The Steel Guitar Forum

Jason, get some recordings of the band playing, or record them yourself at rehersal. Play along with the recordings, as many times as possible, figure out the how your playing will fit. There's lots of excellent advice above, keep it simple, it tune, relax. I'll bet you will do fine. It's amazing, many times, when you think that your playing is really sub-standard, someone will come over and tell you how much they like what you played. Have fun.

------------------
<small>Bill Moore...
my steel guitar web page</font>

PLay with confidence, and not so soft that you can't be heard.
When it comes to a solo...if you're feeling overwhelmed, just play the chords if you get stuck - most people don't know what they're listening to anyway.
Damien

There has been some excellent advice here and there's a lot of wisdom in what Damien Odell said.

Guys, thanks so much for all the helpful advice. I guess it's just jump into the fire and get on with it. I'm goin crazy trying to learn Sneaky Pete, Ralph Mooney, Tom Brumley and Jerry Byrd's parts on these songs. Definitely not beginners stuff here. LOL

Don't play with spurs on... (They get hung up in the carpet)

Tucker Jackson had great advise as did many others. You can win the others over faster by laying out and letting them do their thing than you could playing the greatest licks in the world all the time. Just keep in mind you are their to help the music sound pleasing. It is a good thing to play some fills, take hands off the guitar and make eye contact with another lead instrument as to say "its your turn". If a band can develop this working together you have it made. Above all else watch the intonation, make sure you are playing in tune. And finally, keep it simple, simple is usually the nicest sounding music.
Jerry

I'm just thrilled you're jumping right in.
These guys have lots of good suggestions. When you're at a momentary loss, try to remember one of them, and your bandmates will think you're tastefully laying out!

How many licks did Pete Drake know?Enough,evidently...

------------------
http://home.comcast.net/~steves_garage

Jason, I would (before the gig) change my G# and both B strings, so they wont break on you. check tuning every set, have fun, just go with the flow of their music.

Jason - I faced the exact same situation about a year ago. I was given four CD's with about 10 - 13 songs a pieace on each one, and told to learn all the intro's turnaround etc... and had 30 days to do it, and had only been playing about a year.
I worried, was frantic, practiced, practiced, practiced, my life became non-existent. Due to my frantic state of mind, I found my practice sessions were not what they should be and was having trouble learning what i was supposed to be learning.

Long story short, after all that, The singer wanted to start changing things up, rearranging this and that, taking out the steel parts here and there, replacing it with lead, or fiddle etc...

So after all that, everything I worked on was for nought, however, I did learn alot from the experience. A few months later with another band, was told to start practicing some of their material, this time I did not feel presured, and was able to sit and have some of the best practice sessions I had ever had. And when it came time to do the deal, I just played what I knew to play, and the band was super happy with what I had done. I'm still with that band, and we are going into the studio within the next few weeks to cut a CD, and they have asked me to be on it

Moral of the story, play what you know, Practice but don't get bent out of shape about it, talk to the Lead guitar player, and discuss your apprehensions, and what you think you are having problems with, the band will repect what you don't know, for more than what you think you know.

Good Luck Jason, I was telling an old Nashville session/road player about all this when it went down, and his words of wisdom were "welcome to the music business kid". Oh yea, and his other words of wisdom was if by chance you screw up during a song, snap your head toward the lead guitar palyer, give him a mean looking snarl, throw your hands up in the air and say out loud what the hell was that. LOL.