What's this?! PSG on American Idol?

Dave Horch · Post by **Dave Horch** » 25 May 2005 2:25 am

Well, after all my ranting about the AI producers not providing Carrie Underwood (the "country" chick) a PSG in the house band for her "country" tunes (see http://steelguitarforum.com/Forum10/HTML/005189.html ) - somebody was playing something rather steel-like last night when she sang McBrides "Independence Day".

Listen to the video clip at http://www.idolonfox.com/photosvideos/videos/final5/week19/Carrie_hi.asx . The steel shows up before the first chorus, then that's it.

I guess there's an outside chance is was a very good psg fake-out on an open tuned 6-string with a slide on the ring finger, but it if it was a "fake", it's very hard to tell.

I can only assume that one of our L.A. brethren got a call. E.B.? Fess up, who did the deed? What's the inside scoop? What took them so long?

btw/ no sign of a psg on video anywhere (unlike the fiddles before). Best, -Dave

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'95 Mullen D-10 w/ E66 (E9) & Mullen (C6) pups - It's still one smooooth puppy!
'04 Artisan S-6 - "The Home Depot scrap pile refugee". - Photo page: http://www.davidhorch.com/music

[This message was edited by Dave Horch on 25 May 2005 at 03:49 AM.]

Barry Blackwood · Post by **Barry Blackwood** » 25 May 2005 4:19 am

No sign on video of a PSG? Unlike the CMA awards, I guess nobody wanted the mime job ...

Glenn Suchan · Post by **Glenn Suchan** » 25 May 2005 8:16 am

I heard that sound, too. My best guess it was a keyboard with a PSG sample file.

One other thing 'bout the stage band: Way, way too many violins and not one fiddle in the bunch. Oh well....

Keep on pickin'!
Glenn[This message was edited by Glenn Suchan on 25 May 2005 at 09:27 AM.]

Glenn Suchan · Post by **Glenn Suchan** » 25 May 2005 8:26 am

One other thing:

On one of Carrie's songs, I belive it was her third song, did anyone here notice the distinct pitch drop in the middle of the song? It wasn't just Carrie. It was everybody. Like a recording playback with a sudden pitch drop. I thought I was hearing things, so I rolled back the ol' Tivo unit and replayed that part. Same pitch drop, exact same spot in the song.

Was last night lip-synced by Bo and Carrie? If so, what a slap in the face to both finalists.

Keep on pickin'!
Glenn

Glenn Suchan · Post by **Glenn Suchan** » 25 May 2005 8:27 am

OOOPS! How'd that double post!!!

[This message was edited by Glenn Suchan on 25 May 2005 at 12:07 PM.]

Rick Garrett · Post by **Rick Garrett** » 25 May 2005 10:02 am

I was almost sure I heard steel in her last weeks performance of Roy Ormisons "Cry".

I dont use the tivo so I couldn't play it back but man it sure sounded like steel to me.

Rick

Theresa Galbraith · Post by **Theresa Galbraith** » 26 May 2005 3:16 am

They both sang live Glenn.
It sounded like steel on Independents Day!

Congratulations Carrie!

Glenn Suchan · Post by **Glenn Suchan** » 26 May 2005 4:52 am

Theresa, I believe you're correct. I re-listened to the Tuesday show and the pitch glich I heard in the middle of "Independence Day" probably was a broadcasting glitch. Besides, both Bo and Carrie's vocals seemed a bit tentative that night. If the producers were going to pre-record, they would have made sure the vocals were "spot-on".

About the "steel" lick: there was one part that sounded like an "A" pedal mash (whole tone pitch raise). However, after carefullly re-listening to the passage all notes of the chord changed exactly the same. Like a ribbon controller on a keyboard. Also, at the beginning of Bo's last song, there was a "chime" that sounded a lot like a steel guitar chime, but it too, sounded synthesized. There's nothing wrong with that other than it wasn't a steel guitar, just a pale imitation.

Anyway, congratulations to Carrie. She deserved it...they both did.

Keep on pickin'!
Glenn

Earnest Bovine · Post by **Earnest Bovine** » 26 May 2005 7:51 pm

That "steel" sound is a synth. (not whiny enough to be the real thing)

Chris Lasher · Post by **Chris Lasher** » 27 May 2005 7:51 pm

My money's with Earnest and Glenn. The steel sound was from a synth. As Glenn very astutely pointed out, there were no pedal tones versus moving tones (e.g., the classic B pedal to A and B pedals change), and any "slides" were sliding double-stops, both pitches moving equally up or down. Owning both a synth and a pedal steel, this to me was the dead giveaway. You can try to fake a sound, but it's very hard to fake the playing style that's inherent to an instrument. Add to this the mechanic vibrato that conspicuously appeared after notes with robotic-like consistency in timing.

But hey, at least they tried.