I've been playing steel for almost ten years now but since I only get to practice/play on weekends, my progress has not been particularly stunning. I must say however that the most noticeable progress I made was when I finally got to take a few lessons from an experienced pro (Dave Van Allen) who showed me more in a few hours than I learned previously in a few years. Many thanks to you Dave.
The pedal steel guitar is not a particularly forgiving instrument. If you're new to it, GET A GOOD TEACHER! and you'll save yourself a lot of frustration.
When was your first real breakthrough?
Moderator: Shoshanah Marohn
-
Buck Dilly
- Posts: 1340
- Joined: 17 May 2001 12:01 am
- Location: Branchville, NJ, USA * R.I.P.
-
Larry Bell
- Posts: 5550
- Joined: 4 Aug 1998 11:00 pm
- Location: Englewood, Florida
- Contact:
Buck brings up a really great point.
Steel guitar begins to mean something when you can let everything go. You stop consciously thinking about:
those hot licks you were practicing
which grips give you a major chord
which fret is G and which is C
whether you tuned your guitar to JI or ET
all those scales and chords and theory
Once you can put technique and musical knowledge on 'auto pilot', you are on your way to making your own music.
That's the only REAL breakthrough. It comes with time and rarely all comes in one dose. If a player endeavors to learn the instrument and not just the parts it will all come together faster. I'M NOT SAYING IT'S NOT IMPORTANT TO CONCENTRATE ON THOSE THINGS I MENTIONED ABOVE (IT IS). But there's a point where you (in the words of one of the most excellent musicians of all time) forget all that $h!t and just PLAY.
------------------
<small>Larry Bell - email: larry@larrybell.org - gigs - Home Page
2003 Fessenden S/D-12 8x8, 1969 Emmons S-12 6x6, 1971 Dobro, Standel and Peavey Amps
Steel guitar begins to mean something when you can let everything go. You stop consciously thinking about:
those hot licks you were practicing
which grips give you a major chord
which fret is G and which is C
whether you tuned your guitar to JI or ET
all those scales and chords and theory
Once you can put technique and musical knowledge on 'auto pilot', you are on your way to making your own music.
That's the only REAL breakthrough. It comes with time and rarely all comes in one dose. If a player endeavors to learn the instrument and not just the parts it will all come together faster. I'M NOT SAYING IT'S NOT IMPORTANT TO CONCENTRATE ON THOSE THINGS I MENTIONED ABOVE (IT IS). But there's a point where you (in the words of one of the most excellent musicians of all time) forget all that $h!t and just PLAY.
------------------
<small>Larry Bell - email: larry@larrybell.org - gigs - Home Page
2003 Fessenden S/D-12 8x8, 1969 Emmons S-12 6x6, 1971 Dobro, Standel and Peavey Amps
-
Scott Henderson
- Posts: 2245
- Joined: 9 May 2003 12:01 am
- Location: Camdenton, Missouri, USA
I had been playing for about a year and had decided it would probably be easier to become a female and give birth! Then my new boss sent me to albaquerque(?) for lessons with Frenchy Messier. I took approximately 20 lessons in four days. (Time was a necessity) When I returned to the OK panhandle I wasn;t a genius(still working on that hahaha) but it put me in the mindset to learn and to open my mind to workings of this mechanical demon. When did it hit me?
It hits me everynight when I sit down, play my warm-ups and realize it's good to be a man.
So here's to standing up in the bathroom and being a steel player!
Thanks Frenchy!
Scott
It hits me everynight when I sit down, play my warm-ups and realize it's good to be a man.
So here's to standing up in the bathroom and being a steel player!
Thanks Frenchy!
Scott
-
Bill Llewellyn
- Posts: 1921
- Joined: 6 Jul 1999 12:01 am
- Location: San Jose, CA
- Contact:
I haven't broken through yet, but I've almost put my bar through a window a few times in frustration. 
But it may not matter much. I did a quick back-of-the-napkin calculation and determined that as of 4:23PM PST, on August 26, 2004, all possible pedal steel licks will have been played and recorded. There will be nothing new to come up with. Once that happens, we can all just use sampled licks for all future gigs and recordings. No more PSG needed! Think of all the saved time that would otherwise be spent practicing, all the saved money that would otherwise be spent on guitars, amps, and effects. Whew! What a relief that will be. Then on to the next challenge. Something easier this time, like snowboarding down Everest, or something like that.
------------------
<font size=-1>Bill, steelin' since '99 | Steel page | My music | Steelers' birthdays | Over 50?</font>
But it may not matter much. I did a quick back-of-the-napkin calculation and determined that as of 4:23PM PST, on August 26, 2004, all possible pedal steel licks will have been played and recorded. There will be nothing new to come up with. Once that happens, we can all just use sampled licks for all future gigs and recordings. No more PSG needed! Think of all the saved time that would otherwise be spent practicing, all the saved money that would otherwise be spent on guitars, amps, and effects. Whew! What a relief that will be. Then on to the next challenge. Something easier this time, like snowboarding down Everest, or something like that.
------------------
<font size=-1>Bill, steelin' since '99 | Steel page | My music | Steelers' birthdays | Over 50?</font>