Louise Trotter - Steel Guitar Rag

Dennis Smith · Post by **Dennis Smith** » 16 Aug 2013 7:12 pm

Dale R Stiles · Post by **Dale R Stiles** » 16 Aug 2013 7:34 pm

Okay, Dennis -- you just made my day.

Just came in tired from working the late shift and see something like that.
Much better now.
Thanks for sharing

Happy Trails
Dale

Fred Justice · Post by **Fred Justice** » 16 Aug 2013 9:50 pm

Roger Kelly · Post by **Roger Kelly** » 17 Aug 2013 12:00 am

TAKE IT AWAY....Louise!!

Great Job!

Peter den Hartogh · Post by **Peter den Hartogh** » 17 Aug 2013 2:01 am

Hey!She is cheating !

She's using pedals!

Mike D · Post by **Mike D** » 17 Aug 2013 5:30 am

Yeah, but no bar!

Jay Fagerlie · Post by **Jay Fagerlie** » 17 Aug 2013 5:55 am

She is so awesome!

Here is another gem:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-imUKL6ZqeA

Roger Kelly · Post by **Roger Kelly** » 17 Aug 2013 6:36 am

Do you suppose she played for Spade Cooley in her younger days? Spade used a Harp on Oklahoma Stomp that I remember. Don't remember Bob Wills ever using a Harp?
I like her Style.

Len Amaral · Post by **Len Amaral** » 17 Aug 2013 7:42 am

We complain about 10 or 12 strings keeping it in tune? I can't imagine tuning or carrying around a harp. She is great and you can tell she enjoys what she is doing.

Lenny

Len Amaral · Post by **Len Amaral** » 17 Aug 2013 7:42 am

We complain about 10 or 12 strings keeping it in tune? I can't imagine tuning or carrying around a harp. She is great and you can tell she enjoys what she is doing.

Lenny

Ron Whitfield · Post by **Ron Whitfield** » 17 Aug 2013 11:54 am

Odd, for me there's no sound and no level adjust to hear it, anyone else getting that?

With the name Trotter and willing to play a steel tune it lends the question if she was related to Ira Trotter?

Dennis Smith · Post by **Dennis Smith** » 17 Aug 2013 12:29 pm

Hi, glad all of you liked it. When I watched it for the first time, it just made me feel good.
Ron it's working not sure what your problem could be try going to youtube for it.

Hugh Roche · Post by **Hugh Roche** » 17 Aug 2013 12:30 pm

wow how wonderful...don't know if she was kin to ira

Doug Beaumier · Post by **Doug Beaumier** » 17 Aug 2013 3:33 pm

Fabulous! Her version of San Antonio Rose is awesome. She even wore a Western shirt for that one. Her harp is so Heavenly! [rainbow]...... HEAVENLY...............[/rainbow]

Dennis Smith · Post by **Dennis Smith** » 17 Aug 2013 4:08 pm

Doug, listen to this 9 year old girl.
http://youtu.be/8t-R52Chdk8

Post by **Brad Bechtel** » 17 Aug 2013 4:39 pm

Moved to Music from Steel Without Pedals.

Jay Fagerlie · Post by **Jay Fagerlie** » 17 Aug 2013 7:23 pm

I've traded a couple of emails with Mrs Trotter, and she has given me permission to forward them to the forum.

If you have any more specific questions, I think she will answer them.

Dear Jay,
Well, I looked at the forum but I don't see any place to answer direct questions. Can you just relay them to me in email? I answered one of them already in that I am no kin to
the other Trotter you mentioned. No, I never worked for Bob Wills. My background was classical traditional piano, then harp starting at 9, and studying in N.y> with a fine teacher. Marriage and 3 children later, I started playing nightly at a hotel restaurant, mostly pop standards that I played from a piano score, since there were not too many harp arrangements. Went to some jazz pop harp workshops in Santa Barbara,CA and learmed about fake books, chord substitutions,etc. and that opened up a whole new world for me! Met a jazz flutist, also a country fiddler and played now and then on one night gigs with them,and learned to improvise. Started going to national harp festivals and meeting other harpists, decided since I was from Texas I would concentrate on country western so it would be different from Celtic, Renaissance,etc. Notice on YouTube the difference in the big concert harp and the smaller lever harp (manual levers up on the neck of the harp to change the pitch half step, instead of pedals with feet that concert harp has). I perform at national harp festivals and always dress western, since being from Texas they sort of expect it, and nobody else seems to play country music in the harp world. I have 13 CD's--check out my website.www.louisetrotter.com. I love playing with a guitar and have made 3 CD's with different guitar players. Country western,Broadway and standard pop, hymns and Xmas.
I use a dolly for transporting in my van. Strings are tuned with wrench and stay in tune pretty well but need adjusting from time to time just like any stringed instrument. All C's are red and all F's are purple, and the rest are white. Tuned diatonically like the piano keys. All accidentals must be set before beginning piece, and changed as the piece progresses while playing. We play harmonics just like guitars. I have a son and daughter who both play guitar for fun! They didn't go for the harp---too much work they said.
That is a basic look at harps. There are 2 main factories in Chicago, one in Italy, and the rest are made by small company harpmakers all by hand. There are lots of webstties full of info and photos. Prices start at $ 1000 and go up to $40,000,depending on size and wood,etc.
Let me know if there are more questions!!

John De Maille · Post by **John De Maille** » 17 Aug 2013 8:36 pm

She plays it better than some of the guys I've heard on steel. What a lovely woman and quite a talent.

Ron Whitfield · Post by **Ron Whitfield** » 19 Aug 2013 12:59 pm

Got volume this time, she's pretty cool!

Jay Fagerlie wrote:I am no kin to the other Trotter you mentioned.

Thanx, Jay.

Dale Rottacker · Post by **Dale Rottacker** » 19 Aug 2013 1:19 pm

Good for her...she's awesome, and even played it with a little pedal action going on...I love her!!!...Thanks for putting that up Dennis!!!

Alvin Blaine · Post by **Alvin Blaine** » 19 Aug 2013 10:26 pm

Roger Kelly wrote:Do you suppose she played for Spade Cooley in her younger days? Spade used a Harp on Oklahoma Stomp that I remember. Don't remember Bob Wills ever using a Harp?
I like her Style.

Paul Featherstone played harp on about everything Spade Cooley recorded from around 1941 till 1946, when he and most all of the band including Tex Williams & Joaquin Murphy, left Spade Cooley and started Tex Williams and the Western Caravan band.

Dennis Smith · Post by **Dennis Smith** » 3 Sep 2013 12:24 pm

Glad everyone liked it.
Dennis