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Topic: Steel Guitars vs. Video Games |
Ed Naylor
From:
portsmouth.ohio usa, R.I.P.
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Posted 6 Feb 2004 9:28 am |
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| Since the young generation spends so much time with video games, What would happen if we could get them interested in Steel guitar and they spent the same amout of time learning Steel.?All it would take is for a 'STEELER" to encourage a neighbor kid or relative to observe what a Steel is all about.Who will try it.??Ed Naylor Steel Guitar Works |
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Walter Stettner
From:
Vienna, Austria
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Posted 6 Feb 2004 2:12 pm
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If we could get some kids to spend the same amount of time for the PSG like they spend on video games (8-12 hours per day?) we would have some new great players coming up!
Regards, Walter
www.austriansteelguitar.at.tf
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Ed Mooney
From:
Evanston,IL
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Posted 6 Feb 2004 2:58 pm
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I think the object of a playing a video game is to beat the game......to win. It may take a day or two, but the kids will eventully beat the game. It then goes in the junk pile.
As we all know there is no beating the game on PSG. It is a very humbling daily excercise. In order for a kid to dedicate the amount of time necessary, he must first be exposed to "the sound", and then he must fall in love with it. Exposure of PSG in a context kids will dig is the key.
Ed |
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Rick Schmidt
From:
Prescott AZ, USA
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Posted 6 Feb 2004 3:40 pm
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I know in my son's case, a regular six string guitar did in fact take over his video game world. The thing is, country music in no uncertain terms was totally un-cool as he entered his teen years. Now at 20, he's been playing for seven years and he's a dedicated guitar playing monster who embraces all styles, even though his gateway to music was heavy-metal. His latest hero is Doyle Dikes, a southern Baptist minister who happens to be one of the best guitarists in the world.
I think the PSG still has to overcome the C&W connecton/stigma if we want kids to ever be open to it. |
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Donny Hinson
From:
Glen Burnie, Md. U.S.A.
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Posted 6 Feb 2004 5:34 pm
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The growing trend is for kids nowadays to become attuned only to that which is visual and action oriented. One only has to look at the way sports in school have become emphasized, and the arts and intellectual pursuits have been sublimated, to see why. Sports have expanded in nearly all schools (on the theory that adolescents need physical outlets for all their pent-up frustrations), and music has been eliminated, or drastically cut back. That which provides no physical action or visual stimulation has been cast aside. (Witness the proliferation of movies, videos, video games, extreme sports, and TV shows geared toward teenagers.) Music is far more mental and spiritual in it's appeal, and youngsters today have simply been "deprogrammed" by our modern society to ignore that which does not offer instant entertainment and immediate gratification.
Even with a hundred Robert Randolphs, something as sublime as the pedal steel will never "catch on" with young people. 
That's my 2cents. |
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Chris Lasher
From:
Blacksburg, VA
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Posted 6 Feb 2004 6:08 pm
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Well, to go after recreational gamers would probably not be worth the effort. Recreational gamers are the ones who come home, plop down on the couch, pop in a football game and play a few quarters and then switch it off when it gets tough or boring; or they'll play some violent game, make a few heads explode, laugh, and then when the shock value wears off, they watch the tele instead.
Hardcore gamers, on the other hand, represent the same mentality that the hardcore steel players have. A coworker of mine games competitively in an online game called Counterstrike. He is in a "clan", a group of members that take part in competitions together, as it is a team-based game.
On his own, he practices a good deal, usually three-to-four hours every day. This is not unlike the woodshedding of the PSG picker. Then his clan has practices regularly, several times a week. This is not unlike rehearsal for serious bands. He owns a top-of-the-line computer, as well as accessories I never even knew existed, like a near-frictionless mousepad. This is akin to many of you with top-of-the-line PSGs, custom setups, and hot-shot steels (or bars, if you will).
The amount of investment, both in time and money, for these hardcore gamers is about the same, if not more, than the hardcore steelers, as cutting edge of computers moves much more quickly than the cutting edge of pedal steel. To these people, it is not just the destination, but the process that they enjoy. It is not about shooting someone in the head, but about overcoming limitations, chasing that vaguely-definable and ever-so-ellusive goal of mastering the process...
And I'll bet that sounds very familiar to many people here.
With that said, I don't think you can really court the hardcore gamer any more or less than you can court the fitness addict, or the master chef, or the martial arts expert.
To go after one specific demographic seems pointless to me. I would suggest just playing out to be heard, and making it known that the instrument exists. Visit a local high school, or (community) college and play for the music classes, keep playing in church, bars, local venues, on albums, and on TV, and have fun and do it to the best of your ability. If you make yourself and the instrument findable, you will not have to worry, because the people who will want to play it will find you. Once they do, give them the biggest leg-up you can, as others have likely done for you in your history with the instrument.
Also, people here ought not to trouble themselves with comparing the number of steel guitarists to the number of regular guitarists, or other popular instruments. This is like asking why there are more helicopter pilots than there are airplane pilots. We know the answer. Don't try to fight it, but be pleased that you are in a select, unique, colorful group.
And I will state once more, don't lose faith! There will be others to fall in behind you as long as you keep playing on.
I resign my soapbox.
Chris
Ex-hardcore gamer
Amateur guitarist
Wannabe pedal steeler |
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Ed Naylor
From:
portsmouth.ohio usa, R.I.P.
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Posted 7 Feb 2004 5:55 am
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| Each area is different and I live here in one of the highest unemployment ares in Ohio. I have the only "Music Store" in the county. The little PTL store{they sell POP, Tobacco,Lottery Tickets}is the gathering point here. With all this said I do have lots of people interested in Steel Guitar. I find that if we as Steelers spread the word , people are interested.I find in this area I am getting BLUEEGRASSERS to consider Steel. |
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