How long practicing on PSG before you started gigging?

Bill Moore · From: Manchester, Michigan

It was quite a few years before I ever played a gig. When I started, I was working 6-7 days a week, mostly night shifts. No room in my schedule for any gigs. But I kept at it, trying to improve. Later on , I had more time, and eventually found time to jam and occasionally do a gig. Now, I probably average about 3 per month, not exactly setting the world on fire, but I enjoy it. I've been at it about 32 years now, I'd be a better player now had I starting gigging earlier, but I made a good living all those years, so, no regrets.

Adam Kurtz · From: Nashville, TN

i bought a sierra S10 from Jim at Steel Guitars of North County on Feb 16, 2013, by march put up a CL ad, played a few shows in April and May, spent June and July with pedal to the metal so to speak, and went on a 40 date national tour Oct-Nov. Wondered if i was fastest store-to-tour out there, but probably not! so much fun, about to head out on another tour tomorrow! i almost forget how to play the 6-string (tho i've been playing for 25 years).

Clete Ritta · From: San Antonio, Texas

It was about a year before I began gigging and recording with pedal steel. Been playing 6 string guitar for many years.

Howard Steinberg · From: St. Petersburg, Florida , USA

About 2 months before I put it out there. Had been playing 6 string for about 15 years and was playing full time for a living (you could do that in the 70's). Played 3 gigs and realized that I had no business on a stage with few chops and a Market Rite Mark I. I took another 2 years of practice/study and bought a decent guitar that could be tuned. Better not to rush it.
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Justice Pro Lite (4-5), Justice D-10 (8-5)x2 , Quilter Steelaire, Hilton Pedal, BJ's bar.

David Cubbedge · From: Toledo,Ohio, USA

within a week. I started playing a Fender Stringmaster D-8. The band wouldn't let me in unless I played it. I had to learn fast!

BTW, I was pretty one-dimensional! Or, to put it bluntly, I sucked!

However, playing that straight steel taught me a lot about left hand technique. And I agree that playing out for 2-3 hours is better than months of practice! Most people listening out there don't know when mistakes are made. Just jump in!

These days I take my PSG to all kinds of jams and play all kinds of music on it.
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Red Emmons D10 fatback #2246D with sweet Hugh Briley split cases, Black Emmons S10 #1466S, '73 Fender "Snakeskin" Twin Reverb, Peavey Nashville 400, Line 6 Pod XT, Fender 400, Fender Stringmaster Double-8, too many guitars, one bass!

Fred Justice · From: Mesa, Arizona

8 days, 15 & 16 hours a day.
Then came an audition for 5 nights a week, you guessed it, I got the job.

For 15 or 16 days I practiced kick off's and turn around's. I dazzled the band with that and pretty much learned to play on the job. (an understanding band)
It was a hard road but I wouldn't have changed a thing if I could.
I was 23 when I started playing steel guitar. I had been playing bass on stage for 5 or 6 years, so I had a good musical head start.
Its been a beautiful 44 year ride and I love each day even more. Thank you Lord for the pedal steel guitar.
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Email: azpedalman@gmail.com
Phone: 480-235-8797

Dennis Russell · From: California, USA

I played my first gig on PSG after 4 weeks (it would have been 2 weeks, but the bandstand of that gig was too tight to fit another person in the band, so I sat that one out). I bought a lap steel from a friend. A couple of weeks later he lent me the pedal steel he had been trying to learn on. I began to sit in on rehearsals with the honky-tonk band that he fronted with the understanding that once he thought I was ok, he'd have me on a gig.
I had been playing 6 string guitar for 30 years, dabbled with banjo and mandolin, and also play drums.

I use the same technique in learning PSG as I do with any instrument that I"ll claim I double on: Learn the I, vi, IV,and V chord in every key and how to play a major pentatonic scale, a minor pentatonic scale and major and minor diatonic scales. I can usually teach myself these on any instrument in a few days of woodshedding (far from virtuosic, but at least competent), then I can then fake through about 90% of whatever is put in front of me.

The first few gigs were pretty intense, as the band had a playlist of about 70 songs, with about a dozen of those originals. I really didn't take any intros or outs, but did muddle through a few solos. I hit some real clunkers, but had enough sense to block immediately or hit the volume pedal real fast. I had really poor blocking, and probably was out of tune about 60% of the time (partly because of me, partly because the guitar I had was a finicky Marlen pull-release). I'm grateful that the band leader let me learn on the job. I've been with this band now for two years, playing out once or twice a month. I'm getting better all the time and having upcoming gigs is great incentive to practice daily and get better and refine my technique and knowledge on the instrument.
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ETS S10, Fender Champion 6 string lap steel, Magnatone 6 string lap steel, Johnson Dobro, 1961 Fender Bassman, Fender Blues Jr., Fender Mustang III

Steve Spitz · From: New Orleans, LA, USA

Like many of us, I was a guitar player, and I had started to bring a lap steel which I played very poorly, one song, at the end of the night when everyone was drunk and more forgiving. I got my first steel, and couldn't play it, but got hired by a band which did a lot of graham parsons, who I'd never heard of. I didn't know of any of the other artists we covered. Lefty, Buck, Ray,Merle, I didn't know any of it.

I sucked really really bad. They knew what they were getting , and were cool with it. I fell in love with the music, and got the steel bug really bad.

The Good : it pushed me over the threshold and excellerated my learning curve .
The Bad : a lot of people I'd like to play with later on heard me, and would not be in any hurry to work with me.

I told this story to Jeff Newman, about playing before I was ready . He said " Dont WAIT till your ready. You'll never be ready."

Peter Nylund · From: Finland

2 weeks before the first gig where I even did an instrumental "Blue eyes cryin in the rain". That was almost forty years ago and unfortunately my playing skills have not improved much since those days. Embarassed

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I know my playing is a bit pitchy, but at least my tone sucks

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