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Author
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Topic: Steel Guitars and Trains?
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Dom Franco
Member From: Beaverton, OR, 97007
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posted 06 August 2006 11:55 PM
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Last week I had the opportunity to play for a Model Railroaders Convention. My Buddy Dave and I got the Gig when someone heard us doing some "Train" songs in our set at the Beaverton Sub-Station. Long ago I discovered how to make a train horn sound by slanting the bar on the low strings, and working the volume pedal. Then follow this up by palming the open strings back and forth, brushing in a train type rythym. I made up some CD background tracks and we had a blast working out the songs. CITY OF NEW ORLEANS
FREIGHT TRAIN
LONG BLACK TRAIN
CHATANOOGA CHOO CHOO
FOLSOM PRISON
SENTIMENTAL JOURNEY
I'VE BEEN WORKIN ON THE RAILROAD
THIS TRAIN IS BOUND FOR GLORY
WABASH CANNONBALL
Just to name a few... The lap steel tuned in a 6th tuning seems to lend itself very well to a train type of sound.
I'll post some pictures later. If you are interested in any of the train song background "tracks" no pun intended,
I will send them free of charge other than the blank CD and shipping cost. Sincerely;
Dom Franco
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Dom Franco
Member From: Beaverton, OR, 97007
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posted 07 August 2006 12:10 AM
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Dom Franco and Dave Tatroe at the Model Railroad Convention:
http://www.freewebs.com/steelman777/playingout.htm
Great fun, we even got paid and were treated to a prime rib dinner for us and our wives. Dom[This message was edited by Dom Franco on 07 August 2006 at 12:12 AM.] [This message was edited by Dom Franco on 07 August 2006 at 12:14 AM.] [This message was edited by Dom Franco on 07 August 2006 at 12:18 AM.] [This message was edited by Dom Franco on 07 August 2006 at 12:21 AM.] [This message was edited by Dom Franco on 07 August 2006 at 12:22 AM.] |
Matthew Prouty
Member From: São Paulo, Brazil
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posted 07 August 2006 05:13 AM
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Dom,Sound like it was a blast! Any clips of the train sounds? Rgds,
Matt |
Derrick Mau
Member From: Honolulu, Hawaii, USA
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posted 07 August 2006 11:46 AM
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Gabby Pahinui was also into model trains.
A hobby that's not really popular here in Hawaii. |
Twayn Williams
Member From: Portland, OR
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posted 07 August 2006 11:50 AM
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You wouldn't by chance have any tab or tips on how you approach Chattanooga Choo Choo would you? |
Scott Houston
Member From: Oakland, CA
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posted 07 August 2006 10:19 PM
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Hey Dom, that's great! Talk about a target audience!I play at senior centers/nursing homes pretty often and the train songs are always popular. At one Alzheimer's ward we played at there was a gent who was singing along to Wreck of the Old 97. His wife was there visiting and she had some tears in her eyes and asked us to play more train songs if we knew any. Apparently it had been the first time he had been lucid in many months, but he had been a big train buff and knew the words to every train song we could play. It was very moving. |
Dom Franco
Member From: Beaverton, OR, 97007
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posted 07 August 2006 11:01 PM
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Dave and I also played last Friday at a nursing home, and they loved the train songs as well. We used that performance as a warm up rehearsal for the train convention.You shoulda seen the old folks dancing and swingin to "Freight Train" and "Chatanooga Choo Choo"! There were only about 150-200 people at the Train Gig. It was a banquet and closing Ceremony for the convention. Sadly, Model Railroading is a dwindling hobby, and most of the folks there were 65+. Not many younger people have the time or patience in this fast age of video-cell phones, computer games and instant gratification. I have a big "G" gauge train going around the wall in my computer room... I love trains and steel guitars! I will work on some tab for the train songs.
(*I play in A6th most of the time)[This message was edited by Dom Franco on 07 August 2006 at 11:11 PM.] |
Derrick Mau
Member From: Honolulu, Hawaii, USA
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posted 08 August 2006 05:30 PM
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Hi Ed,I didn't know Gabby personally. Most musicians here regard him as the best there was for Hawaiian music. I was fortunate enough to hear him perform in one of his last concerts prior to his death. He played slack key for the whole duration so I never had a chance to hear him on the steel. There was a VHS video made a number of years back on him, but just a short cut of him on his Fender, and in his house showing his train collection. His son Martin is still performing at the Waikiki Marriot on Sunday's.[This message was edited by Derrick Mau on 08 August 2006 at 06:48 PM.] |
ebb
Member From: nj
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posted 08 August 2006 05:50 PM
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thanks Derrick.
i have a wonderful lp where he is interviewed in the field by someone on a portable recorder. i consider him to be one of the greatest musicians i have ever experienced.
