I never saw that coming. Getting Started (C6th Hawaiian Tabs)Hawaiian Steel Guitar. This is an invaluable ability for sessions, where the musician often has to hear and learn the music on the spot for the recording. I was basically asked to play all the guitars on the album. She was living in Nashville and he was in Los Angeles. Diagrams that display the minor pentatonic scale notes on the E9 fretboard. 8 bars over a 1:3m:4:5 chord sequence - bliss! 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). Similar to playing with a slide or playing pedal steel, the lap steel uses a bar that slides across the strings. I just got contacted. I already knew it and I came out of the Sixties and had a folkie background and could understand that stuff. All the parts have a reason for being there. Sometimes, for whatever reason, they just dont use it properly or they bury it in the mix. He has an uncanny ability to always connect with the listeners ears. Actually, Ive been working a lot with Jackson Browne. At least that's what David told me 25 years ago. I went in and played a couple of songs with him live in the studio with a full band. [Laughs] Thats so random. It has really great songs, but it had some amazing pedal steel by Buddy Emmons. I can see why his recording career show so many credits. I love how much of a drive this song has, it just makes you want to dance under some neon lights. I played a lot of different kinds of guitars on that record. 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.'. On the other hand, she was always very interested in hearing what I could come up with. Youre on Safe and Sound with Taylor Swift and Civil Wars. Up to an additional 30% off shop-wideEnjoy weekend savings on Fender, Gretsch, and moreShop now, View similar gear from other sellers on Reverb. Sure enough, he was serious. With origins dating back to the 19thCentury, the steel guitar found its way to Hawaii by courtesy of Mexican settlers. I havent been on a plane for about 14 months or something. 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. They did a lot of interesting stuff with what I played. I spent a lot of hours in country bars learning how to play, but my musical background has always been very wide. Ultimate Bulletin Board 5.46, Powered by Infopop www.infopop.com 2000 K D Lang's "Ingenue" album has superb playing by Greg Leize. 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. The people that you meet and have a connection with, suddenly theres another connection later on. Greg Leisz Follow Artist + The word "ubiquitous" is usually placed in front of pedal steel player and guitarist Greg Leisz's name. I wasnt expecting that band to break up. Once youre in that world, your ears become really open to hearing stuff. I think I was working on another record at the time, a Jakob Dylan record. February 21, 2023. He basically put the band together since he was the only person that knew everyone that ended up in it. Not to be pigeonholed in just roots music, Leisz (pronounced "Lees") has also played with the likes of Beck, Matthew Sweet, Bad Religion, the Smashing Pumpkins, and Brian Wilson. 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. If you take a look at the music recorded in the last 30 years, theres a good chance youll come across the name Greg Leisz. 00:00:00. I went to his home studio and worked with his engineer. 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 . I put it together myself from maybe a few takes. To make a long story short, I knew her engineer and he asked me to come play on the record. Four years later, I worked with her again on Taming the Tiger. Weve been doing live streaming shows from the Bay Area. In 1975, he toured with John Stewart (formerly of The Kingston Trio). I didnt really see myself in the picture. Bill Frisell "Good Dog, Happy Man" lotsa Leisz. We were both planning on being on tour a lot. Hearing Leisz' work on that Bon Iver album convinced me that pedal steel is where I want to head. I forget if it was directly by James Iha or the management. That was great, for me. 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 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. I saw that she broke her guitar and David Crosby didnt like it. 