Robert Randolph

Boo Bernstein · Post by **Boo Bernstein** » 17 Jul 2002 4:51 pm

I finally got to see Robert last week at the House of Blues in Los Angeles -- I was really blown away. I have done a search on the Forum but I have not found Robert's actual tuning (I have found some other Sacred Steel tunings). Has this been posted yet?

It looked like he was playing through a small Fender amp (like a Deluxe). What a great, unique sound.

I look forward to hearing from anyone who knows the tuning. Thanks in advance, Boo

Jim Smith · Post by **Jim Smith** » 17 Jul 2002 5:19 pm

Jerry Fessenden is building Robert a new 13 string.

I'll ask him if Robert's setup is private and see if he minds me posting it.

Bobby Lee · Post by **Bobby Lee** » 18 Jul 2002 8:29 am

I know I've seen it in print, Boo, but I can't find it now. I remember that it was similar to Chuck Campbell's E7th which is posted here on the Carter site.

One difference that sticks in my mind was that Robert raises both of the unison middle E's on his F lever. I hope my memory is right on that (I suffer from CRS at times).

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<img align=right src="http://b0b.com/b0b.gif" width="64" height="64">Bobby Lee - email: quasar@b0b.com - gigs - CDs
Sierra Session 12 (E9), Williams 400X (Emaj9, D6), Sierra Olympic 12 (F Diatonic) Sierra Laptop 8 (D13), Fender Stringmaster (E13, A6)

Matt Steindl · Post by **Matt Steindl** » 18 Jul 2002 9:28 am

Going to see RR at the House of Rules in New Orleans this Sun. night! Only $12!!!

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Mattman in "The Big Sleazy"-:
S-10 Dekley, Suitcase Fender Rhodes, B-bender Les Paul

Boo Bernstein · Post by **Boo Bernstein** » 18 Jul 2002 4:39 pm

Thanks to everyone -- Jim, that would be great if you can get the actual tuning to post. Bobby, it seemed like he had an E string on the top with possibly a D as the next string -- I know there are some Sacred Steelers who do that. Of course, I was not that close so I was just guessing.

Thanks everyone for your input.
Boo

Jim Smith · Post by **Jim Smith** » 18 Jul 2002 4:54 pm

No luck yet. Jerry said he didn't keep the setup chart from RR's first guitar,

and hasn't received one yet for his new guitar.

I'll keep bugging him.

Dan Tyack · Post by **Dan Tyack** » 20 Jul 2002 7:47 am

Robert's tuning is pretty much the same as Chuck's, except he has a low G# (a third G# as his 12th string). There are advantages and disadvantages to this. It's useful for single string playing, but can get in the way of 'framming' (Sacred Steel rhythm playing) because it can make the low end a bit dense.

Bobby Lee · Post by **Bobby Lee** » 20 Jul 2002 9:13 am

Right. I initially thought I would need a low G# (I have one on my S-12 E9th), but soon realized that the frammed chords sound better without it. Of course, you can always block that string with your left thumb (does Robert do that?), but I like to be sort of relaxed when I'm playing rhythm.

Dan, can you confirm my memory that Robert raises both middle E's to F? I've been thinking of adding that change. I don't think I imagined it on my own.

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<img align=right src="http://b0b.com/b0b.gif" width="64" height="64">Bobby Lee - email: quasar@b0b.com - gigs - CDs
Sierra Session 12 (E9), Williams 400X (Emaj9, D6), Sierra Olympic 12 (F Diatonic) Sierra Laptop 8 (D13), Fender Stringmaster (E13, A6)

Bobby Lee · Post by **Bobby Lee** » 20 Jul 2002 9:53 am

Looking through the files on my hard disk, I came across this chart. It probably isn't current, but I think it was accurate at one time. <pre> PEDALS KNEE LEVERS

E7
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 LKL LKV LKR RKL RKR
--------------------------------------------------------------
F#

E D

G# A G

E F F#

D C# Eb C#

B C# Bb

G# A# A G

E F F#

E D Eb F

B C# C# Bb

G# A G

E F# F# F
--------------------------------------------------------------</pre>

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<img align=right src="http://b0b.com/b0b.gif" width="64" height="64">Bobby Lee - email: quasar@b0b.com - gigs - CDs
Sierra Session 12 (E9), Williams 400X (Emaj9, D6), Sierra Olympic 12 (F Diatonic) Sierra Laptop 8 (D13), Fender Stringmaster (E13, A6)[This message was edited by Bobby Lee on 20 July 2002 at 10:56 AM.]

