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Topic: The Advent of the Reverse Slant |
Jay Yuskaitis
From: Massachusetts, USA
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Posted 19 Aug 2017 2:03 pm
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JMWO, I could not live without forward and reverse slants on both the straight or pedal steel. I guess it boils down to how long ago you began playing and what you had for a guitar over the years. Jay Y. |
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C. E. Jackson
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Erv Niehaus
From: Litchfield, MN, USA
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Posted 20 Aug 2017 5:55 am
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As far as the technique goes when doing slants, it's all in the fingers, you don't twist your wrist, just watch Jerry Byrd. |
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Andy Volk
From: Boston, MA
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Posted 20 Aug 2017 6:15 am
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When I was learning, 99% on my own, it seemed like slants were an important part of non-pedal steel playing so I just hacked away at 'em from the very start. You can play some great music without ever slanting the bar even once but I believe you're short changing yourself in regards to what the instrument can offer if you ignore slant-bar playing.
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That split reverse with two dead strings in the middle is interesting. I don't think I've ever seen that in print before. |
Agree, Guy. Interesting!
Someone posted a cool clip on FB the other day of Paul Franklin playing pedal steel in the studio. In the middle of a cool, complex chord run he tossed in a perfect reverse slant. _________________ Steel Guitar Books! Website: www.volkmediabooks.com |
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Doug Beaumier
From: Northampton, MA
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Scott Thomas
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Posted 20 Aug 2017 6:21 pm
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George Rout wrote: |
C'mon David, that is a picture of some nice scenery on a model railroad.
Re the reverse slants, being an old timer using A Major tuning, I've been playing them since Pontius was a pilot, in fact he was just an air cadet when I was taking Hawaiian guitar lessons in 1948. I hated them because they were had to get accurately with small hands. However, I still teach using them in A Major today. I think all this A Major tuning will drop dead with me!!!!! Keep up the good work folks, I love it.
Geo |
Listening to all those old recordings, it amazing how much music there is in that A maj tuning. Those reverse slants go back a long way. |
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Stefan Robertson
From: Hertfordshire, UK
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Posted 21 Aug 2017 12:49 am
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Andy Volk wrote: |
When I was learning, 99% on my own, it seemed like slants were an important part of non-pedal steel playing so I just hacked away at 'em from the very start. You can play some great music without ever slanting the bar even once but I believe you're short changing yourself in regards to what the instrument can offer if you ignore slant-bar playing.
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That split reverse with two dead strings in the middle is interesting. I don't think I've ever seen that in print before. |
Agree, Guy. Interesting!
Someone posted a cool clip on FB the other day of Paul Franklin playing pedal steel in the studio. In the middle of a cool, complex chord run he tossed in a perfect reverse slant. |
Spot on Andy.
Its just a part of playing. Forward, reverse, split and straight
Not to mention open strings which I avoid usually - as harder to transpose but I realise Buddy and Doug and Tom all used open strings not because they had to but because it offered a specific lower register (lower Octave/pedal point in a higher octave)
I'm going to be looking at these later on but not ready yet as the possibilities there are loads. _________________ Stefan
Bill Hatcher custom 12 string Lap Steel Guitar
E13#9/F secrets: https://thelapsteelguitarist.wordpress.com
"Give it up for The Lap Steel Guitarist" |
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Guy Cundell
From: More idle ramblings from South Australia
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Posted 26 Aug 2017 5:58 pm
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Interesting to see Alvino Rey offering two styles of reverse slant in 1937.
Personally, I find it hard to make the wrist bend (ex 2) work. It is just too uncomfortable.
I find that I can get a pretty quick slant with fingers and thumb but there is a little bit of wrist in there as well.
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Guy Cundell
From: More idle ramblings from South Australia
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Posted 26 Aug 2017 6:25 pm
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This doesn't use the top string so it is good for C6 and A6 but for C6 the key will be F.
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David M Brown
From: California, USA
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Posted 27 Aug 2017 3:50 am
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Doug Beaumier wrote: |
I'd like to hear the author of the book play this one in tune... It might work with mucho vibrato.
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I would try getting the notes on the 5th and 2nd strings as close to in tune as possible and use extra pressure - on a bullet tip bar - to fudge the 1st string note in tune.
It still would benefit from vibrato - and just using it as a passing chord, not holding it out. |
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David M Brown
From: California, USA
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Posted 27 Aug 2017 3:52 am
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Guy Cundell wrote: |
I find that I can get a pretty quick slant with fingers and thumb but there is a little bit of wrist in there as well.
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With me it depends on how fast I have to get in and out of position. I use the fingers when I have time, but when the tempo is fast, a bit of wrist comes into play. |
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