Fancy, big-city chords on a bluegrass tuning?

[Greg Vincent]

They’re in there somewhere!

https://youtube.com/shorts/obNcomBYdi0? ... r-bFEdKKiV

[Andrew Frost]

sounds great Greg!

[Greg Vincent]

Thank you, Andrew!

[Michael Kiese]

Aloha Greg,

Sounded really nice!

Yup, you're right. Any given string has every single possible note on it.

The given tuning across multiple strings only makes it easier or more difficult to play the chords you want to achieve with a straight bar.

It's fun to hunt for other possibilities using those open strings! Love it!

Enjoy!

[Greg Vincent]

Aloha, Michael!

Non-pedal life is pretty great —after years of dragging a pedal steel around.
It certainly teaches a player to be resourceful!

-GV

[Michael Kiese]

Aloha, Michael!

Non-pedal life is pretty great —after years of dragging a pedal steel around.
It certainly teaches a player to be resourceful!

-GV

Oh yes. I agree.

After a career in the Army with countless 75lb pack, 12-15 mile ruck marches and carrying heavy gear all over the place for no damn good reason, I absolutely refuse to carry heavy stuff without justification.

That, and I don't want to carry an 80lb case to a gig that pays $100. 15 mins of setup and 15 mins of teardown. No thank you. Wouldn't even do it for $350.

Not to mention that if you buy a used pedal steel, they're old and come with all kinds of problems and someone else's copedent. So I'd have to drop $10K+ for a new Mullen, and then have all my pedal steel buddies try to give me buyer's remorse telling me I should have bought an Emmons. Or Vice Versa.

The more that I think about it, the more it sounds like a whole lotta "Nope!".

All you need to do is listen to Kayton Roberts and realize all the sounds are right there on straight steel.

Even better when you play Hawaiian music and can just bring a lap steel. haha. I'll do a $100 gig plus a free meal for that. Sounds like a fun night out.

Enjoy!

[Greg Vincent]

I’m kinda digging Dobro life, Michael —don’t even need an amp!

[Michael Kiese]

I’m kinda digging Dobro life, Michael —don’t even need an amp!

NICE!!!

My wife's a flute player. I'm jealous of her every time I see her case.

[Andy Volk]

Stacy Phillips was the master at getting additional chord voicing on standard G-tuned Dobro via use of slants and behind-the-bar pulls. His book is decades old but still useful and relevant.

[Andy Volk]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0j9tLw3 ... rt_radio=1

[Greg Vincent]

Terrific stuff, Andy —nice fiddling, too!

[Joseph M Adams]

nice grab....
I've found all sorts of great stuff by not obsessing on trying to force the chord I want/need into an inversion that the tuning won't provide by remembering that your guitar player or bass player will carry the 1 and the 5 of the chord 99% of the time.

I'll frequently transpose a tune to a key that allows me to employ open notes, just like your example.

I also look for ways to get the melody note I need combined with the tritone of the chord [or one of the tritone notes with a slide in grace note to the other] That tritone will define your harmony as major, minor or dominant and give you what you're ear is seeking.

[Greg Vincent]

Agreed, Joseph! The interesting stuff is in the 3rd and the extensions (7th, b7th, 9th, etc.), alterations (aug/dim), suspensions and such. In an ensemble, all you need to do is suggest these flavors.