Boo Bernstein · Post by **Boo Bernstein** » 21 Jul 2002 11:45 am

Thanks so much for this. In listening to his live CD, it's very difficult to hear where the pedals are being used. Has anyone tabbed out any licks or parts just to demonstrate the style?

Again, thanks to everyone who replied. Boo

Arty Passes · Post by **Arty Passes** » 21 Jul 2002 6:25 pm

Finally got to see him, last night to a packed, sold out show at Antone's here in Austin. Dirty Dozen Brass Band opened and sat in for a few. Amazing, outrageous, (fill in the blank superlative) blew me away! Don't miss him if you have a chance to see him, and don't forget the ear protection!
Arty

Steel tryin · Post by **Steel tryin** » 25 Jul 2002 11:44 am

I'm getting to the RR phenomenon late. I saw him
at the Variety Playhouse 7/24 in Atlanta.
The place was at least 300 people over FIRE CODE. I must say I was'nt sure what to expect. I had not heard his music before.
By the 3rd number the crowd gave me thoughts
of those stories of early Jethro Tull concerts where the crowd would get into a FUGUE state and literally tear down the music hall. The Steel Guitar was so DWARFED
by the execution of the songs that I must say
I was UNDERWHELMED. I have gone back and reread all the RR threads and found a considerable disagreement on exactly what
RR represents. It seems quite simple he's selling Hard driving pentatonic "PENTACOSTAL"
R&B. It seemed clear to me that the STEEL GUITAR is not RR's focus. At one point RR said
if you don't want to do "The March" (a dance)
you might as well leave now because that's why were here. I think much of the debate on the Forum over RR is many members were hoping to witness the TIGER WOODS of STEEL guitar. Well, believe me Robert your NO TIGER WOODS. But, I hope you GO TO THE TOP with WHATEVER you do[This message was edited by Steel tryin on 25 July 2002 at 01:16 PM.]

Earnest Bovine · Post by **Earnest Bovine** » 25 Jul 2002 11:51 am

Can you do the March?

Steel tryin · Post by **Steel tryin** » 25 Jul 2002 12:14 pm

No Earnest, I'm one of those people Joe Wright makes fun of in the front row

David Doggett · Post by **David Doggett** » 24 Aug 2002 8:37 am

Boo, I don't know if there is any tab on Robert Randolph, but I have watched him up close a couple of times here in Philly and can tell you something about how he tunes and plays. At the North Star Bar they have a cut out in the 2nd floor over the stage, so I could look directly down on Robert as he played, and watched his hands and feet. I also moved down in front of the stage to watch his knees. I also watched a bunch of the other sacred steelers up close and played their guitars when several of them had a jam last summer at the Sedgewick Theater near where I live.

You can see some of their tunings at the Carter site. They are completely different from an E9 or C6. Most of them (including Robert's tuning) have one thing in common, they are variations on the old blues open E 6-string tuning with E on top, 4th string and bottom, skipping the bottom 3rd tone (aka Sebastopol). But for the 10 thru 14-string versions the root chord is expanded, commonly with two adjacent E strings at the middle E. The other big difference is a flatted 7th string between the 5th and 8th on top, and sometimes also in the lower octave. So there is a root string top, middle and bottom, no tones are out of order the way top strings are on E9 and C6 10-strings, and there are no tones other than the root major chord, except for the flatted 7th.

There are pedals and knees that add other notes of the E major and minor scales as well as the flatted 3rds and 5ths of the blues scale (pentatonic minor). However, Robert and the others make little or no use of these pedals and knees. Robert plays whole songs without touching any of them. On some songs he hits one or two occassionally. Robert and some of the others can use the pedals and knees very proficiently when they choose, they just rarely choose. They do use slants sometimes - the less they use the pedals and knees, the more they use slants, because many of them came out of the straight steel tradition. You can also get the blues scale notes by dropping back one or two frets on certain strings, and by going to the flatted 3rd chord three frets up.

