I've been teetering on the edge of diving fully into pedal steel for a while but I'm not really a country guy. Weve been doing live streaming shows from the Bay Area. 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. He just sits up there in his golf shirt and jeans and is up there like he just walked out of his house and went down to the local bar and hes onstage playing. The year after that, Morning Phase was the album of the year. Pedal Steel Guitar: Why Its So Hard To Play, Pedal Steel Guitar WEIGHT (Lighter vs. Theyd stick it in their wallet and maybe theyd lose it, or maybe theyd write it down. Your purchases also help protect forests, including trees traditionally used to make instruments. I did a couple of songs, and then a couple of days later, I played on another song. As far as lately the latest Luncinda Williams has him on steel and guitar. Lang, and Bob Weir and Wolf Bros. I dont know how to comprehend everything Ive done, he says. And then it became, Wow, I can make a little money. But I had all sorts of different day jobs the whole time. I thought, Well, my names in there. I didnt listen to contemporary music for a long time, probably from around the late Seventies until the late Eighties. It was something I really liked to do and I started doing it a lot. I was able to play a lot of different kinds of music. She came in and she was real sweet. Long story short, we made one record. Alot of T-Bone Burnett records have Greg playing steel. There can be a lot of confusion about this, that's why I stated it up front. 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. Yeah. Continue with Recommended Cookies, Tabs can be a great way to reference musical patterns and learn new playing ideas on the pedal steel guitar. Anyway, it was great for me. Playing on that record was a big deal to me. Nonesuch Records 2001 . Email admin@steelguitarforum.com for technical support. To view the purposes they believe they have legitimate interest for, or to object to this data processing use the vendor list link below. Thats just a huge, huge record. It doesnt always work. Youre all over the last Daft Punk album. She set me straight and said, Im not going to tell you anything. There was a lot of questioning, to be totally honest. 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. Email admin@steelguitarforum.com for technical support. We just did a video of whats going to be his next single. They had all these songs and they basically just let me play what I heard. With origins dating back to the 19thCentury, the steel guitar found its way to Hawaii by courtesy of Mexican settlers. I hadnt met Beck before that. Does he mostly play E9? (He's a really good guitar player.) ------------------Livin' in the Past and the Future with a 12 string Mooney Universal tuning. Leisz enjoyed collaborating with her for nearly twenty years straight, and this musical dynamic is always worth listening to. 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. I took piano lessons when I was nine, but I didnt have a good teacher and I gave it up pretty quickly. It is why I am playing steel today. Adding distortion to the lap steel, Leisz gives so much personality to this Bruce Springsteen track. At first, she thought shed use Brians jazz band. And now Im going, There is something here . Some of it is credited and other things arent properly credited since that thing was a mess in the latter stages of that record. That record was Album of the Year at the Grammys. She was on my radar as somebody up-and-coming. Why was I even there? Its kind of a disappointing thing. My friend Brian Blade played drums on it. Hed even introduce me in the set. Please check the fields highlighted in red. The 100 Greatest TV Shows of All Time Hearing Leisz' work on that Bon Iver album convinced me that pedal steel is where I want to head. We and our partners use cookies to Store and/or access information on a device. : Wikipedia : Charles Lloyd & The Marvels, Funky Kings, The All Star Band, Watkins Family Hour, Works Progress Administration : | Greg Leisz Add To Cart. And then I started working with some musicians that were playing in some of the folk clubs in Southern California. I didnt know much about Roxette and it was just that day. I wasnt expecting that band to break up. Help 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 . I love that song. I got pretty good. Thats another one of those random things. He tried to get a deal as a solo artist and he was told that he should get a band around him. This is a gorgeous Asher Acoustic Hawaiian Teardrop Lap Steel owned and played by Greg Leisz who had been using it for recording and touring with Jackson Browne. David Murphy (left) photographed by Richie Tyndall. I loved the stuff that Sneaky Pete Kleinow played on the Flying Burrito Brothers records that he did. The group released their debut album, WPA, on September 15, 2009. That band was really the brainchild of this guy named Richard Stekol, who was one third of the songwriting triumvirate of that band. I spent a lot of hours in country bars learning how to play, but my musical background has always been very wide. More recently, you worked with Phoebe Bridgers. 