The 20% that makes up 80% of your technique..

Jason Rumley · From: Foley, Minnesota, USA

Hey all!!

For those of you who've clicked on my past few posts you know I got a ShoBud Professional last summer(formerly belonging to Dave Alfstad) and am taking lessons.

I took it to Vic Switzer who also has owned the same kind of ShoBud when he bought it brand new in the 70's. I learned a lot on maintenance tonight but he said something rather interesting. He said some of the techniques that took him 20 years to stumble on, could have been learned in 2 or 3 years if he had taken the time to spend time on the exercises.

It got me thinking about the Pareto Principle(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pareto_principle) also known as the 80/20 rule. It can help in many areas and it's got me thinking about applying it to my steel guitar studies and I wanted to a get a few more opinions.

What for you have been a few of the defining learning steps that have helped your playing by leaps in bounds? This could include anything from speed to chord theory, pick techniques etc.

Thanks for the help!

Georg Sørtun · From: Mandal, Agder, Norway

Well, after a few years I learned that most follows Sturgeon's Law also for playing steel, and that really loosened things up and got me going Smile

Erich Meisberger · From: Vermont, USA

Hi Jason,
I am a beginner (two years this month) and my main goal has been to understand the steel so I can intelligently play what I feel/hear in my head. I have a long way to go but here are two things that helped a whole lot;
1. Learn all the harmonized scales you can find and learn how they relate to one another. By jumping between the different two note scales and the string groupings they work with you can play almost any melody in harmony. Also, by viewing licks etc. in this context, one can make sense out of much of it.
2. Learn the fretboard. I made a chart of the E9 neck with the key of C in Nashville numbers (idea from Joe Wright) and it has really helped in finding pockets for single note runs and just understanding what's going on in general. Learning to play melodies with minimal/no use of pedals is very liberating.
I hope this helps you or someone else and that I have not bored everyone with the obvious.
Cheers.

Ian Sutton · From: San Francisco, CA

After about a year and a half of playing I was able to get a day-long lesson from a local pro. That definitely made something click in my playing and understanding of steel guitar. That and some of the Joe Wright material has really helped with technique.

Dana Shaw · From: Maine, USA

Joe Wright, the Paul Franklin scale exercise, a bow-flex machine and a good chiropractor...and 10,000 hours. If you don't already know it, learn scale and chord theory and stay focused on the exercises. Playing automatically improves with muscle tone, bar control and right hand technique. Learn the songs after you learn to operate the "stinkin contraption" Believe it or not, it will happen if you try really hard. It also helps to be OCD and have a wife that understands. I've been married for 32 years...three times...guitar really can't be blamed for the first one, but certainly was the big contributor to the second. Third lady married my guitar with me! After nearly 23 years of playing I am still learning like crazy.

Fred Glave · From: McHenry, Illinois, USA

Ray Anderson · From: Jenkins, Kentucky USA

Mark van Allen has a course on Theory and Chord Formation that is a "must have" for any Steel Player, done it for me! Whoa!

Tony Williamson · From: North Carolina, USA

one thing you might try to apply to the steel , is not just new licks, but same licks different rythm. if you listen to any tony rice acoustic guitar he may hit the chord a second early or stay a second late. his rythm is incredible. makes everything sound fresh. if you listen real close you can hear it amongst all the other instruments and it just makes you want to pick. lets try it!

Bo Legg · Posted 17 Jan 2012 9:57 am

Sure fire success!
Learn how to read tab. Learn Pick Blocking Complete.
Apply lots of tab to your Pick Blocking and do these three things 1. practice 2. practice 3. practice.

Fred Glave · From: McHenry, Illinois, USA

After learning all of the harmonic inversions with levers and pedals, then it was single and double note scales and excercises to build picking accuracy. Palm and pick blocking needed to be a part of all of it, but the blocking got better as my familiarity with the instrument grew, and the pick-to-string accuracy improved. When all of these things came together somewhat, things moved along better. I started playing steel (as a 6 string guitarist) when I was 47 years old and am now 55. I know I would have progressed faster if I started out as a kid.
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Zum Encore, Zum Stage One, Fender 2000, Harlan Bros., Multi-Kord,

Larry Behm · From: Mt Angel, Or 97362

When I started playing an Emmons PP's everything changed about my playing. Played fewer notes, hung on notes longer, played more one and two string combinations vs 3 or 4, sat back a let the guitar do most of the work. The 80/20 rule really works here, along with less is more.....

Larry Behm
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'70 D10 Black fatback Emmons PP, Hilton VP, BJS bars, Boss GE-7 for Dobro effect, Zoom MS50G, Stereo Steel amp, Telonics 15” speaker.

Phone: 971-219-8533

Lane Gray · From: Topeka, KS

Larry, you got any tapes/CDs of the post-Emmons? I still listen to the tape of Cross Country I bought from you at Jubitz, and you used to play the fire outta that Zum.
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2 pedal steels, a lapStrat, and an 8-string Dobro (and 3 ukes)
More amps than guitars, and not many effects

Larry Behm · From: Mt Angel, Or 97362

Lane I never used a Zum, I did use a Carter for about a year but went back to the PP's while playing with Cross Country. Harley James was the steeler on the CD the band made.

Punch up the Portland Steel Jam on You Tube and you will see some of us Portland steeler from a few months back.

Larry Behm
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'70 D10 Black fatback Emmons PP, Hilton VP, BJS bars, Boss GE-7 for Dobro effect, Zoom MS50G, Stereo Steel amp, Telonics 15” speaker.

Phone: 971-219-8533

Lane Gray · From: Topeka, KS

Funny. Thought you played a Zum¹. I thought you were on the tape I bought. I still use some of the licks I swiped from Rag Blossom.

¹Did Paul play a Zum with Andi and the Browns? Then again, these are nearly 20 year old memories. Haven't been to Jubitz since 93
_________________
2 pedal steels, a lapStrat, and an 8-string Dobro (and 3 ukes)
More amps than guitars, and not many effects

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