The Steel Guitar Forum

Brett Day wrote:Facebook and YouTube didn't exist when I started playing. The internet was there, but if you wanted to watch how players taught techniques, licks, scales, blocking, right hand position using picks, bar techniques how to play chords, and pedal positions, you had to watch it on video or DVD, or take a steel lesson, or go to a steel show or seminar..Although I loved the steel at a young age, like I do now, because of cerebral palsy, I went through a process where I had to figure out what instrument would be right for me, and at seventeen, I got interested in playing steel, and started playing at the age of eighteen and now at thirty-five, almost thirty-six, I still love it!

Jerry Roller wrote:Don, I don't think I was!
Jerry

Bryan Staddon wrote:Last night a band played on Jimmy Kimmel called the Revivalists. They had a steel player. Itwasn't a country revival or something like that, just a regular rock band. When they went to commercial right before the band played, the camera shot was a beautiful blue pedal steel from the tuners looking down the fretboard. I was intrigued to say the least. I know nothing about the band or the steeler but I liked them and was happy to see a young band with a steel on tv.

Paul King wrote:There are some young players playing steel. Jacob King who is 14 years old and plays like someone who has played for years and then there is Tobin Hess who plays extremely well. A couple young guys overseas, Matthew Jut and Stepnen Ryker play too. You can find videos of them on YouTube as well. Then you have the young guys like me at 57 years of age but I bet you are talking much younger.

There are lots of young players. They just don't hang around with us very much. Lots of them lurk on here and don't see the need to participate.

Bill Miller wrote:

There are lots of young players. They just don't hang around with us very much. Lots of them lurk on here and don't see the need to participate.

I'm afraid that's all too true Doug. And what a shame it is. It seems like very few young people today feel any need to associate with their elders in any capacity. That's very different from my own generation. ( I'm 61 ) My friends and I always enjoyed the company of the older guys, whether were having a beer with them or rubbing elbows with them in the workplace. We loved the stories, saw lots of opportunity to learn from their life experience and just enjoyed having them around. These days it is a rare occasion when anyone under 30 or so thinks they want to hear anything from a senior. We're pretty much worthless to them. Sad...for both sides.

Me and Mathew Jut would have a pint with ya Cool

Kenneth Blesy wrote:I'm 19, and just bought my first steel over the summer, a Carter S10 with 3 pedals and 5 knees. It's definitely been difficult getting started, but a lot of fun! Playing 6 string and having knowledge of music theory has been helpful, and reading on this forum has been a great resource. Soon I want to invest in some of the Jeff Newman courses, as so many people say they're great when getting started. For me, one of the most daunting things has been the actual workings and maintenance of these things (I'm still pretty clueless). Compared to a regular guitar, there is MUCH more to go wrong on a steel, especially when buying used with little knowledge, and I think that scares away a lot of people that are curious. I got lucky that mine is in good working shape, but I'm going to have to learn some basic maintenance, as the knee lever that drops the Eb to a D isn't returning all the way back to Eb. Probably something basic, and I'm just clueless. All in all, I'm very glad I had somebody that got me interested in learning to play this very unique instrument!