Miserlou (A6th Lap Steel)

[Andy Volk]

Miserlou - A6th Lap steel (same as C6th: GECAGE tuned down)

Here's my arrangement of this classic middle eastern tune.
I was inspired by Dick Dale's surf version and even more, by
forumite Jody Carver's incredibly cool version recorded with
Johnny Cucci back in the 50's. Jody did a fingerpick rake across
muted strings alternating with chord stabs that added a unique
percussive background pad for Johnny's lead guitar. Here, the
steel carries the entire melody but I use Jody's string rake
tedchnique (with my thumpick) when the melody sustains over
two bars.

Jody Carver's lick:

<font face="monospace" size="2"><pre>

Mute all Rake (r) with finger pick toward your body followed by thumb pick in the other direction (32nd notes)

[-3-]
E---| |------x------------r----------r------7-7-7-------|
C#--| |------x-------------r--------r-------7-7-7-------|
A---| |*-----x--------------r------r--------------------|
F#--| |*-----x---------------r----r---------7-7-7-------|
E---| |------x----------------r--r----------------------|
C#--| |------x------------------r-----------------------|

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Intro: Bass (with steel playing percussive lick above)
(h) (h) (h) (h)
G---| |*-----------------|--------------------|-----------------|--------------------| |
D---| |*-----------------|--------2--3--2--3--|-----------------|--------2--3--2--3--| |
A---| |------2--2-----2--|-----2--------------|-----2--2-----2--|-----2--------------| |
E---| |---0--------------|--0-----------------|--0--------------|--0-----------------| |


(part A)

E E E E
E---| |---------------------|-----7--8--10--8--|-----7-----------|-----------|
C#--| |------------7--8-----|-----7--8--10--8--|-----7-----------|-----------|
A---| |*-----7--8--7--8-----|------------------|-----------------|-----------|
F#--| |*--------------------|------------------|-----------------|-----------|
E---| |------7--8-----------|------------------|-----------------|-----------|
C#--| |---------------------|------------------|-----------------|-----------|


E E E E
E---------------------|-----7--8--10--8--|-----7-----------|-----------|
C#-----------7--8-----|-----7--8--10--8--|-----7-----------|-----------|
A------7--8--7--8-----|------------------|-----------------|-----------|
F#--------------------|------------------|-----------------|-----------|
E------7--8-----------|------------------|-----------------|-----------|
C#--------------------|------------------|-----------------|-----------|


F F E E
E------8--7--8--7-----|-------------------|-----------------|--------------|
C#-----8--7--8--7--8--|-----10--8--10--8--|-----7-----7-----|--------------|
A------------------8--|-----10--8--10--8--|-----7-----7-----|--------------|
F#--------------------|-------------------|-----------------|--------------|
E---------------------|-----10--8--10--8--|-----7-----7-----|--------------|
C#--------------------|-------------------|-----------------|--------------|


F F E Glide E
E------------------|-----------------|-----------------|-----------| |
C#--8--7--8--7-----|-----8-----8-----|-----7--4--3-----|-----------| |
A---8--7--8--7--8--|-----8--8--8--8--|-----7--3--2-----|-----------| |
F#-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|-----------| |
E---------------8--|--------8-----8--|-----------------|-----------| |
C#-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|-----------| |


E E E
E------0--0--0--0--|-----0--0--0--0--|-----0--0--0-----0-----0--|
C#-----------------|-----------------|--------------------------|
A------------------|-----------------|--------------------------|
F#-----------------|-----5--6--8--6--|-----4--5-----5-----5-----|
E------------4--5--|-----------------|--------------------------|
C#-----3--4--------|-----------------|--------------------------|


E E
E---------0-----0-----0-----0--|--------0-----0-----0-----0--|
C#-----------------------------|-----------------------------|
A------------------------------|-----------------------------|
F#-----------------------------|-----5-----6-----8-----6-----|
E------------------4-----5-----|-----------------------------|
C#-----3-----4-----------------|-----------------------------|


