Are there any single note JAZZ/Bebop players out here?

[Mike Neer]

My days of playing ‘jazz’ are over. I gave it my best shot.

[Fred Treece]

My days of playing ‘jazz’ are over. I gave it my best shot.

I think mine are too, for a similar reason. I have always tried to apply the concepts I have learned in studying and attempting to play jazz to the music that I actually wind up playing most of the time - Pop, Country, Blues, Folk. I have never felt a burning desire to pursue it head on.

Having said all that for no good reason in particular, I must say this is a bit of a shock, Mike.

[Rich Arnold]

Hey Fred,

I really feel like since I'm getting up there in years, my days of trying to build an audience are pretty much in the rear view mirror. That can take years, and for improvisational music on a niche instrument decades.
I'm in a unique position of just being able to do what ever I want. Not so concerned about putting a band together. Guys who are good ask for money. (the bastards ). But really, who can blame them?
Clubs have bills to pay and very few are owned and operated by patrons of the arts and this makes finding venues to host a steel guitar player few.
On one hand, I'm running out of time, and on the other I couldn't give a damn less.

[Fred Treece]

Right on, Rich. Pretty much my story too, though I am clinging to a local group that may do a dozen gigs a year. Keeps me outta trouble I guess.

Some great music is being created in bedroom studios around the world now and I don’t see any reason to be left out of that niche. I happen to *love* putting my BIAB band together every day and teaching it a song that I can play along with in 5 minutes. Best backup band I’ve ever had! Not being a slave to patronage is a game changer, too. Who knows, maybe this is the direction it’s meant to go.

[Jesse Pearson]

To play Bebop authentically, you have to play a lot of chromatic notes and also encircle target tones with diatonic and chromatic note combinations in a very precise manner. This is the brick wall I would run into because it was next to impossible for me to do this as good as I could on guitar or sax. It always sounded somewhat syrupy here and there no matter how much I practiced it on lap steel. I then came to the realization that what I loved about steel guitar was Hawaiian and early country non pedal steel guitar. And these were steel styles and techniques that I couldn't do justice to on guitar or sax. The non pedal steel guitar does some very unique things that you can't do on most other instruments. That's why I was drawn to it in the first place. The physical nature of the instrument doesn't lend itself to bebop in a clean precise and practical manner because of all the chromatics etc needed to play Bebop correctly in the first place. Early Jazz seems possible, where your embellishing around the melody for solo ideas. At any rate, at the end of the day if your trying to play Bebop on a non pedal steel, it will defiantly teach you the neck layout of your steel much better.

[Bill McCloskey]

Jazz is an ackward almost meaningless term. Duke Ellington had it right: there are two types of music, good music and bad music.

We can make wonderful music on the steel guitar
We can make wonderful improvised music on the steel guitar
We can make wonderful ii V I licks on steel guitar.

If it bothers you to call it jazz, call it steel guitar music.

Or, as Duke would say just call it good music.

(unless I'm playing, then it's that other kind)

[Rich Arnold]

To play Bebop authentically, you have to play a lot of chromatic notes and also encircle target tones with diatonic and chromatic note combinations in a very precise manner. This is the brick wall I would run into because it was next to impossible for me to do this as good as I could on guitar or sax. It always sounded somewhat syrupy here and there no matter how much I practiced it on lap steel. I then came to the realization that what I loved about steel guitar was Hawaiian and early country non pedal steel guitar. And these were steel styles and techniques that I couldn't do justice to on guitar or sax. The non pedal steel guitar does some very unique things that you can't do on most other instruments. That's why I was drawn to it in the first place. The physical nature of the instrument doesn't lend itself to bebop in a clean precise and practical manner because of all the chromatics etc needed to play Bebop correctly in the first place. Early Jazz seems possible, where your embellishing around the melody for solo ideas. At any rate, at the end of the day if your trying to play Bebop on a non pedal steel, it will defiantly teach you the neck layout of your steel much better.

Check this out:
https://youtu.be/HSnViNdqus0?si=gKoR3gX2-Ce5ZLRS

I could have played "Back Home in Indiana"

The real reason I play Bebop tunes is not to try to sound like an authentic Beboper, but these chord changes give me a great opportunity to improvise.
I don't know what shelf people will put this on and I don't really care.
My main goal is to play whatever sounds good and to be music spigot.

[Fred Treece]

Check this out:
https://youtu.be/HSnViNdqus0?si=gKoR3gX2-Ce5ZLRS

If that doesn’t put a smile on your face, there is something wrong with your face.

The real reason I play Bebop tunes is not to try to sound like an authentic Beboper, but these chord changes give me a great opportunity to improvise.
I don't know what shelf people will put this on and I don't really care.
My main goal is to play whatever sounds good and to be music spigot

Turn on the tap and let it run, Rich!

[David M Brown]

If that doesn’t put a smile on your face, there is something wrong with your face.

Thanks.

As a native New Orleans jazz musician, I've said for years that I only like to play jazz (any style) with people that smile.

[Jesse Pearson]

Rick, that's great playing. Sounds like Pro Western Swing steel playing to me. Good job...

[Mike Harris]

I get together with friends once or twice a week to play jazz tunes, mostly out of the Real Book (5th or 6th edition). It's fun, but I haven't yet achieved the results of Mike Neer or Rich Arnold. I'm not dead yet.

FWIW I use A13 mostly and do some of my chording on a modified B11 tuning