Help needed please.
Moderator: Brad Bechtel
-
- Posts: 4
- Joined: 15 Feb 2023 2:59 pm
- Location: United Kingdom
Help needed please.
Hi everyone,
I am learning to play lap steel, however i am really struggling as I dont understand music theory. The courses I have purchased, books etc all seem to need the basic knowledge.
I am in the UK, play left handed and dont have much time to practise. I do learn very slowly, but I stick at it and want to learn. I play acoustic guitar, its taken an age to get not far but I have persevered and throughly enjoy playing.
I see from several threads that there are some teachers out there.
Anyone willing to take on a new pupil ?
Oh, I cant recognise different notes - but I can now tell when they are out of tune!
Sheena x
I am learning to play lap steel, however i am really struggling as I dont understand music theory. The courses I have purchased, books etc all seem to need the basic knowledge.
I am in the UK, play left handed and dont have much time to practise. I do learn very slowly, but I stick at it and want to learn. I play acoustic guitar, its taken an age to get not far but I have persevered and throughly enjoy playing.
I see from several threads that there are some teachers out there.
Anyone willing to take on a new pupil ?
Oh, I cant recognise different notes - but I can now tell when they are out of tune!
Sheena x
Last edited by Sheena Tyrrell-Sheppard on 17 Feb 2023 6:58 am, edited 1 time in total.
- Robert Murphy
- Posts: 820
- Joined: 14 Apr 2006 12:01 am
- Location: West Virginia
- Karlis Abolins
- Posts: 714
- Joined: 30 Mar 2002 1:01 am
- Location: (near) Seattle, WA, USA
As someone who came to the world of steel guitar without any musical knowledge, I can offer this advice: Learn the diatonic scale. You probably already know the Do Re Mi scale. That is the diatonic scale. There are seven notes in the diatonic scale. Here is one way to play the diatonic scale on your lap steel. Start off by playing any open string on your guitar. That is the root note (Do) of this particular scale. Move your bar to the second fret of the same string. That is the Re note. Move two more for the Mi note. Move one more for the Fa note. Move two more for So. Move two more for La. Move two more for Ti. Move one more and you are back to Do. You can name this scale by the note name of the open string. If you play the scale on a different string, you will be playing a different diatonic scale. The scale stays the same. It is always named for the first note of the scale. I find it easier to think of the scale in numbers, one through seven. One is Do, two is Re, three is Mi, and so on. I learned the relative positioning of the diatonic scale through the mantra - full step, full step, half step, full step, full step, full step, half step - where half step is one fret, and full step is two frets.
Chords are made up of the notes in the diatonic scale. I will use numbers here (Roman numerals for chords. Upper case for major chords. Lower case for minor chords). The root chord, I, for the song has three notes - 1, 3, 5. The ii chord has three notes - 2, 4, 6. The iii chord has three notes - 3, 5, 7. The The IV chord has three notes - 4, 6, 1. The V chord has three notes - 5, 7, 2. The vi chord (also known as the relative minor) has three notes - 6, 1, 3. The vii diminished chord has three notes - 7, 2, 4.
The intervals between two notes also have special names. Notes that are one fret apart have a minor second interval. Notes that are two frets apart have a major second interval. Notes that are three frets apart have a minor third interval. Notes that are four frets apart have a major third interval. Notes that are five frets apart have a perfect fourth interval. Notes that are six frets apart have a tritone interval. Notes that are seven frets apart have a perfect fifth interval. Notes that are eight frets apart have a minor sixth interval. Notes that are nine frets apart have a major sixth interval. Notes that are ten frets apart have a minor seventh interval. Notes that are eleven frets apart have a major seventh interval. Notes that are twelve frets apart have a octave interval.
A major chord is composed of three notes with a major third interval followed by a minor third interval. The I, IV, and V chords above are major chords. A minor chord is composed of three notes with a minor third interval followed by a major third interval. The ii, iii, and vi chords above are minor chords. The vii diminished chord above is composed of three notes with a minor third followed by another minor third.