8 bars over a 1:3m:4:5 chord sequence - bliss! The word "ubiquitous" is usually placed in front of pedal steel player and guitarist Greg Leisz's name. He appeared in the 2016 Cameron Crowe cable television series Roadies, accompanying Jackson Browne on three songs in the last episode of the series. Help But I have worked on several other sessions with him, including several where we played live in the studio, like Mutations. Originally played on the lap, the instrument was a modification to the Spanish guitar, whereby the strings were raised by a half inch, creating what was at . It has a deep, full body sound, with amazing resonance. 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. Thats a little odd. We got a record deal because of Jack Tempchins past of writing songs for the Eagles on their early records. Very nice and tasteful playing. I really liked working with her. Hang down your head, Tom Dooley/Poor boy, youre bound to die. That was like, Wow. And when I started playing guitar, I knew those melodies from hearing them on the radio. I played on something where she hadnt finished the lyrics yet. I started meeting people that came out of almost the punk era in the Eighties. But once I started hearing songs on the radio I liked, Id memorize them and play them on the piano. The last plane flight I was on, I went to New York at the beginning of last February. Its not just flavoring. Hes added so much great pedal steel playing to Frisells albums over the years, that listening to Frisells work is perhaps one of the best ways to learn what the pedal steel is capable of in Leiszs hands. We spent two hours on the phone with Leisz, and just barely scratched the surface of his life and career. While Frisells guitar playing is unique and bends genres in its own right, Leisz complements this so well. 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. Watch this gear and we'll notify you if it becomes available again. They did all that stuff in Nashville. Leiszs tone is crystal clear on this one, and is captivating. When I ordered my Williams, Bob Rudolph told me that he uses S-12 Extended E9th tuning. Starting in 1986 or so, your credits list gets insane pretty quick. I went in and played a couple of songs with him live in the studio with a full band. And she got Roy Bittan. I love the Victoria Williams song Crazy Mary. You play on that. And now hes one of my best friends. I play on two songs [Not to Blame and Borderline] on that record. I really enjoyed his work on the recent Blue Ridge Rangers" album (John Fogarty). Tell me about playing on Bruce Springsteens Wrecking Ball. Youre on Youve Got It and We Are Alive. Shes fantastic. I didnt really expect any sort of a follow-up. When legendary artists head into the studio nowadays, theres a good chance theyll have Leisz play steel on the production. Every one of the past 30 years has been that busy in the studio, and hes still found time to tour with the likes of Joni Mitchell, Jackson Browne, Eric Clapton, K.D. from $995.00 $1,773.00 Sale SOLD 2022 Electro Hawaiian Model 1 Lap Steel Custom $3,900.00 Sold Out Sale 2022-2023 Asher Electro Hawaiian Junior Lap Steel Trans Cherry with Gig Bag! I never ended up doing anything live with him. It really wasnt like I saw the Beatles on TV and said, I want to be like them. I never really did that. Lang record Ingnue. I didnt know it was Eric Clapton. Greg's playing on Bon Iver is some of my favorite steel playing of all. The longer scale of the Strat (as opposed to traditional Lap steels) seems suited to this type of stuff. She seems sweet. She had already done all her drum parts and vocals and most of the bass. You can do anything you want. He asked me to come to Chicago and I was there. But I overdubbed. Jim Scott ended up mixing that album. In Southern California, kind of North of L.A., near Santa Barbara. And it was the first time I remember going to somebodys house to record. I love the layering and devotion to the song instead of the instrument. They were amazing. She decided she wanted to take over the production of the record herself. This was her second record and she wanted to make a bunch of changes. When we ended up playing together, it was kind of fun even though he barely remembered me. Leisz is no stranger to rock n roll, and always has the ability to add grit and bite to songs. Theres so many little things that happen when you make records. All Rights reserved. Theres one song where you can really hear how its cut up and moved in the track. 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. The people that you meet and have a connection with, suddenly theres another connection later on. I went in and did one day where I played on a few songs. 