The Steel Guitar Forum

My experience is like Travis': Lately I've been studying jazz guitar, so most of my practice time has gone into playing standard guitar instead of steel over the past year and a half. BUT: I have found that my steel playing has gotten considerably BETTER anyway! Okay, not necessarily technique-wise, but musically, for sure (i.e., I improvise musically-better lines on the spot now when playing steel). And it's fun to come back to playing steel and to see and hear my own progress on steel despite NOT playing it!

(YMMV, of course...)

I too have experienced burn-out, although I've kept playing because it's a source of income for me, and because it's what I do, it's my identity as a man. But my interest waxes and wanes, depending on how emotionally involved with the gigs I've got.

For example, the two bands I'm in now are interesting to me. The strict country band I play in has ex-Bandoleros and we do excellent material. So although each gig is usually a 60-90 mile drive, the music is familiar and the players are good buddies of mine.

The swing band I'm in has excellent horn players, good charts, and the music is quite challenging since it's Sinatra/Bennett/Nat Cole music with Nelson Riddle and Billy May-style charts. Redd Volkaert and Rick McRae are the guitarists, and David Biller fills in occasionally, either for me on steel or on guitar. Dave's wife plays drums and I've worked with her since 1997, so it's like old home as well.

With the country band, I just wing it and if I know the trad solo I'll do it, otherwise I just play what I feel. The swing band, OTOH, requires homework and study. I'm also required to play instrumentals that aren't SGRag or Bud's Bounce, so I learn standards.

But they are both "jobs;" good jobs, but jobs nonetheless.

Online, I don't come around here so much anymore, and haven't written a course in over a year, despite guys constantly asking for a new one. I just don't feel like it, I've got a lifetime's worth of stuff out already, and I'm selling from my inventory. There's other things now I like to do with my time. I spend far more time at bass fishing and bass boat forums and websites because that's what I do for my non-work enjoyment. Getting up a 4:30 and being at the lake by 6am is more fun at this time of my life. But that can all change. You wait.