Pop Goes The Steel

David Mitchell · Post by **David Mitchell** » 15 Jul 2022 9:37 pm

I'm probably the only guy in the world that enjoys playing pedal steel to pop classics. Doctor's office music. I kinda do it like a sax player playing the distinct melody as if the singer was singing it and only pulling chords for accents. If you think about it a sax can't pull a chord but it can bend notes. Kenny G made a few million dollars one note at a time. The pedal steel has a unique tone compared to other instruments and even a Hawaiian lap steel especially when you factor in string stretching and unstretching.
You can make a pedal steel sound just as uptown as a chamber string quartet or country or bluesy or jazzy or swingy, etc. It's all how it's driven. Not sure how it got labeled by the general population as a strictly hillbilly instrument. Us pedal steelers know better.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QJsaaudU05M

Joachim Kettner · Post by **Joachim Kettner** » 15 Jul 2022 11:24 pm

As a lifelong Fortunes fan I really dig your performance of this song!
Thank you Mr.Mitchell.

David Mitchell · Post by **David Mitchell** » 16 Jul 2022 6:41 am

Joachim Kettner wrote:As a lifelong Fortunes fan I really dig your performance of this song!
Thank you Mr.Mitchell.

Thank you Joachim!

Gil James · Post by **Gil James** » 16 Jul 2022 6:53 am

Refreshingly delightful! Thanks for expanding the horizon.

David Mitchell · Post by **David Mitchell** » 16 Jul 2022 10:25 am

Gil James wrote:Refreshingly delightful! Thanks for expanding the horizon.

Thank you Gil!

Jim Kennedy · Post by **Jim Kennedy** » 16 Jul 2022 11:42 am

The best advice I ever gleaned from the forum: Just play the melody.

David Mitchell · Post by **David Mitchell** » 16 Jul 2022 2:41 pm

Jim Kennedy wrote:The best advice I ever gleaned from the forum: Just play the melody.

Thanks! It's always worked for me. Once the melody is in my head I can embellish it all I want. But the lack of ability to hear the melody playing in your head leaves you at the mercy of playing the way someone else played it and that's no fun. Well occasionally it is.

Roy Heap · Post by **Roy Heap** » 17 Jul 2022 6:17 am

Very nice playing David, love the tone.
Who says the steel can’t fit into every genre of music, the players before us have proved that, Buddy and many of the other greats!
Keep on keeping on.

David Mitchell · Post by **David Mitchell** » 17 Jul 2022 9:15 am

Thank you Roy!

Bill Cunningham · Post by **Bill Cunningham** » 17 Jul 2022 5:54 pm

Great playing and nicely produced, sir.

M buddy, the late Tommy Dodd, made a niche for himself on the steel show circuit doing similar arrangements. Your post reminded me that TD would say, “the steel guitar doesn’t know what kind of music it is playing.

Thanks for sharing.

David Mitchell · Post by **David Mitchell** » 19 Jul 2022 3:45 am

Bill Cunningham wrote:Great playing and nicely produced, sir.

M buddy, the late Tommy Dodd, made a niche for himself on the steel show circuit doing similar arrangements. Your post reminded me that TD would say, “the steel guitar doesn’t know what kind of music it is playing.

Thanks for sharing.

Absolutely! I sure enjoyed the videos Tommy Dodd made. Such a great player.

Dale Rottacker · Post by **Dale Rottacker** » 19 Jul 2022 4:52 am

Always liked this one David... Your production is always great... I think by now its 2nd nature for you.

David Mitchell · Post by **David Mitchell** » 19 Jul 2022 4:02 pm

Dale Rottacker wrote:Always liked this one David... Your production is always great... I think by now its 2nd nature for you.

Thank you Dale! Always enjoy your great videos friend!