"Black Magic Woman"

Gord Cole · Post by **Gord Cole** » 30 Jun 2009 2:18 am

Is there a good pedal steel recording of this song that I can get hold of ?!?!!

At the end of our band practice and a discussion about working on some new material, our bass player and drummer left with a chuckle and comment of...yeah Black Magic Woman on steel, ha ha ha. Needless to say they haven't "been around" too much

Even they think the steel only plays country. I bit my tongue but feel I'm gonna have to educate them a little..

Cheers Gord

Jerry Overstreet · Post by **Jerry Overstreet** » 30 Jun 2009 3:23 am

I insist on doing pedal steel solos on all the Santana songs our bands do. Evil Ways, Smooth, Black Magic, etc. I pretty much just work out improvised parts on my own and try to think about what the guitar, horn or organ would be doing.

The melody is pretty simple if you're contemplating an instrumental version.

Don't know about any SG recordings, but there's probably some out there. Go for it. They'll love it.

Michael Johnstone · Post by **Michael Johnstone** » 30 Jun 2009 5:30 am

I like the original Peter Green version,not the Santana cover where he bends all his notes slightly sharp. I think that tune would lay nice on steel if the rhythm section was in the pocket.

David Mason · Post by **David Mason** » 30 Jun 2009 6:03 am

I'm gonna have to try this. I play "Black Magic Woman" on six-string, and a lot of Allman Brothers on steel - I figure my "Statesboro Blues" tone ought to stand in for Santana, as Duane and early Santana were my go-to guys for the humbucking/tube-howl tone. It's an easy song note-wise, it's all tone though.... got amp?

I hate those "Picking-on-Clapton" type CD's and steel guitar "rock" instrumentals where the steel guitar doesn't ROAR. Dave Ristrim got it right on "Cause We've Ended As Lovers"; you couldn't weenie-tone Santana without repercussions. The "lounge" version....

Jerry Overstreet · Post by **Jerry Overstreet** » 30 Jun 2009 10:58 am

That's true. You need a different mind set for doing these tunes. More aggressive and edgy IMO. But that's the beauty of the pedal steel. Any style of music works well. You just have to think "music" rather than strictly "steel". This is where your stable of gadgets or fx patches come in handy. Horn and organ fx patches in particular and a more aggressive tone.

Santana's BMW is done out of Dm, I believe. So, I start in the relative major with pedals down and play licks in and out of that to begin with. You just have to be thinking about what the song demands. It's a good one for improv. Not really familiar with the Green version. Musta missed class that day.

I'm really fortunate to work with guys who have played these songs for years and that makes doing these tunes easy for me.

Post by **Dave Mudgett** » 30 Jun 2009 11:42 am

+1 for Peter Green's version with the real Fleetwood Mac. This is a live version from, I believe, a Boston Tea Party show in 1969 which I was at - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nvgO9jWaSFM - they were practically in-residence there for a while. I like Santana's version, which is nicely lyrical but doesn't quite go for the jugular like Peter did. There is a studio version also.

I've played it on steel - nobody was rolling tape, though. I don't know of any recorded steel versions. I think it lays pretty well on E9. I don't think it requires a real saturated tone to sound good - that is strictly a matter of taste.

I always wanted to hear Otis Rush play this - on an old Strat like he used for things like "Double Trouble". Not thick and distorted, but intense nonetheless.

Jim Peters · Post by **Jim Peters** » 30 Jun 2009 1:47 pm

Typical Dorian Santana stuff. In key of Dm(F): Play all the notes in a C major scale, and you're there! Of course, how you arrange them determines the magic.

jp

Gary Meyer · Post by **Gary Meyer** » 30 Jun 2009 3:18 pm

It works well on the Cneck,eapecially the intro.

Gord Cole · Post by **Gord Cole** » 1 Jul 2009 12:32 pm

Thanks for the info gents.
Originally I just meant to play them someone else's psg version as a "revelation" of what can be done on the steel. But now you have me inspired enough to work on my own humble effort and to lay it on 'em out of the blue one of these days.

Cheers. --Gord

Charles Davidson · Post by **Charles Davidson** » 1 Jul 2009 5:41 pm

It always PO'S me when I tell someone I play the steel guitar,A lot of the time I will hear [OH YOU PLAY COUNTRY MUSIC] Country is maybe 25 percent of what I play But right now with the band I play in it's about 75 percent Rock,blues, and Southern Rock,I enjoy that to.Every thing from Hank Sr,Jim Reeves,Buck,Waylon,also ZZ Top,Allman Brothers,Santana,CCR,Bob Segar,etc,DYK?BC.

Phil Halton · Post by **Phil Halton** » 1 Jul 2009 7:42 pm

Hey, what's that chord that starts off the song and most verses in the Fleetwood Mac youtube video that Dave posted above? Wild!

Post by **Dave Mudgett** » 1 Jul 2009 10:04 pm

Sounds like a D minor at the 17th fret with the open D on string 4 (edit - not 5) ringing a bit, played hard and LOUD with heavy vibrato, using feedback to accentuate the harmonics (and let me say that if this is, in fact, from one of the shows I was at, it was LOUD.) Anyway, that's the way I usually approach that one on guitar.

I sometimes play a D11-#9 at the 17th fret (root on 5th string).

I find it quite a bit easier to get this type of expressiveness on steel than guitar.

Jerry Overstreet · Post by **Jerry Overstreet** » 2 Jul 2009 7:40 am

Fleetwood Mac... of course. '68, '69? I was running wild during that time. I'm sure I must've heard it when it came out. Actually, I can't remember too much about early F.Mc though and can't really recall anything from the earlier discs with Green.

Nevertheless, I find the 2 versions very similar as far as melody and style, so either one would be fine to cover instrumentally FAIAC. Need the right rhythm section though.

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"Black Magic Woman"

"Black Magic Woman"

it falls nicely on the C necl