How does Greg Leisz do it?

Derek Duplessie · Post by **Derek Duplessie** » 2 Dec 2012 9:06 pm

I'm especially interested in this first clip from the Gram Parsons tribute show a few years ago. How does Greg manage to create this sort of ethereal sound? It sounds almost as if he's playing a mellotron or some other kind of old analogue synthesizer. Just wondering how much of this sound has to do with Greg's technique, and how much has to do with analogue delay or whatever other effects he might be using here. What do you think

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=303qrq4V4eU

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AGZ_xgkeBfE

derek

Bob Hoffnar · Post by **Bob Hoffnar** » 2 Dec 2012 10:48 pm

Greg is an amazing musician. To me his sound has as much to do with his phrasing and note choice as his technique.
His gear is secondary. In the first clip he looks to be playing a loaner Sho Bud and in the second he is playing his 12st Williams (BTW, I made the pickup in the Williams)

He often uses some sort of delay pedal. Usually nothing too fancy of even analog. I have seen him get his sound using just the amps reverb. He uses his volume pedal differently than more traditional players.

Derek Duplessie · Post by **Derek Duplessie** » 2 Dec 2012 11:06 pm

I'm sure you must be right--especially about the unconventional way he uses the volume pedal--but just as an example, what's happening around 2:14-2:17 in the first video? There's this wash of sound emanating from the steel that seems to emerge out of nowhere and bleeds into his next phrase.

John McClung · Post by **John McClung** » 3 Dec 2012 12:21 am

Long droning note or notes, attack always masked by great volume pedal technique, yielding almost violin or cello type sound.

Greg is also a wiz at beautiful harmonics.

Tommy Alexander · Post by **Tommy Alexander** » 3 Dec 2012 3:37 am

Derek,
I thought that you were lost. Email me....
tlajr@sbcglobal.net

Dick Sexton · Post by **Dick Sexton** » 3 Dec 2012 5:50 am

Oops! Sorry about that, wrong Youtube!

At about 1:10 here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YefeUachncA

Jim Palenscar · Post by **Jim Palenscar** » 3 Dec 2012 8:29 am

Dick- what does that link have to do with anything related to steel guitar?

Mike Neer · Post by **Mike Neer** » 3 Dec 2012 8:45 am

Greg is a master and one of my influences.

Jim Palenscar · Post by **Jim Palenscar** » 3 Dec 2012 9:05 am

That was my exact thought however I feared that I would sully my squeaky clean reputation if I voiced it thataways

Jim Hollingsworth · Post by **Jim Hollingsworth** » 3 Dec 2012 9:29 am

Hi Jim,
I think Greg's presence might be part of the reason.
More very subtle playing - nice volume pedal work.

Jim

By the way.... how are things going on the "Black Beauty"? Will she be 8 x 4 or 8 x more?

Matthew Knapp · Post by **Matthew Knapp** » 3 Dec 2012 9:49 am

Greg's got a really special vibrato. That's what I hear most when he plays those nice ambient parts.

Donny Hinson · Post by **Donny Hinson** » 3 Dec 2012 3:48 pm

Derek Duplessie wrote:I'm especially interested in this first clip from the Gram Parsons tribute show a few years ago. How does Greg manage to create this sort of ethereal sound? It sounds almost as if he's playing a mellotron or some other kind of old analogue synthesizer. Just wondering how much of this sound has to do with Greg's technique, and how much has to do with analogue delay or whatever other effects he might be using here. What do you think

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=303qrq4V4eU

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AGZ_xgkeBfE

derek

In the first clip, it's all a technique of using the volume pedal. Back off the pedal, hit the note, and then ease down the pedal, using a lot of gain to keep things ringing. (There's very little EFX in this clip.) Greg also uses different harmonies than you're unaccustomed to hearing.

The second clip has a lot more delay, and wide use of harmonics combined with picked notes. (Pay special attention to where he's picking the strings!

) The same volume pedal technique as before is featured here, too, but the excess delay makes it a lot more evident, and he's also using harmonics and picked strings together.

These things may sound incredible to the novice, but all in all, they are deceptively easy to do. These examples are exactly what some steelers do when the producer doesn't want the typical "Nashville or pedal-pushin' stuff".

Greg's a great player, and he does the "light-airy-simple" style very well, and very often. It's also probably why he gets first call to do many of these sessions where country-fied steel is forbidden.

Alex Cattaneo · Post by **Alex Cattaneo** » 4 Dec 2012 9:57 pm

I was listening to the clips and I thought that part of it was the use of different harmonies. Donny, can you expand on that? What is it, sus4 chords, add9 chords? I'll bet it's something along those lines.

Kevin Hatton · Post by **Kevin Hatton** » 4 Dec 2012 10:33 pm

What Donny said. Delay with a lot of volume pedal expression.

Benjamin Franz · Post by **Benjamin Franz** » 4 Dec 2012 11:37 pm

I sometimes wonder if perhaps he has a delay BEFORE the volume pedal, rather than after, which would be more normal.

Benjamin Franz · Post by **Benjamin Franz** » 4 Dec 2012 11:54 pm

Btw, does anyone know what Greg's 12 string copedent is? I've looked and looked online but can't find any information. He is one of my, if not my favorite players.

John McClung · Post by **John McClung** » 5 Dec 2012 12:52 am

It's a pretty standard extended E9, Benjamin, I was able to briefly check it out at Palenscar's shop in Oceanside some time ago.

I don't know how much he uses it compared to his 10-stringers.

