The Advantages Of Starting Young

Bill Hankey · From: Pittsfield, MA, USA

The majority, if not all of the proficient players started playing steel at a young age. "I can't think of a great player who wasn't a childhood player." Attaining their levels of dexterities may not be possible if you started beyond that age group. I hear the quoted line more often as the steel becomes more popular with different age groups.

Bill Hatcher · From: Atlanta Ga. USA

Endless

Pete Finney · From: Nashville Tn.

There are many, many "proficient" steel players who started playing steel later than childhood; many started early on other instruments and then started playing steel later...

Bill Hankey · From: Pittsfield, MA, USA

Pete,

The record shows that there is little proof on record that would support the concept of jumping into the study of the steel guitar at any age, and reaching the level of playing that separates the two groups. That is to say, those who started playing at a very young age, learned much quicker than those who became students as young adults. There are marked differences in abilities beyond certain age groups. The short-term memories, as well as long-term memories are mingled with special interests, as a student ages. The experiences of a 25 year old male first time student, are much more concentrated in the memory than those a 10 year old.

Barry Blackwood · Posted 20 Nov 2008 10:00 am

My theory is, most potential steel players start young before they know any better.

Jack Mattison · From: North Bend, Wa

Pete........ Maybe starting young, gives you more of an advantage if down the road you are looking to make a profession out of it. But starting at an old [75 young] age will really help your memory, dextarity,and keep you thinking young. It also gives me much pleasure playing this instrument, and not just sitting around in a rocker, waiting for the good Lord to come and get me. I would recommend any body starting out at an older age to accept the challange of this great guitar. <><
_________________
Little Round Mound of Sound. D-10 8/5 ShoBud "The Professional" Pevey NV400.

Jim Cohen · From: Philadelphia, PA

Oh, I think starting earlier is better than later, for sure, but there are stunning examples of late-starters who will amaze you. Some of them (but probably not all) had early music involvement/training, which is probably more important than 'steel guitar training' per se. Getting music into your bones early is probably more important than what vehicle you use to get it out.

But I might just be blowin' smoke....
_________________
www.JimCohen.com
www.RonstadtRevue.com
www.BeatsWalkin.com

Bent Romnes · From: London,Ontario, Canada

Bill,
I agree with the basics of what you are trying to say here. There is no doubt as far as I am concerned, that the younger a person can start, the better off he/she is. I can give 2 of our favorites as an example: Lloyd Green and Buddy Emmons were both pre-teens right? This of course is not special to steel guitar but every walk of life.

Learning how to drive a car is 100 times easier when you are 10 than when you are 60 ( I taught both my kids to drive at ages 8 and 10)
If we all look back to when we started playing...I started at age 14 strumming a guitar. It took no time at all for me to learn the neck of the guitar just from my older sister showing me the C F and G chords.

That's not to say that it has to be a magic at age 12 or so. Age 20 is still a great age to learn. Two examples from Norway: Egil Skjelnes started playing when he was 20 or so... He drove his playing to great heights and is up there with the best of them. He in turn taught Dag Wolf starting at age 17 or so and after a while Dag took off and drove the steel guitar to unimagined heights in Norway and beyond. These two were not pre-teens. Still, they were youngish. Today they play on the stages in Dallas and St Louis.

Let's go to another plateau...Lars Egil Vågseter, also from Norway, started out steel playing at age 31. In 20 years he has driven his skills to unimaginable heights. He has a killer technique (his pick blocking is to die for) and plays with great touch and feeling as his latest CD will prove(Sweet Steel). Hope you get to hear it.
So here is proof that there are always exceptions to the rule.

Bill Hankey · From: Pittsfield, MA, USA

Bent,

I tried to locate "Sweet Steel" on You Tube without success. If it becomes available on you tube for viewing purposes, I would enjoy hearing that recording. Do you know if Lars ever recorded the "Orange Blossom Special? Thanks..

Bo Legg · Posted 20 Nov 2008 11:55 am

Bill wrote

Les Anderson · From: The Great White North

I have to question this age old theory of “starting them young makes them a better student”.

I know this first one is not the steel guitar; however, I got my first 8 hole, Marine Band harmonica when I was six years old and graduated to the chromatic harmonicas world when I was 15. To that, I have been playing that instrument for more than 62 years. Even with all those years of experience, I know dozen of players who did not start playing the chromatic harmonicas until they were in their forties and they can play circles around me.

