And although I've already owned six different lap steels, I have yet to get my Bakelite Rick. The ring and pinky fingers always rest on the strings behind the bar . He was inspired to pick up the pedal steel after hearing Sneaky Pete Kleinow and Buddy Emmons. I ended up working on a few other albums with him. She seems sweet. I know youre very close with Jackson Browne. Its a song called Moonlight Motel. Its the last song on the record. 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 guess they could have learned it from the version we did. ], Note: Messages not explicitly copyrighted are in the Public Domain. : Wikipedia : Charles Lloyd & The Marvels, Funky Kings, The All Star Band, Watkins Family Hour, Works Progress Administration : | Greg Leisz Sure enough, he was serious. ------------------Brad's Page of Steel A web site devoted to acoustic & electric lap steel guitars, Too bad I procrastinated for more than 20 years. On the other hand, she was always very interested in hearing what I could come up with. Best tuning for beginning lap steel? | The Gear Page They tweaked it here and there and made that the track. We did a spring leg and a fall leg. Private Messages How Do the Pedals and Knee Levers Work on a Pedal Steel? [Laughs] Thats so random. Adding distortion to the lap steel, Leisz gives so much personality to this Bruce Springsteen track. All recordings used a Boss RV-5 set on hall reverb, a Fender black face Vibro-Champ amp and a Shure SM-57 mic. Its huge. I was listening to Jeff Beck and going, Shit, what is that? I was learning to play guitar while he was playing Bob Dylan songs. He's on all of them.. Leisz spent his younger years catching acts like the Byrds and the Flying Burrito Brothers in Southern California clubs. The earliest Hawaiian lap steel tuning was open A low bass, E-A-E-A-C-E. Today, most open tunings for lap steel guitar fall into 3 primary categories: And now Im going, There is something here . I went back to Chicago and worked on that with James. Podcast 66: Greg Leisz on Buddy Emmons. Specifications I never saw that coming. She wanted something focused on every song. Greg Leisz net worth is $800,000 Greg Leisz Wiki: Salary, Married, Wedding, Spouse, Family Gregory Brian Leisz (pronounced "Lease") (born September 18, 1949, Buffalo, New York, United States) is an American musician. As far as lately the latest Luncinda Williams has him on steel and guitar. Custom pedal steel t-shirts, mugs, posters, and moredesigned in Asheville, NC. That was a really interesting thing too. His idea was to have her do this thing with Civil Wars where they sang together. The sound of the guitars blew my mind. But I spent a couple of summers working as a forest ranger in Idaho and fighting fires. Copyright 2023 Penske Business Media, LLC. Four years later, I worked with her again on Taming the Tiger. The pedal steel can be so atmospheric, and Leisz provides the perfect blend for the listener. He tried to get a deal as a solo artist and he was told that he should get a band around him. Yeah. She made one record before that, at least. 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. And then seven or eight years after that, she did her last album [Shine], and she called me to work on that one, too. Buddy Miller's "Majestic Silver Strings". This would encompass all the work he does with T-Bone, and likely the Bon Iver and other indie records he's doing these days. I know Greg plays other guitars live, but I gotta believe that unmistakable Leisz sound comes from the bolt-on. Joe Harvey Whyte & David Murphy Interview Lonesome Highway He was inspired to pick up the pedal steel after hearing Sneaky Pete Kleinow and Buddy Emmons. All the parts have a reason for being there. And Id save money from doing that and come back to California with several thousand dollars, which is a lot of money for fighting fires. We were both planning on being on tour a lot. His heart gets taken out because its broken. I overdubbed all those parts. Leiszs tone is crystal clear on this one, and is captivating. Send us a tip using our anonymous form. It has a deep, full body sound, with amazing resonance. Hundreds of pages of practice, instruction, and reference materials for E9 pedal steel. These five tunings for 6 string lap steel guitar are great starting points for anyone just beginning the lap steel adventure: C6 - C E G A C E - The C6 tuning is by far the most common modern tuning for solid body lap steel guitars. I had put in my time many years before that, learning that stuff. This is the same type of lap steel that Greg Leisz used (along with his Bill Asher steel) when I saw him with Bill Frisell. I live in a place thats a good place to hang out during a pandemic since its very close to nature. I actually didnt think much about a career. 2022 Albums Milan (Deluxe) 2022 Appears On Cardboard Wallpaper (feat. If it didnt have a purpose, theyd just take it out. Tony Berg is a producer Ive worked with quite a bit. While Frisells guitar playing is unique and bends genres in its own right, Leisz complements this so well. 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. Lap steel guitar - Wikipedia She decided she wanted to go play some live shows. I didnt even have a business card. She also never really toured again after 1998. I was pedal steel and lap steel and some mandolin. This page contains affiliate links. A true gentlemen, non-pareil tasteful player and inspiring to talk to. I didnt really listen to the radio. It is in near mint condition and comes with a custom deluxe Cedar Creek hardshell case. Ive come full circle with him. I love the Victoria Williams song Crazy Mary. You play on that. I hope I didn't make a fool of myself. Once you start using the low C# tuning on the lap steel, you have completely different instrument than an 8 string tuned to G E C A G E C A. It really wasnt like I saw the Beatles on TV and said, I want to be like them. I never really did that. Around the 1:32 mark, Leiszs beautiful harmonics grace the listener in the higher frequencies. It gets crazy. What sort of career did you see yourself pursuing? Starting in 1986 or so, your credits list gets insane pretty quick. As far as chords on different frets, one of the essential techniques for playing steel (as opposed to just slide . 