Best Advice you ever got from a Professional Steel Player

Antolina · Post by **Antolina** » 28 Nov 2007 10:21 am

From the great Paul Franklin

"play that lick until you're sick of it"

when asked for advice about my first gig.

"Have fun"

From the wonderful player and really nice Jeff Demaio when I found myself sitting next to him at Jeff Newman seminar.

"We're all learning"
rc

Don Sulesky · Post by **Don Sulesky** » 28 Nov 2007 10:33 am

From Jeff Newman, "Just play the melody".
Also know when to play and not to play.

RC, If that was in NY in the early 90's I was there.
Don

Antolina · Post by **Antolina** » 28 Nov 2007 10:59 am

Hi Don,

No Don, that was back in the very early 80s. By the 90s I'd hung up my pics.

Best advice I gave myself this time around...

"take yer time and do it right this time"

Joe A. Camacho · Post by **Joe A. Camacho** » 28 Nov 2007 11:43 am

Ricky Davis wrote:Tom Brumley told me: "When it's your turn to play; play the sh!! out of it; and when it's not your turn to play; Don't play".
Lloyd Green told me: "Be the other voice in a song".
Ricky

Ricky told me to play what I know and play the sh*t out of it...

Michael Douchette · Post by **Michael Douchette** » 28 Nov 2007 12:41 pm

Emmons: "Put your shoulders back, sit up straight. You don't look like you know what you're doing when you're bent over."

Pete Drake: "See his mouth? When it's moving, don't play."

"Pig" Robbins: "Damn it, you sound just like Pete. Exactly like him! Not just sound, but you 'feel' it the same way!" (I took that as a compliment!)

Bobby Thompson actually smiled at me... once.

Dennis Lee · Post by **Dennis Lee** » 28 Nov 2007 1:10 pm

I had the pleasure of meeting JayDee Maness in Spokane, WA a year ago last May. We were each enjoying a piece of pie at Shari's and discussing everything. I'll never forget his words of wisdom to me, "It is what it is". So when I play, practice, or anything related to the steel, I keep honest, content and humble with these words of wisdom. That is, until someone in the crowd yells out, "Hey, play something you know"!

James Morehead · Post by **James Morehead** » 28 Nov 2007 2:06 pm

Ricky Davis once told me "Don't worry what you CAN'T play, worry about what you CAN play. Have fun!!

Lately he says he can find a buyer for my guitar!!

Just kidding, Ricky!!

Howard Tate · Post by **Howard Tate** » 29 Nov 2007 9:19 am

Put in an application at Walmart.

Sonny Jenkins · Post by **Sonny Jenkins** » 29 Nov 2007 11:04 am

Don Brown,,,check your PM (private messages)

Brint Hannay · Post by **Brint Hannay** » 29 Nov 2007 12:12 pm

Emmons: "Put your shoulders back, sit up straight. You don't look like you know what you're doing when you're bent over."

That's a great one!

Chris LeDrew · Post by **Chris LeDrew** » 29 Nov 2007 12:15 pm

"Never play a 6th chord on the V when you're swinging. Don't ask me why it's wrong. It just is."

Jeff Newman

Calvin Walley · Post by **Calvin Walley** » 29 Nov 2007 12:15 pm

Joe A. said

Lloyd Green told me: "Be the other voice in a song".

to me thats what makes a master

Casey Lowmiller · Post by **Casey Lowmiller** » 29 Nov 2007 12:36 pm

The best advice I received?

It came from Michael Douchette & he got it from Pete Drake, "See his mouth? When it's moving, don't play."

Pete made an awful lot of money knowing when to play & most importantly...when not to play.

Joe Wright said to practice, practice, practice & practice right. If you practice wrong, you're going to keep on repeating that mistake.

Casey

Buddy Castleberry · Post by **Buddy Castleberry** » 29 Nov 2007 1:53 pm

I would call john hughey and ask
how did you do that lick .im having
a hard time trying to find it
john said your trying to hard
when you try to learn my licks
think simple , i play just as simple as i can
then he would tell me the lick
and it would embarrass me because it was
so simple and most of the time it would
be licks ive already just different phasing

Bob Carlucci · Post by **Bob Carlucci** » 29 Nov 2007 4:05 pm

"Bob,try not to suck so much"......

Alan Brookes · Post by **Alan Brookes** » 30 Nov 2007 4:54 pm

Play with your finger picks on.
Muffle the notes you don't want to continue sounding.
Pay more attention to being in tune.
Don't leave old strings on your PSG until they fall off with old age.
Don't kick the amplifier.

...but the best one...

Go splash Jack Daniels on your own steel !

Joe Alterio · Post by **Joe Alterio** » 30 Nov 2007 5:06 pm

Best advice I have gotten was from Terry Wendt.

1) Sit straight up when you play. It will change your entire approach to your playing, and add confidence to your playing.

2) Feel the note when adding vibrato.....place the bar right over the center of the note and feel it.

He had me palm blocking like a pro in about an hour, too. He used to teach at Jeff's college....really knows his stuff.

Cal Freeman · Post by **Cal Freeman** » 30 Nov 2007 8:12 pm

1. What you say, don't count near as much, as what you don't say....

2. Nothin' is cleaner than a hole....

Charlie McDonald · Post by **Charlie McDonald** » 1 Dec 2007 6:23 am

"Don't quit your day job."

Howdy, Cal!

And this wasn't advice, but Cal once said:
"We did it that way in case we had to do it that way."
It's become a family saying.

But Mike Perlowin told me to remember: It's
pedal
steel
guitar

The most important thing being, it's a guitar.
I think it takes a long time to absorb that how you use the bar may just be more important than how you use the pedals. In the end, play the guitar.

Michael Johnstone · Post by **Michael Johnstone** » 1 Dec 2007 9:32 am

From the great Cajun Singer and squeeze box player Jo-El Sonnier: "Man,I love da way you play - it's real economic! You leavin' out some beautiful notes!

From the great hillbilly banjoist from Virginia,Billy Constable when I was dabbling with that instrument: "Alls I kin say is wiggle yer fingers an hit the raght strangs."

From John(J.J.)Cale: "Well you know...I dunno,ya know."

From Joaquin Murphey - trying to be complimentary: "Mike,don't be so hard on yourself. I could never play some of the sh!+ you play and you sure as hell could never play like me..."

From Charlie Pride after I replaced Gene O'Neal in the Pridesmen and a few gigs into the tour: "You didn't quit your day job back in L.A.....did you?"

Johan Jansen · Post by **Johan Jansen** » 1 Dec 2007 9:34 am

'never start on this instrument, much to difficult for you!'

He made me mad with this

JJ

also: 'Íf you make a mistake, play it again, and look if you play it supposed so

'

Eric West · Post by **Eric West** » 1 Dec 2007 9:52 am

I don't remember it.

Obviously.

EJL

Charles Curtis · Post by **Charles Curtis** » 1 Dec 2007 11:34 am

Jay Dee once told me that when you get tired to go have a cup of coffee.

Billy Wilson · Post by **Billy Wilson** » 1 Dec 2007 1:13 pm

Vance Terry: If yer gonna play the steel play the $h1t out of it!! (same as Tom Brumley to Ricky Davis)

Cindy Cashdollar: Look at the fret yer gonna move the bar to.

Tommy White: Don't slide into the notes. Jump right on 'em

JamesMCross · Post by **JamesMCross** » 1 Dec 2007 1:27 pm

I got this bit of advice 10 years ago from a well known pro here in Houston: "Always try to play with people who are better musicians than you are. You will learn from them, and you will have to work harder to keep up."

Thus far, it has not been a problem for me to be able to follow this advice.

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