Hawaiian slide, need some comments

There are still some blatant mistakes, but any suggestion about making this sound better would be appreciated.

I think I've reached the point where I won't improve without some constructive criticism.

http://www.soundclick.com/updateband/SongInfo.cfm?BandID=444295&Updated=3161409

PS
Ignore the picture, it's just another guitar I'll never be able to afford.
The link is your update link not the one to your music. It logged me out of my ID because I was trying to illegally access your page.

Eeek sorry, this soundclick stuff is giving me a headache.
I'll see if I can't figure it out

Your link will be something like this. Just replace the Nils with your ID.

http://www.soundclick.com/Nils

I don't use soundclick much as it is a pain. I like DMusic much better.

Soundclick is an unreliable site. I've had problems for months with not being able to access anyone's music, and their support people would just tell me "Turn off your firewall and it'll work." Well, that's not feasible in many cases to "turn off your firewall." They shouldn't be doing anything a firewall would block, it seems to me. Anyway, it started working again for me a few days ago, but I'm still hearing from lots of folks that are having trouble.

I started a site over there myself, but I haven't put much on it.

An alternate music posting site that I have yet to encounter any problems with is: http://electricmp3.com/

http://www.soundclick.com/bands/pagemusic.cfm?bandID=444295
It's two taks of the same song, the short is without any time keeper.
Any constructive criticism welcomed, these aree far from perfect I know. I think threre's supposed to be an artificial harmonic in there somewhere but I'm not quite ready to add it.

dmusic, artist:
Rainy Hawaiian Days
http://rhd.dmusic.com/

've bookmarked the /electricmp3.com/
Thanks :)

I was able to listen to two of your songs.

I hear a little hunting. sounds like me sometimes.
once you found the note you lso do soemthing I do, but now try to avoid....you find the note then play it twice. that bothers me in my own work because I know why I double lay the note.

it's the hah, I found the note, so I hit it once, but tentatively, then beause I found the right note I hit it a second time because I want to play it correctly. to me, that techniques sounds bad.
so now I dont double hit the note unless I make both strikes intentional and convincing.

otherwise I think you are on your way. I am still hoping to include samples of my stuff. I need a major computer upgrade and to get online at home instead of work.

Thanks dog, maybe I'll try it again to the 'Hawaiian' drums on the yamaha keyboard. I really would like some more recording equipment myself. A computer mic really isn't sufficient when playing for others.

I'm rather discouraged about my timing, even after 2 and a half years I still don't really feel like I'm getting it.

Two things I'm really having trouble with are hitting notes with consistent poiwer and keeping a consistent tone, I don't know if it's failure to dampen or if it's that the notes are sounding too sharp or flat.
I think I might try some finger picks. I'm not usre if they'd improve things or not.

I'm no expert on it, but it sounds like you're using 'free-strokes' when you're picking; like you pick some notes and then don't touch the string again, and then move the steel. You might try plucking a note and then damping the string with that same finger when the note's supposed to stop, so it's just the right length and doesn't keep ringing when another note starts.

Also, as far as the timing and stuff; is there a recording by someone else that you could listen to to get the timing and phrasing the way you want? I"m not familiar with that tune, but, I dunno; did you work it off a tablature or did you take it off a record? Sometimes the tab doesn't show you how the phrasing goes, and hearing it might help a lot.

I found this: http://www.blackskies.org/images/midi/hawaii/hanohano.mid

But I dunno if it's the same one you're working on. I think with midi, you might be able to slow it down so you can work it out, but sometimes even hearing a midi version helps.

Take care and don't give up. :)

What tuning are you using? If it's C6 then GeorgeBoards offers some pretty good instructional DVDs on his site (and on eBay), I like his approach. And hey,- his pitch isn't perfect either! :D

Here's one exercise that has helped me tremendously regarding pitch and pick control (I've made this up myself, don't know if it's considered a "proper" exercise by the pro's....):

Forget EVERYTHING that makes steel guitar sound like a steel guitar and imagine you're playing the piano. Pick a really simple melody - ANY melody, "Tom Dooley" or "Silent Night", doesn't matter - and play it like you would on a piano.. Meaning,- don't slide into the notes, and don't add vibrato. Play that melody up and down a single string and across the strings, mix them up as you please. This way you'll be forced to focus on pitch and string blocking, and these things has to be nailed before you can start adding all those little beauties that makes the steel one of the most expressive instruments there is.

It's all too easy to use the sliding and vibrato to try and cover up bad intonation and technique, many players (myself included) has had to battle the infamous "nervous chihuahua" vibrato because of this, and it's a common problem on most fretless string instruments,- you can hear it all the time in inexperienced fretless bass players, bottleneck sliders, and even singers (the most 'fretless' instrument there is). There's two things that gives away an inexperienced player when I hear one,- the search for the right note/pitch, and the nervous chihuahua to cover up the fact that he/she's not sure about the pitch.

You will have to go through a period of boring technical exercises, but mix them up with stuff you think are fun to play (that's when you're allowed to forget everything I've just written and just have fun :wink: ), and believe me,- you'll be rewarded sooner than you can say Is this Jerry Bird playing "Kaua'i Beauty"?

Good luck, and enjoy your adventure into the magical landscapes of the incredible lap steel!

Steinar

Why does guitar playing feel so often like hitting ones head against a brick wall? Thanks guys, I'll try Steiner suggstions, if I can find some tab, as my ears are completely useless. I wish I had just a bit of talent for this, but oh well. Demo, I don't think that's it, but I do have a book with CD, so now that I have the finger movements down I'll try working with the CD a bit more. I should probably try that in reverse order next time :roll:

what tuning are you using?

open G at the moment, not sure I could hanle another at themoment though I may buy one of those artisans just to try the C6

Hey, C6! That's the one I'm struggling with now!

Yah, sorry Primeta about the midi; sometimes Hawaiian songs have almost the same title, or the title's shortened and you wind up with a single word or phrase that 6 other songs also have. It's a problem for us sometimes, but if you get the exact title of the piece, there's a lot of midis out there. We have to resort to midis sometimes because the original recordings are hard to find; lots of out of print stuff, especially when you're looking back into the 20s, 30s, and 40s.

Heck, even the 60s!

So maybe you could do a google.com search on the whole title of the piece and maybe come up with a midi.

In the meantime I'm thinking of going to a 7/8" steel or maybe a 1"; the 3/4" I have keeps slipping out of my fingers, lol. I'm used to 'slides' where you put your finger into it, rather than the bullet. Anyhow, that's another thread.

Take care.

I have open G on one laps steel and my dobro. I have leaned so much about open G lately because I have been feverishly playing my new resonator.

if you want I could roughly tab out some things Ive learned.

C6 is a fun tuning. I have that on another lap steel. I have a long ways to go to 'get' the slants.