I bought my first bass guitar when I was 21 but know people who have been playing the bass 1/10 of the time I have been playing it but, they play the instrument better than I do.

I have been playing flutes and pan flutes for almost 30 years; still, there are thousands of people out there who have been playing these instruments for half that time but make me sound like a beginner.

My acoustic guitars are the same thing. I have more than 50 years of experience with playing in bands of various genres of music.

I bought by first steel guitar when I was 60 years old. The difference with this instrument, I had 60 years of musical experience behind me and had always, really wanted to learn to play the steel. When I finally bought one, (a Guyatone D8) my first two months were spent practicing on this thing anywhere from 5 to 6 hours per day. My ears already had 60 years of training to fine tune the steel’s scale pitch and my feeling for notes and chords were already well established. Within six months I was playing the steel full time in a band and doing steel solos (admittedly, I served up a cup of sugarless lemonade a few times Embarassed

).

Now the question that must be asked, could I play all these various instruments because I started young or just plain and simple “because I wanted to and can communicate or feel sound better than some others”?

John Lemieux · From: Ontario, Canada

Very well said Les
_________________
music is the spice of life

Olaf van Roggen · From: The Netherlands

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2lLmLXAn5LU&feature=related This doesn't need any comment I guess!!

Bill Hankey · From: Pittsfield, MA, USA

Les,

These pages are not written about unfamiliar situations. Away back in time, nigh onto 50 years or more, the giants of steel guitars were making happy tracks that very few could follow. Those who admired the steel guitars, and the players were counted as of the hundreds,who were beyond that age to benefit from the youthful experience of easing into a very difficult challenge. Time has finally revealed that under no circumstances, will a late comer regardless of talent, "fill the shoes" of Buddy, Lloyd, Jimmy, and all others included in this 20th century steel guitar enigma. For those who continuously return to the "drawing" board, not for one year, but rather for decades, may have overlooked the basic reason for mounting difficulties. Without doubt, the speed, timing, and accuracy of the ultimate players, can be attributed to an early start in the uncluttered mind.

Brick Spieth · From: San Jose, California, USA

Some are just born with the gift. Proper education just makes them better.

I was born with the gift of loving to make music, alas, not actually being able to make music. LOL

Thankfully, both my daughters are pros, so I can live vicariously through them.

Damn, it would have been useful to be able to hit a major league slider!

Bent Romnes · From: London,Ontario, Canada

Bill,
Lars Egil likely never did record OBS..because everybody else did. He has a few originals on his CD. The title track you can hear on the Tilley web site:
http://www.etsga.org/steelguitarplayers.htm
scroll down to V for Vagseter and Sweet Steel
You can order his CD here: larssteel@adsl.no

Send him an email. The CD is really worth listening to.

Bo Legg · Posted 20 Nov 2008 4:38 pm

Starting young is not always good.

C. Christofferson · Posted 20 Nov 2008 8:18 pm

J.M & J.C. nailed this one IMO. That's a two page book there. I don't think it would be untrue to say that Brick's (forgive me for having to sound too personal) daughters got their start waay before they were born.

Bill Hankey · From: Pittsfield, MA, USA

C. Christofferson,

The beautiful movie star (Doris Day) sang the song that was enjoyed by millions of movie goers. "What Will Be, Will Be" is a wonderful attitude to accept, rather than become a visionary, sitting at the steel guitar, with an utopian outlook. Enthusiasm is always interesting, when a young adult has accomplished the basics of reaching a level of playing, far ahead of others in the same category of players. I mean to say, they are constantly checking out every aspect of playing the instrument, and other players. Key accomplished players eventually split away from this interesting activity by developing styles that identifies their great abilities to excel. Hope and frustration is a huge part of becoming a steel guitarist with unlimited capabilities. Those who readily accept the challenges to bring that "handle" within reach, (the one that will allow a student to move further into the hidden perplexities), will hold great promises. There could be, as many would be, steel guitarists in our midst than may be realized. You've suggested that J.C. "nailed it". I agree, and I always take note of what he has to say. The steel guitar is an endless storage of complex possibilities, that require energetic pursuits to unveil the inroads that lead to necessary acquisitions of technique and understanding. The remarkable absorption capabilities of students at a very young age should not be overlooked.

