Doug: I've just got to applaud your every new contribution. Very nice job!
What is especially nice in regard to listenability is your self control and avoidance of attempting to stuff speed picking riffs into every
empty musical pause. A very professional approach to your playing. Thank you! You present 'steel guitar' in a wonderful light.....something that will certainly grab the attention of non-players.
As always, I've enjoyed this latest work product
immensely. More?
Thanks Guy and Ray. Yes, this one will be in the new book. The book/CD is almost done. It should be ready sometime in January.
...your self control and avoidance of attempting to stuff speed picking riffs into every empty musical pause.
Thanks, Ray. I think there's a time and a place for hot licks and improv... this arrangement and my other recent ones are melody only and are for a song book with tab, etc, so I prefer to play them fairly straight. Back in my younger daze I worked very hard on speedpicking and I still enjoy playing speed stuff and improv "sparingly" in a lot of songs. But I think it's also important to play the melody of the song.
Doug, that is very sweet. Great job. I find it especially charming as I have also been working on some non pedal C6 standards as of late. But you are really right on the money with this one. Great tone, taste, control, in tune, everything is super. Thanks for posting it and giving me the inspriration to keep after it.
Thanks Steve and Josh, I'm glad you like it! I've been hooked on this tune since I first heard Curly Chalker's version on his "More Ways to Play" album back in the 1970's. What a C6 player He was!
Hi Ed, yes, the book/CD of 25 C6 lap steel arangements will be ready about the middle of January. I'll post a notice here on the Forum and on my web site.
I enjoyed playing steel guitar in N. Grosvenordale a couple of years ago, and I hope to get back there someday. Merry Christmas to you and to all forum members!
100 years ago, (or so it seems), I invited NOEL BOGGS over to our home for dinner. Afterwards, music ! What a fine steel player Noel was, and such a great guy also. Anyway, no tape recorders in those dark neandrothal days. However, I'll always remember his beautiful rendition of TENDERLY...he brought out all those big beauitiful juicy chords and, like Doug, kept to the melody. Nice work Doug.
Doug, as usual your recordings always inspire me to take a break from my E9 pedal and get out the lap steel. Really lookin forward to your new book in Jan.
Andy, thanks, I'm glad that you're inspired to play your lap steel! I too play pedal steel, but enjoy playing non-pedal steel just as much. I like the challenge of non-pedal... finding the chords, melodies, harmonies, etc. without pedals.
George, thanks for your reply... very interesting about Noel Boggs. I had never heard his version of Tenderly until a few months ago, and it's very nice, indeed! I heard Curley Chalker's C6 PSG version about 30 years ago, and I got the sheet music and learned it that way. The song was written in 1946, and the chord changes and melody really lend themselves well to steel guitar!