steel guitar in 5/4 time?

Pete Finney · Post by **Pete Finney** » 23 Dec 2024 8:49 am

My brother has been studying the use of the 5/4 time signature in pop music and jazz etc., and was wondering if I was aware of any records that used pedal-steel in 5/4 before this one; The Byrd's "Get to You" from 1967's Notorious Byrd Brothers, featuring Red Rhodes I'm pretty sure.

I didn't find anything with a forum search so I figured I'd throw this question out there... later examples welcome too if anybody's got any; pedal or non-pedal. Thanks in advance...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZzwvuEGnVbs

Jerry Overstreet · Post by **Jerry Overstreet** » 23 Dec 2024 9:22 am

Maybe not what you are looking for but offhand, I'm aware of a couple steel guitar instrumentals by John Heinrich and John Scanlon playing Brubeck's Take 5.

I'm quite sure there are other tunes with vocals and other instrumentals, but those are the ones that come to mind immediately.

Joachim Kettner · Post by **Joachim Kettner** » 26 Dec 2024 3:43 am

No info but a question for you, Pete: Since you must be familiar with Notorious, is Tribal Gathering also in the same tempo?
And I wonder is the Solo a fuzz-pedal steel or a synthesizer?

Pete Finney · Post by **Pete Finney** » 26 Dec 2024 7:02 am

Yes, Tribal Gathering is also in 5/4. I'd personally always assumed the fuzz solo was a guitar, that's what it sounds like to me.

Bob Hoffnar · Post by **Bob Hoffnar** » 9 Jan 2025 6:05 pm

here is a polyrhythmic tune that is in 5

https://youtu.be/HOhauEHr0aw?si=KKMXpuzLFlLx85rE

Pete Finney · Post by **Pete Finney** » 13 Jan 2025 10:14 am

Very cool, Bob, thanks. Hope your recent New York "MOMA" gig went well.

Craig Stock · Post by **Craig Stock** » 15 Jan 2025 6:50 am

Same here Bob, I was up in Vermont on Saturday visiting my mother-in-law, hope the show went well!

scott murray · Post by **scott murray** » 18 Jan 2025 2:26 pm

John Heinrich tackles Take 5

Joe Alterio · Post by **Joe Alterio** » 14 Feb 2025 5:37 am

Pete - having played with Micky Dolenz and Mike Nesmith, perhaps this one is already well-known to you - an excellent 5/4 song that was from the Monkees' movie "Head": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XD6YLKq ... ge_Gal1964

Caveat - chorus shifts to 3/4 time because...why not?

Pete Finney · Post by **Pete Finney** » 14 Feb 2025 6:52 am

Thanks, Joe, that one completely slipped my mind. There's no steel on the original 1968 track of course, but there was on the 2020 live recording.

Carole King was a more adventurous songwriter than she is often given credit for!