Tony Prior · From: Charlotte NC

I don't think it is only Steel Guitar related but rather "Music" related. Many of us have been playing music of some sort, some Instrument, since childhood, others, not.

It isn't the amount of years of experience or practice but rather the value of the years and practice.

two thoughts..

If you have been playing for 20 years, did you just repeat the 1st year 20 times ?

or

Over the 20 years did you actually grow well past the 1st year ?

Experience only matters if it brings value.

We read countless stories of Buddy practicing for hours on end in his earliest days right up to today.

Thats why he is Buddy, not because of the years he spent owning an Instrument. It's what he did during all those years.

I remember hanging out with an old friend up in Ct, he was ugly honest with me, one day he said, Tony, you've owned that Steel for about 5 years now but sometimes you play like you bought it yesterday !Then he gave me some very constructive advice which I put to good use. Repetitive practice. Take one thing practice it to death or 30 days whichever comes first . At the end of the 30 days you will be very good at that one thing, and he was very right. That was Ray Gantek talking to me. he told me to become a player not an owner. Man he was tuff !

We played a gig a few weeks back and brought in a young Steeler, Brett Crisp, yes Terry's cousin or something, Brett is like 20, he's already great ! Not because of his age but because of his learning and practicing routine. oh..yeh, I go back on Telecaster for many gigs now. Standing for a few hours while playing is a real drag !

Did you ever meet a Plumber who's been in business for 30 years but still can't fix the leak ? Thats what I'm talking about.

Bill Hankey · From: Pittsfield, MA, USA

Tony,

As far as I know, Ray has moved away from New England. He was quite prominent in Connecticut about 25 years ago. I traveled down to Wallingford, Ct. to hear him play at a steel guitar show that featured a number of class act players including Scotty and Jim Smith. Like two powerful magnets, Ray and Bobby Stanton, who was known for his flashy lead guitar sessions, came together to play O.B.S. on the small stage. I remember Ray taking a couple shots of courage before thundering into the uptempo, and difficult instrumental. On a scale of 1 to 10, the performance would have probably rated a solid 7. Ray played the bridge at the time, by utilizing strings one through five, unlike Doug Jernigan's method of playing off the eighth string. College trained Bobby Stanton was kept on his toes as the drummer kept speeding up the tempo, not realizing that doing so could easily mess up a good performance. Ray was performing a couple of years ago in the Florida area.

Tony Prior · From: Charlotte NC

Bill, Ray lives in Florida around Ocala I believe. I have spoken with him a few times over the past few years. I believe he still plays one of the Opry's down around where he lives and he still has that fatback white Emmons PP D10. I used to live right up the driveway from him in Westport, sometimes he would just come over and drink all my Beer ! A very talented guy for sure. Funny too.oh,and beyond all that, a great cook, schooled in the skill.

Bill Hankey · From: Pittsfield, MA, USA

Tony,

You appear to be a man of restraints from what I gather. Perhaps you were in attendance at the Wallingford Show, if by chance you were living in Ct. at that time. Bob DeKam, and Jim Gurley, makers of the Dekley Steel Guitars were creating excitement back in those promotional times. Guy Principato (Sp.) brought his dbl. six steel made in Boston, MA to one of those Ct. Shows. He was world traveled, and appeared as a banker, with suit and tie. He made it very clear that he was not in accord with many of the trendings followed by the majority of the participants. Someone in the audience kept screaming for him to play "Misty". He utilized both necks of the old Vega steel, when he answered the request.

Tony Prior · From: Charlotte NC

Ha ! man of restraints, don't tell my wife or daughters that !

I attended many shows around Ct. and NY, I left Ct in 88. I did hang around up there in that area with Harry Guffee and company for awhile and went to many Steel Guitar functions, shows, whatever we were calling them back then. I know I did not attend the show in question. I went to the Cloverleaf jams many times, I don't remember if that was Meriden or Wallingford.

Whats kinda amazing about looking back on that Ct scene is that I have run into a handful of Telecaster Forum( TDPRI.com) folks who were also there at the same time ! It's looking like that was one heck of a time to be living in Ct !

tp

Donny Hinson · From: Glen Burnie, Md. U.S.A.

Forum Index > Steel Players	Goto page 1, 2, 3, 4 Next	Next oldest topic :: Next newest topic