How long practicing on PSG before you started gigging?

About Steel Guitarists and their Music

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Bill Moore
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Joined: 5 Jun 2000 12:01 am
Location: Manchester, Michigan

Post by Bill Moore »

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.
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Adam Kurtz
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Location: Nashville, TN
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Post by Adam Kurtz »

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).
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Clete Ritta
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Joined: 5 Jun 2009 6:58 pm
Location: San Antonio, Texas

Post by Clete Ritta »

It was about a year before I began gigging and recording with pedal steel. Been playing 6 string guitar for many years.
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Howard Steinberg
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Location: St. Petersburg, Florida , USA

Post by Howard Steinberg »

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.
Justice Pro Lite (4-5), Justice D-10 (8-5)x2 , Quilter Steelaire, Hilton Pedal, BJ's bar.
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David Cubbedge
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Location: Toledo,Ohio, USA

Post by David Cubbedge »

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.
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!
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Fred Justice
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Post by Fred Justice »

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.
Email: azpedalman@gmail.com
Phone: 480-235-8797
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Dennis Russell
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Joined: 13 Aug 2012 6:48 am
Location: California, USA

Post by Dennis Russell »

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.
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
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Location: New Orleans, LA, USA

How long ?

Post by Steve Spitz »

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."
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Peter Nylund
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Post by Peter Nylund »

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