pedal speed on Pride of Cucamonga

Nate LaPointe · Post by **Nate LaPointe** » 28 Jan 2004 1:18 pm

I am transcribing the steel intro/interlude on the Grateful Dead's "Pride of Cucamonga." Peter Grant plays a great lick right at the top of the intro:

bar on 7th fret, B pedal held down(6th string),
triplet trill on A pedal(raise, lower, raise) 5th string.

I am having troubles moving my foot fast enough to make the trill a 1/16th note triplet, any suggestions?

Bob Carlucci · Post by **Bob Carlucci** » 28 Jan 2004 2:19 pm

Who's Peter Grant??... that's Jerry Garcia playing on Mars Hotel.... isn't it ???

Larry Bell · Post by **Larry Bell** » 28 Jan 2004 2:54 pm

I'm pretty sure John McFee played on that cut
see this link but Pete is a great player who was known to hang around with Jerry and the boys. Pete shows up around here from time to time. Search the archives for 'Pete Grant' or go to his website for his EMail address. I'd suspect he can help you with his question.

Nate LaPointe · Post by **Nate LaPointe** » 28 Jan 2004 10:31 pm

You're right Larry, it is John McFee, my bad.
Any thoughts on increasing my pedal speed or playing it in a different place? I am convinced it's on the 5th and 6th strings on the 7th fret. Help!

Glenn Suchan · Post by **Glenn Suchan** » 29 Jan 2004 5:45 am

Larry,

Thanks for the GD disc link. On a related note: The musician credits for "Wake of the Flood" missed the fact tthat Garcia tracked some pedal steel on the song "Stella Blue". Check it out, it's reminescent of his work on "Have You Seen The Stars Tonight?" from the first Jefferson Starship album and "Laughing" from David Crosby's first solo album "If I Could Only Remember My Name". Both are quintescential '70's San Francisco psychedelia.

Keep on pickin'!
Glenn
www.kevinfowler.com

Fred Einspruch · Post by **Fred Einspruch** » 29 Jan 2004 12:19 pm

Sorry for my opinion here, but what is the facination with the Pride of Cucamonga?
This cut was obviously filler on yet another Grateful Dead Studio Album, that was an OK record, but just another GD studio record.
It was only in the live show did any of the songs on the mars hotel "stand up and walk on their own" (Jerry). The pride of Cucamonga, to the best of my knowledge, was never played live in concert, and if it was, it was only a very few times. I never heard it performed live in well over 100 shows from 1973 thru 1995.
The pride of Cucamonga is just a GD oddity, rarely if ever played in concert and in no way representative of the Grateful Dead. I will have to dig out the Mars hotel and listen to the PSG, but I can't imagine that there could be anything earthshattereing in there.

However I bought Tommy White and Lloyd
Green E9 video, and that my friend is worth your while to check out.

There is so much better material to spend your time on out there. And don't get me wrong, I am a major deadhead, I love the dead, and I think that Jerry was a great musician. Just give it up the pride of Cucamong, its not worth it,Fred

Greg Vincent · Post by **Greg Vincent** » 29 Jan 2004 12:32 pm

Hey Fred, bust out your Mars Hotel album again and give "Pride" another spin.

You're right, the steel playing isn't ground-breaking, but it's very cool honky-tonk pickin' that conveys a real sense of joy that I think will grow on you.

It knocks ME out, anyway.

-GV

Nate LaPointe · Post by **Nate LaPointe** » 29 Jan 2004 1:16 pm

My question was not intended to be "is Cucamonga not good as the other Dead tunes just because it was never performed live?" I personally like the tune, and especially the steel playing. As beginner on the instrument, I am playing anything I can get my hands on, this is just another intro/set of licks I'd like to learn. I agree, I'd way rather hear Scarlet Begonias(into Fire On the Mountain)live so the boys can stretch out musically.
What I really want to know is, is there a better way to play this passage? Is there a technique I can use that I don't know about?

Glenn Suchan · Post by **Glenn Suchan** » 29 Jan 2004 2:28 pm

Nate,

The passage is very West Coast/Bakersfield in sound. Listen to all the Tom Brumley and Ralph Mooney recordings from the 60's and 70's that you can find. These will be a treasure trove of ideas.

Keep on pickin'!
Glenn
www.kevinfowler.com

Greg Vincent · Post by **Greg Vincent** » 29 Jan 2004 3:01 pm

Nate,

Depending on the type of guitar you have, you could change the leverage points on that A pedal at the bell-crank (where the pull rod meets the cross-shaft) and / or on the changer finger to give you shorter (but stiffer) or longer (but lighter) travel. Maybe a shorter travel would help you accomplish this lick --or maybe a longer travel with lighter action might do it.

Anyway, it's something to consider.

-GV

P.S. Where in L.A. are you located?

Bob Carlucci · Post by **Bob Carlucci** » 29 Jan 2004 4:18 pm

My whole style is based on a playing style similar to what you hear on Pride of Cucamonga.. It sure has served me VERY well for many years. I would agree old "hippie" pedal steel is not ALL you should listen to,but it has stood the test of time. It sure sounds good to me. bob

Nate LaPointe · Post by **Nate LaPointe** » 29 Jan 2004 8:52 pm

Thansk for the advice Greg.
I am in Los Feliz, you?

Bobby Lee · Post by **Bobby Lee** » 29 Jan 2004 9:24 pm

I think that some people just have faster feet than others. Dave Zirbel makes my guitar bounce a lot better than I can. It's a pretty neat sound. Wish I could do it better, but I don't want to spend a lot of time time working on it.