The Steel Guitar Forum

Sleepwalk in 1966 on lap steel (E13). I was 17 years old.

John Ely's arrangement of Bubbles in my Beer was my gateway drug.

The first song I learned on an Oahu acoustic was "Beginners Waltz".
Erv

On Tonemaster Lap Steel -

"On the Wings of a Dove"

and

"Hawaiian War Chant"

I'm pretty sure it was Steel Guitar Rag. My first steel guitar album was a Buddy Merrill album I found at Woolworth in their bargain bin for a dollar. It had the song on it and I learned his version, well almost.

Blue Eyes Cryin and Greensleeves. Then I dug into that Blue Bayou solo and Hank Devito's solo on Heartbroke. I'm surprised I remember this.

I was hacking away on stage before I knew any complete songs..

Ditto.. I figured out how to play I, IV and V after owning one a month or so, and started dragging the steel out to my 'regular' guitar gig. All I 'knew' was which strings to dodge, and that I didn't know how to play minor chords.

At some point I learned 'songs' I guess, but I couldn't tell you when, it was a very hazy transition from just playing the right chord to actually copying parts.

I believe Steel Guitar Rag.

My first tune was Sleep Walk

I messed around with comping and fills and solos, the basic skills used to accompany a singer in a band for quite awhile when I first started, but the first instrumental chord melody I recall working on was the version of Greensleeves that was in the Winnie Winston Book.

My instruction has all been from Jeff Newman's courses and the first song he has you play is "Does Ft. Worth Ever Cross Your Mind." Fifteen years later it's still the song I warm up with.

Thinking back I believe it was Cold Cold Heart. On a Rick Six String looooooong time ago

Crazy Arms

I started taking lessons around 1947 on a round hole guitar with the strings raised so I could use a bar and picks. When I went to my first lesson I actually thought I was going to learn to play a guitar not a steel guitar. I am pretty sure the lessons came from Oahu book, but I have no idea what I learned the first few songs. My uncle was a pro fiddle player playing 5 mornings a week on the radio and shows all around the state. I just knew I wanted to do stuff like that.

My first song on lap steel was (don't laugh) "The Old Oaken Bucket". That was song #1 in my Nick Manoloff instruction book. On pedal steel, as I recall, it was either "The Old Rugged Cross", or "Silent Night".

Don't know how much longer I'll be able to do it, but it's been fun!

There were two for me-"Look At Us" and "Cold Cold Heart"-if memory serves me right, I started out with "Cold Cold Heart", and "Look At Us" came right after.

Still trying to learn my first song.

" Hang Down Your Head Tom Dooley"

Faded Love from JN’s Music to Steel By

Charley Pride Live at Panther Hall
"Just Between You and Me"

Johnson's Love by Dwight Yoakam. The A+B rocking and climbing up the chord inversions was loads of fun at the time.

John Palumbo wrote:Red River Valley, from Winnie Winston book

+1, circa 1979.

Cheating Heart

I went all out and learned everything that I could but I believe the first was “It Don’t Matter Anymore” by Rosanne Cash

Together Again..