The Steel Guitar Forum

Jerry Byrd said, "...what are we suppose to be doing up here?
Showing off for other musicians or play for the common people?
We are not playing enough of what the people want to hear!"

For me, part of the joy of playing music is making a connection to the listener. If it's playing Steel Guitar Rag, Dueling Banjos, Foggy Mt, O.B.S. or Wagon Wheel for the 1,000th time, so be it. It's worth it to see the smiles

Bob Hoffnar wrote:Listening and playing without the indulgence of judgement can be a great skill for having a happy life anyway.

Added to my small collection of "words to live by"!

--Al Evans

Dick Wood wrote:Just stand up and yell I am an artist and can not work under these conditions.They'll get the message and you won't have to play these songs any more.

"You play that clink-clink-clink jazz, or you won't get paid tonight!" --Stan Freberg

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zPnETiP8V9I

--Al Evans

I listen to the one giving me the check - I've played a lot of tunes I would never care to play again, and there are sometimes ones that force, not inspire, me to be a better player. To ease the agony I tell myself that it's the best thing that could happen to me and compare it to a class one once took and hated, but needed it to move on to a better situation.

I try to get something positive out of the experience, and after the tune, say to myself "It's gone!"

You know, I used to have a corporate job too in which I had to do a lot of things that I thought were stupid or that I did not like doing. Of course I got paid and moved along. I kept my job because on balance there was more good than bad coming out of it. Why should the life of a musician be any better? You take the bad with the good, get paid, move along.

In case you’re wondering, the audience doesn’t like some of the music, either. Still, they applaud.

Rick Barnhart wrote:In case you’re wondering, the audience doesn’t like some of the music, either. Still, they applaud.

Becoming a better player and applaud are my biggest motivators!

We played Dylans Lay lady lay in a Reggae style long ago. Made it kinda fun instead of the normal steel parts. The band got into it and crowd went along with cheers. I have seen church bands going off on tunes before the congregation arrived. Blows off a little steam.

I wonder how Mike Love feels about playing "Surfin' USA" every gig for 57 years......

Dave Hopping wrote:I wonder how Mike Love feels about playing "Surfin' USA" every gig for 57 years......

Hard to say, but the estates of Berry, Chess, Goodman, et al likely didn't mind.

I read about the Indian stockbroker, in prison now, who hired Kenny Rogers for a party because he was obsessed with the song "The Gambler". After Kenny did his performance and had sang the Gambler several times and was quitting, the guy paid him 10,000 dollars for every additional time he sang the song. How long could you go on?

My understanding is Waylon Jennings hated Luckenbach, Texas, and Patsy Cline hated her three most popular songs, Crazy, Walking after Midnight, and Sweet Dreams.

Darrell Criswell wrote: My understanding is Waylon Jennings hated Luckenbach, Texas, and Patsy Cline hated her three most popular songs, Crazy, Walking after Midnight, and Sweet Dreams.

Yes,Waylon hated"Luckenbach"(his biggest hit)and played it really fast to get it over with...

He hated"Wurlitzer Prize"more and never played it live...not once...

SH

Jack Hanson wrote:

Dave Hopping wrote:I wonder how Mike Love feels about playing "Surfin' USA" every gig for 57 years......

Hard to say, but the estates of Berry, Chess, Goodman, et al likely didn't mind.

In hindsight, Mike Love likely has mixed feelings, because he claims to have helped write the new lyrics and hasn't shared in the publishing. And he's never been shy about exhibiting the chip on his shoulder.

I usually make it a point to find ways to fit the riff from "Low Rider" by War into those songs. There's always a way.

I hate that song that gets requested 20 minutes after the second time you already played it.
One thing that helps me get through a song I could care less about otherwise is reminding myself of other jobs I have had and compare them to playing this PoS song. Suddenly I feel very energetic and soulful...

Trini Lopez had "lemon Tree" and "If I Had A Hammer" to do every night.

And the Surfaris had "Wipe-Out"!


Since 1963.....

"Just A Swing'in" and "Achy Breaky Heart".. Wish I had a dollar for every time I had to play it!!!! Good place for C6 exploration. I use C6 often in some of those songs.

I can't even remember the band(s) but some songs I remember getting SO sick of were: Big Bad Leroy Brown,House Of The Rising Sun ( always a drunk hippie whose best drunk friend REALLY sings that great.You guys ought to get her up here to sing), and Proud Mary....
UGHHH!

Achy breaky heart was always a tough pill to swallow ...

Fun to look back on that. Folks who aren't musicians just can't possibly understand this..

Simple Man and Free Bird.

Every job involves being of service to someone else. That's why it's called work, and it doesn't matter what kind of work it is. So unless you're just doing this strictly for yourself, without any expectation of remuneration or other consideration, you should expect that, sometimes, the people listening or the other people you're playing with might want you to play something you're not jazzed about. IMO, if you're being treated and paid well, you're doing well. If it's just a pain in the ass for which you're not getting appropriate pay or satisfaction, then it's probably time to say, "Forget it."

But yet another point of view - if the worst problem I have to face in life is playing some songs I don't like so I can work with a band, play out, and so on, then I'm gonna consider myself damned lucky.

I once asked a well known artist... how in the world did he get by doing that same song (it was his big hit) every night for 250 dates a year. He said it made him want to throw up, but he threw up all the way to the bank! A song, is a song, is a song, is a song. They are all just notes. New challenges with every one of 'em.

Sweet home Alabama, Tulsa time, electric slide

Dave Mudgett wrote:Every job involves being of service to someone else. That's why it's called work, and it doesn't matter what kind of work it is. So unless you're just doing this strictly for yourself, without any expectation of remuneration or other consideration, you should expect that, sometimes, the people listening or the other people you're playing with might want you to play something you're not jazzed about. IMO, if you're being treated and paid well, you're doing well. If it's just a pain in the ass for which you're not getting appropriate pay or satisfaction, then it's probably time to say, "Forget it."

But yet another point of view - if the worst problem I have to face in life is playing some songs I don't like so I can work with a band, play out, and so on, then I'm gonna consider myself damned lucky.

Things being what they are,I'm sure we'd all like to have a chance to play all those groaners onstage sometime soon!