It's been a while since I have uploaded any music, but with the arrival of my new 12-string Desert Rose I have found renewed inspiration to spend some time in the home recording studio.
Chuck has built me a wonderful instrument, and I cannot thank him enough for his achievement. Similar to my 10-string Desert Rose guitar it is the "Delta Blues" model, with a dual-pickup configuration. The neck pickup is a Tonealigner, while the changer position pickup is a Telonics. The setup is an extended version of my 10-string C6th copedent.
My first recording with the guitar is "Shallow Sea," an Allan Holdsworth tune that I've wanted to play for a long time but that I've had difficulties playing with my 10-string setup. For most of the song there is only one steel guitar track where I'm using the Telonics pickup. During the "chord verse" of the tune there are two steel guitar tracks in stereo with the pickup selector in the middle position (i.e. both pickups active at the same time). The arrangement is based on Fred Amendola's transcription in "Reaching for the Uncommon Chord".
I've been trying to work out some Holdsworth tunes on steel for some time, for inspiration, without much success--but there is a lot of benefit to doing it.
I love you recreating that part of Allan's solo where he grabs the vibrato arm and tries to emulate pedal steel.
Links to streaming music, websites, YouTube: Links
My initiative to take on this Holdsworth composition has been rewarding in many ways: Not only can I add to my band's repertoire a style of music that I been wanting to play for a long time. It also offers me an opportunity to deviate from the traditional C6th "strum-based" chord style that I've been stuck in for too long. I feel that I now can dedicate some woodshedding time on completely new chord finger grips … being a flat picker, it means that I have to start involving my pinky finger.
Mike: I'm delighted that you recognized my Allan quote! I also realized that I was subconsciously paraphrasing an excerpt from the melody of Gong's "Esnuria" (from "Gazeuse!", one of the first LPs where I heard Allan play).
Hi Jan,
I am very interested in hearing about your extended C6 copedant. Will you be so kind as to post it here along with comments on unique changes? Thanks!
Below you find the initial copedent of the new guitar, which I believe will be revised a little with time as I learn which of the new changes will become favorites and which ones will not. It is an extended C6th in the sense that it adds to the top (G and F strings) and middle (D string) register, but it is also a diminished C6th in sense that it no longer has a low C string.
On my 10-string guitar I have a lever that raises the middle C string to a D (by inspiration from Rick Schmidt), and I use it so frequently during chord work and soloing that I have decided to insert a dedicated middle D string on the new guitar.
Some of the new changes are inspired by Susan Alcorn's setup and introduces more chromatic options in the lowest register (low C and A strings). I found them useful to achieve the special harmonies in e.g. Holdsworth's composition.
Having more chromatic options in the highest regions is useful to achieve some interesting "dissonant" chord work and to allow for some new scale patterns.
Wow great stuff! Thanks for posting Jan. This brings back fond memories of 1983-4 for me. I remember seeing Allan playing a STEPP guitar with his band (Johnson, Wackerman, Williams?) outdoors at Ramapo College in NJ. This was soon after Road Games came out. I got his book "Reaching For The Uncommon Chord" after the show and he signed it for me. His chord voicing and legato technique is in a league of its own. I was really inspired by his style, though at 20 much of it was still over my head. I listened to that EP a lot. Tokyo Dreams was one of my favorites.
Last edited by Clete Ritta on 13 Jan 2014 3:11 am, edited 1 time in total.
Encouraged by the implementation of "Shallow Sea", I have considered making an attempt at one of my favorite Allan tunes: "Home" from Metal Fatigue. At a glance, the current copedent seems to handle the chord voicings. I can see right away, though, that "Home" will be much more difficult to play in terms of e.g. right-hand finger grips.
Jan,
That is superb playing. Very modern sound excellently executed.
I get the feeling that more steel players are developing their skills on C6th, or maybe they have been there all along, but are starting to be noticed more.
Either way, there is no ignoring your great skill and musicality.
I'm looking forward to hearing more of your work.
Sez
P.S. Thats a great looking instrument, as well as having a great sound.
