The Steel Guitar Forum

Now and then we are apt to meet a student of the steel guitar who hungers for new ideas and techniques as applied to the instrument. When you do, there will be no guessing as to whether or not the individual is truly the "real deal". Few people in life are more rewarding than a good studen...

Back in the thirties of the last century, the drudgery of scrubbing work clothes while listening to the soaps on makeshift radios was a bummer. Many mothers didn't own anything with the exception of a good imagination. They listened faithfully to the "soaps" with nothing more than voices t...

Musician's names seem to play a large part in the characterization of self-styled steel guitarists. When "Chet" and "Les" turned on their talents back in the fifties, thousands of musicians were stupefied. There was a mad rush of players attempting to resolve the secrets of playi...

I remember one of Faron Young's front musicians telling me that, "All he needed to hear was two notes played on a fiddle, to tell him if the player was from the south or the north." Of course I didn't fall for that comment. It's just something that is hard to forget. You'd expect to hear t...

Ralph Mooney never had a problem creating images of a player who could take control of an instrument much different than all others.

I once knew a spirited fiddler who was known as "RICK" by other band members. One day he remarked to me about the playing style of a guitar player known as "Howie". Speaking of his wide knowledge of chords, he replied,"Yeah, he'll "SUB" you to death." I had so...

Have you ever had the feeling that you've met a player by listening to subtle differences in musical expressions played on the pedal steel guitar?

Don, Don, I've heard lately a number of scholarly personages refer to professionals as "bears". Are you saying that you've never heard someone refer to a man by calling him a "bear"? They even go so far as to call a steel player a monster. Now that would be stretching the truth a...

Just for the record; I'm not an advocate of skinning bears, nor to disrupt their natural habitat that was their home centuries before man and guns came to America. Supporting an advocacy journalism that favors looking the other way in such matters, whether the subject is concentrated on bears, or st...

Barry, A while ago poachers were very active here and neighboring states poaching black bears. Their purpose was to collect the gallbladders of black bears and sell them illegally. It is believed by some that they possess aphrodisiac properties. Too much cash flow going into the wrong pockets soon b...

Al Udeen, I think you were in your early forties when you played "JONESY" in that music store in Pittsfield, MA. I was there at that special steel guitar presentation. If my memory serves me well, I think you played two different steel guitars. One was the LLOYD GREEN single with an armres...

Bob S., Surgical set backs would tend to weary the soul to the point of becoming moody. A bypass is the only highway out of trouble city. I know several musicians who had to undergo different types of bypass surgeries. It's amazing knowing that it is possible after surgery to do the things you've al...

Barry,

Yes Barry, walkers, crutches, canes, wheelchairs, and dozens of manufactured goods to make living more tolerable are available to those who need them. I've sampled most of those items. A black bear was seen about 75' from my front door, which prompted me to walk with a cane.

Doug B., Before you suggested moving to the studies on lap steel guitars, I had been giving much thought to the possibility of considering what JERRY BYRD knew from the start. Get rid of the multiplicity of mechanical hardware, and concentrate more on finesse. Who can deny that it worked for JERRY? ...

Alan, Wouldn't you agree that we are at the mercy of certain unforeseen events? You've decided that the pedal steel guitar must go wherever you go, in good times and bad times. I don't have a problem with that, excepting that the "Balance Beam" located at the very core of such profound com...

When the steel becomes a burden to carry? When minor adjustments become a hassle? You may notice a few favorite tunes just don't sound the same as they once did. Your dreams of taking on tough challenges no longer occupy your thoughts. Failures are more readily accepted. It may be time to quizzicall...

For quite some time I've noticed when pedal steel guitars are the subjects of interest by limited numbers of players, the average public figures display a pitiful ineptitude, second to none. It becomes one branch of study that underachievers are slow in moving forward to a level of understanding. Mo...

John, I want to thank you for your input concerning the direction that we are seeing young musicians travel into as soon as they can hold a guitar. Who knows what they will turn to when country rock loses its appeal. They could come back to wheedling traditional bandleaders as was a common practice ...

While lying in bed a couple of nights ago, I suddenly realized what they the (publishers) have accomplished. They are selling new country like hot cakes. Personally, I like country music with retentive value. For me, that is missing in what they are calling new country.

A few years back in time country music was taken for granted throughout the state of Massachusetts. Small establishments with a bar and dance floor would somehow scrape up enough cash flow to keep small country bands busy on weekends. The ideal arrangements were booking into clubs where the manageme...

Lane,

Many of the players who were once fit and trim, are no longer banging on doors. Checking their mail has become a daily routine, so I'm told. I've also been reminded that, "Good things don't last."

Attempting to better country music of late is the equivalent of selling a truckload of air conditioner units to Eskimos. Interest in true country music has dwindled shamefully. From now on, it remains a wait and see how long this merry-go-round of light rock will last among true country music artist...

Chuck, A good rhythm guitarist is a waste of time and travel in so-called new country bands. What a slap in the face! True country bands consist of 6 pieces to sound their best. One "fiddle", one lead guitarist, one steel guitar, a good front singer/vocalist/rhythm guitarist, a bassist, an...

Craig, I spent the afternoon at a picnic in Stephentown, N.Y. My sister-in-law turned on a popular "country" station on her little radio. If you want to know what isn't country music, proceed to tune into what they are calling country music. All I heard was a blaring beat for 4 hours. Virt...

Lane, One of the most rewarding moments while in practice on the pedal steel guitar happens when something new is played unexpectedly. That is the reason for the great popularity in prepared tablature. The greats of the steel guitar offer trade secrets that had taken them years to learn while burnin...