Inspiration

Jim Palenscar · Post by **Jim Palenscar** » 8 Jun 2018 8:48 pm

Thanks again for everyone taking the time to share- I appreciate it more than you know. At least my wheels are spinning up

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Mike Beley · Post by **Mike Beley** » 13 Jun 2018 5:40 pm

Jim, maybe one reason you're lacking a bit of inspiration, is because you've been dishing so much of it out to others.

I know I left with at least a years supply when I left your shop last August.

I was in the area with my family, and even though you were busy, you took the time to schedule a lesson with an absolute beginner and even let me tape some of it, cause you knew it was like I was drinking from a firehose at the time, ha!

That lesson has really helped me out a lot, and I still go back and play that clip when I'm trying to spin out of a rut.

Just being in your store, you can literally feel your passion for the instrument, and man, that's contagious.
I wish you could see your own eyes when you talk about it..they just light up. It's like you don't have enough words to express all you know...it's just too vast!

Anyway Jim, I just saw your post and wanted to say thanks, and maybe send a tiny bit of that inspiration you gave me, back your way.

take care Jim and thanks again!

Mike Beley

Stuart Legg · Post by **Stuart Legg** » 13 Jun 2018 10:52 pm

Sounds like a perfect time to dive into Jazz!!!

Jim Palenscar · Post by **Jim Palenscar** » 15 Jun 2018 7:36 am

Thanks so much for the kind words Mike. I absolutely love this instrument and have had the great fortune of being able to hang out with some of the greatest players that have ever played and all of them are more than willing to help. I know way more than I ever play because of either laziness, lack of appropriate venue, frustration, Attention Deficit Disorder- (pick 2

). I love to teach but at times feel the hypocracy of â€œdo what I say,not what I doâ€ when I tell the student what they need to do to improve.

Mark McConville · Post by **Mark McConville** » 7 Jul 2018 12:21 pm

Jim,

For what it's worth, spending the afternoon with you a while back was pure inspiration for me. There's so much I don't know about the steel guitar, and every time I visit your shop, I feel invigorated.

I find myself putting on records and "auditioning" for bands that don't have steel guitar. Composing parts for songs without steel broadens my playing and makes me think about the instrument in a different way than when I'm trying (and often failing) to emulate the great players of the world.

Thanks for your help last week, too. She's sounding better than ever.

Roger Rettig · Post by **Roger Rettig** » 7 Jul 2018 1:15 pm

......

gary pierce · Post by **gary pierce** » 7 Jul 2018 4:43 pm

Jim, your thread is a ditto for me, but a few weeks ago I got a call from a band I haven't played with, but when they sent me the three sets I got excited again since they were all pre 70's country. I spent several days on you tube learning stuff I should of already known, but it was fun, and challenging.
I just hope they call me back. $:\$

Craig Schwartz · Post by **Craig Schwartz** » 21 Jul 2018 6:55 am

Jim change your genre
Example : started with old stuff, jumped to the Byrds, jumped to the new country, jumped to the outlaw, jumped to the studio, jumped to the classic country, jumped back to the old school, then got invited to play traditional Hawaiian which by the way is hard to do but I did it anyways, The elavation of interest skyrocketed so high the first time I saw those hula dancers and fire dancers dancing to the music and lots of polenesian drums , my heart got reinstated very quickly for the instrument of e9, itâ€™s all I play and it sounds beautiful with there music, what a hidden treasure

Good luck Jim

Craig Schwartz · Post by **Craig Schwartz** » 21 Jul 2018 10:19 pm

https://youtu.be/Tbangl3lb0Y

Glenn Demichele · Post by **Glenn Demichele** » 21 Jul 2018 10:57 pm

I know what the problem is - you know too many good players. I feel like selling all my gear after an hour watching YouTube videos, so I just turn off the computer and play along with records until I think I'm good again, then I get inspired to get better.

Bobby Nelson · Post by **Bobby Nelson** » 22 Jul 2018 1:08 am

A little over a year ago, Jimmy Day's playing on an old Charlie Walker song came on the radio on the way home from a long days work, and shot through me like a lightning bolt. I got home and started looking for pedal steel guitars on eBay, and found a 1969 Zane Beck for $1200.00, that was listed as needing to be worked on.

Luckily for me, a random search of "pedal steel guitar repair", led me to email you about weather the ZB would be worth messing with. Now, as far as anyone was concerned, I could have been some Joe Blow just wasting a working man's time with stupid questions, but you graciously took your time and emailed me a very nice letter back, explaining what I might be getting into, and advising me that if I can, I might want to consider buying something new (or at least "newish"). You were the first person I ever talked to about anything "steel guitar" and over a week or so, we traded emails. I remember thinking what a nice and helpful guy you were, and telling you as much - and am still grateful.

A little over a year later, at 4AM, I'm getting ready to crank up my new MSA Legend and start trying to plink away at it. I feel very much like I did when I was a 15 yr old kid learning guitar (the only difference being that I don't have to learn the music part, and the instrument part this time): I'll listen to Jimmy Day playing on Johnny Bush's rendition of Farewell party, and mess with it a good part of the day, and then I'll probably move on to Buddy Charleton's riffs in Be Good To Your Baby.

I am very grateful for your time and good advice, and wish you nothing but the best in your efforts to find inspiration. I'm sure it doesn't help you out much but, you were a very valuable part in me regaining my inspiration in music - which I had abandoned a decade earlier. Good luck to you in your quest Jim!

Ray Jenkins · Post by **Ray Jenkins** » 27 Jul 2018 10:39 pm

Hey Jim I completely quit and started team roping again.Heading to Ogden Utah for a school to learn to teach roping.Will still be Emcee for the SWSGA show so Iâ€™m counting on you to continue to laugh at my jokes.I think your the only one.

Jim Palenscar · Post by **Jim Palenscar** » 28 Jul 2018 6:25 am

I truly appreciate all the great comments. After playing universal for over 40 years I've decided to give Ext E9 a go instead- for 2 reasons:
1- I only use the 6th side of the tuning for about 1% of my playing and most of that could be had on the E9th side so I guess that "I'm gonna get to that side of it" has run it's course and
2- When I get together with friends(Big Jim, Jay Dee, Frank Carter, and Rick Schmidt) as I do a couple of times a year, when ever they play something that uses the 9th string D note which is most of the time I have to decide which way to get it - lowering the E or raising the B- both of which I have available on my setup- and this irritates and frustrates me. We'll see how this goes.
I also joined Paul's Teaching Method which is great.