Playing parts for rock tunes

[Fred Treece]

. I like Jim's suggestion about using a keyboard mindset.

That was Rusty Young’s thinking on it 50 years ago too.

[Jeff Peterson]

I cut my musical teeth in southern rock bands..a little country, a lot of rock. I started 'filling out' with a Leslie, (wood, either a model 145 or 147 - can't really remember), and ended up with a model 900. They both sounded fantastic, the 900 was just a lot louder. If you're covering rock songs, you should work on rock guitar tone--a bunch. I had to play parts in Allman Bros., 38 Special, ZZ Top, etc., and it took some woodshedding. Play what the song calls for, I think you'll find it's a heck of a lot of fun. A bonus, your country steel playing will definitely improve along the way, the same way listening and learning jazz does. One real personal agitation I got was listening to steel players early on sticking any old 'fuzz tone' box in the end of their guitar, slide around, and think they were on the edge rocking out. Seems a lot of rockers kinda look down on country, and country looks down on rock. It's all just music, but it is specialized its own way. I, for one, get a thrilling kind of chill when I get a tone like Leslie West or Billy Gibbons...it's inspiring, or covering multiple parts in an Allman Bros. song covering organ and guitar parts...now THAT will keep ya' busy for a while!