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SurfGuitar101 Forums » Surf Musician »

Permalink Playing Dick Dale's "The Wedge"

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Jake, FAN-tastic! Thank you so VERY MUCH! I really appreciate that, you're too kind! Cheers

Ivan
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Ivan, in your original post you made reference to something that I noticed and figured out in a lot of DD's playing is that on his trem side runs that he hits through the E string which gives that unmatched ringing. I was listening to DD while cleaning the garage a month ago and that's when it first dawned on my and why he sounds so incredible unique and it can't be duplicated easily. I tried! Us standard players have to upstroke from the bottom with a lot of power whereas for him it all came naturally to down stroke and power through the run. This runs throughout his catalog when he's doing runs and I wonder if it was just sloppy playing and he realized how incredible it sounded and just went with it.

The Kahuna Kings

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Totally wrong! Here's how it's done proper:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jbonHS_mONo

Earl Palmer's drumming is what makes that song, in my opinion. The Capitol version is THE version. None other approaches it in pace and energy. Earl may have been just a simple session drummer (that's irony) but he seemed to understand surf music better than many who were more intimately involved in it. I've never heard a version of The Wedge that didn't make me just want to listen to the Capitol version.

Last edited: Mar 05, 2018 13:09:52

This may be a matter of liking what I heard first, but I actually prefer the version of this entitled "A Run For Life" with horn section and more prominent backing vocals. I have it on an old Rhino surf comp.

Anyone ever try to play this song as a slow tune?

gc24 wrote:

Anyone ever try to play this song as a slow tune?

Not that I've ever heard.

The Mystery Men?
El Capitan and The Reluctant Sadists
SSS Agent #31

The Detonators play a slow version. Quite good I must say.

I think maybe the Duotones also???

Jeff(bigtikidude)

bigtikidude wrote:

I think maybe the Duotones also???

Nope. They're pretty much ripping it! (at least on the record) ~172bpm. Dick's: ~185bpm.
I'm working on an ambient version, for sick people.

Last edited: May 31, 2018 03:30:25

Where can I find the Detenators version at?

Maybe YouTube

Jeff(bigtikidude)

Nah, tried that.

Cocktail Preachers did a slow version as well it's quite good. Can't find a link anywhere though. Send me an email if you want and I'll send you the soundfile .

Danny Snyder

Latest project - Now That's What I Call SURF
_
"With great reverb comes great responsibility" - Uncle Leo

I'm back playing keys and guitar with Combo Tezeta

Detonators had a CD, might have just been self recorded and not released. I will see if I can find it and if there's label info.

gc24 wrote:

Where can I find the Detenators version at?

Hey Bruther. It's on Phil Dirt's Cd that we did on Curl Rider. Cheers.

Be careful following the masses. Sometimes the "M" is silent...........................

Last edited: Jan 24, 2024 15:37:22

Unsteady Freddie shot our version of the Wedge at Suzie's in Hermosa Beach 12 years ago. I think it was our best live video.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RMNNYlbh0rU

IvanP wrote:

This is my attempt at Dick Dale's "The Wedge" from his '63 Capitol album "Checkered Flag". This is one of his best-known and most-oft-covered tracks, with dozens of surf bands having recorded their versions. However, to my ears there is more going on in this track than most surf guitarists play. Besides some highly-demanding double-(tremolo-)picking, especially the Spanish sounding part at the end of the two verses where the double-picking requires smooth movement across strings, there is also a great deal of use of the droning high E-string - any time Dick is playing on the B-string, he's also picking the open high-E, giving his sound much more intensity and even dissonance. It's a TOUGH song to play exactly as the original recording, and I didn't quite pull it off here, but i think it's close. As far as I'm concerned this is one of his most inspired performances, with a smooth tone and impeccable phrasing that are entirely his own - NOBODY sounded like this! He was truly innovative - and incredibly exciting. Long Live the King!

Nicely done! Oy Vey Worship

Beautiful work, Ivan.

I was born Tremolo Impaired. With significant rehabilitation from the charity TIC (Tremolo Impaired Chumps), I’ve been able to play tremolos in short bursts, but if I tried to play a song with that much sustained tremolo I’d probably injure myself. Smile So I’ve never seriously pursued playing this, or Miserlou, and I truly admire anyone that can pull it off. As usual, you make it look easy.

The artist formerly known as: Synchro

When Surf Guitar is outlawed only outlaws will play Surf Guitar.

Wow. Amazing single take man. How much do you practice guitar on average per week? That is one tough number!

Daniel Deathtide

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