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Topic: Curly Chalker's right hand |
Andy Volk
From:
Boston, MA
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Posted 19 Nov 2015 11:41 am |
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Here are two brief excerpts from Curly Chalker's playing ... funk (from Ode to Billie Joe) and swing (from Where or When).
https://soundcloud.com/aev/curly-chalker-right-hand-example
Can anyone explain how Chalker played these incredibly syncopated, complex right hand riffs? Did he use more than three picks? Did he use bouncing palm blocking to pull these off? It's tricky to hear where he was or wasn't using pedals. Did the pedals help him get that funky syncopation or it it all right hand technique? Thanks!
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Steel Guitar Books! Website: www.volkmediabooks.com |
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chris ivey
From:
california (deceased)
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Dick Wood
From:
Springtown Texas, USA
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Posted 19 Nov 2015 2:08 pm
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It seems to me that many of the greats get that great Stuccato (sp)effect by using little to no delay and almost no reverb along with just plain ole good pick and palm blocking.
When you use reverb and especially delay, it tends to soften your attack and they just keep it low or even off.
That's my take on it.
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Cops aren't paid much so I steel at night. |
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Andy Volk
From:
Boston, MA
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Posted 19 Nov 2015 2:40 pm
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Thanks, Chris. That was just what I needed. I can now play exactly like Curly. 
_________________
Steel Guitar Books! Website: www.volkmediabooks.com
Last edited by Andy Volk on 20 Nov 2015 4:04 am; edited 1 time in total |
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chris ivey
From:
california (deceased)
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Posted 19 Nov 2015 2:47 pm
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| also i've noticed watching curly and jay dee, their right hand is a fairly tight claw and it's hard to see individual finger plucking. you can see curly's thumb working hard. but jay dee and curly both have that tight hopping grip...not alot of movement. |
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Doug Beaumier
From:
Northampton, MA
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Chris Templeton
From:
The Green Mountain State
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Greg Cutshaw
From:
Corry, PA, USA
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Posted 19 Nov 2015 6:02 pm
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| Definitely crisp palm blocking and a volume technique on all notes that approaches gutting but is not as pronounced as gutting. Cutting off the leading edge of the note giving it a quick swell and softening the attack and tone a bit. I've seen Jim Murphy do this effortlessly from reflex and it's one way that these players 'volume pedal technique alters their tone producing a signature style. It's hard to do this smoothly and fast on a long sequence of notes. Listen close for example on Hank Thompson's Cab Driver. You'll hear notes that are gutted and some that are just shaped by the volume pedal but not gutted enough to produce a pronounced gutting. |
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Donny Hinson
From:
Glen Burnie, Md. U.S.A.
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Posted 19 Nov 2015 8:09 pm Re: Curly Chalker's right hand and under-appreciated talent
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How did he do it? Geeze, he was a hell of a player, one of the best!
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Did he use more than three picks? Did he use bouncing palm blocking to pull these off? It's tricky to hear where he was or wasn't using pedals. |
I never saw Curly use more than 2 finger picks, but his chordal playing surpasses everyone I've ever seen, even the guys that use 3 or 4 finger picks. Bouncing? (hand?) No, that's just proper (and excellent) right-hand blocking, and superb skills.
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| Did the pedals help him get that funky syncopation or it it all right hand technique? |
All in the hands, my friend, all in the hands.  |
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Andy Volk
From:
Boston, MA
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Greg Derksen
From:
Alberta, Canada
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Posted 20 Nov 2015 5:34 am
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Palm blocking and pick blocking,
Look at it ay about 42 seconds, pick blocking there,
Either way , what a right hand, |
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Andy Volk
From:
Boston, MA
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Posted 20 Nov 2015 7:01 am
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Yes, he's clearly palm and pick blocking but a lot of players have excellent blocking it's that rhymed riffing he did that truly amazes me plus the chord melody solos taken at brisk tempos. Emmons rightly gets a lotta love and it's Chalker who makes my jaw drop.
_________________
Steel Guitar Books! Website: www.volkmediabooks.com
Last edited by Andy Volk on 20 Nov 2015 1:03 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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chris ivey
From:
california (deceased)
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Posted 20 Nov 2015 12:10 pm
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| Greg Derksen wrote: |
Palm blocking and pick blocking,
Look at it at about 42 seconds, pick blocking there,
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who cares? it's clearly curly's brain and attitude that make it possible. as i understand he would
tell you he was superior....and he was! you can't do this kind of stuff if you're not. |
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Doug Beaumier
From:
Northampton, MA
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David Wright
From:
Pilot Point ,Tx USA.
