Maria, melody played with Ebow

[Mike Neer]

A few months ago I recorded a demo of Maria, the two minute masterpiece from West Side Story, and I was really happy with the way it came out, especially the arrangement, which had a groove which reminded me of Beck (I don't mean Jeff), especially since it was his drummer playing it, Joey Waronker (he didn't actually play, but I assembled a drum track from a bunch of loops of his).

Anyway, the melody and tone of the steel was really nice but I thought the notes died or were not audible in long, sustained lines. This is right around the time before I took some Hindustani lessons, which really helped me develop my melodic playing. I thought I would revisit that demo and kept the same tracks, added an electric guitar and then a new steel track, which I ultimately played using an Ebow. But I didn't like the too-long sustained notes without any attack. Time for another solution. I had used Ebow on guitar many years before, but only bought an Ebow 6 mos ago for steel. I started investigating ways to play the notes with some attack and came up with a solution of picking with my ring finger behind the Ebow. Works like a charm, what do you think? I didn't record a video of me playing it this time. In fact, my videos are more popular if I'm not in them!

Also important is controlling the sustain, so I move and lift the Ebow off the strings as necessary.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=clOLYtuwmko

[Lance Clifford]

Liked that, Mike!

And I'd say you accomplished what you set out to do.

Thanks!

[Nic Neufeld]

Anyway, the melody and tone of the steel was really nice but I thought the notes died or were not audible in long, sustained lines. This is right around the time before I took some Hindustani lessons, which really helped me develop my melodic playing.

I listened to this prior to you posting your explanation here and it really reminded me of Ust Shahid Parvez Khan, particularly the way he could wrench out sustain on his sitar, playing whole melodies pulling across the fret on a single strike. Learning ICM helped me melodically too, even on western instruments. And just physically, lol, at my peak of practicing I would play bass and start bending strings like I was playing blues guitar!

Yeah, when I first heard this and didn't know you were using an eBow I was just floored by the sustain, wanted to know what devilry you had gotten up to! If you just said "well this was recorded on such and such guitar and amp" you could have probably sold some gear. But I think the thing that is unique (and also, what tricks our ear) is that you are using the ebow only to extend sustain. When I was a young guitarist tinkering with my new ebow, I would use it to start the note, like a bow...that's the cool effect, basically. But you strike the note, so it still sounds like a guitar with attack, and then just sidle that ebow in to keep the string ringing as long as you need it to. Very cool and not something I would have thought about.

Unrelated but as a funky / cool West Side Story cover it reminded me of when an early version of Yes covered Something's Coming in the late 60s:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OQl1xTU0y_0

[Rich Arnold]

An Ebow is a theremin killer.
I've got one but it collects dust.
I used it once at a jam to play the Star Trek theme but the cats didn't know the chords very well.
It is fun when I get around to breaking it out.