Mark Eaton · Post by **Mark Eaton** » 5 Dec 2012 2:16 am

Man, that first clip was sweet with just Greg, Dave, and Gillian. I'd never seen that before.

I've seen Gillian and Dave many times - I'd love to see a show with just the three of them and Greg could run through pedal and lap steel along with some dobro, and weissenborn for good measure.

And there was some phat tone goin' down in the Frisell link Dick provided.

Benjamin Franz · Post by **Benjamin Franz** » 5 Dec 2012 2:32 am

Thanks John. I wasn't sure if it was extended E9 or a universal tuning.

Much of the YouTube footage I've seen lately has Greg playing the 12 string.

Bill Bassett · Post by **Bill Bassett** » 5 Dec 2012 4:44 am

He has a very well refined blocking technique. Sounds like a piano with the pedal held down so that all the notes ring until you let the pedal up. Maybe it is the judicious use of the volume pedal and delay but I think it's blocking.

Derek Duplessie · Post by **Derek Duplessie** » 5 Dec 2012 10:24 pm

Sounds like what we've established is that Greg's technique as a whole--right hand, left hand, volume pedal, etc--combined with his ear for very simple, but imaginative harmonies is what makes him such a remarkable player. This sounds right; I'm only disappointed that there's no piece of gear that I can buy to make me sound like him.

I guess I'd have to disagree with Donnie that Greg's playing is or ought to be incredible only to "the novice" and that it's "deceptively easy" to play like he does. In the first place, if this were true, I'd suspect that more players would actually sound like Greg. In fact, almost no one does. Perhaps this is because many steel players look down on the "light-airy-simple" style. But then, isn't it to Greg's credit that he has enough good sense and artistic reserve to say so much with so little?

I guess at this point, I'm just so much more impressed with taste than with technical ability. Jeff Newman did me a great service the day he told me to "play something that sounds like something." Wish more steel players could take his advice. I certainly don't most of the time.

b0b · Post by **b0b** » 5 Dec 2012 11:11 pm

Benjamin Franz wrote:I sometimes wonder if perhaps he has a delay BEFORE the volume pedal, rather than after, which would be more normal.

That's what it sounds like to me, too. The heel of his volume pedal goes all the way off, and as he brings up the volume you have a very full analog delay (maybe a MXR Carbon Copy) blended with the dry steel. There's probably some amp reverb there too, to keep the sound ringing when he heels down.

Just a guess.

Donny Hinson · Post by **Donny Hinson** » 6 Dec 2012 8:43 am

Alex Cattaneo wrote:I was listening to the clips and I thought that part of it was the use of different harmonies. Donny, can you expand on that? What is it, sus4 chords, add9 chords? I'll bet it's something along those lines.

Yes, it's different sustained harmonies (intervals) we're not used to hearing - sus4, add2, add9, and 1-6. Expanding on what Derek said, playing like this is a mindset that many players do not have. (Most players want quick resolves, and fuller harmonies.) I'm not downplaying what he does, but it's more style and technique than it is EFX. The same would be true of Moon's playing. It's deceptively simple, most players want to add more and more, but the style is simplistic, and that takes control that many players find difficult. The secret to players like this isn't flashy or complex playing, but a simplistic mindset dedicated to enhancing the music. It's something like Jackie Gleason's (one and two fingered) piano work - lots of air and space, and nothing really full or busy. Older guys can remember that lots of Duane Eddy and Ventures stuff was like this, and...so was much of what Pete Drake did.

Alex Cattaneo · Post by **Alex Cattaneo** » 6 Dec 2012 11:43 am

Thanks Donny. Making the conversation about delay or other fx can be misleading, in my opinion. First of all, if you use the delay with the volume pedal open, you will hear the repeating notes, and you'll end up sounding like The Edge. To use the delay for sustain, the idea is to have it AFTER the volume pedal, but you still have to make sure you volume is pretty much off when you attack the strings. It will help a little because the delay will give you some sustain while you turn your volume off and move on to the next thing, so you can use it to glue the whole thing together... but if you have too much, you'll have a pretty big pool of mud real soon, as the next chord will mash with the previous one. When you have changing harmonies, you can't use that much delay, and it won't make a huge difference, because the steel already has a lot of sustain. I think the hands, the volume pedal and the note choices are the crucial thing here. More delay won't make you sound like Leisz, and take away his pedals and he still sounds like himself.

Todd Pertll · Post by **Todd Pertll** » 6 Dec 2012 5:37 pm

I am also a huge fan. I've transcribed, and re transcribed several of his solos. Hopefully some of you have been lucky enough to see Bill Frisell's Disfarmer project. Ive seen it once as a trio with Jenny Scheinman on violin. The next time the same trio with Victor Krauss added on bass. Anyway, I recorded the shows and transcribed Greg's steel parts best I could.

He tends to leave the 3rd out of chords. Opting for sus's or seconds. I don't want to say 9 because there are a lot of close second harmonies. Like playing C,D, and G together over a C chord.

And as mentioned above it sounds simple but so hard to pull off. In my biggest fan boy phase I would try some of his moves and think I was killing it on stage. Upon listening back it, sometimes sounded like I wasn't even playing with the band on stage. Like I was playing to a song in my head that was vaguely in the same key.

The Steel Guitar Forum

How does Greg Leisz do it?

How does Greg Leisz do it?

Derek

No picks... Part of it?

Re: How does Greg Leisz do it?

Sounds to me like...