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Author Topic:  Going from Bm to A in the key of D
Blake Cannon


From:
Golden, CO
Post  Posted 14 Apr 2021 6:45 am    
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I'm trying to learn Mama Tried (Haggard) for a rehearsal Friday night.

I wrote an acceptable verse part but I'm stuck on the chorus.

I need to go from B minor to A in the key of D. The only way I can figure out how to do it is stay on the 10th fret and move from A pedal (Bm) to B+LKR (A). I'm a beginner so this is pretty difficult.

Is there a more efficient method, or is this just the way it is?


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Frank Freniere


From:
The First Coast
Post  Posted 14 Apr 2021 6:55 am    
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How about just sliding back to fret 8, keeping your foot on A and engaging LKL, by which I mean the half-tone raise on the Es. Not really hearing a hard 7th sound on this song but YMMV.

Last edited by Frank Freniere on 14 Apr 2021 6:57 am; edited 1 time in total
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Ian Rae


From:
Redditch, England
Post  Posted 14 Apr 2021 6:56 am    
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Go up to 12 and add B? It's always nice to move on a change instead of staying still.
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Blake Cannon


From:
Golden, CO
Post  Posted 14 Apr 2021 6:57 am    
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Thanks I'll give both of those a shot on my lunch break.

Wasn't a fan of the way the Bm sounded in that position anyway.
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James Woodall


From:
Queens, New York
Post  Posted 14 Apr 2021 6:58 am    
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Some other options are the following:
You can depress the B pedal (so that you are depressing both A+B) and move up to fret 12.
Alternatively, you can also go A + LKL and move down to fret 8.
Or move everything down to the 5th fret without depressing any pedals.
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Erv Niehaus


From:
Litchfield, MN, USA
Post  Posted 14 Apr 2021 7:01 am    
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I wrote the tab for "Mama Tried" and there is no Bm written in my tab.
I just go from the D chord to a G and then back to D.
And the A is an A7th chord. I play that with just the F knee lever.
Erv


Last edited by Erv Niehaus on 14 Apr 2021 7:09 am; edited 2 times in total
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Ryan Knudson


From:
Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA
Post  Posted 14 Apr 2021 7:02 am    
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The most efficient method may be at fret 5 with B and C pedals engaged (Bm), releasing to fret 5 no pedals (A).

The most musical method is something like Frank or Ian describe - especially grabbing the A at fret 12 with pedals A and B. You could play a nice simple fill there before going back to fret 10 for the D.
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Craig A Davidson


From:
Wisconsin Rapids, Wisconsin USA
Post  Posted 14 Apr 2021 7:43 am    
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Or try pedals A&B down on the fifth fret for D
Slide back to fret 3 release A&B and lower string 4-Bm
Go back to fret 5 no pedals and no knees = A
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b0b


From:
Cloverdale, CA, USA
Post  Posted 14 Apr 2021 8:35 am    
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Slide down to 5th fret B+C pedals for Bm chord
Release the pedals for the A chord.
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Pete Burak

 

From:
Portland, OR USA
Post  Posted 14 Apr 2021 10:05 am    
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When you get to the word "One", as in, No One could do me right, but Mama Tried, Mama Tried... Add your A-pedal to an Open-D at fret 10 for the Bm. 10A=Bm. Then go up two frets to 12AB on the word "Tried" for the A. 12AB=A.
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Tommy Mc


From:
Middlesex VT
Post  Posted 14 Apr 2021 12:17 pm     Re: Going from Bm to A in the key of D
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Blake Cannon wrote:


I need to go from B minor to A in the key of D. The only way I can figure out how to do it is stay on the 10th fret and move from A pedal (Bm) to B+LKR (A). I'm a beginner so this is pretty difficult.

Is there a more efficient method, or is this just the way it is?


That's certainly one way. Another way to go from Bm (on the 10th fret) to A, is to slide up to the 12th fret with pedals A & B down. Bar movement is one thing that makes steel interesting, but if you wanted to stay on the 10th fret, you have an A chord on strings 1, 2, and 5 played open. There's also A7 on the middle grip using the B pedal and E lower.


You can also play those chords staying in a pocket between frets 3 and 5:

D = A & B pedals down on fret 5
G = Fret 3 open
Bm = Fret 3 with E's lowered or Fret 5 with B & C pedals down.
A = Fret 5 open.


I notice from your other post that you've only been playing 2 months. You might find it useful to know (or review) the common ways to make major and minor chords.

Since you're also a guitar player, you probably recognize the correlation between barring an A shape on guitar, to pedals A + B on steel. So for any "open" position major chord, you have the same chord using A + B pedals either seven frets up, or 5 frets down. The third way to make a major chord is 3 frets up from the open position with A + F combination....which you mention above. BTW, just the F lever in that position turns it into a 7th chord.

Here are some of the common ways to make minor chords:
1. Use the A pedal, 3 frets up from open position
2. Use B & C, 2 frets back from open position
3. Use E lower lever one fret higher than where you would play the major chord with pedals A & B. ( but don't use the pedals for the minor chord)
4. If you have the B-Bb change, engage it while playing the major with pedals A & B.
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Blake Cannon


From:
Golden, CO
Post  Posted 15 Apr 2021 8:57 am    
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Thanks everyone for the help!

