What is your best piece of advice to pass along?

John De Maille · Post by **John De Maille** » 16 Aug 2007 7:30 pm

There are many responses I could give to this question, but, I think dedication and passion for the instrument are the best. Actually, they could be one and the same. Without these pre-requisites, I think you're doomed to failure. All else will fall into place with time and intuitiveness.

Jim Cohen · Post by **Jim Cohen** » 16 Aug 2007 8:40 pm

Learn to play it before you run into all the people who will tell you how hard it is to learn. Just do it.

Brett Day · Post by **Brett Day** » 16 Aug 2007 8:53 pm

Do the best you can and don't stop.

Brett

Jack Stanton · Post by **Jack Stanton** » 17 Aug 2007 7:47 am

To quote Ed Norton " We have a saying in the sewer- 'be nice to the people you meet on the way up, 'cause you'll meet the same people on the way down!'"

Tony Smart · Post by **Tony Smart** » 17 Aug 2007 8:19 am

Three tips here:
1. Always sit at the side of the steel opposite the pedals.

2. Never play wearing skis ------ It'll ruin them. (and they were my best pair)

3. Lastly, a stupid one - Train your ear and know your instrument with the goal in mind of being able to hear a phrase and play it straight away.

Best of luck.

Ken Byng · Post by **Ken Byng** » 17 Aug 2007 9:21 am

Don't buy tights for a mermaid

Jim Eaton · Post by **Jim Eaton** » 17 Aug 2007 9:55 am

Never give Fireworks to a Monkey!!!
JE:)

Susan Alcorn · Post by **Susan Alcorn** » 18 Aug 2007 5:02 am

My advice, if asked for, would be to not be discouraged, practice as much as you can, and try to play from the heart -- be real.

Robert Jones · Post by **Robert Jones** » 18 Aug 2007 5:18 am

Of course the first thing that anyone myself included would say is Practice. Taking that one step further would be to say that you need to get with someone else that plays and woodshed. I have learned a lot with the use of charts, tabs, and the like. Nothing wrong with them as they help a lot. I have also learned a lot from others by not only watching but asking. Just last night Rudy Osborne sat in with the band at my house gig. I learned something new on the C-6 from Rudy that I didn't know how to do. So that is my little insert to your question. Best of luck.

Drew Howard · Post by **Drew Howard** » 18 Aug 2007 6:07 am

What Cohen said (learn/play the melody).

John Bechtel · Post by **John Bechtel** » 19 Aug 2007 8:33 pm

Don't believe everything I tell you! I occasionally make mistakes too!

Ernie Dunlap · Post by **Ernie Dunlap** » 19 Aug 2007 11:04 pm

Barney Kessel said it best. Always remember Music
is Number 2 . Relationships with people is number 1.

Jim Bob Sedgwick · Post by **Jim Bob Sedgwick** » 20 Aug 2007 11:21 am

Never and I mean NEVER play in the rain!!!

Ernie Pollock · Post by **Ernie Pollock** » 20 Aug 2007 11:39 am

Well, if your not married, make sure you don't get married, if you are, warm up to a good divorce lawyer, if you practice like I did when I first started your gonna hear some threats about that '#$^*&&^##@&^ steel guitar' has got to go!!

Just kidding, my wife & I have been married for over 41 years, and she is my biggest fan & has supported me with this for a l o n g l o n g
time!! Have fun with it.

Ernie Pollock
http://www.hereintown.net/~shobud75/stock.htm

Les Anderson · Post by **Les Anderson** » 20 Aug 2007 1:05 pm

My first two months with my steel was spent in the basement. She told me that if she heard me go through the scales one more time me and my piece of crap would end up in the barn.

(she has since learned to love the sound of the steel guitar; however, she still cringes whenever I am running up and down the fret board practising scales!)

Dave Todd · Post by **Dave Todd** » 20 Aug 2007 1:24 pm

So I call Bro Herb up and he say's "Dave, don't do it!"

Well..... I don't listen very well.

Sounds like I'm strangling the cat on a daily basis. But at least it's daily......

Dave Van Allen · Post by **Dave Van Allen** » 20 Aug 2007 2:09 pm

Dennis Detweiler wrote: 4) You won't sound any better than the worst musician in the band.
5)Work with musicians that are better than you.

that's a self fulfilling set of statements when applied together.

Jerry Horner · Post by **Jerry Horner** » 20 Aug 2007 3:09 pm

.....and don't make gods out of certian steel players.

Jerry

Charley Wilder · Post by **Charley Wilder** » 20 Aug 2007 4:29 pm

Don't make gods out of ANY steel players!
Charley

Brad Malone · Post by **Brad Malone** » 20 Aug 2007 4:48 pm

Get a good day job to support your night time habit.

Bob Cox · Post by **Bob Cox** » 21 Aug 2007 5:35 am

Play only when you are supposed to play and make it count,and look and listen to your band for cues.

Russ Little · Post by **Russ Little** » 21 Aug 2007 10:18 am

don't let your dog lubricate your pedals and legs
LOL

Bryan Rankins · Post by **Bryan Rankins** » 21 Aug 2007 12:11 pm

Two pieces of advice that have served me well...
#1) Never play pedal steel in a kilt...
#2) Never play in tune while with the band..they'll want you to do it all the time.
Quit practicing so much, you're making me look bad.

Josh Jones · Post by **Josh Jones** » 21 Aug 2007 12:19 pm

When I was first starting it was very slow going, but after I found some tablature of a few simple songs on the net, my playing took off from there. I started picking up techniques from listening to records of Tom Brumley and Ralph Mooney and playing along with the tablature. I didnt stop until what I was playing sounded very close to the record. I figured if I can sound even half as good as these steel guitar heros, then I am doing just fine.

Matti Viitala · Post by **Matti Viitala** » 21 Aug 2007 12:19 pm

Play the song, not the instrument.

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What is your best piece of advice to pass along?

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