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. But that particular song, what happened there is kind of interesting. He had Flood and the other producer [Alan Moulder]. There can be a lot of confusion about this, that's why I stated it up front. Leisz's ability to add whatever a track needs always feels natural and timeless at the same time. I did a couple of songs, and then a couple of days later, I played on another song. That was the first thing I did with her. They tweaked it here and there and made that the track. They were referencing a lot of what they thought of as Seventies music, and using it. It was from Eric. Mint items are in essentially new original condition but have been opened or played. When I taught myself how to play the electric guitar when I was 13, 14, its a visceral thing. The sound of the guitars blew my mind. Nonesuch Records 2001 . He just came in and said, Im going to go out. We spent two hours on the phone with Leisz, and just barely scratched the surface of his life and career. I wish I had been his best friend in high school. 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. A detailed look at one of the most challenging and mysterious aspects of steel guitar playing: the right hand, 200 Country Riffs & Licks for E9 Pedal Steel, Add these country licks to your playing repertoire, The Elixir of E9 Pedal Steel: Harmonized 6thsif(typeof ez_ad_units!='undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[300,250],'playpedalsteel_com-medrectangle-1','ezslot_6',177,'0','0'])};__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-playpedalsteel_com-medrectangle-1-0');report this ad, Stay up to date on articles, tabs, and more, The pedal steel is much easier than it seems if you approach it with certain essentials in mind. Theyd stick it in their wallet and maybe theyd lose it, or maybe theyd write it down. Lap Steel. (He's a really good guitar player.) That was the first time I worked with him. 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. [Laughs] Yes, but Im used to being intimidated by people in the music business. Definitely check out the Sara Watkins album, he's all over it. The Robert Plant / Alison Krauss album was another amazing record. When she was making Car Wheels, that was really at the end stages of the record. Blues and Rock players tend to favor one of two tuning families: open G/open A, or open D/open E. Send us a tip using our anonymous form. At first, she thought shed use Brians jazz band. Yeah. We hadnt even learned many songs when we got our record deal, and Arista, Clive Davis, signed the band. Oops, looks like you forgot something. At the same time, I was heavily influenced by Bob Dylan and that type of songwriting. Its similar. Victoria played guitar and I played pedal steel on it. Adding distortion to the lap steel, Leisz gives so much personality to this Bruce Springsteen track. It really wasnt like I saw the Beatles on TV and said, I want to be like them. I never really did that. I hope I didn't make a fool of myself. 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. It was just that Billy Corgan was allowing James to do one song on a double album. ], [This message was edited by Bob Hoffnar on 26 November 2003 at 07:59 AM.]. Youre touring with Bob Weir now. We recorded that song with Don Heffington on drums and Greg Cohen on bass. Lang record Ingnue. 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. Greg Leisz: Lap Steel Craig Schumacher: Synth Bass John Convertino: Drums, Thunder Drum Brian Lopez: Backing Vocal 3. Greg Leisz's playing with k d lang is wonderful. Great player all aroundlap, non-pedal, pedal, dobroetc etc Ironically, I used to play a lot of gigs with Greg in the '80s -- I was playing steel and he was playing guitar. http://archive.guitarplayer.com/archive/artists/frisell.shtml. My understanding is he uses a '66 bolt-on push/pull for most of his studio work. Prior to that record, I knew who she was. Starting the early 1990s, he worked often with Matthew Sweet, played on Sweet's album Girlfriend and toured with him. Tunings The Lap steel guitar is not tuned in standard guitar tuning ( E-A-D-G-B-E, low to high). Youve recorded and toured a ton together over the years. I didnt study music because I didnt think that was a career option for me. Having options for playing minor scales or modes in 6ths can be beneficial when playing in minor keys, over chord vamps, and over certain chords in a progression. Its pretty interesting. But I overdubbed. They are Swedish musicians, but I knew some of the same people that they did. And they cut some stuff up. It is why I am playing steel today. T Bone wasnt even there to tell me it was good. Read More. It was really close in time to after her record came out. 