The Steel Guitar Forum

Chris, you make a very fair point. Pat Metheny has said that with the web nowadays, performers don't get to have a bad night. Every gig - good, bad or indifferent shows up on YouTube the next day.

chris ivey wrote:deleted to appease the mediocre majority

Chris, I don't know you, and certainly don't want to offend you. After all, I wasn't clever enough to play with pedals at all, and just barely with my lap steel;
but as a fan, my take is:

You can play for yourself, play for the majority, or play for the elitists...

...but if you play for yourself, or the elitists, don't complain because no one likes the music, or the instrument isn't popular any more.

I fell in love with the sound of the steel guitar in the 70's, as my first wife and I wore out the hardwood floors in the dance halls and honky-tonks in and around Fort Worth. That sound, from that era still gets me.

I guess it is like church music (forgive me, Lord) - We all love what we fell in love with.

On the other hand, in Chris' defense:
This was obviously not the most creative any of us have seen Cindy. It looked as though she had just sat down, got her axe tuned, and just barely started feeling out the groove, fitting in, when called upon.
I thought I detected a little grin, when she heard what the drummer was doing.

But what do I know.

Youtube can be rough on a performer. I think that her YT videos that are maybe less than stellar are usually with her sitting in with folks that she doesn't always play with. You get her in a setting with a "band" of which she is a member and she is quite good. Like with Redd Volkaert:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZnvKW7_eXuk

I looked at the video first and I thought, wow, what a cool solo, sounds like a PSG - wish I could do that! Then I read the thread ...

To be honest there is so much crap on YT that I'm grateful when someone puts something interesting up for reference. I live in south Germany and there are very few opportunities to see good steel players, with or without pedals and that's why I love this forum 'cos it is honest and helpful and rarely gives me a bum steer.

And as to Cindy, after finishing Scotty's book I had no idea what to do and although I'd never heard of Cindy, I picked up both DVDs on chance. Best investment I ever made (after the 5 bucks for the forum). Learned about Bob Wills, Louis Jordan, not to mention help in advancing my playing.

At least after reading this chain I now have a defintion of what cliche PSG might sound like ... and I think I'd like to get to cliche

I've actually talked to Cindy about this and she doesn't love having anything less than her best playing out there for all to see. Can't blame her. Improvising musicians often get put in situations where ether have to wing it as best they can. Cindy's well is extremely deep but sometimes, like all of us, the well runs a bit dry.

From my perspective she was being the consummate pro, in that she was there not to show off, or try to steal the show. She was there to try and support the band the best way she knew how. Hat's off to her. After seeing this I'm sure any musician out there would love to have her sittin' in.