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Posted 21 Nov 2015 5:14 am
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Curly was a favorite of mine, his work on the volume pedal is also a part of his sound & technique ...but at the end of the day it was his right hand and how he Felt...the music...and that's what made his own sound and style...from my perspective..
Last edited by David Wright on 21 Nov 2015 9:40 am; edited 1 time in total |
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Barry Blackwood
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Posted 21 Nov 2015 9:37 am
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That right hand looks like a CNC machine in action.  |
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chris ivey
From:
california (deceased)
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Posted 21 Nov 2015 10:26 am
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| 'cuttin the steel' |
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Greg Derksen
From:
Alberta, Canada
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Posted 21 Nov 2015 10:53 am
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| chris ivey wrote: |
| Greg Derksen wrote: |
Palm blocking and pick blocking,
Look at it at about 42 seconds, pick blocking there,
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who cares? it's clearly curly's brain and attitude that make it possible. as i understand he would
tell you he was superior....and he was! you can't do this kind of stuff if you're not. |
Chris , thats why I said " either way" just pointing out it was not all palm blocking,
I wouldn't care if he blocked with his big toe,
Its the music he made that mattered, |
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Bill Cunningham
From:
Atlanta, Ga. USA
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Posted 21 Nov 2015 6:21 pm
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And notice when he is playing the single string licks he uses his fore finger rather than the more typically recommended middle finger.
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Bill Cunningham
Atlanta, GA |
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Quentin Hickey
From:
Nova Scotia, Canada
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Posted 22 Nov 2015 12:52 pm
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| Curly has an anything goes approach as far as I can tell. I don't think he got too hung up on his hand as long as it worked.` I've seen him pick block using his index and thumb different times. Some people have alot of fast twitch muscles in there arms which helps the fast picking. Also he doesn't waste any unnecessary hand movements when doing the fast stuff. |
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Donny Hinson
From:
Glen Burnie, Md. U.S.A.
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Posted 22 Nov 2015 4:57 pm
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I don't think that Curly was ever really embraced by many due to his unique style and tone. Back in the '70s, I saw more than a few players walk out when he took the stage at the I.S.G.C.. Back then (when he was super hot, chops-wise) the common Nashville tones were much more cutting and trebly, and the emphasis was usually on single-string or 2-note stuff. Curly, with his thick sound and full organ-like chords and delivery, was rather unique and non-commercial...and he paid the price for it.
Nowadays, the tones used by most all steelers are far more mellow, and I think that a player like Curly would be in bigger demand. But sadly, there are no players like Curly today, and almost none seek to emulate his sound and style, and that's a real pity. The closed-mind, "only one good tone" attitude that many have, and have had in the past, certainly doesn't foster the expansion of the instrument.
All IMHO, of course. |
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chris ivey
From:
california (deceased)
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Posted 22 Nov 2015 7:31 pm
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| i found his playing very intimidating, but you had to appreciate his talent. |
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Andy Volk
From:
Boston, MA
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Posted 23 Nov 2015 4:09 am
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For me, Curly's uniqueness and talent are very obviousness. His approach to the instrument was masterful but he had few followers. I've read several places, including a Guitar Player Magazine interview from the 70s with the man himself, that he had a very plain spoken abrasive personality that put people off. The same thing limited Jimmy Bryant's later career, I understand.
Interesting observation, Donny. On the steel guitar convention audio clips posted earlier, there's one cut where Curly asks everyone to bring their volume way down. His muted, mellow tone did seem out of step with tastes at the time.
It seemed like he could play crying E9th country with the best of them but it was really on the C6th neck where his originality shined. Thanks for all the interesting discussion.
_________________
Steel Guitar Books! Website: www.volkmediabooks.com |
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Joachim Kettner
From:
Germany
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Posted 23 Nov 2015 6:16 am
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| Quote: |
| I've read several places, including a Guitar Player Magazine interview from the 70s with the man himself, that he had a very plain spoken abrasive personality that put people off. |
Here's a little trivia from Lefty Frizzell's biography:
He said to producer Don Law during the recording of "Always Late":
'Hey Don, Lefty thinks that meter is something you put a nickel in'.
_________________
Fender Kingman, Sierra Crown D-10, Evans Amplifier, Soup Cube. |
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Quentin Hickey
From:
Nova Scotia, Canada
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Posted 24 Nov 2015 3:17 am
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| Andy I will add that I hear Curly doing alot of fast thumb work here as well. The first examples you posted clearly sounds like he is thumb picking 16th notes while hitting the the chords on 8th notes in places. |
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