These gospel songs may not be very
thrilling to most people, but they are precious and dear to those of us who grew
up in an old-fashioned, soul-winning, King James Bible preaching church.
Click below to
download or hear these MIDI songs (NOTE: if nothing plays, it's because you
need
an audio player):
Note:
You likely already have a media player to hear music and sermons on
your computer; but if not, here are links to various free media
players.
Then Came Jesusby 'The John
Marshall Family' (David J
Stewart playing pedal steel*) *Note: I've always loved the music of the
John Marshall Family. In the preceding song, I'm just playing along on my own, I
didn't record on the original recording. The pedal steel guitar is a beautiful
and fascinating musical instrument.
Pedal Steel Guitar by David J.
Stewart...
*Please understand that I am just playing along
with the following recordings to share my steel guitar playing with others. I
did not play on the original recordings, nor have the original singers and
musicians sanctioned my recordings.
Here's the same recording, but the
steel guitar isn't quite as loud. I love this song's message and melody.
I've provided 320 and 128kbps quality. 320 is the best quality. 128 is digital
quality. 128 is about 3 MB in size and 320 is about 9 MB. The human ear can't
hear the difference above 128kbps, so you won't hear any difference, but I still
like to provide the higher quality MP3's.
Here's a wonderful song titled, I've Been Through Enough...
*Note: For this particular song I used a
S-10 Rittenberry pedal steel guitar which Tim Rittenberry built for me in
2012. To add the steel guitar I used the “preamp out” on my Nashville 112
amplifier (reverb on 5), into a Lexicon USB interface (Alpha model) into my
computer, and recorded using MixCraft software. Although I generally
use a BOSS DD-3 digital delay, it tends to clutter recordings, so I kept it
off most of the time. I like a purer steel sound. That's it.
Here's a song called “I Have Been
Blessed” by The Far City Boys...
Thank you to
those who have expressed an appreciation for my music. The steel guitar is a
beautiful instrument. Music is a gift from God. Here's one of my recordings, a favorite Hawaiian song
called
Beautiful Kahana (download).
You may freely share my music with others. People hear me performing publicly
and try to give me money. I always decline. One man tossed $5 at me and ran
away. What a nice man. I gave it away. I've turned down dozens of offers to perform in local
bars, at the airport bar, night clubs and fancy hotels. Last year I was offered
a regular job making $100 a night to perform steel guitar in an upscale night
club. I turned them all down. I belong to King Jesus. God will give me an angel
band when I get to Heaven. I thank God for putting the desire to play steel
guitar into my heart.
Below is the Hawaiian Island of Kauai, which is where Hanalei Moon and
Bali Hai are favorite
songs.
The most beautiful place on earth is NOT in Hawaii, it
is located within the pages of God's Word!
The following video is the classic Hawaiian song, Sweet
Leilani, played by the great steel guitarist Basil Henriques...
The following cheerful video is
by Marty Robbins and my favorite Hawaiian Steel guitarist
Jerry Byrd (1920-2005)
on acoustic steel guitar. I once met Jerry Byrd in Winchester, Indiana, in 1993.
A true gentleman.
Here's Maurice Anderson from Texas performing, Tiny
Bubbles. Reece is playing a 12-string non-pedal steel guitar.
The following is Maurice Anderson's 12-string Extended C6th tuning...
Well, my main tuning is C6th,
that’s my bread and butter neck. It has a little variation. Staring with the
first string on the small end: E, C, A, G, E, C#, A, A (an octave lower). You
will notice that I have two A’s together...the second is real low for that boom
effect. It’s almost like a big third more than anything else. I use it only
occasionally when I’m doing some thump style. Getting back to that C#, normally
if you’re playing this C6th tuning and you rake across it, it will sound out of
tune. But, if you rake across the strings and leave the second string out, then
you’ve got a whole new tuning...and you see that second string there, the C, if
you pull that a half step, it will fall right in tune with that tuning. You can
really play some jazzy sounding stuff with it. It makes a whole new ball game.
It’s like having a dual tuning. And on the other neck I’ve got a special
tuning...it’s for rides and special things. The first string is F, D, A, F, G,
Eb, C, F, but I couldn’t remember these if I didn’t right them down. I keep a
list at home in case someone calls and wants to know. Don’t mind sharing these
cause I don’t have any secrets. Of course, Hank doesn’t like notes played on the
high register, so I’m usually limited to playing on the lower end.
...In the beginning, God created
the heavens and the earth, he gave man so many good things to enjoy. He gave us
a steel guitar to play if we choose to. This to me, is the most expressive
instrument in the world. It fulfills a special hunger in my life and it won’t
hurt you, as a lot of bad things in this world will. I met my wife Iva Lee while
playing the steel guitar, our children followed, altogether they are my most
treasured possessions!
SOURCE: Steel Guitar
World magazine, Jan/Feb, 1993 issue
Kayton is using the C6th Tuning, which he tunes [High to low:
E, C, A, G, E, C#, A, A (low bass)]
Here below is a video of one of my favorite steel guitar artists,
Kayton Roberts, playing a 1941 Dual 8-string Fender along with his loyal wife
playing a Wurlitzer organ, performing the Hawaiian classic, Mapuana,
in an up-tempo arrangement. Here's Kayton's own words about his tunings...