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. It wasnt the first band that wasnt successful that I was in, but it was the band that had the most attention focused on it, quite a bit in a very short time. ------------------Brad's Page of Steel A web site devoted to acoustic & electric lap steel guitars, Too bad I procrastinated for more than 20 years. He came out of that world in England where he heard Muddy Waters and it was all over for him. I was like, Now I have to get an electric guitar. That was the start of the garage-band culture of the Sixties. We were both planning on being on tour a lot. All recordings used a Boss RV-5 set on hall reverb, a Fender black face Vibro-Champ amp and a Shure SM-57 mic. I was usually to shy to go up and talk to anybody about it, but I just kind of absorbed the music. Powered by Infopop www.infopop.com 2000 These lap steel tabs and songs were played on an 8 string Excel Jerry Byrd frypan lap steel. They were like, Shes gone off the tracks, she fired her producer. I think they were surprised. A couple years later, he made another record [Old Sock] and Doyle called me again. Did you work with Taylor? Sometimes, for whatever reason, they just dont use it properly or they bury it in the mix. How has your pandemic year gone? If you would like to change your settings or withdraw consent at any time, the link to do so is in our privacy policy accessible from our home page.. 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. Gretsch Custom Shop Tour. We and our partners use data for Personalised ads and content, ad and content measurement, audience insights and product development. All Lap Steels 2022-2023 Asher Electro Hawaiian Junior Lap Steel Black with Gig Bag! I had to decide whether it was good myself. Custom pedal steel t-shirts, mugs, posters, and moredesigned in Asheville, NC. There was a lot of stuff in your head, so you didnt think that was a possibility. I basically thought at one point that Id be a geologist or a forest ranger or something like that. John Bohlinger. We want to hear it. I guess because of that, Ive been fairly active. T Bone has a lot of I dont want to say he delegates, but he trusts musicians to just do what he thinks theyre going to do. She had a strong vision. Also, its interesting to me that it even happened at all. Wayne Shorter, Jazz Legend Who Collaborated With Miles Davis and Joni Mitchell, Dead at 89 He does some nice work on Jakob Dylan's "Women And Country". Although this track has Leisz on lap steel, I couldnt help but include it! The pedal steel can be so atmospheric, and Leisz provides the perfect blend for the listener. Another year went by, and one day I got a text. 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. He was inspired to pick up the pedal steel after hearing Sneaky Pete Kleinow and Buddy Emmons. 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. I feel very fortunate we got through the whole year. He met Jack Tempchin. That was great, for me. Tell me your first memories of being a kid and hearing music that really reached you. Its called Horizon. Its probably on Spotify now. 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. You did all that in a single day? lang, Wilco, Lucinda Williams, Bruce Cockburn, Shawn Colvin, Paula Cole, and the Venturesto name a few. You probably know the history. She ended up having me play enough takes that she felt she could put together what she wanted. Lets start with Roxette and their hit It Must Have Been Love. 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 Getting paid for anything is always a pain in the neck. 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. lang, adding pedal steel to this Grammy-winning album. We had a laugh about that. Its actually playing really specific and dedicated, punctuated lines, which is what they were looking for. lang's Grammy-winning Absolute Torch and Twang and joined her on the resulting tour. As a janitor, Id work at City Hall, just cleaning bathrooms and stuff like that. Around the 1:32 mark, Leiszs beautiful harmonics grace the listener in the higher frequencies. Ive worked with Lucinda a lot since then, and even co-produced two of the last three albums [The Ghosts of Highway 20 and Down Where the Spirit Meets the Bone] that shes made. I never really tried to emulate a pop star. My understanding is he uses a '66 bolt-on push/pull for most of his studio work. His tone (on recent recordings) is, in my opinion, the best you will find in the world. [Laughs] He was like, Heres this carrot. Ive come full circle with him. Steve Earle had taken over from her ex-guitar player [Gurf Morlix], who left the band during the sessions. He felt it would be too many musicians and that it should be more stripped-down. It was the same thing that drew me to the electric guitar. I had seen her play live when she opened for Sarah McLachlan in Los Angeles. The music started coming into my consciousness a lot more. He toured in 2013 as a member of Eric Clapton's band, in 2015 as a member of Jackson Browne's band, and again in 2017. Its wild. This track features mostly acoustic guitar and vocals, and the pedal steel is so smooth. Larry Klein bought me onto Turbulent Indigo. I didnt have one and said Id like to play it. I cant really believe it myself. A few weeks later, they called me back and I did another song. 