Blind Steel Players?

[Steve Lafferty]

I would totally agree that if you have the will you will find a way. The part that i have a hard time with is "how well"?

I only say this because the PSG is to much built around being able to see the fret and be really accurate at hitting those frets, not to mention, the learning curve on this particular instrument alone is extremely steep even for a sited person. I can't imagine the difficulty of playing one blind.

Anyone that can do it, I take my hat off to you. I am amazed that anyone can play these things at all.

Im not saying it is impossible. All I am saying is how well someone could get at it that is totally blind.

[Jana Lockaby]

I suppose that all depends on your perception of what “playing well” means, or is, and your expectations of any player. Stop depending so much on your eyes, and learn to listen more. (not scolding, just saying) You’ll be surprised what you can do, and will learn. I’m never going to play perfectly, but neither will a sighted person.

I understand what you are saying. My point is that people put limitations on themselves, and others. It doesn’t matter whether you are blind, or sighted. When I sit down to play, I can still hear Charlie, my instructor when I first started playing, saying, loudly, “Listen! Listen! Listen!”. Playing psg is in no way easy, for anyone, but it isn’t rocket science either, though it does make you wonder at times. Frankly, imo at the moment, psg is a bit easier than lap steel, or dobro. Bar slants are a beach when you can’t see the frets, but still doable. Frankly, I think anyone who can play psg, lap, or dobro, is amazing, especially since I’ve learned just how hard they have to work to do it, and do it well, or at least, well enough.

Put a blindfold on. Listen, and try it. You might surprise yourself at what you can do.

[Steve Lafferty]

suddenly you have givin me hope to be able to play well.

Thanks so much for you input.

Steve

[Bob Poole]

Just my observation...I've played since 1975 & I've been playing a while needing cataract surgery.my left eye is to the point where fret lines are a blur,with left,a person two or three feet away is a shape.peripheral in both is shot.thank God my right us still going.doc deemed the left "advanced" the right "serious"....giin Tuesday for pre-surgery exam,scans for determining what size lens,etc.hopefully the surgery will come about soon,because I won't be able to work much longer.

[Jana Lockaby]

Hi Bob. I'll keep you in my prayers. Losing your sight is no fun, and, an extremely, frightening thing, not to mention life changing. With medical tech today, they can do all kinds of amazing things, especially with cataracs. Best wishes that you can have that surgery soon.

[Bob Poole]

Thank you Jana !!!

[Dennis Smith]

"blind pedal steel player" Here you go.
http://youtu.be/rit6nguI4S0

[Jana Lockaby]

And Jonathan is just a kid in that video. Not sure how old he is now. Still a teenager?

[Steve Lafferty]

There's a gentleman in the SPOKANE, Washington area that is blind and produced several CD's without the benefit of sight. A really great musician.

For the life of me I can't recall his name at this moment however the last name of "Livingston" keeps jumping into my mind.

Perhaps some of you Spokane, Inland Empire pickers will be able to recall his name?

His name is Neil Livingston. I worked with Neil for many years in the Spokane area. What an awesome man and talent. One of the best I ever heard.

[Jack Hanson]

The late Johnny Fields of the Twin Cites via Iowa was legally blind.

https://bb.steelguitarforum.com/viewtopic.php?t=170292

[David DeLoach]

George Van Eps taught an exercise for guitarists where the fretting hand hung down towards the floor, and then without looking the guitarist was to raise his hand and fret a specific note on a specific string (e.g. play the D note on the 7th fret of the G string).

I've done this a bit with guitar, and it's surprising how often I hit the correct string and fret without looking.

Guess you could try to the same thing with steel.

[Bill McCloskey]

The Alkire system of playing emphasizes not looking at the fretboard and focuses on looking at sheet music instead. The Eharp tuning was designed to make it possible to play off the shelf sheet music, so not looking at your hands or the fretboard is a big part of the education. Fortunately, the grip/chord possibilities help minimize left hand movement.

Specializing in a specific scale length helps.

[Rich Peterson]

I asked the same question some time ago. I feel that being able to maintain eye contact with the audience would be advantageous. I concluded that it could be done, but would take months of long practice sessions and attention to set up so the seating position was consistent. If I were to do that now, I would construct a visual shield to block my view of the guitar without impeding access.

Might be a good winter project.

[Allan Revich]

Fret markers are only guidelines anyway, there to help. They give sighted players a better shot at landing close to the best frequency right away. The whole point of the instrument is the ability to use our head, heart, hands, and ears to create the sounds we want to make.

It’s obviously going to be easier to do anything if we have access to all of our senses, but music is about sound and soul. Perfection is for robots and computers. Music is always better when it sounds like it was made by human beings, complete with individual quirks and imperfections.

[Eric Moon]

In my experience as a bass player, it is much easier to play upright bass than electric bass, without looking at my hands. Frets help you stay in tune, right up until the point you end up a fret off, and get a wrong note or a nasty buzz. A fretless instrument keeps you aware of your tuning all the time.

I tried playing steel in the dark last night, and it went a lot better than I expected. Some things actually seemed easier without looking.

I'm going to practice more that way, if only to save my posture!

[Jana Lockaby]

. I tried playing steel in the dark last night, and it went a lot better than I expected. Some things actually seemed easier without looking.:

I’ve been telling people this for years. As a blind person, I’m not going to say it’s easy. It is not. All the great players can play without looking at the frets. IMO, if you are depending on your eyes 100% of the time, you are not, truly, listening to what you are playing. There is a difference, imo, between “hearing” what you play, and “listening” to what you play. Even though I cannot see, when I was first learning how to play, my instructor knew when I was more focused on the distance between frets, and finding the right note. He would say, “Listen! Listen! Listen! Listen to what you are playing!” The hardest part, imo, about learning steel guitar, imo, is learning to listen. I think, if you continue to practice in the dark, you will see, no pun intended, what I am talking about.