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Post by archtopeddy on Apr 14, 2024 23:45:50 GMT
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Post by razorbill on Apr 15, 2024 11:37:57 GMT
I’ve been having steel guitar lessons with Alan for the last few months. He’s a great teacher/advocate for the instrument
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Post by Michael Messer on Apr 15, 2024 13:11:00 GMT
Aloha - That is a good article and it is great that the tradition is being kept alive, but from my point of view the most interesting area of Hawaiian steel guitar is really drifting into obscurity. Apart from a handful of people such as Ken Emerson in Hawaii, Sebastian Muller in Germany, JC Grimshaw on the Isle of Wight, Bill Leach in Liverpool, Mike Holland on our forum, Pascal Mesnier and Paulo Conti in France, Remco in the Netherlands, to some extent myself and a handful of other players, all are worthy of being mentioned, the acoustic Hawaiian steel guitar is drifting into the history books. Acoustic Hawaiian steel guitar music from the golden era of that genre, is for me by far the most interesting area of the stereo guitar, and while the electric steel guitar did popularise and make it a worldwide phenomena, for me and others that I know, it also diluted the form and created the sugary tourist version of Hawaiian music. This could be the beginning of a long and serious thread :-) 🌴🌴🌴🌴
Stephen I would be interested to hear more about the lessons you are having.
Wiki Waki Woo....
Shine On
Michael
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Post by razorbill on Apr 15, 2024 15:42:29 GMT
... Stephen I would be interested to hear more about the lessons you are having. ... Yeah of course! I’ve only had 5 lessons so far, but it is going well. I’m a slow learner and it has been a challenge getting used to finger picks, muting, bar control, etc. Alan teaches mostly in C6 (though mentioned learning some songs in B11 moving forward and I’m also learning a tune in D9 now). So far we have touched on Beyond the Reef, Harbor Lights, Henehene Kou Aka, Hanalei Moon. I think he has a specific method/order worked out for his steel guitar school in Hawaii and follows that. Beyond learning solos to play against backing tracks I’ve also been trying to get my head around the idea of fills/how to play with other people if that situation ever arrises. I would like to work on some acoustic lap steel music in the future once I get the Fine Reso setup properly (I’ve just come to terms with the fact I’ll have to take the guitar to Robin Hood’s Bay to get the work done properly). To add to your list of acoustic steel players there is Christo Ruppenthal. He is a great player and friendly guy who took the time to chat with me about steel guitar when I was looking for a teacher. |
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Post by Michael Messer on Apr 15, 2024 16:10:47 GMT
I know of Christo and there are others I didn't mention. Those names were just off the top of my head.
.....C6, B11 and D9.....that'll get your brain hula dancing! I am sure that you are being taught well. As far as fills and accompanying others, try playing with records and being the steel player. Not with records that have steel guitar, records that don't. Then there is a space for you to try fills and back ups. It might be a bit too bluesy, but check out Play The Blues on my website in the store.
I used to play the Hilo March. Here's a recording from 1990 that someone put on Youtube with a silly video. This was on my second album, Slidedance. I am playing a Style 1 square neck tricone in high bass G tuning (GBDGBD)
It was around that time that I decided to push forward with the technique of playing Hawaiian steel guitar, but not to keep learning the repertoire, as I was more interested in using that style in my own music, rather than actually playing Hawaiian music. One of the first things I recorded doing that was No Blue In The ABC in 1995. This was played lap style on a round neck Style 4 tricone in low bass G tuning.
Just keep doing it!
Shine On
Michael
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Post by Michael Messer on Apr 15, 2024 19:30:15 GMT
Here's JC Grimshaw....
Shine On
Michael
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Post by leeophonic on Apr 16, 2024 11:52:09 GMT
Jc and Angelina great to see them again, they make up a quater of the National Breakdown service  I have the Bracknell show on VHS somewhere with JC ripping up the hot Hula..... Regards Lee |
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Post by ken1953clark on Apr 16, 2024 14:34:45 GMT
Hi G (GBDGBD) and Bm7 (F#BDF#BD) or their tone higher equivalents are tunings enough for me on lap steel. My Style 1 is good but still trying to source a Weissenborn wood bodied copy to replace the one I foolishly sold.
Good article
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Post by nowthen on Apr 16, 2024 14:44:32 GMT
Hi G (GBDGBD) and Bm7 (F#BDF#BD) or their tone higher equivalents are tunings enough for me on lap steel. My Style 1 is good but still trying to source a Weissenborn wood bodied copy to replace the one I foolishly sold. Good article I have a Goldtone Weisenborne that I no longer use Ken. |
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Post by Michael Messer on Apr 16, 2024 15:13:23 GMT
Jc and Angelina great to see them again, they make up a quater of the National Breakdown service I have the Bracknell show on VHS somewhere with JC ripping up the hot Hula..... Regards Lee I have that video too. I guess you are talking about Bracknell 1994? It was a great show, but it was strange for me because Johnny & June Cash had invited me to go to Glastonbury with them, but I couldn't go because of the National Breakdown Service show at the Bracknell festival. Sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do! Shine On Michael |
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Post by Michael Messer on Apr 16, 2024 15:19:01 GMT
Hi G (GBDGBD) and Bm7 (F#BDF#BD) or their tone higher equivalents are tunings enough for me on lap steel. My Style 1 is good but still trying to source a Weissenborn wood bodied copy to replace the one I foolishly sold. Good article I often use GBDF#BD, which as well as Bm7 is G major 7, C6, G and D, depending on which strings you play. It's good because it is just one string tuned down from GBDGBD. Personally I don't get too involved in those electric Hawaiian tunings, I stick with high bass G >GBDGBD, low bass G >DGDGBD, D tuning >DADF#AD, The tuning I mentioned before that covers many variations >GBDF#BD, D6 tuning >DADF#BD, which are all variations of each other. Shine On Michael |
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I have the Bracknell show on VHS somewhere with JC ripping up the hot Hula.....
