Is Steel Guitar Fading Away?

[Tony Prior]

Will a extra nice one owner 1966 Mahogany Mica, brown belly aluminum necks. 8 x 4 period correct knee levers do the job?
If so. Just PM me. Not a wholesale price. But a very fair private party price.

b.

That 66 would be a Push pull, I am wanting another Legrande early 4 hole changer model. To go with my Brown 81 Walnut grained Push Pull !

[Bobby Boggs]

Have that in Derby black. 8x6. Lower return compensators. Vertical is adjustable for comfort. 2 piece case. Extra nice. Pretty much play's itself.

[Nicholas Babin]

In a discussion at work about Lil Nas X's effect on country moving forward, I was pointed to this song which isn't nearly as charming or amusing as "old town road" but does include a steel in the background. Steel + trap beats, what a time to be alive.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3i3NC37flSY

[b0b]

In a discussion at work about Lil Nas X's effect on country moving forward, I was pointed to this song which isn't nearly as charming or amusing as "old town road" but does include a steel in the background. Steel + trap beats, what a time to be alive.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3i3NC37flSY

I guess I'm too old to appreciate that. The guy has a great voice and I'm happy that there's pedal steel behind him, but I can't relate to the song, the beat or the mix. I've been left behind.

[Nicholas Babin]

Oh its a terrible song, but hey, there is a steel in it! #notdeadyet

[Bill Sinclair]

I put some sax parts on a recording for a local Reggae-ish band. I dragged along my little bakelite Academy lap steel and threw some steel on a few of the tunes. I'm not very good but it was fun.

This one mostly slides between two chords but there's a little bit of a solo around the 2 min mark:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AtDcR0O ... 8&index=14

This one has both sax and steel but the steel part is pretty basic:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RYcgScp ... 58&index=8

[Matthew Walton]

In a discussion at work about Lil Nas X's effect on country moving forward, I was pointed to this song which isn't nearly as charming or amusing as "old town road" but does include a steel in the background. Steel + trap beats, what a time to be alive.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3i3NC37flSY

So who do I have to pay off to hear that at the next TSGA Jamboree?

[Fred Treece]

Oh its a terrible song, but hey, there is a steel in it! #notdeadyet

It’s not terrible at all (in case you’re not being facetious), and the steel juxtaposes nicely with the factory warehouse groove, like a silk dress on a scarecrow. But I will say if this is the new cool for Country then I am gratefully square. I think we’re definitely talking about a generational thing, which is not really the topic, which is ambiguous at best.

[Gary Watkins]

Life just keeps getting better! I received several sets of strings, finger and thumb picks, Book #1 by Jeff Newman, “THE PEDAL STEEL GUITAR COURSE”, several other tab books and a SARNO BLACK BOX!!! All of this courtesy of Willis “Bud” Vanderberg, a forum member. You could have knocked me over with a feather when the mail came. The PEDAL STEEL GUITAR COURSE is just amazing and I wish I could find out more about this “course”. If anyone has information about it, please contact me. I have been a member on the forum since 2004, and this little booklet show me how much I have been doing wrong and what I need to “unlearn”. Thanks so much to Bud! With people like Bud, the pedal steel will NOT fade away, and I will pass these things along to someone else in the future.

[David Mitchell]

Back to the original question it appears playing any musical instrument is a dying art according to a recent article I read about the financial condition of music stores and especially Guitar Center/ Musicians Friend. Young people are into instant gratification with a video game or if they do music they will just buy a beat machine that has the music already made. They just add vocals. It takes a lot of time to learn to play musical instruments and I suppose from sales younger people are no longer into it like the baby boomers when the Beatles and Elvis ruled. No more big guitar heroes also affects it. They are only heroes to other musicians kinda like steel players mostly play to each other instead of being the featured instrumentalist at the Super Bowl game.

