems like he's pumping the pedal.. Volume comes up too strong, then fades out at seemingly inappropriate times or something... Almost like he's using a wah pedal, not a volume pedal..


I actually think some of Jerry's best stuff occurs on the tunes when he is playing the wah (with fuzz) and pumping the wah, instead of the volume pedal. "Dirty Business" with NRPS and "Sugaree" off the Garcia album come to mind.
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Doug Beaumier


From:
Northampton, MA
Post  Posted 22 Jul 2017 10:16 am    
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I agree that his pedal pumping is part of his sound, part of the charm. It's just that after many years of teaching steel guitar lessons and telling students Not to pump the volume pedal, it's hard for me to hear it on Jerry's recordings. Don't get me wrong, I was a big Jerry fan back in the 70s. I had his solo album "Garcia" in 1972 and he had a big influence on me. I'm just hearing things from a different perspective now.
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Joachim Kettner


From:
Germany
Post  Posted 22 Jul 2017 11:16 pm     Re: Man this is great!
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Bryan Staddon wrote:
Now I don't have it but I remember a really great one he played on Graham Nash's first album maybe someone remembers that one. Thanks

This one came to mind
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hUBzFFlY6S0
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Walter Stettner


From:
Vienna, Austria
Post  Posted 22 Jul 2017 11:20 pm    
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Never heard that one before, thanks for posting!

Kind Regards, Walter
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Marc Muller


From:
Neptune,NJ USA
Post  Posted 23 Jul 2017 4:25 am     Re: Man this is great!
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kbdrost wrote:
Bob Carlucci wrote:
Its just "in and out", up and down.... he seems like he's pumping the pedal.. Volume comes up too strong, then fades out at seemingly inappropriate times or something... Almost like he's using a wah pedal, not a volume pedal..


I actually think some of Jerry's best stuff occurs on the tunes when he is playing the wah (with fuzz) and pumping the wah, instead of the volume pedal. "Dirty Business" with NRPS and "Sugaree" off the Garcia album come to mind.

Hey, that's Jerry on guitar thru a leslie for Sugaree. No steel on that song. He did employ some steel licks on guitar though while he was learning steel at that point in time.
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tom anderson

 

From:
leawood, ks., usa
Post  Posted 23 Jul 2017 9:20 am     Leslie and wah with Jerry
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I like his use of the Leslie a the wah wah pedal on the first New Riders album. Rusty Young did too on the first three poco albums. Don't hear that style anymore.
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scott murray


From:
Asheville, NC
Post  Posted 23 Jul 2017 10:22 am    
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there is some nice steel on that 'Garcia' album. namely on The Wheel and the instrumental Eep Hour. it's also worth noting that Jerry played every instrument on the album aside from drums.

there's a brief clip in the recent 'Long Strange Trip' documentary of Jerry playing his MCI steel in the studio with the Dead in the early 90s. I knew he played that guitar on the Dylan/Dead tour in '87, but apparently he was toying with it in the studio as well. shame it didn't make it on one of their final albums.
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Chris Templeton


From:
The Green Mountain State
Post  Posted 23 Jul 2017 3:19 pm    
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A few years ago I did this steel overdub on "Dire Wolf", checking out Jerry's approach to pedal steel:
http://picosong.com/vk6u/
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Dave Hopping


From:
Aurora, Colorado
Post  Posted 23 Jul 2017 6:31 pm    
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There's nothing wrong with Jerry's steel playing that some concentrated woodshedding wouldn't have straightened out,and very nicely....But I don't think that was a priority for him or the Deadheads.If they'd wanted his band to feature pedal steel,doubtless,there'd have been somebody hired.Jay Dee? Red Rhodes?
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scott murray


From:
Asheville, NC
Post  Posted 23 Jul 2017 7:40 pm    
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Jerry (and Deadheads too!) did plenty of woodshedding. he mastered the 5-string banjo in the early 60s and was known to practice guitar for 8-10 hours a day. if he was awake, chances are he was playing. he studied all the music and guitar books he could get his hands on.

he only played steel actively for a few years, from about '69-'73 and you can bet he put in countless hours behind the instrument. I'd say he did alright for a guy who toured as much as the Dead and was primarily a guitarist, singer, and songwriter.

indeed, by 1974 Jerry decided he would need another lifetime to become the steel player he wanted to be and the Dead did hire somebody. the great John McFee played steel on this excellent tune:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IFSnOZy955U
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