here is a relavent recording on sneaky pete's siteRailroad CD HOME FRISCO'S TOMMY TUCKER
BURLINGTON ZYPHER
THE CANNONBALL
NAVISKY
OLD HORNY TOAD
CITY OF NEW ORLEANS
GREEN LIGHT ON THE SOUTHERN
CAJUN TRAIN
JOHN SANTA FE
PAN AMERICAN BOOGIE
OLD TRAIN
WABASH CANONBALL
NORTH COAST DAYLIGHT
THE NIGHT THEY DROVE OLD DIXIE DOWN
LORDSBURG LADIES
GREENVILLE TRESTLE
ORANGE BLOSSOM SPECIAL
BALLAD OF THE FRISCO
VERDE VALLEY LINE
HOBOS LULLABY
A Treasury Of American Railroad Songs, Ballads and Folklore
Purchase by check or money order for $12.95 plus $1.50 shipping and Handling. Order now Available by credit card purchase. Add to Cart
View Shopping Cart / Checkout Home Page Produced by Dale Davis. Music Directors, Gib Guilbeau & Wayne Moore.
Director of Research, Gene E Humphry.
Shiloh Records, 1997
Musicians & Singers
Maxine Anderson, Pamela Berry, Marty Cooper, Rick Cunha, Shawn Davis, Gig Guilbeau, Greg Harris, Bence Higman, John Jarvis, Bill Kernodle, Ray Langston, Greg Leisz, Rick Littlefield, Mike Masters, Wayne Moore, Jamie Olsen, Wille Ornelis, Dennis Parker, Larry Robinson, Art Rodriquez, Jerry Swallow.
[This message was edited by ebb on 08 August 2006 at 05:55 PM.] |
Paul Honeycutt
Member From: Colorado, USA
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posted 18 August 2006 12:13 PM
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I just checked out your photo page. Very cool. I've played a lot of nursing homes, jails and once had a monthly gig at a workshop for retarded kids. One guy wanted to be my manager and he also wanted to book Buck Owens and Loretta Lynn. Some of the best audiences you could ever want.
Maybe I can put together another little band like that. |
Mike Neer
Member From: NJ
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posted 18 August 2006 01:06 PM
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I live for train songs.------------------
www.mikeneer.com Mike Neer on MySpace |
Stephan Miller
Member From: Silver Spring, Maryland, USA
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posted 18 August 2006 02:32 PM
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Some great train songs listed above! Johnny Cash's "Hey Porter" could fit in on one of those lists, same for Jimmie Rodgers' "Waiting For a Train". The Kingston Trio's "Fast Freight" was one of the best things they did. Some fine "newer" train songs (say post-1970): "Southern Streamline" (John Fogarty), "2:10 Deadwood Train" (Steve Spurgin), "Blue Train" (Linda Ronstadt), "New Train" (John Prine), "Glendale Train" (NRPS). |
Roman Sonnleitner
Member From: Vienna, Austria
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posted 18 August 2006 03:05 PM
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Let me add Neil Young'S "Southern Pacific" (from the "Reactor"-album). |
Drew Howard
Member From: Mason, MI, U.S.A.
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posted 18 August 2006 03:18 PM
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I go to train shows, too. Usually i haul my banjo to the depot to watch the action.Drew ------------------
Drew Howard - website - Fessenden, Derby and Fender guitars, 70's Fender Twin, etc. |
Derrick Mau
Member From: Honolulu, Hawaii, USA
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posted 18 August 2006 05:08 PM
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Has anyone ever ground down a railroad track spike to make a steel bar?Wonder what kind of tone it would produce? |
Ron Randall
Member From: Dallas, Texas, USA
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posted 18 August 2006 08:58 PM
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Jimmy Rogers...Waiting for a Train ( All around the watertank)Hobo's Lament....(Will there be any freight trains in heaven? |
Rick Aiello
Member From: Berryville, VA USA
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posted 19 August 2006 04:25 AM
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quote:
Has anyone ever ground down a railroad track spike to make a steel bar?Wonder what kind of tone it would produce?
Spikes are plain (medium carbon) steel ... 1040 or 1060 ... They would have/have had to be heat treated (being 0.40-0.60 % C ... they will "hardenen up"). Without heat treating ... they would be too soft ... Either way ... since their composition is so similar to the plain (unwound) strings on a steel guitar .. there would be considerable "drag". Heat treated ... alloy steel (like 4340), Stainless (like 420) or Tool steel (like A2) ... are far better choices if the steel is to be "naked". If plated (hard chrome, TDC) or coated (like Chuck's Red Rajah) ... the plain steel would be OK ... Just didn't want you to spend hours grinding, sanding and polishing ... to be disappointed when ... as JB said ... quote:
It's time to put steel on steel
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Dustpans LTD.
The Casteels
HSGA
[This message was edited by Rick Aiello on 19 August 2006 at 04:37 AM.] |
Derrick Mau
Member From: Honolulu, Hawaii, USA
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posted 19 August 2006 06:02 AM
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Thanks for the information Rick!  |
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