[Fred Treece]

Yesterday after rehearsal, the 10 year old son of a band mate’s friend brought his 3/4 size acoustic guitar into the room, sat down on the couch, and played a very well executed Stairway To Heaven. I don’t mean the opening 4 bars, I mean the whole friggin thing.
The 15 year old granddaughter of one of my guitar students is in an all-girl bluegrass band that has toured in Europe and played at several major BG festivals in the US. The 14-yo daughter of another band mate is good enough violinist to play a few cameo roles in our band when we do concerts. There is a teenage girl here on the Forum who has been posting videos of her progress on psg for a couple years now.

My point is, each of these young people is far more accomplished with their music than I (and probably most of us here) was at their age. In some cases, more so than I will ever be.

So to turn the OP’s question into a discussion on the dysfunctionality of younger generations is, imho, entirely inaccurate and inappropriate. A young person is a direct reflection of their upbringing. Any shortcomings in their functionality in society can be traced back to the parents. Any blame placed directly on them is the same garbage I heard from older generations 50 years ago when I was a teen.

The fading of steel guitar from the mainstream has more to do with the fading of the kind of music the steel guitar helped to popularize than it does with perceived generational failures. Changing musical tastes actually ARE a generational thing, and there was no reason not to expect it to happen.

So the music you love fades from the front page. Do you stop playing it? Do bluegrass musicians whine about their plight? (well...yeah, kinda...) They keep on playing it. Trad Country, Folk Rock, Americana, whatever you want to call it, will fade as far as the musicians let it get away from the people who still want to hear it.

That kid who played Stairway To Heaven on the couch last night was inspired to practice after listening to his buddy’s Mom sing with me playing guitar. Maybe he is exceptional, I get that. But I think there’s plenty to hope for with young people, and plenty of young steel guitar players out there practicing up for their chance to play.

[Donny Hinson]

Just one question, Fred. "Stairway To Heaven" is certainly an iconic rock song, but it's a 48 year-old song. Why is it that when we older folks love the past and play old songs, we're deemed "out of touch with the times and reality". But it's obviously quite acceptable and fine for the younger folks to do the very same thing?

Methinks that's called a double-standard. (But what do I know?)

[David Mitchell]

There will always be young people interested in music and even steel guitar just like some will be interested in being a doctor, lawyer and astronaut but doesn't reflect the census as a total population and the current statistics indicate musical instrument sales of all sorts is declining just like kids are not really interested in model electric trains anymore for Christmas. They would rather have a video game system with virtual trains. Too much money and trouble to built a real operating set.

[Fred Treece]

Donny, I think older people should have the maturity to deal with any attempt to stigmatize them for a perceived failure to remain hip. If younger people now think they have the market cornered on what it is, I’m okay with letting them have it without being patronizing. Generation bashing in general is a manifestation of insecurity, no matter which direction it’s coming from.

As far as Stairway To Heaven goes, I thought it was an old song when I learned it two years after it came out! When a 10 year old can play it better than I could at 20, I have to respect that raw ability, beyond any consideration for taste. I think it also demonstrates the 10 year old’s respect for music that predates him, as well as the timelessness of that particular piece of music.

[Fred Treece]

David, there are certainly a lot of guitars out there sitting around not being played. It’s probably about time the market corrected itself. Maybe young people are finding them sitting in Dad’s closet and asking if they can try it out instead of asking to head down to GC and shelling out another 500 bucks for something they’re not quite sure about.

[David Mitchell]

David, there are certainly a lot of guitars out there sitting around not being played. It’s probably about time the market corrected itself. Maybe young people are finding them sitting in Dad’s closet and asking if they can try it out instead of asking to head down to GC and shelling out another 500 bucks for something they’re not quite sure about.

That's true. I'm sure the market and homes are presently flooded with musical instruments. The 50's, 60's and 70's were the booming years of instrument building because of a prospering after war world.
Probably enough instruments to go around for everyone already built if collectors were not hoarding them and asking unreasonable prices for them.