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. Steve Earle had taken over from her ex-guitar player [Gurf Morlix], who left the band during the sessions. I knew Lucinda from way back and had even worked stuff of hers that she ultimately shelved and then rerecorded. Yeah. Ultimate Bulletin Board 5.46, The greatest musical hands in the world, now on CD! Where are you right now? youtu.be. I cant really believe it myself. 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. It is always a pleasure to hear Leiszs playing. Gretsch Custom Shop Tour. I didnt know it was Eric Clapton. We want to hear it. That was amazing. While Greg ranges widely stylistically, he can also play excellent straight-ahead country style, as on some of his work with Rosie Flores. It was. mastering by Greg Calbi. Well, in those 10 years, I spent a lot of time playing in clubs, basically. Thats what he did. Youve been really busy recently. produced by Lee Townsend recording and mixing engineer: Judy Clapp. Its huge. I had to decide whether it was good myself. A marvelous pedal steel player, Leisz has some of the most tasteful playing and impactful tone. Anyway, it was great for me. That was kind of a cool thing. Ive been very fortunate since all my friends and family have remained healthy and fine. Thats what they called New Wave at the time. The record came out and you cant even hear what I played. The music started coming into my consciousness a lot more. The idea that you were going to have to go to Vietnam and maybe kill people, it wasnt conducive to thinking about being a musician. I saw her on Saturday Night Live. Shes the one that comes in and walks away with it. Why am I going there? I had no idea. Specifications 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. But I just overdubbed on it. That was a really interesting thing too. Eric Clapton. They had the chorus. Long story short, we made one record. Girlfriend is a classic My absolute favorite steel player. The other guy was Steves co-producer [Ray Kennedy]. I saw Rosie play in San Francisco a couple years ago - she was great! I basically grew up inside of that. She seems sweet. They just had me improvise on it. You wouldnt know it was Daft Punk, but its got pedal steel all through it. I want to go back here and talk about your life. 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. They were different sessions and I recorded with her sitting right next to me while I overdubbed. 2022 Albums Milan (Deluxe) 2022 Appears On Cardboard Wallpaper (feat. And then I started working with some musicians that were playing in some of the folk clubs in Southern California. Ron Aniello is somebody I have worked with before, so he hired me to come and play on some stuff. He showed me the song [River Runs Deep] and pulled out an acoustic guitar. lang, Lucinda Williams, Matthew Sweet, Meshell Ndegeocello, Paula Cole, Peter Case, Ray Lamontagne, Robert Plant, Sam Phillips, Sara Watkins, Shawn Colvin, Sheryl Crow, Susanna Hoffs, The Bangles, The Jayhawks, The Smashing Pumpkins, Tracy Chapman, Whiskeytown, Wilco, and Allen Toussaint. It has a deep, full body sound, with amazing resonance. Check out these 7 songs that feature Leiszs fantastic pedal steel playing. I just liked the sound of the guitar and I wanted to do it. 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. Note chart for the C6 pedal steel neck. She was on my radar as somebody up-and-coming. I found out the day before the Super Bowl. That record was Album of the Year at the Grammys. Hes credited with playing 12-string too. Leisz has played on countless recording sessions over the years, and a look through his credits will astound any music fan. As was already mentioned, his work on the album "Girlfriend" by Matthew Sweet is great. He introduced Jules to Jack and vice versa. Like what? I ended up working on a few other albums with him. It doesnt always work. Billy was in one room working on his stuff and James was in this other room working on his song. The C6 tuning for 6 strings is (beginning with string 1): E C A G E C. Lap steel players have been spelling their tunings from high to low for many years. Doyle said, Hes kind of interested , I met him and he was so immediately just a normal guy. Help He decided he wanted to have that instrument in that particular band for that tour. Greg Leiszs list of credits is so incredibly long and varied that its almost hard to believe its all the work of a single person. Its crazy. And so she goes through this