The Steel Guitar Forum

Now, this post is not intended to deride, or chastise, or cause an argument. It's just meant to pose a question.
In all my 30 yrs. of playing steel, I had many conversations with other steelers, many who were seasoned and many who were not. Almost all of the conversations were about chasing that elusive tone, getting better equipment so I can sound like so and so. Also how many more kneelevers or pedals do I need to sound like so and so. And, "I have his tab, but, I can't make it sound like he does". Plus, "I've spent hours and hours practising this tune and I still can't get it perfectly".
What I really want to know is- doesn't anybody just play their steel just to amuse themselves and get enjoyment from it or has it turned into an endless quest and or useless competition to be the top dog. Personally, I can sit at my steel for hours and play and play and play. I just really love the instrument that much. The house could probably burn down and I'd be the last to leave with my steel under my arm. ( maybe that's going a little too far ) but, seriously, I totally get lost in another world when I'm playing. It's infected my blood like a "good disease". I calm down immensely and forget about my troubles and kick back and enjoy the music. I can't be the only one who feels like this. It doesn't seem possible !
So- let me hear some ideas or somebody elses syndroms on this subject. I can't be the only infected one.

I'm with you, John. Every time I sit at my steel, whether it's at home or on stage, my only goal is to enjoy playing. I've never really wanted to sound like so-and-so, don't practice scales or speed very much, and only chase what I consider good tone. I have a bit of tab from Buddy Emmons and a few others, which gives me new ideas and approaches from time to time. But mostly it's just putting the picks on and sitting down to play with the band or to an imaginary progression in my head. I do have a sonic preference for the 60's recordings of Tom Brumley and Lloyd Green, so I try to emulate a bit of that old sound when I play. But other than that, it's just a journey of discovery and enjoyment, however flakey that sounds.

Chris,
I knew there had to somebody other than me. Hey, if we get enough "flakes", we could have a snowstorm !

A lot of times I play out of pure spite...



EJL

I play for my own amazement. Purely glad to even have a decent steel and a wife who is happy that playing the steel brings me such joy. I think I'll pinch myself.

I hear what you are saying and I am close to that. I have not even touched the darn thing for over 5 years..But my Son who is 17 and plays good guitar for his age now ( in the band at church and rocks with his friends) Him and his friend asked me about my steel the other day...I just decided in 1998 It was not worth it I wanted to be there for my boy's growing up..But now they are interested in music..So I set up in our garage a drum kit, guitars, amp's, bass, Vocal mic, Vocal monitors. Everthing thing they need to jam at home in the garage..I play guitar, bass and drums but have not brought the steel down and you know what I wont bring it down from the bedroom till they ask me to..Every now and then I have a friend or two over to jam and my son sits in on drums or what ever couple friend's came over for xmas and all we did was jam on xmas tunes...I wanna play some more steel but it will be like starting over for me after all this time...and you know what I will problaby never play in a bar again unless they payed me a thousand buck's to do it...I am thinking about getting some equiptment to record at home...But you know I just want to have fun with music with my kid's and there freinds now whatever they want is cool with me..I am almost 50 now and I dont think I have anything I have to prove to...I just want to have fun doing this...yeah I have checked in here from time to time to take a peek at every one and I think you all are just fantatic on how much this place and everybody has grow...Oh I gotta go now and pick up my son at the basket ball game at school...I want to find a spot to chime in here later...thank's fellas.

John,I've got a snowstorm,and it's 16 below Zero.At this point in my musical life I have the sound that I've been going after for years,I love my guitar,I don't need any more pedals,or levers,I know my limits,I can quote a lot of my favorite steel players moves,I'm just trying to be me and not a mimic,I can listen to a recording "most of the time"and know what the person on the record is doing without having to sit at my guitar, to figure it out or read it in tab.above all though I am playing for the love of the song.My gripe these days is usually what is going on around me..bad intonation from the bass player,a drummer that plays stupid fills every 5 seconds,I deal with it but as far as my steel playing I'm content.Merrick?I caught an electric eel in Bellmore when I was 10.