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. Im pretty proud of that. Right on Nate! And then it became, Wow, I can make a little money. But I had all sorts of different day jobs the whole time. Theres so many little things that happen when you make records. Billy was in one room working on his stuff and James was in this other room working on his song. I think hed become aware of my playing on a couple of other records, especially this K.D. This is all very helpful. I didnt know much about Roxette and it was just that day. Youre on Safe and Sound with Taylor Swift and Civil Wars. The Lap Steel Tunings Database - 100 tunings for lap steel guitar! Gretsch Custom Shop Tour. Playpedalsteel.com also participates in affiliate programs with CJ, PartnerStack, and other sites. Thats what they called New Wave at the time. anyone know? gretsch. He began playing guitar and soon added dobro and lap steel. Greg Leisz Interview: "I'm more grateful for what I have" I did his whole record last year, which isnt out yet. All are renowned in the business, but some are less well known to the general public. Did certain pedal-steel albums influence you? I knew that he played some steel -- I just didn't know that he REALLY played steel. Bob [This message was edited by Bob Hoffnar on 26 November 2003 at 07:59 AM. She ended up having me play enough takes that she felt she could put together what she wanted. 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. Thats another crazy story. I went to college and took stuff that kept me out of the draft. 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. At the same time, I was heavily influenced by Bob Dylan and that type of songwriting. There can be a lot of confusion about this, that's why I stated it up front. I went through a little bit of soul searching. We spent two hours on the phone with Leisz, and just barely scratched the surface of his life and career. 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. Greg Leisz Follow Artist + The word "ubiquitous" is usually placed in front of pedal steel player and guitarist Greg Leisz's name. These two have such a great melodic sense, and their instruments weave in and out of each other to create a beautiful tapestry of sound. This would encompass all the work he does with T-Bone, and likely the Bon Iver and other indie records he's doing these days. Violin (5:18) Amos Lee: Vocal, Acoustic Guitar, Electric Fuzz Guitar, Vibraphone Jaron Olevsky: Rhodes Electric Keyboard, Organ Joey Burns: Piano, Electric Guitar, Baritone Guitar, Upright Bass Greg Leisz: Pedal Steel In 1989, he played on k.d. Its got a great honky-tonk sound, and Leisz shows how at home he feels playing pedal steel in a more traditional context too. I saw her on Saturday Night Live. Pick up any Matthew Sweet album.. produced by Lee Townsend recording and mixing engineer: Judy Clapp. Leisz's playing has appeared throughout the years on recordings by Aaron Neville, Alison Krauss, Amos Lee, Beck, Bill Frisell, Black Crowes, Bon Iver, Bruce Cockburn, Bruce Springsteen, Cass McCombs, Chuck Prophet, Daft Punk, Dave Alvin, Eagles, Emmylou Harris, Eric Clapton, Glenn Frey, Grant Lee Buffalo, Haim, Jackson Browne, Joe Cocker, John Fogerty, John Mayer, John Stewart, Joni Mitchell, k.d. Getting paid for anything is always a pain in the neck. Continue with Recommended Cookies, Tabs can be a great way to reference musical patterns and learn new playing ideas on the pedal steel guitar. I also didnt have parents that thought it was a good idea. Feb 12, 2008. greg leisz lap steel tuning - sfleague.org Prior to that record, I knew who she was. He was doing a record with her. We and our partners use data for Personalised ads and content, ad and content measurement, audience insights and product development. She wanted something very specific. Youre on Paula Coles I Dont Want to Wait, which was an enormous song. Playing on that record was a big deal to me. That was great, for me. T Bone talked her into doing it this other way. Greg Leisz' tuning : The Steel Guitar Forum And then I was like, Wow, I can actually play this stuff. At first, she thought shed use Brians jazz band. He plays guitar, dobro, mandolin, lap steel and pedal steel guitar Log in, Steel Guitar Forum LLCPO Box 237Mount Horeb, WI 53572 USA. She is known, among other things, for having written the theme song for the TV show "Parks and Rec". Unraveling the Mysteries - Weissenborn Pedal Steel. Manage Settings The longer scale of the Strat (as opposed to traditional Lap steels) seems suited to this type of stuff. They had two different studios in the same complex. "A lot of people that I've worked with, you think they're going to be intimidating, but they're so good at making you feel comfortable," says Greg Leisz. I never really liked the Grateful Dead, and now Im in Bobs band the Wolf Brothers with Don Was. 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. I really do like what I played on that song. What drew you to the pedal steel? A detailed look at one of the most challenging and mysterious aspects of steel guitar playing: the right hand An In-Depth Guide to Picking and Blocking How to Efficiently and Accurately Play Notes on Steel Guitar with Info, Advice, and Tips Great for Pedal Steel, Lap Steel, and Console Steel Guitar I just liked the sound of the guitar and I wanted to do it.