You can play scales on the steel guitar up the string as in the example above or across the strings. You just have to know where the scale notes are. I have avoided using note names in this basic lesson. As long as you can find the root note of a given scale, you can use the knowledge above to find the rest of the notes on the guitar. Once you have learned the relative positions of the scale , you have the pattern for the diatonic scale. You can use that pattern for every song.
I hope this will help you. As you play the diatonic scale, you will start to recognize the notes that you hear in your songs. It takes practice to internalize the diatonic scale.
Karlis Abolins
Chords are made up of the notes in the diatonic scale. I will use numbers here (Roman numerals for chords. Upper case for major chords. Lower case for minor chords). The root chord, I, for the song has three notes - 1, 3, 5. The ii chord has three notes - 2, 4, 6. The iii chord has three notes - 3, 5, 7. The The IV chord has three notes - 4, 6, 1. The V chord has three notes - 5, 7, 2. The vi chord (also known as the relative minor) has three notes - 6, 1, 3. The vii diminished chord has three notes - 7, 2, 4.
The intervals between two notes also have special names. Notes that are one fret apart have a minor second interval. Notes that are two frets apart have a major second interval. Notes that are three frets apart have a minor third interval. Notes that are four frets apart have a major third interval. Notes that are five frets apart have a perfect fourth interval. Notes that are six frets apart have a tritone interval. Notes that are seven frets apart have a perfect fifth interval. Notes that are eight frets apart have a minor sixth interval. Notes that are nine frets apart have a major sixth interval. Notes that are ten frets apart have a minor seventh interval. Notes that are eleven frets apart have a major seventh interval. Notes that are twelve frets apart have a octave interval.
A major chord is composed of three notes with a major third interval followed by a minor third interval. The I, IV, and V chords above are major chords. A minor chord is composed of three notes with a minor third interval followed by a major third interval. The ii, iii, and vi chords above are minor chords. The vii diminished chord above is composed of three notes with a minor third followed by another minor third.
You can play scales on the steel guitar up the string as in the example above or across the strings. You just have to know where the scale notes are. I have avoided using note names in this basic lesson. As long as you can find the root note of a given scale, you can use the knowledge above to find the rest of the notes on the guitar. Once you have learned the relative positions of the scale , you have the pattern for the diatonic scale. You can use that pattern for every song.
I hope this will help you. As you play the diatonic scale, you will start to recognize the notes that you hear in your songs. It takes practice to internalize the diatonic scale.
Karlis Abolins
- Jack Hanson
- Posts: 5024
- Joined: 19 Jun 2012 3:42 pm
- Location: San Luis Valley, USA
-
- Posts: 4
- Joined: 15 Feb 2023 2:59 pm
- Location: United Kingdom
@Robert thank you for the welcome.
@Karlis Thank you so much for your reply, I will print it all off and start studying, I have never seen it explained this way. It has made a daunting task more possible to achieve.
@ Jack - I tried several months to play acoustic guitar right handed and failed. I have since picked up a injury on my right hand - I can hold a bar fine with no problems, I would not have the flexibility to pick well with my right hand.
@Karlis Thank you so much for your reply, I will print it all off and start studying, I have never seen it explained this way. It has made a daunting task more possible to achieve.
@ Jack - I tried several months to play acoustic guitar right handed and failed. I have since picked up a injury on my right hand - I can hold a bar fine with no problems, I would not have the flexibility to pick well with my right hand.
Hi Sheena. Do you have access to a keyboard of any kind? Even the smallest/cheapest will do. There was a piano in our house when I was a kid and although I never learned to play, I taught myself music theory by picking out the various scales and chords on it. A keyboard is much more visual than a guitar and you can instantly hit any note without wondering where it is or how to get to it!
Make sleeping dogs tell the truth!