E F F E
E------------0-----0-----0--|--------------------|-----------------|--------------|
C#--------------------------|--------------------|-----------------|--------------|
A---------------------------|-----3--2--3--2-----|-----2--0--2--0--|--------------|
F#-----4--5-----5-----5-----|-----------------3--|-----------------|-----2--2-----|
E---------------------------|--------------------|-----------------|--------------|
C#--------------------------|--------------------|-----------------|--------------|


E F F E
E---------------|--------------------|-----------------|-----------|
C#--------------|--------------------|-----------------|-----------|
A---------------|--------------------|-----------------|-----------|
F#--------------|-----5--3--5--3--2--|-----3-----3-----|-----------|
E---------------|--------------------|--------1-----1--|-----1--0--|
C#--------------|--------------------|-----------------|-----------|


E (part b A
E------------1--0--------1--0---| |--------------------------------|
C#------------------------------| |--------------------------------|
A------------------------------*| |--------------------------------|
F#-----------------------------*| |--------------------------------|
E------1--0--------1--0---------| |-----------------------5--5-----|
C#------------------------------| |--------------------------------|


A G G F
E------------------------|--------------|--------------------------|-----------------|
C#-----------------------|--------------|--------------------------|-----------------|
A------------------------|--------------|--------------------------|-----------------|
F#-----------------------|--------------|--------------------------|-----------------|
E------5--5--5--5--4--5--|-----7--7-----|-----7--7--7--7--5--7-----|-----8--7--8-----|
C#-----------------------|--------------|--------------------------|-----------------|


F E E F
E------------------|---------|--------------------|-----13--12--13--12--10--|
C#-----------------|---------|--------------------|-------------------------|
A------------------|---------|--------------------|-------------------------|
F#-----------------|---------|--------------------|-------------------------|
E------11--10--11--|-----12--|--------------------|-------------------------|
C#-----------------|---------|--------------------|-------------------------|


F E E F
E------12--10--12--10-----------|-----8--7--|--------------|-----10--8--10--8--9-----|
C#------------------------------|-----------|--------------|----------------------8--|
A-------------------------------|-----------|--------------|-------------------------|
F#------------------------------|-----------|--------------|-------------------------|
E-------------------------------|-----------|--------------|-------------------------|
C#------------------------------|-----------|--------------|-------------------------|


F E E
E------7-----7-----|-----------------|------------| |
C#--------8-----8--|-----------------|------------| |
A------------------|--------8--7-----|-----------*| |
F#-----------------|-----------------|-----------*| |
E------------------|-----------------|------------| |
C#-----------------|-----------------|------------| |
</pre></font>


<FONT SIZE=1 COLOR="#8e236b"><p align=CENTER>[This message was edited by Andy Volk on 25 May 2002 at 05:34 AM.]</p></FONT><FONT SIZE=1 COLOR="#8e236b"><p align=CENTER>[This message was edited by Andy Volk on 28 May 2002 at 06:17 AM.]</p></FONT>

[Jody Carver]

Andy
It looks more complicated than it is,,I myself could'nt do it again,,beginners luck I guess,,,,,thanks for the plug,,appreciate it.

[Andy Volk]

Don't sell yourself short, pal! That pick clip percussion you used on Miserlou and Brazil was very effective and quite original - at least I've never heard any other steel player use it. In the late 40's, early 50's, a bongo drum effect was popular with some stndard guitar players like Tal Farlow & Herb Ellis who slapped the guitar body at the 15th & 12th fret to simulate the two bongo drums. Tal said he got the idea from Philadelphia where it was kind of a local style done with lots of intricate variations. Anybody know of any other steelers who used the pick click percussion effect?

[Jim Smith]

<SMALL>Anybody know of any other steelers who used the pick click percussion effect?</SMALL>

Buddy Emmons!

[Bob Stone]

Thanks for the Tab Andy.

Aubrey Ghent uses the pick-click percussion--as well as just about any other technique he can find to get tonal colors out of his 6-string lap (Dobro tuning).