What's as addictive as steel guitar?

Paul Sutherland · Post by **Paul Sutherland** » 24 Apr 2014 4:53 pm

Not talking about drugs or alcohol or sex?

For me it's 5 string banjo. Got mine 5 weeks ago and am having a hard time putting it down. My steel playing is suffering a bit, but nothing twangs like a banjo. And it sure fits into modern country music, in places the steel just sounds too sweet.

John Peay · Post by **John Peay** » 24 Apr 2014 7:34 pm

Golf...at least for me.

Richard Sinkler · Post by **Richard Sinkler** » 24 Apr 2014 8:33 pm

Oh no Paul. Is it too late to save you?

Paul Sutherland · Post by **Paul Sutherland** » 25 Apr 2014 1:05 am

Richard: I'm afraid it's hopeless. I love both the Scruggs and Keith styles. Clawhammer is also interesting, but weird to play.

Jerome Hawkes · Post by **Jerome Hawkes** » 25 Apr 2014 2:43 am

i went thru that phase about 10 years ago and agree with you - the banjo, once you get the rolls under control is a lot of fun - PLUS - people always seem to enjoy seeing someone play the banjo - its fun to play and fun to hear/see being played. i had played other instruments and never got as much positive feedback from people as when i played banjo - not because i was good, but they just are curious about it. people are certainly just as curious about steel guitar, but somehow can't wrap their head around the whole concept.

i'm actually doing a low stress recording session tomorrow on banjo and i'll have to get it out tonight (after a year in the case) and work up my right hand - i hope i don't relapse back to it.

i'm in NC and there are some pretty dang good banjo players around here. thats one reason i only play it casually.

Leslie Ehrlich · Post by **Leslie Ehrlich** » 25 Apr 2014 3:31 am

I don't find any musical instrument to be anywhere nearly addicting as the Internet.

Jerry Hayes · Post by **Jerry Hayes** » 25 Apr 2014 7:30 am

I don't think there's any instrument as addicting as the steel guitar (pedal variety mostly). I know when I got my first one I was playing six nights a week on lead guitar and almost all my moments at home were spent plunking on that thing. I got my first full time job on it only a year after I got it and I also think that playing steel improved my standard guitar playing and technique... As far as addicting, I remember once reading an interview article in Guitar Player Magazine with super jazz fusion guitarist Al DiMieola who's a super star in that field. Al wanted to expand his musical base and took up the pedal steel. He got pretty proficient on it I've heard. In the article he stated that eventually he had to sell the damn thing as his guitar playing started to suffer as when he practiced he spent all his time on steel instead of his "money maker"...........JH in Va.

Niels Andrews · Post by **Niels Andrews** » 25 Apr 2014 8:24 am

Sorry to hear you have gone to the "dark side", Accordion next?

admin · Post by **b0b** » 25 Apr 2014 8:54 am

Mixing. I'm not even very good at it, but it's fascinating to listen to a song over and over, adjusting EQ, effects, levels, pan, etc. I never know when to quit.

I could quit playing banjo after about 3 notes.

Richard Sinkler · Post by **Richard Sinkler** » 25 Apr 2014 9:48 am

I could quit playing banjo after about 3 notes.

We really appreciate that B0B.

Bob Isaac · Post by **Bob Isaac** » 25 Apr 2014 12:10 pm

How do you unplug a banjo? The One Who Must Be Obe...., I mean, my wife, prefers my attempts at playing the steel guitar sans amp. And since every banjo I've ever heard seems to have a busted volume control, set at "painful", I don't think she would allo...., I mean, appreciate a banjo. I sure would like to have one though!

Paul Sutherland · Post by **Paul Sutherland** » 25 Apr 2014 12:48 pm

One can buy banjo mutes. I have one and it works. My wife doesn't object when I practice in the bedroom with the door closed and the mute on. If I take the mute off she's pounding on my door in no time.

To get maximum silence take the resonator off and stuff some towels around the coordinator rod(s) so they touch the head. That plus the mute really tames the beast.

Richard Sinkler · Post by **Richard Sinkler** » 25 Apr 2014 1:19 pm

Paul Sutherland wrote:One can buy banjo mutes. I have one and it works. My wife doesn't object when I practice in the bedroom with the door closed and the mute on. If I take the mute off she's pounding on my door in no time.

To get maximum silence take the resonator off and stuff some towels around the coordinator rod(s) so they touch the head. That plus the mute really tames the beast.

Or, keep your hands in your pockets.

