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Topic: How to start a song (C6th lap steel)? |
Roger Draper
From:
Tennessee, USA
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Posted 25 Feb 2024 10:00 am |
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| I have not figured out how to start a song on the C6 Lap Steel. There are plenty of instructions on how to play cords, but I have yet to find instructions on how to start a song. |
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Brad Bechtel
From:
San Francisco, CA
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Posted 25 Feb 2024 3:20 pm
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Moved to Steel Without Pedals from Pedal Steel.
It depends on the song, but a good way to start any song in my opinion is to play the melody, either the chorus or verse depending on what you're trying to achieve.
Do you have a specific song in mind?
_________________
Brad’s Page of Steel
A web site devoted to acoustic & electric lap steel guitars |
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Jack Hanson
From:
San Luis Valley, USA
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Posted 25 Feb 2024 4:18 pm Re: How to start a song (C6th lap steel)?
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| Roger Draper wrote: |
| I have not figured out how to start a song on the C6 Lap Steel. |
1) Purchase one of Doug Beaumier's song books and the corresponding recording.
2) Do what he does.
3) Voila! |
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Joe Cook
From:
Lake Osoyoos, WA
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Posted 26 Feb 2024 8:58 am
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| Jack is correct! |
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Nelson Checkoway
From:
Massachusetts, USA
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Posted 28 Feb 2024 8:47 am
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Great advice from Jack. Doug Beaumier has a wealth of songs on YouTube where you'll hear great playing: melody, tone and touch.
Also, listen to legendary country and western swing masters like Hank Williams (Don Helms on non-pedal steel) or Bob Wills and the Texas Playboys (Leon McAuliffe on steel). You'll hear that the steel plays a vital role in song intros, endings and "turnarounds" - the 2 to 4 bar figures that bring you from the end of one verse to the beginning of the next. These are usually simple progressions that end on the tonic - the chord of the song's key - or the 5th. Examples in the key of C would be 4 bars of C-G-C-C or C-F-C-G.
An easy way to build a melody line intro to a song is to decide on a chord pattern, like one of the above, with each chord lasting 4 beats, and then play the open strings of each chord in a pattern that sounds good - those are broken chords (or arpeggios). Then add some notes between those chord notes to create mini-scale runs (for example, C major chord = C E G, so play the notes C-E-F-G) Then find notes common to the next chord (G is in the C and G chords) and link these patterns. Voila - you've written a coherent melody line that leads into the song.
Most important is to listen, listen, listen to what's been done before and emulate. And listen to the way other instruments start a song too - often you'll hear that fiddle and steel intros use the same figures. A great example is Crazy Arms by Ray Price -- the fiddle intro is 1-5-1-1 (C-G-C-C) and a steel version of that intro would sound almost identical.
Good luck and happy steelin' |
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