Homebuilt keyless U12 7x5, Excel keyless U12 8x8, Williams keyless U12 7x8, Telonics rack and 15" cabs
Homebuilt keyless U12 7x5, Excel keyless U12 8x8, Williams keyless U12 7x8, Telonics rack and 15" cabs
-
- Posts: 51
- Joined: 11 Jul 2022 8:13 am
- Location: Virginia, USA
- George Rout
- Posts: 1548
- Joined: 28 Oct 2002 1:01 am
- Location: St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada
Hello Sheena:
I learned and taught the most-likely easy method, A Major tuning. It's not as sophisticated. I've attached a sheet entitled Farewell Hawaii.
The pros will laugh I know, but go to Youtube and select George Rout and "Harbour Lights" and see how it sounds. It's in the A Major tuning
thin to thick strings, E C# A E A E.
I selected Farewell Hawaii as it's easier than Harbour Lights. Good luck. Whatever you choose, enjoy it.
Geo
I learned and taught the most-likely easy method, A Major tuning. It's not as sophisticated. I've attached a sheet entitled Farewell Hawaii.
The pros will laugh I know, but go to Youtube and select George Rout and "Harbour Lights" and see how it sounds. It's in the A Major tuning
thin to thick strings, E C# A E A E.
I selected Farewell Hawaii as it's easier than Harbour Lights. Good luck. Whatever you choose, enjoy it.
Geo
http://georgerout.com
"I play in the A Major tuning. It's fun to learn and so easy to play. It's as old as the hills....like me"
"I play in the A Major tuning. It's fun to learn and so easy to play. It's as old as the hills....like me"
Hi Sheena, and welcome!
In whatever tuning you are using, find an E note or a C note on the first string. Then, use your ear to duplicate that note on every other string.
Every key in music has a I, IV, V chord. In the key of C, this is a C, F and G chord. In whatever tuning, find these chords. They are the same distance apart in every key. Here is a quick example in C6th tuning:
In the key of F, the chords are F, Bb, C. played at frets 5, 10, and 12. etc, etc.
Here are some links they may be helpful:
http://www.lapsteelin.com/tag/music-theory/
https://tobyrush.com/theorypages/
This is a good place to start. To play in tune, make sure your bar is right over the fret.I cant recognise different notes - but I can now tell when they are out of tune
In whatever tuning you are using, find an E note or a C note on the first string. Then, use your ear to duplicate that note on every other string.
Every key in music has a I, IV, V chord. In the key of C, this is a C, F and G chord. In whatever tuning, find these chords. They are the same distance apart in every key. Here is a quick example in C6th tuning:
In the key of F, the chords are F, Bb, C. played at frets 5, 10, and 12. etc, etc.
Here are some links they may be helpful:
http://www.lapsteelin.com/tag/music-theory/
https://tobyrush.com/theorypages/
Steel Guitar Books! Website: www.volkmediabooks.com
- George Rout
- Posts: 1548
- Joined: 28 Oct 2002 1:01 am
- Location: St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada
Hi Shenna again: Here is the TAB sheet for Harbour Lights. You can see more complex that Fairwell Hawaii.
Good luck with your learning.
George Rout
St. Catharines, ON
Canada
Good luck with your learning.
George Rout
St. Catharines, ON
Canada
http://georgerout.com
"I play in the A Major tuning. It's fun to learn and so easy to play. It's as old as the hills....like me"
"I play in the A Major tuning. It's fun to learn and so easy to play. It's as old as the hills....like me"
Re: Help needed please.
[quote="Sheena Tyrrell-Sheppard" I dont understand music theory. The courses I have purchased, books etc all seem to need the basic knowledge.
[/quote]
One of the best things that I did, and it helped me immensely, was to take a basic music theory class (adult ed. in the evening).....and after that, I took the intermediate class, again, at night......it gave me the understanding of how music works and the road map to construct and be familiar with chords & scales.....it's a world of difference to have a live person teach you than to try to learn by yourself from a book......