Here's how I ended up doing the chorus:

D: strings 3, 5, 6 10th fret
G: strings 3, 5, 6 10th fret closed position
Bm: strings 3, 5 10th fret A pedal
A: strings 3, 5 8th fret A+LKL

Then slide down to:

A: strings 3, 5 5th fret open position

Very Happy Very Happy
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b0b


From:
Cloverdale, CA, USA
Post  Posted 15 Apr 2021 9:28 am    
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Nice! I love the F lever! Very Happy

While you're on the 8th fret, try releasing the pedal while keeping the lever engaged. That will make an A7th chord.
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Ron Pruter

 

From:
Arizona, USA
Post  Posted 15 Apr 2021 8:17 pm    
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I actually play a D chord at that under-scored spot. When the bass player plays the B note, a combination of you two makes a Bm7 which sounds just fineΓ°ΕΈΛœβ€‘
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Jim Fogarty


From:
Phila, Pa, USA
Post  Posted 15 Apr 2021 11:49 pm    
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While thatÒ€ℒs one you should definitely get to know, also remember......

You DONÒ€ℒT have to play every chord change on steel. One big problem beginning players have is playing too much. Think about laying out and just filling the spaces between the vocals.

Less is definitely more.
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Ian Rae


From:
Redditch, England
Post  Posted 16 Apr 2021 12:51 am    
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I've been going 7 years and I'm just beginning to grasp that!

I must say though, that in the early days I did play every change in the background to learn my way around the instrument. No-one seemed to mind if I kept out of the way and just popped up in the important places.
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Pete Burak

 

From:
Portland, OR USA
Post  Posted 16 Apr 2021 7:29 am    
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If your going to take a Steel solo over the verse/chorus, you will likely need that Bm-to-A position to play a typical "embelishment of the Melody" type of solo...
But, Talk about layin-out!...
Here is Norm Hamlet himself talking about playing on the original Mama Tried, just after the 1min mark in this vid
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZSGGZX2YXbQ

He shows how to play the lick just after the 2min:30sec mark of that vid.

Looks like he picks string-4 with E's lowered at the 15th fret, slides back two frets on string-4, and hits string-5. Then he repeats the same lick an octave lower, and twangs up to the 5AB=D twice on strings-10-8-6.
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b0b


From:
Cloverdale, CA, USA
Post  Posted 16 Apr 2021 9:34 am    
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Thanks, Pete. That is so much easier than the way I've always played it. Now, if I could just master Norm's intro to "Big City".
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Pete Burak

 

From:
Portland, OR USA
Post  Posted 16 Apr 2021 11:05 am    
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b0b, For anyone who has the F-lever and E-to-Eb lever on separate legs, you can just go from 13F to 13[E-to-Eb], for the first part of the lick.
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Joseph Napolitano

 

From:
New Jersey, USA
Post  Posted 16 Apr 2021 6:05 pm    
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Blake , to go D Major-Bmin-A Major , all on the 5th fret: D Major is pedals down (Any standard grip) ; Bmin is pedals down strings 7-6-5 ; A Major open (any grip ). Pretty simple. Sometimes I don't want much bar movement when comping under a voalist.
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Bobby D. Jones

 

From:
West Virginia, USA
Post  Posted 16 Apr 2021 7:28 pm    
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Hi Blake. By Mel Bays Chord Chart, There is a pattern order to Minor Chords. 1st chord A pedal, 4th chord D KL (Lower E's), 5th Chord B & C pedals, and pick certain strings, To make the minor.

Playing in key of D, You have a B minor at 10th fret, 3rd fret and 5th fret. Just remember the pattern. Work out easiest and best sounding minor to go with song.

If the band throws out a song in G chord, Need an E Minor. 3rd fret A pedal, 8th fret D KL (Lower E's) 10th fret B & C Pedals.
Good Luck and Happy Steelin.
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Ian Rae


From:
Redditch, England
Post  Posted 17 Apr 2021 12:27 am    
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Pete Burak wrote:
b0b, For anyone who has the F-lever and E-to-Eb lever on separate legs, you can just go from 13F to 13[E-to-Eb], for the first part of the lick.

I have them separate for other reasons, but I like being able to drop the third in the A/F position. I know that many players are happy with that move on the same knee, but I also know I wouldn't be Smile
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b0b


From:
Cloverdale, CA, USA
Post  Posted 17 Apr 2021 6:41 am    
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Pete Burak wrote:
b0b, For anyone who has the F-lever and E-to-Eb lever on separate legs, you can just go from 13F to 13[E-to-Eb], for the first part of the lick.
Ian Rae wrote:
I have them separate for other reasons, but I like being able to drop the third in the A/F position. I know that many players are happy with that move on the same knee, but I also know I wouldn't be Smile

That's exactly what Pete is suggesting, Ian, except that it doesn't use the "A" pedal. It's a D7 lick in the A/F position.
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Bob Hoffnar


From:
Austin, Tx
Post  Posted 17 Apr 2021 8:10 am    
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Bm and D are the same chord in a way. Play a D chord at the 5 fret pedalsdown. Maybe play strings 7, 6 and 5. Let the pedals off and mute string 7 or play string 8 and you have your A chord. One common Pedalsteel thing is to only play 2 strings at a time instead of playing every note in every chord. So you could play strings 5 and 6 only at the 5th fret. Pedals down to pedals off. Make that simple 2 string move sound like music and you will be doing what the top studio players do.
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