The Steel Guitar Forum

I took lessons on the Hawaiian guitar as a child (age 9-12) and after that I just learned to play with other musicians (self taught?)
At 20 years old I bought my first pedal steel and I never took a lesson on it, but I wish I had. Because I developed many bad habits that a lesson or two would have helped me avoid. (Wrong pedal setup, weird string pulls and incorrect pitch changes, improper blocking etc.)

Dom

I don't suppose there is any one with a masters degree in lap steel performance. That was just a ha ha. But on a serious note, I suppose Don Helms is also self taught, but If he had students, I would want to take lessons from one of those guys because I would be able to make more of impression on those country singers who are Hank Williams wantabes.

I don't suppose there is any one with a masters degree in lap steel performance.

Those degrees are earned in the school of "hard knocks"

I started playing guitar in 1964 and steel in 1970. Self-taught on both. Mostly I learned by playing in bands, learning from other musicians, playing 5 to 7 nights a week for many years, over 4500 gigs and thousands of hours of practice and teaching. I took a few music courses in college (UMass) back in the day, and that helped somewhat, but most of my learning has been by ear. Knowing some theory has been very helpful too.
I took some advanced steel lessons in the early 1980s: two days of lessons with Buddy Emmons in Nashville studying C6, a week with Jimmie Crawford and John Hughey, also Jeff Newman. By that time I was already playing 7 nights a week in house bands, but I couldn't pass up the opportunity to study with the great masters of our instrument.

I've been playing music since I was about 13. I've taught myself bass and guitar and much later steel. As has been stated elsewhere in this thread, the learning never stops and I hope it doesn't. Thanks to the generosity of this Forum and indeed Youtube contributors, there is no end of learning pleasure to be had!

On the other side of the coin: Starting a few months ago (at 52) I've been taking singing lessons. Possibly the toughest musical education ever but for some reason, expressing myself using only my body rather than through an instrument, was something I couldn't figure out. Now it's coming but I wouldn't have got there without a teacher.

So my conclusion is that if you have a problem you cannot solve yourself (or here), then a teacher is not a bad thing.

\ paul

Hello Deirdre,
how many steel guitar teachers do you think there are in Italy?
Andrea

Robert Padwick wrote:I think this is my first post on the forum even though I signed up in 2013, so Hi Everyone!

Welcome Robert.

[jamming with others] it's a leap of faith and I found that thick skin and short memory helped me most.

I understand the thick skin, but am curious how the short memory helped. Can you expand that?
I was interested that you learned to read music but not much theory, and curious whether you can read sheet music on steel.

I didn't learn to read (well) but learned a lot of theory in piano, so I could fake it well, and thus not entirely self-taught in music.
You have John Ely's chord calculator, his teaching. Jamming with others, you're learning on the spot (even if it's what or when not to play).

Chase Brady wrote:... any student who got to class had done there job, and if they failed it was all the teachers fault.

I am glad that era in education is passing (although there will be a backlash, lessened responsibility for educators,
more required from the student, as lessened responsibility overall is the trend). There are reasons why some folks
actually can't or don't want to learn, and they aren't on this forum. Every post I read on this topic alone is a teaching.

It takes Robert or Paul or Doug or Deidre's desire to learn through thick skin or hard knocks (I don't know either of those).
It's easy to forget that Doug was once a student with nothing more than desire.
It's hard to be in a vacuum on this forum, but there's some guy out there who IS completely self taught.
('What's this?' he says, picking up a guitar and a rock....') (And on the forum we say, 'Quick, grab him...!)

It does take patience, and I hope that students, like Deidre, won't get in a hurry or worry that you're alone.
It took Doug a long time to find the right teachers;
after all, those teachers were busy playing back when.

chris ivey wrote: played for 40 years. that's really where you learn.

Charlie,
Thanks for the welcome.
Charlie McDonald Wrote:

[jamming with others] it's a leap of faith and I found that thick skin and short memory helped me most. I understand the thick skin, but am curious how the short memory helped. Can you expand that?

Yes. At times I jam with jazz musicians. Early on in my jazz jamming career, if you can call it that, I did manage to irk the odd conventional guitar player and received some negative comments, and this is where the short memory helps (in other words, don’t take it to heart). Most were joking of course, but I did manage to get sent off stage once (vibed?). Since then, I’ve improved a bit, I’ve also heard some very positive feedback on steel guitar in jazz, and as long as I stay off the guitarists register during his or her solo, all is okay. On slow pieces steel guitar is a crowd pleaser, if only I could hit all the right notes all of the time…

Charlie McDonald Wrote:

I was interested that you learned to read music but not much theory, and curious whether you can read sheet music on steel.

Yes I can, but I’m only practiced with A6th. I generally find it difficult to sight read in real time though, so will work to commit the melody to memory as soon as possible. I can read the music well enough to bring a tune together reasonably well in a short time (attended jazz combo sessions where lead sheets are dropped on the music stand and off you go). I guess I forgot most music theory after my grade 2 piano except for the very basics, such as note duration and timing etc. I’d totally forgotten about chord notation until I took up the steel guitar, but could muddle my way through the melody.

In case you’re wondering about the jazz (or why choose jazz in particular?): The VSO School in Vancouver started jazz combo sessions, essentially paid classes led by jazz musicians such as Jodi Proznick, James Danderfer. I’m the only steel guitar, but no surprise there, but I thought it would be a good way to get some real playing in. Otherwise, I just try and pick up folk song books, Hawaiian, Elvis or whatever I can, and simply try and play the tune, both chords and melody. Usually I’ll play solo at home for family or whomever, but more often than not, the people I know who could jam along at the house are too shy, which is a shame, and partly why I headed to the jazz school. Last time I played for the neighbours I'd just got done pouring concrete, so had rubber boots on, a tin hat, and a load of dust. Must have been quite the sight. Only played a hymn and Harbor Lights, but I reckon it was the best I've ever played them.