LEARNING TO PLAY

Donald Hall · Post by **Donald Hall** » 27 Jun 2007 5:14 pm

I JUST FOUND MY OLD STANDARD GUITAR BOOKS, "THE STANDARD GUITAR METHOD" BASIC ONE, TWO THREE ETC. AND THEN I GOT TO THINKING,HOW DOES ONE REALLY LEARN TO PLAY THE PEDAL STEEL, WITH NO SET METHOD OR PROGRESSION
TO FOLLOW LIKE THESE BOOKS HAVE.

Charles Davidson · Post by **Charles Davidson** » 27 Jun 2007 6:33 pm

Donald,There are plenty steel instruction books out there with SET methods.By set I mean they start with the basic's ,how to tune,hold the bar,wear the picks,etc.no different than the guitar books,banjo books,fiddle books,etc.

Charles Davidson · Post by **Charles Davidson** » 27 Jun 2007 6:39 pm

P.S. Donald,go to the links here on the forum,go to venders,go to Steel guitar Nashville [Bobbe Seymore]Frenches,Herb Steiner's,Scotty's etc,You will find learning material for EVERY level.

Donald Hall · Post by **Donald Hall** » 27 Jun 2007 6:42 pm

Charles, I'm past the basics, I need the nitty gritty,
I know where the most of the chords are, now what?

Charles Davidson · Post by **Charles Davidson** » 27 Jun 2007 7:25 pm

Again Donald,just check with those venders,There are so many courses out there,cassetts,CD'S,DVD'S,for beginners to VERY advanced and every thing in between.I know Frencey's used to have a big catolog full of this stuff,also Herby,doug,Bobbe,Herb,etc,If you just look it's there, ANY of these guys will help you as well as all the great guys here on the forum,Good luck to you.

Jerry Malvern · Post by **Jerry Malvern** » 27 Jun 2007 10:33 pm

There are several ways to go from here. If there is a teacher close by, hook up with him and get some lessons. Also, and I've been exactly where you are, get Jeff Newmans " Up from the Top " coarses. I threw one in the player, sat down and had a whole bunch of "ah-ha" moments. Hard to explain, but its really easy when you see the tapes. By far the best money I spent.

David Doggett · Post by **David Doggett** » 27 Jun 2007 11:11 pm

And, remember, probably most of the best players you have ever heard didn't learn to play from lessons. Once they had the basics of the instrument figured out, they went on to figure out for themselves how to play what they wanted to play, usually while on the job. Steel has always been an instrument mostly played by ear and improvisation.

Doug Beaumier · Post by **Doug Beaumier** » 27 Jun 2007 11:44 pm

I know where the most of the chords are, now what?

Now you find some other musicians to play with. Find a basic country/folk band, duo, trio. Go to rehersals, jam sessions, offer to sit in at gigs, play with other people every chance you get. Playing music with others will speed up your learning tenfold.

Buy all the practice Tracks you can find. Learn the harmonized major scale, and use it to CREATE patterns that move from one chord position to another chord position. Use the scales to CREATE solos, intros, and fills over the rhythm tracks. CREATE your own licks, either from the chord positions or from the scales. Learn a couple of speedpicking patterns that move up and down the fretboard, practice them in different keys, and play them over the tracks. Use those patterns in medium tempo songs too.

Books and Courses will teach you specific licks, songs, scales, etc, but it's up to you to take those tools and CREATE something. This is not easily learned from a book. It is learned by playing with other musicians, or by playing over tracks, and it takes many hours, weeks, months, and years of practice.

I JUST FOUND MY OLD STANDARD GUITAR BOOKS, "THE STANDARD GUITAR METHOD" BASIC ONE, TWO THREE ETC.

About 25 years ago, Jeff Newman had a series of 12 booklets w/audio, a 'graduated method' that took the student from basic chord changing through licks, songs, etc. As far as I know, there is no such 'graduated method' series for PSG today. There are lots of them for regular guitar: Hal Leonard, Mel Bay, Alfreds, Happy Traum, etc... books 1, 2, 3.

Why so many series of method books for guitar, and none for pedal steel? There are 3 million guitars sold Each year (2004, 05, 06) in the U.S.
How many pedal steel guitars are sold each year? Enough said

Tony Prior · Post by **Tony Prior** » 28 Jun 2007 4:04 am

The "now what" question exists for all Instruments as well as many other things we do in daily life.

If a studying Musician has the feeling that they are beyond the basics, then it is time to concentrate on what the basics have taught them so that they can progress to the next level.

If you can take a simple song, Row Row Row your Boat, for example, play it , fully understand the tonality of the chord structure and can identify the chords you are playing , then and only then can you progress to the next level.

When you study a song or a progression, not just on the Pedal Steel but any Instrument, you really must be thinking ahead, where you are going, like driving to the grocery store. You know the way and you know it's the right way, or at least the way you choose.

We can sit and read books by volumes, but if we really didn't grasp volume #1 then volume # 2 will make no sense.

When a new player crosses the bridge to understanding what chords they are playing in the progression without thinking about them and they know where they are going in the progression without thinking about it, then they are playing Music. Until then they are just going thru a Mechanical execution.

My feeling is that too much tab and too many purchased programs cannot really answer the NOW WHAT question. Programs can take students to a new place but not before the student knows and undestands the place they are coming from.

My take is that the NOW WHAT question is best answered by sitting with someone who can understand exactly where a student is and then taking them to the next level by reviewing what they already know and showing them how to apply it.

I took theory lessons years back from Link Chamberlain, a guru Guitar player up the the NYC tri State area. He never played a Steel Guitar but he talked the Music and the structures and we applied them in conversation. Link on Guitar, me on the Steel and or Guitar.

it's a tuff road but one that can be conquered

tp