Music makes the world a better place and helps me to forget about my
neck pain (at least for a while).
The most beautiful
music this side of Heaven is produced by an amazing instrument
called the steel guitar. The steel guitar is distinctive
for Hawaiian music.
You're
welcome to freely share my music with others. God has given me a love and desire to play
the steel guitar. I hope by God's grace to record some Gospel songs
in the Hawaiian style, but lack accompaniment. I hope to find an
organist or pianist who will make me some slow and pretty
backgrounds to Gospel hymns, with padded portions of the song, where
I can record my steel guitar and freely share them online. I never
sell my music.
Here's the popular Hawaiian song, Mapuana,
played by me on the B11th tuning. You can download Mapuana
here. I also played another favorite, Sand, on the B11th tuning. You can download
Sand here to
share with others. Believe it or not, I played the previous two
songs on a cheap
$99 lap steel I bought from Musicians' Friend online. I bought
the black guitar, stripped it down, painted it antique white and put
on some
flat-wound strings. I looks more fancy with the nice paint job. I don't use the .011" because it's too small
for me. I want my first string at least .015" gauge. So I only use
the other 6 strings in the pack. I like heavier gauge strings on the
low-end.
You can
hear me play
Hawaiian Music
on a pedal steel guitar using an A7th tuning, which I recorded for
my mom in 2001 before she went to be with the Lord in Heaven.
Pictured above to the right is an Old Rickenbacher lap steel called the
SILVER HAWAIIAN. It is made of solid chrome and is famous for
it's horseshoe shaped pickup magnets. The most common Hawaiian
tunings on the lap steel are the
C6th and the
B11th. C6th is my favorite, which I can play by ear (i.e., I can
play the melody of any song just by hearing it).
Bud Tutmarc is one of my
favorite steel guitarists and has
much beautiful
Gospel music available (Bud used a
C#m tuning
on a 7-string lap steel for all his recordings). Bud was good
friends with Sol Ho'opi'i before Sol's untimely death at age 51.
I once met
the great steel guitarist Jerry Byrd in Winchester, Indiana. He
passed away at age 85 in 2005. Here's a video
of Jerry Byrd at a much younger age playing Hawaiian guitar. Beyond The Reef is one of my favorite Hawaiian songs to play
on the steel guitar. Here's some more videos of Jerry Byrd. Here are some
videos of Hawaiian steel guitar. Jerry taught his steel
guitar students that... "Talent is highly overrated. All the talent in
the world means nothing if you don't have DESIRE." If
you've ever heard Hawaiian music, then you've very likely heard
Jerry Byrd's beautiful music. Thank God for the beautiful steel
guitar!
The lap steel guitar is not that difficult to play if you're willing
to stick with it. It is a very rewarding instrument to learn to play
which cheers the heart's of others.
The following 3-recordings
are played on a Pedal Steel Guitar (E9th tuning), which is a much
bigger and heavier instrument than the lap steel. Due to the
herniated disks in my neck (C5-C6-C7), I mostly play lap steel
nowadays. Tommy White (one of my favorite steel guitar artists) recorded the following beautiful E9th songs
several years ago in St. Louis:
Note: Clicking on the songs files on
this page may say that "the codec is corrupted," but it only means the server is
busy. After clicking several times, the songs should hopefully play. Sometimes
they play right away, sometimes after several tries. I apologize for the
technical inconvenience.
Pedal Steel Guitar by David J. Stewart . . .
All of the following songs ARE performed by me on a ShoBud
Pro-II pedal steel guitar. I
want to share them with my friends. This is not my guitar to the
right, but similar. The steel guitar is such
a beautiful and interesting instrument from God.
Because I don't want to use my God-given talent to promote the sale
of booze,
I've never played in a band. Nearly all bands (including so-called
Christian groups) play in establishments that sell alcoholic
beverages, which I have never done, nor will do. So I perform only at home with rhythm tracks,
or publickly for free, which is what these are.
The following songs and lyrics are general songs, most recorded by
myself way back in the 1990's; such as
Greensleeves, a traditional favorite, and some newer recordings too. This first song is
Beyond
The Reef, one of my favorites.
Beyond The Reef
| Download(Recorded on my Pro II ShoBud E9th pedal steel in 2009. My
strings are visually starting to rust at the bridge, but I went ahead and recorded the
song anyway because I didn't feel like changing them. I'm taking 2 Valiums,
8 Percocets, 2 Somas and 1 Ambien to deal with the
pain in my neck
daily. I can't carry my D-10 pedal steel guitar [85 lbs.] because of the pain. That's why I
started playing mostly lap steel in 2006. Still, I thought this particular
song came out ok. I hope you like it. I have no idea who's singing, I'm just
playing the pedal steel guitar over the track. This song reminds me of
Heaven where we will one day reunite with loved ones).
In
The Garden |
Download (Recorded in May of 2001 for my mom before she died in August)
Crazy
| Download
(an old Patsy Cline classic that is a favorite amongst steel guitarists.