whole process where she has these hits and she makes another record and it didnt do well, and the label immediately stopped supporting her. I knew that he played some steel -- I just didn't know that he REALLY played steel. If someone asked me for my phone number, Id gladly give it to them and write it on a piece of paper. He does some nice work on Jakob Dylan's "Women And Country". I got a job as a janitor and as a substitute mailman for a while. He came out of that world in England where he heard Muddy Waters and it was all over for him. Lang, and Bob Weir and Wolf Bros. I dont know how to comprehend everything Ive done, he says. It was an amazing experience. Lets start with Roxette and their hit It Must Have Been Love. I never really tried to emulate a pop star. Getting paid for anything is always a pain in the neck. Tony Berg is a producer Ive worked with quite a bit. She also never really toured again after 1998. I didnt really listen to the radio. Greg Leisz - lap steel guitar & electric guitar Gary Novak - drums Written by Mai Leisz & Greg Leisz Engineered by Kevin Smith Recorded at Groove Masters Studio in Santa Monica, CA Mixed by Alan Hertz Mastered by Joe Gastwirt. Everybody was trying to get record deals. Its overwhelming. Whats more interesting to me is that much later they had me play on Western Stars. from $995.00 $1,773.00 Sale I wanted to know where she wanted me to play. He was doing a record with her. I went in and did one day where I played on a few songs. Pedal Steel Guitar: Why Its So Hard To Play, Pedal Steel Guitar WEIGHT (Lighter vs. They had two different studios in the same complex. 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. Ultimate Bulletin Board 5.46, Our mailing address is: While Frisells guitar playing is unique and bends genres in its own right, Leisz complements this so well. I did a little bit of that. This is all very helpful. Hundreds of pages of practice, instruction, and reference materials for E9 pedal steel. Once I got to the point where I could hang out in bars, I used to go to country bars. It was the same thing that drew me to the electric guitar. To wrap here, how do you feel when you look at your credits and just see hundreds and hundreds of songs? Every instrument and musical note seems to fall right in place, with great sounding timbres, and Leiszs pedal steel is no different. In the late Sixties when a lot of people were listening to harder rock, Led Zeppelin and things, I was listening to Jimmie Rodgers, old country music like Hank Williams, bluegrass music, and I was learning how to play that music, and I was learning with other musicians that were kind of turned on to that. With good reason -- the man's resum is daunting, boasting spots with Joni Mitchell, Sheryl Crow, Read Full Biography Overview Biography Discography Songs Credits Related Share on facebook twitter tumblr Credits I guess they could have learned it from the version we did. Heavier Models), Parts & Hardware (Where to Find, Details, Info), How To Open Up the E9 Tuning (for Pedal Steel), The Chord Guide for E9 Pedal Steel Guitar, The Art of Right Hand Technique (for Steel Guitar), The Elixir of E9 Pedal Steel: Harmonized 6ths, 7 Best Pedal Steel Albums (That You Must Hear), Backing Tracks (Where To Find, Info, Types), 7 Songs Featuring Greg Leisz On Pedal Steel, Buddy Emmons Characteristics: How They Can Improve your Playing, Recording & Mixing the Pedal Steel Guitar, Pedal Steel: 5 Best Ways to Use a Compressor Pedal, The 6 Best Ways To Use Compressors: TIPS & Tricks, How to Record Pedal Steel (and Capture its ALLURING Sound), C6 Fretboard Diagram Flat & Sharp Notes, Universal Tuning & Copedent for Pedal Steel, Pedal Steel Copedents (Info, Types, Details), Almost Every Chord Youll Ever Need for E9, Easily Utilize the Nashville Number System, All Major and Minor Pentatonic Scales, Modes, Major Scales, An In-Depth Guide to Picking and Blocking, How to Efficiently and Accurately Play Notes on Steel Guitar with, Great for Pedal Steel, Lap Steel, and Console Steel Guitar, Over 100 Pages with Graphics, Illustrations, & Practice Exercises, Great for Country, Alt-Country, & Honky-Tonk Styles. 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: Leisz grew up in the garage band culture of mid-1960s Southern California. Im fully vaccinated, have been for some time. No matter who I play with, I try to integrate what Im doing with what Im hearing. I have to go back pretty far. 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.