*UPDATE* A Conversation With Lloyd Green PART 2 now up!

[Greg Milton]

This is the best of the best interview of Lloyd Green that can ever be.
Paul Franklin asked and provoked the best from Lloyd. Paul knows the history and facts of how pedal steel came into prominence in Nashville and who the session players were on hit recordings and what led to the success of such.

And you get quite a few mentions too, Tommy! Lloyd obviously holds you in very high regard - and deservedly so

[Franklin]

Tommy,

Thank you! I can't wait to read everyones responses when you pull back the curtain!

Thanks to all for the heartwarming comments...I owe a debt of gratitude to Modern Music Masters for bringing this historical series and the PFM to the world.

Hi Joe,

Another great legend was Jimmy Day who also did not lower the top E as well. His playing sounds like he lowers the E's.....Interestingly they both play totally different using the same concept for accomplishing the lowering the E's sound....

The monumental point Lloyd solidifies for us to ponder...He along with all the other greats from his generation learned as many position concepts for finding intervals as possible. With that knowledge memorized they are free to utilize the complete depth of the fretboard or a portion of it to create their various melodic choices and the pedal era was born. One thing for certain...the knowledge of how a raised string means all other surrounding strings sound like they are lowered as the pedal is activated in sync with the bar sliding down maintaining the raised strings same note value. That viewpoint for how the instrument can be played is an advantage....It opens up the complete fretboard to so many more melodic ideas.

My belief is this....Future steelers on their journey should see and learn about all concepts so they can choose which to adapt to their musicianship for individualism...I only wish I had done this decades ago so we could watch Emmons, Sneaky Pete, Weldon, Hal, Drake, Hughey and Day pull back the curtain...Wouldn't it be wonderful to see Byrd demonstrate why pedals should never negate mastering the bar.

[Tim Herman]

I am a little apprehensive to chime in. I am just a enthusiastic student of the instrument. I stumbled across something that resembles the concept you are talking about using your pedal invention. As soon as I can free up the funds, I will be getting a subscription to your lessons. Thank you for all that you have given the steel community. I don't want to take up too much of your time. The move happens at the 23 second mark.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vaK9FnEw2kk

[Franklin]

Tim,

I am honored you chimed in...(BTW that is a cool lick you found at :23) Loved it!

Let me try to explain the bar/pedal concept a little better.

1) What we are doing in our playing is exploring the string combinations by moving the bar forward when the pedal lowers strings.

2) And moving the bar backwards when the pedal raises strings. This allows strings without pedals attached to them to sound like they are lowered or raised.

(Hit strings 2 & 6 and slide back 1 fret as you also activate the 6th string raise. When you get the timing coordinated right between the bar moving and pressing the pedal in sync it sounds exactly as if you lowered your E's)...Very few steelers utilize the concept....

Finally, we have Lloyd's interview that clearly shows the gold found within that process. Although I teach the concept inside the PFM, I felt the whole world should see the 2nd string mastery direct from Lloyd, one of the instruments first creators. I am so honored he agreed to these interviews.

I certainly hope if you or anyone else wants to get deeper inside concepts like these I welcome all to study with me....There is a library full of easy obtainable and very useful methods for advancing musicianship. I'm sharing the same ideas that have kept me in a career and hopefully some of those ideas will unlock closed doors for many on their musical journey.

I filmed 3 more hours of Lloyd yesterday that he and I felt surpassed these first two interviews....Thanks for watching!

Paul

[Tim Herman]

Ahhhh! I see. Off to the woodshed!

Thanks a million! Join the PFM ASAP.

Tim

[Al Evans]

I filmed 3 more hours of Lloyd yesterday that he and I felt surpassed these first two interviews....Thanks for watching!

Paul

I;m going to have to start keeping a list of things I'm learning from these interviews. I feel like a kid who's stumbled into a completely amazing candy store. I just wish I could absorb it all faster!

Thank you!

--Al Evans

[Jonathan Shacklock]

Paul and Lloyd, thank you for taking the time to do this and for making it freely available, this is really wonderful

[John Spaulding]

Part 2 is up!

A Conversation With Lloyd Green Part 2

[Jim Palenscar]

What a wonderful interview!! Thanks so much for making this available.

[Brett Lanier]

Thanks to Paul and the crew for putting this out

I dropped the 4th string lower 4 or 5 years ago, so to hear Lloyd talk about why he does that and the other discoveries it led to was really interesting for me to hear. I would never try to talk someone into doing that but I feel like it's helped me become a better player in the long run. What he said about putting more space between two notes (strings 2&5 vs 4&5) is the same thing that led to me dropping the change.

Also made me think of Buddy's break on You Took Her Off My Hands where he played the diatonic melody line without moving the bar by putting the high F# & D# strings at the bottom of the tuning. We're so used to hearing that diatonic run now, but that day he had a 5,6,7 string separation between some of those notes.

[George Duncan Sypert]

Paul and LLoyd. Thanks so much for putting up these wonderful interviews for all of us to see and hear. I wanted to talk with Lloyd a lot more in Dallas this year but so did everyone else. He was completely worn out but stayed the duration.

A quick note about LLoyd the person. A few months ago I was to sub for a band in Denver on some songs that LLoyd had recorded this the group. I was trying to get as close as I could to what he played. Long story short. I managed to get to talk to him on the phone and after me sending him an MP3 of the recording, he sent me an email the next morning explaining how and what he had played. I would have never got it and not sure that I did even with his help.

I just thought that he was very generous in trying to help me.

It was good to see him explain how he did "I Can See Clearly".

Thanks for all your efforts.

George

[Ricky Davis]

Thank you Paul and Thank you Lloyd, for doing this. It is very inspiring for all to hear and see and listen to you two have this and more ongoing conversations. These conversations shed light on so many important and historical and logical and real insights, of this instrument we love. You two help keep the world, that watches; so connected to the reality of what was; is; and can be of the most expressive instrument we all Love; through a conversation between two musicians we also Love and Respect. Lloyd; you have shared so much to me through the years and have inspired me in so many ways; and it warms my heart that you continue to share all to all. > Bless your heart.
Thank you.
Ricky Davis

[Brint Hannay]

Maybe it's just me, but it was an eye-opener to learn that Lloyd took the 4th string E lower off. I had always been under the impression that he just never had it from the beginning (because of mechanical limitations of early pedal guitars), learned to play without it, and never saw a need to put it on. Choosing to take it off is a whole different thing.

[Ricky Davis]

And just now finished watching Part Two. Of course I got teary-eyed at the end with the mutual respect and handshake and hug from a very insightful conversation; with the amount of historical spectrum of what and who helped make this instrument Alive and Well.
That's you Lloyd and thank you for sharing the insightful spectrum you went through and continue to explore; as it is so inspirational to all of us.
And you too; Paul, showing your respect and awe of certainly a mentor of yours in so many ways; you are the highest class of individuals I've heard> Thank you.
Ricky

[Jay Jessup]

Even after Lloyd explained why he doesn't need the E's down KL change and then played a beautiful lick to demonstrate how he more than compensates, I still don't get it!

I'm sure he's the only great player who doesn't do that, and maybe the ONLY E9 player in the world to not lower their E's.

Joe

Which part and about what time stamp did he talk about getting rid of the E lower? I've watched them both but I missed that part somehow. Like another poster I'd assumed it was a struggle getting the E to return to pitch after it is lowered with older guitars so he simply did without it.

[Brint Hannay]

Maybe other places, but try Part 1 starting at 58:40.