The Steel Guitar Forum

I'm 43 and have had my Carter starter for a year. Granted the most I have done is chord along with a few cd's and waded through some easy tab, just having it here gives me more insight to you guys.


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Janice "Busgal" Brooks
ICQ 44729047

This great thread got me thinking. I started out on a home-made, crappy lap steel in about '74, then got better on various 6 strings converted with a high nut. Steel fell by the wayside for me in the early 80s when I became a solo singer-songwriter...
About 4-5 years ago, my old best friend and long-time performing duo partner from the 70s died- We'd lost touch for 10 or more years- and I was invited to play at his memorial; a moving experience that I won't attempt to describe here...For that occasion I revived the old guitar I'd used in our act, and immediately after converted it to a lap steel. ( I still had the battered old Stevens bar I'd bought in the 70s, maybe the only artifact I've hung on to for that many years!)
That opened the flood gates, and at nearly 40 years old, steel came back into my life big time! I'm playing a Melobar 6 string and a dobro now, listening to the masters, and learning something new every day!!!

Bill, I'm also 46. I started messing around with lap steels about five years ago, then bought a psg after seeing some really good players close-up at the the first Bethlehem jam. Jim Cohen, ebb, dva, Bob Hoffnar... everyone there was great or better I believe.

Note, the whole psg thing came to me via the Internet, first from Brad's Page of Steel and then from reading this forum. Never knew any steel players before.

Can't think of much advice (ha, from me, a clueless newbie) for you other middle-aged players except what's obvious.
I used to play keyboards, and had lots of bad habits. This time around I've been careful choosing a teacher and have gotten real about playing every day. Also my ear is better and I'm a little more systematic and patient than I was at 25.

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Andy Newcomb <small>a beginner on the steel guitar</small>
<small>Williams Keyless S-10, Rickenbacher Model 59</small>
<FONT SIZE=1 COLOR="#8e236b"><p align=CENTER>[This message was edited by anewcomb on 10 June 2002 at 10:05 AM.]</p></FONT>

Definitely a trend. So many of us (re)discovering music. Why Steel?

Are we nosalgic for "smoky old barrooms" here? (I'm in California, there are NO smoky barrooms anymore). You remember, the places with creaky sawdusted floors, black-painted walls with a few metal beer ads, a "stage" that looked like a recycled freight pallet, a bouncer named "Fred", and a $2 cover...

Eric......The bouncer I remember was a great big fat girl with only one leg... Her name was "Ilene". But what really stands out in my rapidly fading memory is the band stand that was covered with fine meshed chicken wire. There were two advantages to this choice of decore.... it kept the bottles and cans from hitting us straight on; and if they elected to toss vegetables or fruit at the band.........by the time it reached us it was already diced!! I hated those sawdust floors.

I met a girl like that in Japan, only her name was Irene.

Sure would be nice if the jams around the country could start off with players less than 3 years playing or have a 70yrs plus
group. This would give encouragenment without
the expectations of the pros.

Bill Llewellyn, I always enjoy your thoughtful posts.

I'll join the club. I'm 47 and have played guitar on and off since age 15. I was a decent enough acoustic Travis picker to play at shows, until Herby Wallace and Buddy Emmons ruined my life and blew my mind with their swing and jazz playing at the '98 convention.

I'm trying to learn jazz on steel and putting in some hours to do it. Now, that type of music is hard enough without the complications of pedals and blocking techniques. I'm giving myself 5 years and if things don't get better I'll take up the bass!<FONT SIZE=1 COLOR="#8e236b"><p align=CENTER>[This message was edited by Dirk B on 11 June 2002 at 06:53 AM.]</p></FONT>

Ray, what a great story... and I'd forgotten about the chicken wire. Although, to be honest most of the rowdiest bars in NorCal were biker bars, and chicken wire was scant protection against local "Angels".

p.s. there was also a bartender named "Tiny", who was, as you suspected, about 6'8" and 300 pounds.

I'm 61 and have been playing semi-professionally since the late 1950's. Initially I was usually the band leader, the singer front man and played 6 string electric guitar. I had hired a steel player by the name of Paul Wheat to work with my band and he was determined to get me on his double neck pedal steel. He made me listen to Jeff Newman audio tapes and I began to learn about scales, pedals, and levers. While doing a show in Beaumont Texas in 1982 I became acquainted with the ISGC in St. Louis. I attended my first convention that year and was hooked on the pedal steel. It wasn't until about three years ago that I seriously began to think about actually buying one and learning to play. I talked to Jeff Newman and arranged some one-on-one lessons at his place in Tennessee. He saved me a lot of time and today I am a lot further down the road to learning than I would have been on my own. I thoroughly enjoy practicing everyday and have found the instrument that I should have been playing my whole life.

This thread is right down my alley. I am 68 yrs old and started playing in my teens. Started on an acoustic with a raised nut tuned to A major. Bought me a double neck Rickenbacker 6-string around 1950 and played that with our teenage group band until about 1953. Married in 1952,went into the USAF in 1954 and didn't play hadrly any after that. Sold the Rick. in New Mexico in 1965. Didn't play anymore until late 1980'S when i decided I wanted to learn the PSG. Bought me a used SHO-BUD D-8 from Herb Remington and started down that path. Still trying to learn to play the PSG like I would like to be able to. Today I play EMMONS Legrande D-10 and a LDG III, as well as a T-8 Stringmaster. We've had groups on an off, right now off, and play any chance I get around east Texas. Play Dobro at bluegrass jams. Lke that too. Mostly just playing jam sessions and practicing at home now. But I enjoy the challenge of learning to play the PSG. Still no where near a BE or JD.. Just enjoy playing the Honky-Tonk tunes. It's a good past time and maybe I'll keep at it for a few more years.

I recently read part of a magazine article in which a famous steel man said that the steel guitar was the easiest instrument in the world to play! If I knew his address, I'd send him an index card and ask him to "tell me all about it!" HJ

Me? I'm 74. However, I prefer to think of myself as being only 40/34...sounds much younger, doesn't it ? I have been at the steel since 1942. That little critter is without doubt a stubborn beast to tame. In my early days I never had the benefit of watching the great pros and picking up ideas. Where I live, very few if any came up this way which was to their loss. I learned all I could from listening to old Hawaiian 78's, lp's, etc. Now that I am where I am today, I've come to the realization I'll never conquer the steel guitar while at the same time, what I have learned, I am passing on to others whom I teach. It is a very rewarding experience, (not financially!) I hope other "olde timers" are doing the same, otherwise the Hawaiian style of Steel Guitar playing will simply fade away, given time.

<FONT SIZE=1 COLOR="#8e236b"><p align=CENTER>[This message was edited by Ole Dantoft on 26 February 2004 at 10:41 AM.]</p></FONT>

WOW!! After reading all the above, I guess I can come out of the closet. I'm 58 and started about a year ago. I played lead guitar and bass in the late 50's through early 70's, then quite cold turkey...now I can't remember why. A year ago, my wife suggest I take up steel guitar as I always talked about doing so (always in the future). So I picked up a steel, then another, and another and .... The world just keeps getting better!!

Sierra Session U-12, Remington Steelmaster D-8, WestCoast Steel Hawaiian, N400, etc.