I'm with you guys. I've been at it for 30yrs and I've had that approach to playing for the last twenty odd years.I don't know much in the way of scales or fast picking technique don't bother much with pedals or number of strings haven't got a clue about circle of fifths and chord structure and I get along quite well this way. If you were to ask me which pedal moves which string I would have to think very hard and probably get it wrong. I'm not saying this is the way to go for everyone it just means I can play reasonably well without knowing about what does what and not get bogged down with technicalities. It just seems to come through years of doodling around. I just like to sit for hours trying to produce a decent tone and it sounds fine to me without trying too hard! I just play from within and have got by gigging and playing off the top of my head all this time and I'll carry on as long as I can. I just enjoy it and don't take it too seriously. James

I play for enjoyment. The day it is not fun anymore I will give it up. I use the steel to unwind and to exercise my mind. I also beleive the day you quit learning you begin to die. I do try to structure my playing with good training material and do my best to learn more each time I play. God Bless and play on.

Hi Guys,

I'm most definately in the group of playing for my own enjoyment. Except for the occasional radio spot recording that I do for a friend in the advertising business, I never play for pay.

I'm certainly not knocking those who do, just that music in general, and steel in particular is my hobby and relaxation.

I don't try to sound like anyone but me. I play what I like to play, where and when I like to play. Sometimes it is in Church, sometimes at social functions, a lot of the time it is my friends jammin in the basement.

Although a good "tone" is important, it's not obsessive with me as it is with some. What I use, a Nashville 112 and a POD XT (for effects only) is what I've been using for 2 years - and that change was only to "downsize" or get "lighter" equipment.

Same way with strings. I've used George L's since the mid 80's.

As I'm still actively working in bands, I can't say it's just for my own enjoyment or amusement.

John - Great question, I was once told that one of our steel friends had severe High Blood Pressure, he would take his blood pressure before sitting down to play, then after about an hour of playing would take his blood pressure again, and it would be down to near normal range. So there is a lot to be said of how music calms the soul, and the inner workings of our amazing human bodies. And yes I love to sit and play for pure amuzement, but then it has turned into taking something I love and would gladly do for free, to making me a small income (very small) just to go out and play steel with a band on occassion. But it's nothing to sit down at my steel for hours for self indulgence, and self amuzement.

I play in effort to arrive at that day where I play the same tune the same way twice in a row...

I love to just put on the headphones, crank it up and rock out. Stuff that nobody would want to listen to, totally improvised and experimental. I gotta admit I love certain kinds of noise.

Also, recently I took up the marimba, for my own personal enjoyment. The bandleader heard it and drafted me into performing with it. That was never my intent - I just love playing it at home to unwind. It sounds nice and it stretches my brain. I know how to play the steel pretty well, but the "sharps and flats" concept of keyboard music is enjoyable to learn.

Yes, I play for "amusement".

I defineitely play for my own enjoyment and am not at all hung up about "needing to play like so and so", nor "playing through the same gear as so and so" nor too worried over whether the tone I get is or isn;t up to anyone eles's Idea & opinions of "what real tone is." (One reason I steer way clear of those sort of threads.)
If first I can't enjoy it, chances are, anyone listening sure isn't either. I don't see how anyone can capably come up with any really original style if they don't first cut through the crap about someone's else's idea of what this instrument "needs" to do. I have about three or four players who I admire, and tend to listen to them predominantly when I listen to steel music,
but I don't wish to emulate their "tone", nor for that matter, neccescarily, play their licks. It's really enough to be learning what it is I am doing and getting the sound I hear in my head & play with feeling. Improvements on tone, I think,for myself, are pretty much to do with how I'm holding the bar or whether I am deciding to play at the moment with picks or without. And possibly, volume.
I AM interested, more and more, as I head toward the day when someday I will buy an upgraded instrument, in different copedents and/or pedal combinations but I plan to stick with E9 (and go with six pedals & three levers) than attacking the C6. At least at this stage of life I'm not. There's always 6 string slide which has become a lot more fun since I began playing steel as well.
But- if you don't enjoy what you're doing who will? It should never be a chore to play an instrument, even if it can become/create work.