Doug Beaumier · Post by **Doug Beaumier** » 25 Apr 2014 1:25 pm

edit...

Paul Sutherland · Post by **Paul Sutherland** » 25 Apr 2014 1:43 pm

Now bagpipes; that's sort-of an intriguing instrument. It might even beat out banjo and accordion for kookie-ness.

After all, my last name is Sutherland.

Ben Elder · Post by **Ben Elder** » 25 Apr 2014 9:56 pm

Golf...

I grew up playing golf in a family where it transcends Episcopalianism as religion. ("Arnold Palmer is my shepherd, I shall not slice...") I had to give it up, because I have never experienced a more poisonous, wish-I-was-never-born feeling than I get from playing golf badly. (And since I was 16 and had to work every summer, I have only played golf badly.)

I get pretty frustrated with pedal steel and bored with my savage mediocrity and music-theory incomprehension, but I hope I never get to the point with pedal steel where, like golf, I'd be limited to watching it on TV.

CrowBear Schmitt · Post by **CrowBear Schmitt** » 26 Apr 2014 10:30 am

Dancing Bachata with a Dominican woman....

Leslie Ehrlich · Post by **Leslie Ehrlich** » 27 Apr 2014 11:39 pm

Paul Sutherland wrote:Now bagpipes; that's sort-of an intriguing instrument. It might even beat out banjo and accordion for kookie-ness.

After all, my last name is Sutherland.

To my ears, bagpipes sound much better when there are several pipers playing together. The sound of a single set of pipes grates on my nerves.

Banjo is okay so long as it's a five string and the player is playing bluegrass.

If it's a 120 bass accordion, any music sounds good on it except polka music.

If it's a pedal steel guitar, any music sounds good on it except slow whiny country music.

Rick Schacter · Post by **Rick Schacter** » 28 Apr 2014 2:30 pm

b0b wrote:Mixing. I'm not even very good at it, but it's fascinating to listen to a song over and over, adjusting EQ, effects, levels, pan, etc. I never know when to quit.

I agree with b0b.
The whole recording process is very interesting to me. From room acoustics to proper mic placement, doing critical listening to records that I like and trying to figure out why they sound so good, etc.,etc.
Another thing that I've become very interested in is synthesizers. I got the Arturia Microbrute for my birthday along with the Arturia Modular V and Arturia Arp 2600 plugins.
I could totally loose track of time experimenting with different patches to see what types of sounds I can come up with.

http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/MicroBrute

http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/ModularV-e/

http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/Arp2600V-e

I'm planning to be very busy for quite some time.

Rick

BTW - You can plug different instruments into the Microbrute. I'm curious to see what happens if I plug my pedal steel into it. Ha!

Jan Viljoen · Post by **Jan Viljoen** » 30 Apr 2014 12:11 pm

Pedal steel, the strangest instrument with wires fascinates me endlessly, but also other instruments.
I never pass a music shop and look at even the cheapest and silly stuff, like kazoos and triangles.

I think it is the male urge to conquer and rule that drives me. I am sure the Crusaders would have taken their pedal steels with on the Crusades.

I go to bed every night with my music books, and read till I fall asleep. Even when I visit family I take 'em with.
It is probably also the fact that I want to catch up on time lost.

Paul Sutherland · Post by **Paul Sutherland** » 30 Apr 2014 2:20 pm

New rule (self imposed):

No touching the banjo until after completion of the daily core steel guitar practice regiment.

I've had too many days recently when I didn't play the PSG at all. That has to end.

Len Amaral · Post by **Len Amaral** » 30 Apr 2014 5:13 pm

Golf is addictive and when I use to play regularly I held the record at Crestwood Country Club in Rehoboth.

I lost 47 balls in 18 holes!

Bill Cunningham · Post by **Bill Cunningham** » 30 Apr 2014 5:30 pm

Bird dogs and shotguns in the great outdoors. Closely followed by handgun shooting

Please, no bagpipes and definitely NO DULCIMERS.

Frank Sprague · Post by **Frank Sprague** » 1 May 2014 4:33 pm

Anchored up in my river sled bottom bouncing for salmon - then after tying into a big chinook , throwing the buoy and giving chase - addicting as it gets . . however that's seasonal , pedal steel is in season 365 days a year . . .

Len Amaral · Post by **Len Amaral** » 1 May 2014 6:07 pm

Frank:

I am going to photo shop my face on yours and pretend I caught that fish. WOW...what a monster salmon.

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