greg leisz lap steel tuning greg leisz lap steel tuning

And now Im going, There is something here . He is a songwriter, recording artist, and producer. Almost all of the keys are provided. There was a lot of music I couldnt really understand. It is why I am playing steel today. I didnt meet Taylor or either one of the people from the Civil Wars. I grew up in a family where I didnt have older brothers or sisters. It didnt say who it was from. When we ended up playing together, it was kind of fun even though he barely remembered me. I'm pretty new to the world of steel but I'm completely captivated by the subtle detail work Greg Leisz does on 'Bon Iver, Bon Iver.'. Im looking at your credits and theres a 10-year gap after the Funky Kings and before you start racking up a ton of credits. Pedal-Steel Guitarist Greg Leisz on His Years With Joni Mitchell, Eric Clapton, Bruce Springsteen, and Daft Punk "I don't know how to comprehend everything I've done," says the musician, who. It was really close in time to after her record came out. youtu.be. Shes fantastic. Thats what he did. And its interesting to me that youd think of that. I think hed become aware of my playing on a couple of other records, especially this K.D. The best way for me to do that was, I felt, I needed to play music, not sit around and wait for something to happen. Time and time again, Leisz shows that his ear is always adept to the present musical situation he finds himself in, creating in the moment. #raylamontange. The lap steel guitar, also known as a Hawaiian guitar, is a type of steel guitar without pedals that is typically played with the instrument in a horizontal position across the performer's lap.Unlike the usual manner of playing a traditional acoustic guitar, in which the performer's fingertips press the strings against frets, the pitch of a steel guitar is changed by pressing a polished steel . Editors picks I love the Victoria Williams song Crazy Mary. You play on that. Ive worked a lot with him. Another close collaborator is Bill Frisell, with whom he tours regularly and is featured on the albums Good Dog, Happy Man, Blues Dream, The Intercontinentals, Disfarmer, All We Are Saying, and Guitar in the Space Age. I did a couple of songs, and then a couple of days later, I played on another song. Sometimes, for whatever reason, they just dont use it properly or they bury it in the mix. They were just guys that were factory workers during the day that played country music at night. Thats another situation where I wasnt involved in the tracking. I didnt even have a business card. Actually, Ive been working a lot with Jackson Browne. At sparse moments in the song, his pedal steel playing adds so much emotion to the music. For decades, the Southern California-based multi-instrumentalist has been a go-to guitarist and pedal steel player for musicians such as Eric Clapton, Buddy Miller, John Mayer, Bill Frisell, k.d. lang's Grammy-winning Absolute Torch and Twang and joined her on the resulting tour. This track will really take you on a ride into the sonic frontiers, and Leisz shows just how much expression the pedal steel is capable of. After the band broke up, he became a popular musician both in the studio and on the road. I loved it. I was drawn to the records that I guess now we talk about as folk-rock or country-rock and I kind of got pulled into the pedal steel through that music, through hearing it on the records that I liked. Going back here, can you talk about playing with the Smashing Pumpkins on Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness? I hadnt met Beck before that. Anyway, it was great for me. He was a member of Funky Kings who released their eponymous debut album on Arista Records in 1976. To jump forward here, can you tell me about the formation of the Funky Kings? By the next year, the Beatles were on Ed Sullivan. I basically thought at one point that Id be a geologist or a forest ranger or something like that. Victoria played guitar and I played pedal steel on it. In all the gigs we did together, he never sat at my instrument or ever let on that he was such an accomplished steel player. The people that you meet and have a connection with, suddenly theres another connection later on. Larry Klein bought me onto Turbulent Indigo. With good reason -- the man's resum is daunting, boasting spots with Joni Mitchell, Sheryl Crow, Peter Case, Paul Westerberg, Me'Shell NdegeOcello, Victoria Williams, Joe Cocker, Dave Alvin, k.d. Her original version was more what she was doing at the time. How Do the Pedals and Knee Levers Work on a Pedal Steel? T Bone actually had me come in and overdub. I am a huge fan of Greg's playing, and had the pleasure of meeting him after the show. I actually went to the same high school as Jackson. [Laughs] Yes, but Im used to being intimidated by people in the music business. Fortunately, my mother was musical, even though she sang more opera. It was something I really liked to do and I started doing it a lot. Here, these artists tell their complete stories, giving an up-close look at life on musics A list. For any of you that don't have the book from fellow Forumite Andy Volk