New to Pedal Steel, Need some basic info

Raj Natarajan · Post by **Raj Natarajan** » 19 Jun 2003 2:00 pm

Hi,
I recently bought a nice used Shobud LDG model PSG with a Goodrich volume pedal. It is a very nice guitar except I don't know how to play it yet. I have been playing 6 string guitars for over 15 years. Now I need help on getting started on this one.

I am looking for resources for learning including on-line guidance, fret board charts for chords and scales, books, videos, etc to help me get started to have a lot of fun with it. My goal is certainly not to play in a country band, but perhaps to play fusion, rock kind a stuff. The guy who sold me showed me how to pick and dampen the strings and that's about it. Now I am on my own. So, any help will be greatly appreciated.

By the way, I connected it to my Hiwatt DR103 instead of the Peavey amp, I was just simply stunned by the sound that came out of this amp!!! I have a good feeling that I am going to be addicted to this instrument.

TIA
Skipper

Bill Fulbright · Post by **Bill Fulbright** » 19 Jun 2003 2:26 pm

Raj,

Just keep poking around here... you will find plenty of resources and plenty of threads that will give you a boost.

Since you are in Spring, there are some PSG players over there that you can look up for some lessons....

Good Luck with your new steel!

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Bill Fulbright
Mullen D-10 8x7; Gibson ES-165; Peavey Vegas 400;
ICQ# 2251620 My Music Site

Jeff A. Smith · Post by **Jeff A. Smith** » 19 Jun 2003 2:27 pm

Hi Raj-

It sounds like you aren't much interested in country music. Nothing wrong with that, but a lot of the instructional stuff which utilizes actual playing examples with tab or standard notation will be in the country style. This is particularly true for the E9 tuning, which your LDG most certainly is. Mr. Lloyd Green, whom the LDG guitar was designed for, is possibly "Mr." Nashville Steel Guitar.

So I guess what I'm saying is that if you want specific playing examples to work through on E9, you'll probably either have to learn some country or find an instructor.

However, it also looks like your primary interest is just getting an idea how to apply the basic musical tools to the neck. There are some teachers listed in the Forum's "links" section who have things like that, which are more oriented around straight theory and/or technique. There are plenty of E9 chord books available, and also some scale books.

Someone could probably point you in a more specific direction if they knew how many actual musical examples you're interested in, rather than just technical tools. Also, are you satisfied with your present knowledge of conceptual theory, such as chord construction and modes?

Jeff A. Smith · Post by **Jeff A. Smith** » 19 Jun 2003 3:58 pm

Offhand, I'd say Joe Wright could help you out. He's probably very computer literate, plays rock and jazz (in addition to country) very well, and has a pile of stuff on scales, theory, technique, etc.

You can find out about Joe through the "links" section.

Mike Perlowin · Post by **Mike Perlowin** » 19 Jun 2003 5:38 pm

There are many good courses and books for you to learn from. Jeff Newman's stuff is universally excellent. I learned from Winnie Winston's book.

If you want to play rock though, eventually you'll possibly want to switch to a 12 string instrument. Don't worry about it for the time being, but figure in a year or two you might want to sell your guitar and buy another.

Bob Hoffnar · Post by **Bob Hoffnar** » 19 Jun 2003 8:21 pm

Raj,
You live near Houston so you might want to contact Susan Alcorn if you are interested in new music being played on the steel. There are piles of truly great steel players very close to you. Really some of the best in the world. Learn what you can from the greats and use it to make your own music. A couple hours with somebody like Gary Carpenter up in Dallas will do more for your playing than a UPS truck full books and vids. Get it first hand since you can. Ricky Davis right up the road in Austin can rock all he wants on the steel and show you how to do it.

You don't need any more gear or a different steel. I play rock gigs all the time on a plain old E9 tuning.

BTW: I love Hiwatt amps myself.

