The Steel Guitar Forum

In the last year, 3 old friends I lost touch with have contacted me because they're taking up the steel. None of these guys are, for lack of a better word, "country music people." They just discovered the PSG and fell in love with it.

Yes Mike I have noticed, and that is exciting to have others becoming interested in our instrument. Welcome, all of you!!

Hey Curt. Thanks again for the CD.

I think we are seeing the steel becoming popular with the "folk' crowd. Singer-songwriters who like the sound of the instrument and are integrating it into their kind of music. Ryan Adams is a good example. The only country element in his band is the steel.

I foresee the steel becoming more and more widely used and more and more popular within the singer-songwriter community.

You are welcome Mike.

For those who know me, it's country right down the middle of the road, my choice. However, like you say, I'm happy to see the steel drifting over into different styles of music. It will help it's popularity, and in return help all of us.

If I can, I'd like to weigh-in on this comment. I have only been playing at the psg for about 2 years now. I always loved the sound of the steel in recordings, never really envisioned myself playing this instrument, but envied those who could pull such beautiful tones from their guitars. For me, the steel is a nostalgic affair. I can appreciate a beautifully played piano, guitar, trumpet, sax, etc., but the pedal steel is in a class all its own. This is an instrument that can bring tears to your eyes when played well on a certain ballad, or can cause you to jump up and dance or tap your toe when an up-tempo tune is played. Any time there is movement, pulling a string, slight nuances, the psg excels at hitting an emotion nerve with me. Why do I love the pedal steel, and why did I finally come to challenge this instrument when in my early 50's, for just the reasons I share with you above. To me, it is like a harp, and I feel closer to heaven each time I can mimmick something I heard in my earlier years as played by the greats. I don't have to be famous, I just have to be good enough to please my own ear and maybe see someone else smile because they recognize the beauty. It's in the tone!

I second that Dennis! I am about a week away from my 3 year love affair with this beautiful lady(are all steel guitars female? That is probably another thread to be pursued later!)(and my wife even encourages it). My playing is a disturbance to many but it is pure euphoric joy for me. I teach at a technical college and find an opportunity at least 2 times a year to play for students and am surprised how many really get excited about it. I hope a few of them get excited enough to try it out. The more the merrier regardless of ability, if it feels good do it....again and again and again!

I have been amased lately, after tuning Nan's 6 string to Don Helms tuning and playing it at gigs, several guys in the band wish to buy a 6 string and play it as I have been doing. never have I seen such excitement as over this way of playing.
Does any of you have a cheep 6 string for sale let me know and how much.
The guys in the band have been telling me to leave the big one at home and play the little one, they really like it.

ernie

I'm an unannounced newbie -- started posting but never declared myself as new.
But then I started playing steel in 1979 ...

Sometime in the past year I saw a review of a music festival in Guelph, Ontario talking about ubiquitous steel guitars among the hot new bands.

The simple fact is, like the saxophone, steel is an extremely expressive instrument and human beings still like musical expression. Which, I guess, says something good about human beings.

Although it sometimes drives me nuts -- play anything on guitar and you play alone; cry on pedal steel and the world cries with you.

I been at it for almost 2 years now. I have noticed as of late that many young people (18 to 25) are discovering classic country music and they love it. The more fiddle and steel it has the more they love it which accounts for some of the *Newbies out there. For some of us, we spent years getting married, raising kids, working, honey-doos and just never had time to learn till now. In my case, I just figured I wasn't skinny enough to front or play lead guitar in a country artist touring band so Pedal Steel was my last shot at a road gig. LOL!

about 2 years here, Dobro for 3, guitar for about 18 or so. I grew up around country but never wanted to play it. I started the dobro to "refer" to country, just to add a mournful touch here and there. That led me to pedals. This last year or so all I play in bands is steel in one form or another. Now I am looking for honky tonk bands, what the hell happened?

I'm hittin' mid fifties and have been trying the steel about a year and a half now. My wife tried to talk me into buying a steel about thirty years ago but as much trouble as I've had on a 6 string guitar I wasn't about to try sometning with ten strings, 3 pedals and four knee levers. I'm glad I finally listened to my wife. I have gone from a Carter Starter to an MSA D10. The information on this forum has been a big help and I appreciate those who take the time to help those of us who are trying to learn.
I have a two year old grandson who loves music and the steel guitar in particular and look forward to the time when he can be a part of the steel guitar community and this forum. Thanks again to all who have shared their knowledge and experiences.

40 years a newbie... after a while it gets easier...

I listen to a lot of music, all kinds of music. I listen to and appreciate country music as I do many other genres. It seems that the more great music I hear, the more there is to discover. One thing I have always been a sucker for was the sound of a steel guitar, be it blues, rock, hawaiian, whatever. The pedal steel had for me more mysterious quality, not only because of it's expressiveness but also because I didn't really understand how it worked.

So I started to look into how it worked and I was hooked. I also heard the black album around that time.

I bought my first steel 2 years ago. Play it as much as I can, and try to explore as many different styles as I can in the hope of finding my own.

Maybe we are hearing a little less steel in country music, but we are certainly hearing more of it everywhere else. I think the potential for the instrument is enormous.

That's what I think. Greetings to all from Berlin.

D

steve you are now addddittttccced to the PEDAL STEEL GUITAR........
JERRY

I don't know what happened but at 52 I had to have a PSG... thanks to everyone here for great info and help getting started!

Wow!!!! I joined in July of this year and I'm now number 280 on the memberlist on page six. A big thanks and much credit going to b0b and the SGF gang for maintaining a very useful, interesting, and enjoyable web site. (applause for the SGF crew)
LW

Yeah, I never did say thank you to Bob and everyone who posts here. I play a lot of instruments, and never have I seen a community of players from rank amateur to working pros to legends, all communicating like this. Only steel players it seems. I hav'nt seen the egos and petty rivalries with steelers they way I have with other instruments. ESPECIALLY guitarists. I have been paying attention for awhile before I joined, and have learned so much from everyone.

Steel guitar is cool!

I need to give a shout out to Keith Ballmer, a new player in Traverse City. He showed up at Danny's show in Houghton Lake. Keep on pickin', Keith!

CAPN