Recorded 4 years ago.)
Streams |
Download (A pretty song I wrote
from my heart just for E9th pedal steel guitar. I made a Band-in-a-Box
backing track,
which you are welcome to copy and freely distribute. I was fortunate to hit
some nice harmonics in this song. I recorded this around 8 years ago. I
actually forgot I had them.)
Summer Blue |
Download (Another song
I wrote just for the E9th pedal steel. I made a Band-in-a-Box
backing track.
You are welcome to download the
song and backing track
and share them freely. You can hear a little chicken-pickin' in this song. You
can also hear some arpeggios I did in here on the pedal steel guitar.)
Storms Never
Last | Download (This song has a very meaningful message. Storms never last.
You can't experience extreme joy and happiness until you first know what it
means to be extremely sad, disappointed and sorrowful.)
Cold, Cold Heart
|
Download (an old friend, Walt Frazier, starts off this old
standard. I didn't play over a track here, Walt actually did the singing.
Sadly, many people today do have cold, cold hearts.)
Crying My Heart Out Over You
| Download(I recorded this over 10 years ago and don't know the singer's
name. It's just a track I played steel over. I've always liked Country
sounding music, which is appropriate; but I loathe the Country Music
Industry which is controlled by an immoral group of New World Order
loyalists. The Inspirations and the Cathedrals are two of many
Southern Gospel groups that have sung some beautiful music over the decades.
Sadly, some of those original groups, like the Oak Ridge Boys, all went to
the Devil. The Country music Industry is no better than the Rock music
Industry, all controlled by the same producers at the top.)
The Gardenia
Waltz (I made a Band-in-a-Box backing track for this. The other solo is an acoustic guitar with effects.
Greensleeves
| Download
(This song is a natural for pedal steel. I used both E9th and C6th pedal
steel on this song. You'll hear the popular "BOO WAH" 8th pedal on the C6th,
which drops the note really low. The weird African sounding plucking
instrument was actually my finger running across the number keys on my
computer's keyboard which Band-in-a-Box allows you to use kind of like a
piano. I managed to play some nice finger harmonics at the end on the E9th
steel neck.
Together Again (I never got around to finishing the end, but you can
hear the first half at least.)
Moonlight In Vermont
(I used Band-in-a-Box for the backing track, song is played on C6 pedal
steel. I played my acoustic guitar through an effects processor to get the
interesting sounds you'll hear.)
Please Don't Leave
| Download
(Played on the E9th neck of my pedal steel. I learned this rendition from
Jimmy Day. Here's the
backing
Track if you're a steel guitar player and would like to play along. Feel
free to share all these songs and tracks with others. I've had numerous
steel guitar players ask me for these tracks. I started playing acoustic
guitar at age 15, pedal steel at 25 and Hawaiian lap steel at 39.)
Country Song 1 (I learned the four following songs from Buddy
Emmons. I recorded these over 10 years ago.)
The Whistler|
Download (My
humble attempt at the classic Lloyd Green song,
The Whistler, using a
homemade Band-in-a-Box backing track. I'm playing an acoustic guitar through
an effects processor with a sound hole pickup.)
Note: Clicking on the songs
files on this page may say that "the codec is corrupted," but it only means
the server is busy.
After clicking several times, the songs should hopefully
play. Sometimes they play right away, sometimes after several tries. I
apologize for the technical inconvenience.
The following YouTube video is
by a wonderful gentleman named Billy Robinson, a legendary steel guitarist, whom I had the
privilege of meeting in Knoxville, Tennessee back in 1992 at a steel
guitar convention. I first heard him play the song, Candy Kisses,
a classic. Anyway, the following video is nothing less than amazing.
Billy is using a 10-string, non-pedal, extended C6th tuning [
(D-G-E-C-A-G-E-C-A-F) ... D being the 1st string (highest on top) and F
the 10th, or lowest string on bottom. I've never seen such incredible
bar slants like he does in here. He uses a 12 string bar I believe. The
song is named, I LOVE YOU SO MUCH IT HURTS ME, a classic
steel guitar favorite. This'll make the dogs howl for sure! Enjoy!)
More Billy
Robinson Videos. This is real music folks.
God
Bless America (Ironically, America is now being cursed by God because of
our disobedience, murdering of babies, Sin City Las Vegas, same-sex
marriages, et cetera, and yet arrogant and sick-minded Americans continue to
expect God to bless this filthy mess.)
In
2001 I recorded a Hawaiian albumfor my mother before she passed away to
go be with the Lord later that year. I used the A7th tuning on a pedal steel
guitar. I converted my C6th neck
into an A7th,
very similar to the ingenious tuning of Basil Henriques. I hope you enjoy
them as much as I did recording them.
Note:
You likely already have a media player to hear music and sermons on
your computer; but if not, here are links to various free media
players.
Music makes the world a better place and helps me to forget about my
neck pain (at least for a while).
The most beautiful
music this side of Heaven is produced by an amazing instrument
called the steel guitar. The steel guitar is distinctive
for Hawaiian music.
