Advice for New & Old Students of Steel Guitar

Don Kona Woods · Post by **Don Kona Woods** » 22 Sep 2005 4:10 pm

This advice could apply to new students or old students of steel guitar.

"The 12 Rules of Practicing"
by Wynton Marsalis

1. Seek out private instruction. It could take years to figure out what a good teacher could show you quickly.

2. Write out a schedule. Include fundamentals always.

3. Set goals. Chart your development. Challenge yourself.

4. Concentrate. Develop the ability to FOCUS. Do not "just go through the motions.".

5. Relax, Practice Slowly.

6. Practice Hard Parts Longer. Confront your deficiencies.

7. Play with Expression. Give yourself over to what you are doing. Do everything with the proper attitude. Do not be a cynic. The expression you play with is your style.

8. Learn from Your Mistakes. Do not be too hard on yourself. Resolve to improve each day.

9. Don't Show Off. Expression, not tricks or gimmicks. Showing off misses the point of group playing.

10. Think for Yourself. Respect your teacher, but think things through for yourself.

11. Be Optimistic. How you feel about living is who you are.

12. Look for Connections. The more you discover similarities in things that seem to be different, the greater the world you can participate in.

[This message was edited by Don Kona Woods on 23 September 2005 at 12:13 PM.]

Jim Sliff · Post by **Jim Sliff** » 22 Sep 2005 5:38 pm

May I add:

Be an artist. Let the creativity flow - you don't have to play/sound just like (fill in the blank).

Gerald Ross · Post by **Gerald Ross** » 22 Sep 2005 5:40 pm

Sounds like good advice for life.

Thanks Don.

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Gerald Ross
'Northwest Ann Arbor, Michigan's King Of The Hawaiian Steel Guitar'

CEO, CIO, CFO - UkeTone Records
Gerald's Fingerstyle Guitar Website
Board of Directors Hawaiian Steel Guitar Association

Ray Shurance · Post by **Ray Shurance** » 23 Sep 2005 6:28 am

Don, I'm doin' ONE out of the twelve. I'm getting good advice from YOU. Do you think I have any chance of becoming an acceptable player of the lap steel?

C. Brattain · Post by **C. Brattain** » 23 Sep 2005 6:34 am

Let me add, DO NOT RUN YOUR SELF DOWN, everybody has a lot of trouble at the beginning. Always keep a positive attatude.

Don Kona Woods · Post by **Don Kona Woods** » 23 Sep 2005 12:35 pm

Chuck says:

...everybody has a lot of trouble at the beginning.

How true, how true.

Ray, you will be a fine steel guitarist, after all you have a great group of guys on the Forum helping you. When your wife stops running out of the house when you are playing, you are making progress. When your wife stops by to listen you, then you know that you are arriving.

No. 4 - Focus is my main goal, my weakness is that I seem to get distracted.

Is there any help out there for this problem?

Aloha,
Don

Gerald Ross · Post by **Gerald Ross** » 23 Sep 2005 12:44 pm

I knew I was making progress on the steel when my wife told me:


"You're not making me as seasick as you used to"

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Gerald Ross
'Northwest Ann Arbor, Michigan's King Of The Hawaiian Steel Guitar'

CEO, CIO, CFO - UkeTone Records
Gerald's Fingerstyle Guitar Website
Board of Directors Hawaiian Steel Guitar Association

J D Sauser · Post by **J D Sauser** » 23 Sep 2005 12:59 pm

I think that one of the best suggestions Jeff Newman ever made applies to every instrument, maybe even to most any learning process:
"If you make a mistake, don't stop, 'cause if you do, all you'll learn is to stop."

... J-D.

Bruce Clarke · Post by **Bruce Clarke** » 26 Sep 2005 1:56 pm

That is certainly true in a performance situation, and in the final stages of learning a piece, but afterwards I think it is wise to go back and sort out that mistake, as it is likely to recur. You have already learnt it ito some extent by playing it once.

Jordan Shapiro · Post by **Jordan Shapiro** » 26 Sep 2005 2:34 pm

I knew when the cat stopped having seizures while I was practising that I was making some progress.

Of course that gave me one less reason to practise..........

Tom Baylis · Post by **Tom Baylis** » 26 Sep 2005 2:53 pm

Gerald wrote:
<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:<HR>I knew I was making progress on the steel when my wife told me:
"You're not making me as seasick as you used to"<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

That sounds familiar. I've been at this for a few months now, and last week my wife made me very happy when she poked her head in my music room while I was practicing and said something like "sometimes I can't tell if it's you or the record (cd)."

My true test will be when the cat doesn't beg to be let outside whenever I plug in. The dog doesn't count, 'cause he's already deaf and never learned to howl...

Paul Honeycutt · Post by **Paul Honeycutt** » 29 Sep 2005 8:58 pm

I must be improving 'cause MY playing doesn't make me as seasick as it used to!

Charlie McDonald · Post by **Charlie McDonald** » 30 Sep 2005 2:24 am

"If you make a mistake, don't stop..."

because you never know where a good mistake can lead to.

Les Anderson · Post by **Les Anderson** » 30 Sep 2005 7:18 am

Also, find someone to jam with as soon as possible. This will almost force you to work through your mistakes rather than sit and dwell on them. There is nothing like having some playing along with you.

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(I am not right all of the time but I sure like to think I am!)