J.S. Bach BWV 1002-7 Bouree on steel guitar

This is first Bouree from J S Bach's B minor partita for unaccompanied pedal steel guitar, on the GFI steel guitar, 12 string extended E9 tuning, Lace Sensor Alumitone pickup, thru Boss GX-700 pre-amp, played by Doug Livingston.

Category:

Music

Tags:

• steel+guitar
• pedal+steel
• pedal+steel+guitar
• Bach
• BWV+1002
• bouree
• unaccompanied
• CruzTone
• alumitone

[Jabberwockistan]

For my money, YouTube coverage of an instrument isn't "complete" until someone posts a clip playing Bach on the instrument. Awesome work arranging this piece for the pedal steel!

I think this sounds especially cool since it has a vaguely clavichord-y sound, but then even cooler with the sliding bits that most instruments just can't pull off.

Any plans for any future Bach clips? Was this just a nightmare to arrange, or did it come together pretty smoothly once you got going?

[DwayneKong]

@Jabberwockistan "nightmare to arrange"? No, because old Bach took care of all that. This is a movement from a suite for unaccompanied violin. Bach wrote 12 suites BWV 1001..1012 simple enough to be playable on a 4-string fiddle (BWV 1012 is 5 string ), and they all work on steel guitar just the way he wrote them. All I added was to let some chords ring out that could not be sustained on the fiddle. Guitar players play all these suites too, and they usually add a few bass notes.

[DwayneKong]

@Jabberwockistan

"Any plans for any future Bach clips?" Yes, all of them if I live long enough.

"vaguely clavichord-y sound" I use a meantone tuning, about 1/6 comma, similar to what some period instrument players would use, so maybe that's why it reminds you of a clavichord. I believe that it is non-equal temperament, even more than string bending and sliding, that gives steel guitar its special character and appeal.

[gamac1]

What is the setup on the front neck?

Was this done by GFI or self?

Would like to hear a performance on it.

[DwayneKong]

@gamac1 In front neck is 8 string fretted neck. Gene Fields made it that way; this was his personal guitar back in the 1990s. Gene is a good player on the fretted neck but I can hardly play it at all. Gene tunes to a big G triad, like standard Dobro tuning plus high G and low D. I have a standard guitar tuning in the middle 6, low D instead of low E, plus high G and low G. The cool part of the fretted neck is the pedals.

[malcolmcolemann]

Excellent! Do you have any plans to do Scarlatti's 6 Concerti Grossi?

[janiscortese]

Unbelievably gorgeous -- I've wanted to hear Baroque on a pedal steel for some time now. It seems uniquely suited for it, and I'm thrilled to see that it is indeed! Beautiful playing!

[bobbeseymour]

I have to love this as it is what I've been preaching for fror years, GREAT in my humble opinion.

Bobbe Seymour

[kcsteeler]

@goblesqb7 Gee, you seem a little if not an order of magnitude more condescending to tell someone who is not condenscending that they are condescending. I assume you are joking and this is all some kind of inside joke?

[goblesqb7]

Dear DwayneKong, your playing is quite impressive, but I have to say your responses to Jabberwockistan seem a bit... condescending. Sometimes people ask questions because they actually don't know the answer, and don't expect a technical response to the degree that you posted. Don't get me wrong, it's great to inform people, but do so with a thankful approach. The tone you have in this clip is similar to that of a clavichord, I'm sure he wasn't referring to your meantone tuning.

[doucette]

Absolutely fantastic stuff - thank you!

[brazilgrass]

Bach himself would surely dig this.

Congratulations!