WHERE TO GET LESSON MATERIAL AND TAB? FOR 6 STRING

[Jimmie Martin]

where does a person get lesson material and tuning chart and any tab for a 6 string lap steel. i'm having one built. can i use a fender steel king amp? this is all new to me. i may have many questions so look out. thanks all and have a great day. i love all of the old gospel songs also. jimmie

[Roman Sonnleitner]

Well, first you'll have to decide on a tuning to use (I personally like C6). What kind of music do you want to play?
Look here to find more info about various tunings:
http://www.well.com/user/wellvis/tuning.html
You can also find some info about instrucional stuff (books & DVDs) on that page.
Then there's a link to some instruction stuff right at the top here at the SGF.
For C6th there's a MelBay basic introduction book, and there are 2 DVDs by Cinddy Cashdollar (for 8-string, though, but most of the stuff she shows will also work on the 6-string).

[Ken Pippus]

http://www.scottysmusic.com/scotyc601.htm

Helpful folks, and Scotty's got tons of good stuff. Your Steel King should suffice nicely. Something cheap and nasty with tubes would be a nice complement.
KP

[Herman Visser]

Hi Jimmie .. Try Roy Thomson site for great Tab material, Ive gotten alot from him in the past and its all great ,easy to read and play .

[Bill McCloskey]

If I can make one suggestion: I have found it much more instructive to avoid tab completely. Tools such as a "SlowDown" software, I've found much more beneficial as it forces me to really listen and try and hear what is going on.

A good way to start is to just figure out the melody. Adding in the base note of the current chord will help in determining the harmonic structure of the piece. I have found that learning in this way helps you make a piece your own and frees you from a reliance of tabs to make music.

[Paul Honeycutt]

I've found instruction material from the '40's, '50's & '60's at garage sales, used book stores, flea markets and swap meets. Keep your eyes open and your mind set and you'll discover all kinds of things.

[Randy Reeves]

Like Bill, I do not care for TAB. it has helped to get some things started tho.
I rely on my knowledge of the fret board.
once I choose a tuning I map out on paper the six strings then mark down the notes of each string up the fret board.
then I look for the triads and other useful shapes.
once the fretboard is demystified I can have at it.
my ear fine tunes things.

[Andy Sandoval]

Jimmie, Somebody like yourself just startin out would benefit greatly from tab. It gives you some idea of where those ellusive sounds are found on the fret board and later enables you to figure out stuff on your own. As mentioned above Scotty's and Roy Thomson's websites are excellent places to start.

[Ken Pippus]

http://www.pedalsteelguitar.net/index.p ... t=bookcdnp

Tab (and musical notation, for that matter) are ways of demonstrating how to play what you've probably heard. Training your ear and mind to play what you hear (or even what you'd like to hear) is a worthy long time goal. "Visual aids" are shorcuts to help you get to that point.

Becoming totally dependent on tab or notation leaves you open to the Jethro Burns comment that someone "couldn't ad lib a fart after a Hungarian dinner."

[Ken Pippus]

Even if you do manage to reinvent the wheel, you can't get a patent on it.

KP

[DeWitt Scott]

Jimmy, Yes, you can check us out at Scotty's Music. I have many, many instruction solos and instruction books for the C6 tuning and several for the E13th tuning. Little Roy Wiggins book, "Memory Time" and "Your Cheating Heart" are available. Even though I wrote the tab both players checked it over for accuracy. I also have a few arrangements in the E7 and a couple in the A major tuning. You can contact me at my website www.scottysmusic.com or at scotty@scottysmusic.com
Scotty