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. And it came out really good. I said, Oh great. And I had to go, How do you deal with that? But thats another story. They just had me improvise on it. Starting the early 1990s, he worked often with Matthew Sweet, played on Sweet's album Girlfriend and toured with him. I put it together myself from maybe a few takes. 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. 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. In 1975, he toured with John Stewart (formerly of The Kingston Trio). With tasteful use, the blues scale can go a long ways in many musical styles and playing environments. He introduced Jules to Jack and vice versa. Greg Leisz plays a Weissenborn Style 2, Style 1, and teardrop model with an original metal tailpiece (anyone seen another?). They were all playing together and I was in the band with them. 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. She was living in Nashville and he was in Los Angeles. Please excuse my ignorance, but what is a "bolt-on push pull"? Utilize the major scale on common positions of the fretboard using foot pedals. He was inspired to pick up the pedal steel after hearing Sneaky Pete Kleinow and Buddy Emmons. He was probably looking to do something at that same time. I dont think Warner Bros. was particularly happy, but they allowed her to do it. greg leisz lap steel tuning | 50827 post-template-default,single,single-post,postid-50827,single-format-standard,theme-capri,qode-core-2.1.1,select-core-2.1.1,woocommerce-no-js,ajax_fade,page_not_loaded,,capri-ver-3.3, vertical_menu_with_scroll,smooth_scroll,fade_push_text_top,paspartu_enabled,woocommerce_installed,blog_installed,wpb-js . But I played on a song with Willie Nelson, Merle Haggard, and Kris Kristofferson. At some point, I just picked up the guitar, probably around 1962 or 1963. 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. Rolling Stone interview series Unknown Legends features long-form conversations between senior writer Andy Greene and veteran musicians who have toured and recorded alongside icons for years, if not decades. Or does he switch necks often? We had the pleasure of opening for her here in Fort Myers a while back. He was still married to her at that time. I hope I didn't make a fool of myself. Leisz is playing subtly, yet the sound he creates enhances the track nicely. Its overwhelming. When he was working on it, I got brought in. I basically felt like I had to hone my own skills. I love how unconventional Leiszs pedal steel has been on many recordings. 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. Right on Nate! Especially the solo on "Pony". In January 2008, Leisz joined the group Works Progress Administration, a band composed of Leisz, Sean Watkins (guitar), his sister Sara Watkins (fiddle), Glen Phillips (guitar, vocals), Benmont Tench (piano), Luke Bulla (fiddle), Pete Thomas (drums), and Davey Faragher (bass). At the same time, I was heavily influenced by Bob Dylan and that type of songwriting. 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. It was just that Billy Corgan was allowing James to do one song on a double album. Tony Berg is a producer Ive worked with quite a bit. He began playing guitar and soon added dobro and lap steel. I did a little bit of that. Theres nothing like the beautiful sound of harmonized sixths played on the pedal steel tabs that display the major scale harmonized in sixths. Terry . Hes help put the pedal steel on the map of countless areas of music that it probably had never been before. It is very versatile and there is a lot of learning material available online. I saw Rosie play in San Francisco a couple years ago - she was great! 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. One lesson that will aid your set of lap steel guitar lessons nicely is this one from your friends at the National Guitar Academy: Slide Guitar Tuning: The Essential Guide. 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. 00:00:00. Pearl Jam did Crazy Mary on that. I just went in and overdubbed on one song. But I love that song. She was very focused, so it was great working with her. And then Paul Carrack. Those threads can have a huge impact on your musical journey. I didnt know him then. On pedals,he plays both necks very well and he told me he's been playing a U-12 Sierra on the Bill Frisell gig.On lap,he plays a number of tunings and seems to come up with nice stuff even if it's a tuning he just made up to suit a certain song.No slouch on standard guitar either.I've been trying to get him on the forum as he's aware his name comes up from time to time.Hey Greg - you out there?