The Steel Guitar Forum

There are many responses I could give to this question, but, I think dedication and passion for the instrument are the best. Actually, they could be one and the same. Without these pre-requisites, I think you're doomed to failure. All else will fall into place with time and intuitiveness.

Learn to play it before you run into all the people who will tell you how hard it is to learn. Just do it.

Do the best you can and don't stop.


Brett

To quote Ed Norton " We have a saying in the sewer- 'be nice to the people you meet on the way up, 'cause you'll meet the same people on the way down!'"

Three tips here:
1. Always sit at the side of the steel opposite the pedals.

2. Never play wearing skis ------ It'll ruin them. (and they were my best pair)

3. Lastly, a stupid one - Train your ear and know your instrument with the goal in mind of being able to hear a phrase and play it straight away.

Best of luck.

Don't buy tights for a mermaid

Never give Fireworks to a Monkey!!!
JE:)

My advice, if asked for, would be to not be discouraged, practice as much as you can, and try to play from the heart -- be real.

Of course the first thing that anyone myself included would say is Practice. Taking that one step further would be to say that you need to get with someone else that plays and woodshed. I have learned a lot with the use of charts, tabs, and the like. Nothing wrong with them as they help a lot. I have also learned a lot from others by not only watching but asking. Just last night Rudy Osborne sat in with the band at my house gig. I learned something new on the C-6 from Rudy that I didn't know how to do. So that is my little insert to your question. Best of luck.

What Cohen said (learn/play the melody).

Don't believe everything I tell you! I occasionally make mistakes too!

Barney Kessel said it best. Always remember Music
is Number 2 . Relationships with people is number 1.

Never and I mean NEVER play in the rain!!!

Well, if your not married, make sure you don't get married, if you are, warm up to a good divorce lawyer, if you practice like I did when I first started your gonna hear some threats about that '#$^*&&^##@&^ steel guitar' has got to go!!

Just kidding, my wife & I have been married for over 41 years, and she is my biggest fan & has supported me with this for a l o n g l o n g
time!! Have fun with it.

Ernie Pollock
http://www.hereintown.net/~shobud75/stock.htm

My first two months with my steel was spent in the basement. She told me that if she heard me go through the scales one more time me and my piece of crap would end up in the barn.

(she has since learned to love the sound of the steel guitar; however, she still cringes whenever I am running up and down the fret board practising scales!)

So I call Bro Herb up and he say's "Dave, don't do it!"

Well..... I don't listen very well. Sounds like I'm strangling the cat on a daily basis. But at least it's daily......

Dennis Detweiler wrote: 4) You won't sound any better than the worst musician in the band.
5)Work with musicians that are better than you.

that's a self fulfilling set of statements when applied together.

.....and don't make gods out of certian steel players.

Jerry

Don't make gods out of ANY steel players!
Charley

Get a good day job to support your night time habit.

Play only when you are supposed to play and make it count,and look and listen to your band for cues.

don't let your dog lubricate your pedals and legs
LOL

Two pieces of advice that have served me well...
#1) Never play pedal steel in a kilt...
#2) Never play in tune while with the band..they'll want you to do it all the time.
Quit practicing so much, you're making me look bad.

When I was first starting it was very slow going, but after I found some tablature of a few simple songs on the net, my playing took off from there. I started picking up techniques from listening to records of Tom Brumley and Ralph Mooney and playing along with the tablature. I didnt stop until what I was playing sounded very close to the record. I figured if I can sound even half as good as these steel guitar heros, then I am doing just fine.

Play the song, not the instrument.