Bob

John Fabian · Post by **John Fabian** » 20 Jun 2003 2:17 am

I think you'll find this video useful. It was made for 6 string guitarists.
http://www.steelguitar.com/resource/videos/vids6string.html

John Fabian

David Mason · Post by **David Mason** » 20 Jun 2003 2:29 am

It's very useful on any instrument to write out a chart of the major scale. Make the scale tones little dots, the chord tones big dots and the roots as circles. Once you've got the major scale in any one key, a lot more unfolds.

Raj Natarajan · Post by **Raj Natarajan** » 20 Jun 2003 6:33 am

You guys have been wonderful! Quite a few tips here as well as names of teachers in Houston is a wonderful thing to have! I think many of you are right, nothing like a teacher showing you some of the very basic stuff on the Steel than truck load of vids! However I am also going to get few books to get me going in the right direction. Thanks to you all folks!

Tony LaCroix · Post by **Tony LaCroix** » 20 Jun 2003 7:51 am

Hi Raj, I'm new to this thing, too. This forum is where it's at. Make sure to check out the 'links' part of the forum, where b0b has put some fantastic resources (esp. "basic E9 theory"). Also, here's something that helped me convert my 6-string knowledge to my S-10. It's seems abundantly obvious to old pros, but a light came on when I started thinking this way:

If you're like me, you think of most chords on the guitar as having either a 6th string or a 5th string root. On the steel, the same chords are available at the same frets as guitar, but now you have to think of the eighth string as your 6th string root (E) and to move to the IV chord, just press pedals A and B at the same time. This way, you can still play A and D major at fret 5, G and C major at fret 3, etc. Oh yeah, and play strings 10, 8, 6, 5, 4, and 3.

Good luck! I hope you have as much fun with the steel as I've been having!

Les Pierce · Post by **Les Pierce** » 25 Jun 2003 10:03 pm

Tony,

That is very useful information for six stringer to relate to the chord positions. Please just remember that the E chord produced with the bar off the strings (open)on the steel, is more like an open C chord (6 string) with the root moved up to the seventh fret (bar 4). In this position the 5th string E at the 7th fret is the same as the 8th string open on the steel, and the B at the 6th string 7th fret is the same as the 10th string on the steel. When you step on the A & B pedals, you pull the steel into the equivelant of the barred A chord at the 5th fret of the 6th string, (more or less, you get the idea, I hope).

This discovery was very critical to me in changing from 6 string standard to 10 string E9th, in that the steel bends I used on the 6 string were not in the same position on a real steel.

Take care, best of luck, and enjoy the learning process. It's a great ride.

Les

Steven Black · Post by **Steven Black** » 28 Jun 2003 4:48 pm

Hey Raj, definately check out Joe wright`s
courses, he is exceptionally skilled in the
rock, hardrock, and jazz and blues, he even has videos, takes a little more skills to play it, but he can show you how it is done,
also Doug Journigan does some fine jazz as well, check out his courses, check with the
sacred steeler`s as well, there tunning is a little different, but I think Dan Tyak has a standard tunning on his. Steveb carter D-10 8+5.

Bill Moore · Post by **Bill Moore** » 28 Jun 2003 6:24 pm

Raj, since you are just getting started, any experienced teacher will get you off to a good start. You say that you are not particularlly interested in country music, but you need to learn the basics anyway, which will apply to any music that you play in the future. I'd say, take advantage of being located in Texas, where there are many players able to give lessons, learn the country stuff right from the start, as you progress, apply what you've learned to the music you want to play. Good luck.

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<small>Bill Moore...
my steel guitar web page</font>

Mike Delaney · Post by **Mike Delaney** » 28 Jun 2003 8:07 pm

If you're in the Houston area, I believe that Billy Phelps would be a great person to try to get a couple of lessons with.

I don't know if he teaches private students, but I was fortunate enough to run in to him at the ISGC a few years back, right after I had gotten my first PSG. It was early in the day (he was at the Carter booth) and since nobody else was around, he spent a good hour showing me around the E9 neck.

As I said, I don't know if he accepts students, but if he does, jump at the chance. He's a super nice guy to boot.

Good luck, and find a good teacher.