[Caleb Melo]

I'm 18 years old and I play in a touring, classic country band called The Reeves Brothers and they feature me on pedal steel as a prominent lead instrument. I know a lot of younger acts that also feature a pedal steel guitar as a lead instrument and there are many great young pedal steel guitarists out there, you just have to know where to find them. I can promise you all that pedal steel is alive and in good hands! We won't let it die!

[Steven Hicken Jr.]

I'm 18 years old and I play in a touring, classic country band called The Reeves Brothers and they feature me on pedal steel as a prominent lead instrument. I know a lot of younger acts that also feature a pedal steel guitar as a lead instrument and there are many great young pedal steel guitarists out there, you just have to know where to find them. I can promise you all that pedal steel is alive and in good hands! We won't let it die!

And a great player he is!

[Gary Watkins]

[Fred Treece]

I'm 18 years old and I play in a touring, classic country band called The Reeves Brothers and they feature me on pedal steel as a prominent lead instrument. I know a lot of younger acts that also feature a pedal steel guitar as a lead instrument and there are many great young pedal steel guitarists out there, you just have to know where to find them. I can promise you all that pedal steel is alive and in good hands! We won't let it die!

There you have it.

[Barry Blackwood]

A young person is a direct reflection of their upbringing. Any shortcomings in their functionality in society can be traced back to the parents.

Wow. That's a pretty broad brush you're painting all of mankind with, Fred..

[Caleb Melo]

I'm 18 years old and I play in a touring, classic country band called The Reeves Brothers and they feature me on pedal steel as a prominent lead instrument. I know a lot of younger acts that also feature a pedal steel guitar as a lead instrument and there are many great young pedal steel guitarists out there, you just have to know where to find them. I can promise you all that pedal steel is alive and in good hands! We won't let it die!

And a great player he is!

Thank you very much!

[Tony Prior]

well it may be "unused" ( not dead) on newer tunes coming out of Nashville but I'm working as much today as I ever have been, and so are several friends throughout the region.

Country music has always been SPOTTY around the nation, its never been consistent everywhere , every town, every city.

I play a two hour show twice a month and have for 4 years now. I am required to play two "special" performances each show and do. Mostly they are Steel instrumentals. I recently gave up a once a month gig at a Dance club, but I gave it to another Steel player. I was on that gig for 2 years. That band is still active.

I also do a few fill-ins which are a result of the monthly gigs I have been playing, I don't accept them all as the travel is too far. I also did turn down a weekly Steel spot with another band right in the middle of all this.

All this being said, when I returned home from my gig last night, I got a call with an offer for yet another weekly gig which pays $100 each night ,its not a jam. A 3 hr gig which is typical. I am accepting a few gigs with them but have not accepted the weekly thing and probably will not.

Charlotte is NOT a Country Music town, its a Blues town. But there is a lot of Country Music happening around the region. Many Steel players are busy or rather, as busy as they want to be.

I am reminded by a couple of things Bobbe Seymour once said to me years back with regard to playing around Nashville. " I can get you a Steel gig for tonight,but tomorrow nights gig will be on you "..." There's plenty of Steel slots available around Nashville but not every Steel player will get a call to fill one of those slots , some will never get a call " .


This is not to imply that every city/town is the same, they are not and never have been. I haven't seen a Harmonica player ,thank god, on a gig in years.

And no, not every gig pays $100 + so if we start out of the gate with "I have a $100 minimum" it's likely the phone will never ring again. I've read right here on our Forum , members saying that if they can't get $100 they are staying home. So they do. Pick your poison. I've played countless $75 and $80 gigs over the last decade , my choice, band leaders choice , to go 4 piece or 5 piece. 4 piece NO Steel, 5 piece with Steel.

For certain if we live well over an hour from any local watering hole, the phone probably won't ring. Thats a given.

Network, find a way, stay positive. Always have a positive attitude, even on the worst gig. Don't forget to say thank you !

Oh and this, there are way more guitar players, ANY GENRE, looking for work than all Steel players combined !