[/quote]
One of the best things that I did, and it helped me immensely, was to take a basic music theory class (adult ed. in the evening).....and after that, I took the intermediate class, again, at night......it gave me the understanding of how music works and the road map to construct and be familiar with chords & scales.....it's a world of difference to have a live person teach you than to try to learn by yourself from a book......
- Lee Holliday
- Posts: 298
- Joined: 21 Jan 2013 9:21 am
- Location: United Kingdom
-
- Posts: 4
- Joined: 15 Feb 2023 2:59 pm
- Location: United Kingdom
Hi Lee,Lee Holliday wrote:I am also in the UK, the lap steel is also a relative of the dobro and other acoustic lap instruments, there is a fair bit on youtube, where in the uk are you based as there are players up and down the country who may be able to get the ball rolling
Regards
Lee
I am right on the east coast in Suffolk. So far I have not been able to find any other lap steel players or teacher to help me. Would love to find someone in the UK.
Kind Regards
Sheena
- Brad Bechtel
- Moderator
- Posts: 8146
- Joined: 4 Aug 1998 11:00 pm
You might try posting on the Michael Messer Forum to get a proper response from more UK-based players. I'd agree with taking a local class in music theory. Here's one resource for finding such a teacher locally. Good luck!
Brad’s Page of Steel
A web site devoted to acoustic & electric lap steel guitars
A web site devoted to acoustic & electric lap steel guitars
- Lee Holliday
- Posts: 298
- Joined: 21 Jan 2013 9:21 am
- Location: United Kingdom
I am in Surrey so a bit to far to offer immediate aid but the Michael Messer forum is a good shout and Michael has been known to give lessons online and has his own instructional material. A few years ago a good friend of mine was in Lowestoft and he was a very accomplished player who knew who was who in your part of the world, unfortunately he is no longer with us but incidentally I have to pop up there in a week or so to finalise some music related stuff with his widow, last year I helped with the moving on of UKes, guitars and some slide related stuff(weissenborn), so we are out of sync I am afraid, I will keep you in mind and if you are around for when I pop up I am happy to drop by and see where you are with the lap steel.
Regards Lee
Regards Lee
-
- Posts: 4
- Joined: 15 Feb 2023 2:59 pm
- Location: United Kingdom
im in Suffolk, right on the East coast.Lee Holliday wrote:I am also in the UK, the lap steel is also a relative of the dobro and other acoustic lap instruments, there is a fair bit on youtube, where in the uk are you based as there are players up and down the country who may be able to get the ball rolling
Regards
Lee
- Mark Evans
- Posts: 141
- Joined: 27 Jan 2016 8:55 am
- Location: Colorado, USA
Don’t know how this would transpose for left hand, but I stumbled across this alternative by Steve Dawson… and I love it! It’s probably the antithesis of C6 et al.
But for me - not a real learned player in music theory - it allows tons of sonic experimentation and fun.
https://youtu.be/g4A2hdD58Mo
It’s built on basic scales, boxes of notes and shimmer.
I play Weiss but rekon it’d work on any lap steel.
_————————
A curious question for you and all…. I wonder if slide ambidextrousness would be a thing? Since we aren’t dealing with complex fingering of the fret hands (left or right) and just moving a bar. Just curious
But for me - not a real learned player in music theory - it allows tons of sonic experimentation and fun.
https://youtu.be/g4A2hdD58Mo
It’s built on basic scales, boxes of notes and shimmer.
I play Weiss but rekon it’d work on any lap steel.
_————————
A curious question for you and all…. I wonder if slide ambidextrousness would be a thing? Since we aren’t dealing with complex fingering of the fret hands (left or right) and just moving a bar. Just curious
Larry Pogreba Baritone 'Weissenheimer
Lazy River mahogany standard Weiss
Lazy River ‘Tear Drop” weissenborn
Larrivee OM5
Lazy River mahogany standard Weiss
Lazy River ‘Tear Drop” weissenborn
Larrivee OM5