entitled, http://www.myspace.com/video/lol/robert-plant-alison-krauss-killing-the-blues-with-lyrics/24448189, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UxvTTRKvfEU, http://www.laweekly.com/2004-04-08/news/south-of-here/. Greg Leisz's playing with k d lang is wonderful. Similar to playing with a slide or playing pedal steel, the lap steel uses a bar that slides across the strings. I went to his home studio and worked with his engineer. I never ended up doing anything live with him. What happened in that time? I never really liked the Grateful Dead, and now Im in Bobs band the Wolf Brothers with Don Was. I didnt really see myself in the picture. More recently, you worked with Phoebe Bridgers. In a successful session and side-man career that's spanned over 40 years, the diversity of music Greg's played on is pretty incredible. How was your experience in Eric Claptons touring band in 2013? Yeah. When legendary artists head into the studio nowadays, theres a good chance theyll have Leisz play steel on the production. And then seven or eight years after that, she did her last album [Shine], and she called me to work on that one, too. He is awesome. What drew you to the pedal steel? I had played a very little bit on a record [2010s Clapton] three years before when Doyle Bramhall brought me into the studio to meet Eric. Im going to make a list and send it to people. He told me the band, that he wanted Willie Weeks and Steve Jordan to be the rhythm section and Doyle and Chris Stainton. I knew Lucinda from way back and had even worked stuff of hers that she ultimately shelved and then rerecorded. I keep a Strat copy with a Nut Riser and strung with 11's tuned to Open E for gritty Lap steel Blues. I can see why his recording career show so many credits. Im pretty proud of that. I guess they could have learned it from the version we did. Or does he switch necks often? Once you get an instrument in your hand and start playing it, you go, Wow. Then you teach yourself something and youre able to do it, you can apply it, its mind-expanding. Interestingly enough, there is this thread between Victoria Williams and Joni Mitchell. I had produced a bunch of his records too. Leisz has been a top-call session musician in the L.A. area for many years, so its no wonder he got the call to do work on this production with such fantastic artists. He needs an artificial heart. Your purchases also help protect forests, including trees traditionally used to make instruments. This is one of those songs that I cant imagine without Leiszs pedal steel. I actually didnt think much about a career. Log in, Steel Guitar Forum LLCPO Box 237Mount Horeb, WI 53572 USA. Playpedalsteel.com is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. I love that song. His tone (on recent recordings) is, in my opinion, the best you will find in the world. Leiszs tone is crystal clear on this one, and is captivating. We hadnt even learned many songs when we got our record deal, and Arista, Clive Davis, signed the band. your profile | join | preferences | help | search. But that particular song, what happened there is kind of interesting. The same thing happened when I heard pedal steel on records that I listened to. He uses phosphor bronze light strings and tunes to open D (D A D F# A D). Private Messages I really just worked with one of the guys. She was taking parts off and replacing them. I really had no idea it would become what it became. Were going to try and match the sound and have you play the 12-string in the parts that arent there. If you look at the credits, it has two players playing 12-string on the song. Greg Leisz - pedal steel, lap steel, National steel guitar, Scheerhorn resonator guitar, mandolin Ron Miles - trumpet Billy Drewes - alto saxophone David Piltch - bass Kenny Wolleson - drums, percussion Curtis Fowlkes - trombone. I put it together myself from maybe a few takes. I guess I feel very fortunate when I see that, but its just hard to believe theres so many. They were all playing together and I was in the band with them. Powered by Infopop www.infopop.com 2000 Check out these 7 songs that feature Leiszs fantastic pedal steel playing. Adding distortion to the lap steel, Leisz gives so much personality to this Bruce Springsteen track. I really liked working with her. And it was the first time I remember going to somebodys house to record. I'm learning to appreciate and love the form but it's just not my natural habitat, musically speaking. In 2010 and 2011, Leisz toured with Ray LaMontagne as a member of his backing band, The Pariah Dogs. Im not one of those people that went, This is what I want to do with my life. Its weird to call it a hobby, but I guess thats what my parents would have called it. 2022 Albums Milan (Deluxe) 2022 Appears On Cardboard Wallpaper (feat. I know. I havent really been hunkered down as much in the last couple of months, particularly since Ive been vaccinated. We met the day I got the studio. Starting the early 1990s, he worked often with Matthew Sweet, played on Sweet's album Girlfriend and toured with him. Eventually, when I finally got one, I had friends that I could play along with. When I saw Greg with the