The whole approach is like for straight steel blues, but with the flatted 7th string for greater speed at the top of the blues scale without having to move the bar. They commonly use grooved bars so they can handle the bar quickly for tap-ons and offs, just like Dobro and straight steel bluegrass and country players. With all the strings in the open chord, and the root always there on the top string, one can play very fast and loose. You can't hit a wrong string. So at the beginning level this type of tuning and style is much easier than learning an E9 or C6.

So the Sacred Steel tradition is not as isolated as some writers might have us think. This style goes all the way back through the Chicago electric slide blues players to Mississippi players like Fred McDowell, Robert Johnson and Son House (I grew up in North Mississippi).

For horizontal blues players there was L. C. "Good Rockin'" Robinson in Los Angeles in the '50s and '60s. He stood up at a 6-string lap-steel on legs and played fantastic R&B, also great blues fiddle. Going way back, in Fort Worth Texas there was the Black Ace (Babe Karo Turner), who in the '30s did blues recordings and radio programs playing a square neck National tricone with a Hawaiian style round bar that was flat at both ends. Chris Strachwitz recorded him for Arhoolie in 1960, and lamented that they might be the last recordings of a blues style that went back to Kokomo Arnold and Oscar Woods. Thank God he was wrong.

The sacred steelers kept steel guitar gospel and blues alive and greatly refined it. Just like the E9 and C6 necks and copedents were refined by country and swing players to fit their needs, the sacred steelers have refined their E7 tuning to fit their needs. They can play lightening fast runs and arpeggios up and down major, minor and blues scales, and blend the scales for the gospel sound. They grow up from babies with their church music, and learn to play young. It is a prestigious and well paying profession, and they work hard at it. The best ones are consummate master musicians that can play soul-stirring slow stuff or blasting boogie.

They are all very religious, and even Robert Randolph, who plays secular venues, has an intensely religious purpose. Beyond their own gospel scene and a cult following of us steelers and some young white blues fans in clubs, I don't know how commercial their music will get. The mass black audience is into pop, hip-hop and rap, not blues. Unless there is cross-over into those genres, this may remain a cult thing.

This is having a big impact on white blues steelers, just by showing them the limitless possibilities. But unless people give up the E9 or C6 tunings, I don't know where this will go. The out-of-place and out-of-root-chord strings in these tunings make certain country and swing licks easy, but they slow you down for other things. At the after-concert jam at the Sedgewick Theater here last year, when the young sacred steelers let it rip, I'm sad to report that Dan Tyack and Jim Cohen (two of my idols, whose speed I'll never touch) were left in the dust. Dan actually stood up and looked over their shoulders to see what the hell they were doing.

I am considering going to a 12-string extended E9th tuning with low E, and with pedals or knees to give flatted 3rds, 5ths and 7ths. I want to try to keep all of the basic E9th stuff because I love country and find that it works well for classical music, which I dabble with at home. The blues scale notes will give me a lot of blues potential, but I don't know if the pedals and knees will give the speed the 7th string and open root strings give the sacred steelers. I'll let you know when I get the bread for the new axe.

Al Marcus · Post by **Al Marcus** » 24 Aug 2002 9:03 am

Bobby Lee- The tuning you posted looks pretty close to his chart.

The tuning and pulls look a lot like Alvino Rey used in 1938.

Except for the Double E's in the middle. When he drops the D to C#, he has an E6 basic, keeps the F# out of the way until he wants it.

Alvino raised the C# to D when he wanted that high seventh.This is a lot more versatile tuning , IMO, than the usual E9 configuration. What goes around comes around......al

David Doggett · Post by **David Doggett** » 24 Aug 2002 11:37 am

By the way, just to give an idea of how deep the steel guitar runs in blues, in his autobiography (or maybe I read it in an interview) B.B. King says when he was developing his style he tried to slide up and down the frets, pull strings and add vibrato to get the steel guitar sound.