I am still playing full time "recording/gigs"for a living and have never lost my love for the instrument,even when I hear a struggling beginner just the sound of the steel intrigues me.I think playing should be like finger prints they're all different.

I'm constantly looking out into the audience and seeing people pointing and laughing. So apparently, YES, I'm Playing for "Amusement".

At home when I just play for my self I'm amused, amazed, bewildered, stunned, and saddened all at the same time!

John, I'm with you.
Chris, well said! That's just the way I feel.
I play out as often as I can, but sadly the many variables (physical and psychological) that come with playing a)with other people and b)for other people mean it's seldom as enjoyable as playing by myself at home. (Of course, the exceptions have unique rewards that make it all worthwhile.) Sometimes I'll feel so good "just playing" at home that I'll think "Dang! If I were only at a gig somebody else would have gotten to hear that too!"--except then it probably wouldn't have happened!
I've had plenty of conversations over the years in which people ask what it's like being a musician, and how much money you make. I explain that music is probably the worst thing on the face of the earth you can do if you want to make any money, how ridiculous the ratio is between the effort put in and the (financial) reward received, and they are puzzled. "Why do you do it then?" Then I know how fortunate I am to be able to get so much joy and satisfaction in life from connecting with something that it seems not everyone is granted.

What I really want to know is- doesn't anybody just play their steel just to amuse themselves and get enjoyment from it

Yes I do.. Pat and I play purely for pleasure... as for seeking the "Holy Grail" re Amp, tone, picks, cords, pedals etc. nope. I never practise, (Rehearse yes) just run a couple of tunes through before a convention (Much to Pat's annoyance) and before any normal gig all I do (Sometimes) is tune up or down as the case may be.

John,
Add me to the list of "amusement" players.
-- Marc

For my own "Amusement"! I love music, that's why I cry when I play. The way I do it is akin to murder!

These are all the answers, I was hoping to get. Up until about 1992, I was working as a steel player, doing 5-6 nights a week. Plus, I held down a day job as a carpenter ( my present vocation ) I was really burning the candle at both ends and it really burned me out. The money was OK, but, I wasn't doing it for the money. I just wanted to play and it aged me a lot. I laid off from playing out for about 5 years and only occassionally played my steel. But, I found out that, I was missing a part of my life. Something was not right. So, I decided to play a little bit every day and I slowly started to become whole again. That part of "my puzzle" was there again and I will never let it go astray, ever. I'm in a band and we play about 6 times a year. No fuss or pressure, just fun, pure fun. My steel in always set up in my so called music room and I can hack on it anytime I want to, which I do, a lot. It keeps me sane in a warm comfortable way. I now play what I want to, when I want to. It's good for me. And, I must say that, I learn something new almost everytime I play. I'm playing a U-12 now (E-9th - B-6th ) and it's loads of fun. I was strictly an E-9th player for years and this steel has opened new ideas for me. So many more approaches to use.
Thanks to all who replied. This is a great brotherhood.

John, change the hammer to a pair of sheet metal snips and your story is mine. well almost, I played a u-12 for years and then switched to a dubble neck, but the peace I have found just playing and searching out how the recorded players did it was the fun for me. I just got sirius radio for christmas and my wifes honnydew list is growing. It is so much fun to play and have such a vast selection of music, I find myself breaking more strings now than when i was playing out 20 times a month. great thread...

I think most steelers play for the love of it. Very few make a fortune at it. I even have a steel in front of me while I'm watching television and I play along with the commercials !

is this akin to and the same thing as thinking steel, dreaming steel, steel on your mind at work, cant remember what you just had for a snack for thinking about that rift you played earlier, cant spell very good because every word has to have a "s" "t" "e" and a "l' in itthen you close your eyes and slide the bar on the strings and push the a-b pedals and hear that wonderful SOUND. my wife thinks i'm a strrl nut threaded very oddly
jerry