Intercontinentals a few months ago, he was playing an Asher lap steel, Bob Hoffnar's Emmons push-pull, (Greg uses a PP for recordings he told us), and what I thought it was an old Rickenbacker lap in some kind of E tuning. Leisz spent his younger years catching acts like the Byrds and the Flying Burrito Brothers in Southern California clubs. Click HERE to hear me play Moon of Manakoora recorded on the D9th lap steel tuning, which is nothing more than dropping the 4th string on your C6th from a G note to an F#. It was pretty terrifying. Pedal-Steel Guitarist Greg Leisz on His Years With Joni Mitchell, Eric Clapton, Bruce Springsteen, and Daft Punk, Neil Young Sets Release Date for Vintage Seventies Bootlegs, Kiley Dean Began As Britney Spears Backup Singer. I played a lot of different kinds of guitars on that record. He met Jack Tempchin. I just liked the sound of the guitar and I wanted to do it. Every instrument and musical note seems to fall right in place, with great sounding timbres, and Leiszs pedal steel is no different. I cant really believe it myself. Its actually playing really specific and dedicated, punctuated lines, which is what they were looking for. Greg Leisz Follow Artist + The word "ubiquitous" is usually placed in front of pedal steel player and guitarist Greg Leisz's name. They had all these songs and they basically just let me play what I heard. It was just four or five hours. But I think it takes a real receptive ear to hear what youre doing and make a decision to use it in the right way. Add To Cart. Thats someone I met many years earlier when he played in Ace in the Seventies. It gets crazy. Leisz has an amazing ability to generate sounds that the pedal steel isnt usually associated with. He has an uncanny ability to always connect with the listeners ears. I tended to gravitate towards jobs where I didnt have to be around a lot of people. At the same time, I was heavily influenced by Bob Dylan and that type of songwriting. Greg Leisz played some really nice parts on her new CD "Illustrated Songs" but I did not see this listed among his credits. At least that's what David told me 25 years ago. Kiley Dean Began As Britney Spears' Backup Singer. Theres a picture of me. Her budget had been stretched by the time, so she wanted to work fast. It starts out sounding like a Neil Young song with just an acoustic guitar, but then it has some synths. I was like, Im going to try and keep playing music and try to get better. I saved up my money one summer and bought my first pedal steel and started teaching myself how to do that. I really enjoyed his work on the recent Blue Ridge Rangers" album (John Fogarty). When I heard electric guitar on records, I wanted to play that. To view the purposes they believe they have legitimate interest for, or to object to this data processing use the vendor list link below. How Do the Pedals and Knee Levers Work on a Pedal Steel? 2007 Asher hand built Teardrop commemorative Weissenborn lap steel, s/n# 308, 1 of 8 hand crafted in this series, solid African mahogany top, back and sides, custom Cedar Creek hardshell case included. Copyright 2023 Penske Business Media, LLC. While he was mixing, he had a conversation with her and she said, Theres a song in there called Right in Time. When we recorded it, I wanted to have a 12-string guitar go through the whole song, but they talked me out of it.. In Southern California, kind of North of L.A., near Santa Barbara. Billy was in one room working on his stuff and James was in this other room working on his song. The sound of the guitars blew my mind. This track has such a sweet groove to it, and Leisz adds just the right ambience to float with it. Youre on Becks song Sissyneck from Odelay. And the Japanese version has a bonus track thats almost a pedal-steel instrumental. Thanks for checking out this post, hope it is helpful and makes playing more enjoyable! But I love that record. Youre touring with Bob Weir now. The 6 string lap steel is great for Hawaiian, blues, slide guitar licks, many country songs, dobro style riffs and can imitate a lot of what can be played on the 8, 10 and 12 string tunings. I guess because of that, Ive been fairly active. your profile | join | preferences | help | search. He heard my pedal steel and thought that was something that Joni would embrace in her music. She Ended Up Finding Herself. I basically was just playing music with my friends. He has played on so many noteworthy productions, with so many great artists, that to say he has been influential in modern music is probably an understatement. Why was I even there? Its kind of a disappointing thing. And my experience with that is, a lot of people that Ive worked with, you think theyre going to be intimidating, but theyre so good at making you feel comfortable that you wind up singing that persons praises. That album [Loose] was a really great album for me. Pedal steel is a great accompanist instrument, but Leisz shows how much a simple sound can add so much depth to a piece of music. Eric Clapton. For blues, rock, jazz, and many other styles, using the Mixolydian scale in the form of harmonized sixths can be a great avenue for musical expression.