KILLING ME SOFTLY - 8 string lap steel arrangement

When Roberta Flack passed away in March 2025 it really hit me. Her music had impacted me as a teenager and the quality of her songs and singing set a standard for what MUSIC could be. I worked up this arrangement in her honor/memory and played it over a backing track I created. I slowed it down to 90 BPM from Roberta’s 112 BPM. I was also influenced by the Fugees version of this song which was recorded at 92 BPM, and which used the slow half step figure at the ends of the verses and chorus.

I’m playing a custom built Clinesmith 8 string lap steel which I had Todd Clinesmith make for me. It has both a Bigsby and a Horseshoe pick up - with each pickup having its own concentric volume/tone knobs.