how did you learn to play

Calvin Walley · Post by **Calvin Walley** » 1 Nov 2007 11:48 am

i am doing this as a poll so the newbies can get and idea of what seems to work or at least give them a starting point

Jim Cohen · Post by **Jim Cohen** » 1 Nov 2007 12:13 pm

Calvin, you might want to consider starting over so you can include "All of the Above" as one of the possible answers. And maybe also "Two or more of the Above"

Robbie Crabtree · Post by **Robbie Crabtree** » 1 Nov 2007 12:16 pm

How do I vote ? Live Teacher for me

Robbie Crabtree · Post by **Robbie Crabtree** » 1 Nov 2007 12:17 pm

Sorry I was not logged in, stupid me

Terry Wood · Post by **Terry Wood** » 1 Nov 2007 12:24 pm

Hi Calvin,

I learned to play most of the basics by listening to the records of steeel players. People like Jimmy Day, Lloyd Green, and others.

They done their homework and I had mine cut out for me, trying to mimic their sounds. Well, I am still trying to follow in their footprints and learn from every source available!

May GOD bless!

Terry Wood

David Doggett · Post by **David Doggett** » 1 Nov 2007 12:30 pm

I think Terry makes a good point. Many of us learned without any teaching materials at all. So in addition to "all the above" there should be a "none of the above." I clicked on "books on my own," but in reality I didn't even have a book. I learned how to tune the thing when I bought it, then just played around with it until I figured out how to sound like what I heard on the radio and on records. It helped that I already knew theory, keyboards, sax, guitar, slide guitar, and Dobro.

Dick Wood · Post by **Dick Wood** » 1 Nov 2007 1:19 pm

I learned by all those methods but the live teacher was by far the most effective for me.

chris ivey · Post by **chris ivey** » 1 Nov 2007 1:20 pm

same as david here. listen to records and struggle to figure some of it out.....good tab and books didn't come out til a little later...and videos/dvds (which are so great, i would think, for new players) didn't come out until much too late for me, being old and lazy!

Calvin Walley · Post by **Calvin Walley** » 1 Nov 2007 1:25 pm

the reason that i did not include " all the above " was that it might add to the confusion of some one trying to figure out a starting point.
maybe i should have added listening to recordings because many did it just that way.
what i was trying to do was give the new comers some idea of what worked for most

Geoff Barnes · Post by **Geoff Barnes** » 1 Nov 2007 1:33 pm

Hard for me to just click on one also.
Firstly I am still learning!
The man who sold me my steel last year, threw in a few books of TAB and some CDs (thanks Jamie).... I spent my entire Xmas vacation learning "I'll be there".... (and am still working that piece up).
Then bought some books from the forum.... and worked though the pieces that I liked, and was able to struggle through with my limited knowledge.
Because I am a writer by profession.... I wrote a few simple passages into some music I recorded for work

Finally, I met up with a fellow steeler who gave me some pointers in exchange for some tips on recording...(hi Mike).

Add to that, a lifetime of listening to steel on record and wishing I could own one!

Tony Prior · Post by **Tony Prior** » 1 Nov 2007 1:40 pm

Although I think this a good idea Calvin has, the comparison to the earlier years to today may not be valid.

When I, like many here, started playing in the early 70's there were no teachers, actually barely any other players, the only reference know to modern mankind was maybe a Sho-Bud book or an Emmons something or other. And Maybe a Jeff Newman Seminar two or three states away.

No Internet
No Forums
No Steel Guitar shows ( yet)
No way to track down someone in seconds
No YouTube
No Ebay
no countless tab courses
no countless free tabs
No Ricky/Rebel Website

the resources available to the players today is unlimited in comparison to what many of us were faced with 25/30 years ago.

This being said , the constant is still practice and hard work, the resources are much greater so at least that part of the equation is no longer an issue.

I am in the DID IT BY MYSELF club but it sure would have been nice to have a few pickers to call on. Jeff Newman was around back then but it was very difficult to get to where he was or to KNOW where he was going to be. I was able to attend two Jeff seminars during the course of the 70's..

Calvin Walley · Post by **Calvin Walley** » 1 Nov 2007 1:55 pm

i had it what i thought was better than most did.
i had a teacher from time to time that i could ask questions but many times the answer was over my head
and i fell into the tab trap
with tabs you can learn to play a few songs but you don't learn how to really play
Tony, your right!! this poll will not cover all the bases, but maybe it might point out a trend if you will, of how some of us got going and maybe what some might want to avoid

Doug Beaumier · Post by **Doug Beaumier** » 1 Nov 2007 2:32 pm

"none of the above"

I learned on my own, using my knowledge of guitar and listening to records, figuring out where the chords are, licks, etc.

Herb Steiner · Post by **Herb Steiner** » 1 Nov 2007 2:34 pm

The best way... on the bandstand, dudes.

Larry Strawn · Post by **Larry Strawn** » 1 Nov 2007 4:13 pm

Not yet,, but I'm working really hard on it!! I haven't given up yet!!

Larry

Charley Wilder · Post by **Charley Wilder** » 1 Nov 2007 5:39 pm

I also learned from playing along with records to begin with.And a VERY important point to make is that lots of them had no steel or Dobro on them! It was probably fifteen years later I first tried a tab/cassette course. I still like playing along with records best. Whatever works for you.

Bill Dobkins · Post by **Bill Dobkins** » 1 Nov 2007 5:50 pm

Like Doug, I've learned on my own.Years on the six string really helped a lot and understanding how the steel works is another biggy. Although it is mostly the love of the instrument. That sound is like no other. I am determined to be as good a steeler as i can be. I just wish I had started 30 years ago...

Ray Leroux · Post by **Ray Leroux** » 1 Nov 2007 5:54 pm

Ditto Herb

Jody Sanders · Post by **Jody Sanders** » 1 Nov 2007 8:23 pm

Robbie Crabtree, Gary, Craig, and Chris said Hi. Jody.

Les Anderson · Post by **Les Anderson** » 1 Nov 2007 9:08 pm

I started on the steel with a cd set; however, you can go only so far with those. From then on it was hours upon endless hours of practicing until I could do everything on those CDs without even thinking about where my hands needed to be to get the notes I wanted.

From them on, it was step by step on my own to expand what I had learned from the CDs and listening to other players.

It also helped to have been playing instruments since the age of six. The ear was there but getting the fingers and mind clued into another instrument; weeeelll. So who in hell invented that stupid thing?

Jim Walker · Post by **Jim Walker** » 1 Nov 2007 9:16 pm

All of the above and then some.... Playing lead guitar for a number of years helped a bunch. At 10 months of playing steel, I hit the bandstand with it like Herb says and truthfully that's when the real learning began. Luckily after 1 year on stage I'm still playing, learning and best of all, I'm getting paid for it.

Hook Moore · Post by **Hook Moore** » 2 Nov 2007 3:10 am

Pretty much like Doug and Herb, on my own and on the bandstand. Learning licks and kickoffs from records and watching for the occasional peek at a player on one of the few country music shows on tv at the time.
Hook

Dave Diehl · Post by **Dave Diehl** » 2 Nov 2007 3:33 am

Jeff Newman and Buddy Charlton..... two of the best.

Jim Sliff · Post by **Jim Sliff** » 2 Nov 2007 5:17 am

Many of us learned without any teaching materials at all. So in addition to "all the above" there should be a "none of the above."

"click"

Tamara James · Post by **Tamara James** » 2 Nov 2007 6:20 am

I would think this question has a lot to do with the person's music background. I don't have any guitar knowledge before I started steel. I do have a little music background, but not enough to help very much. I wouldn't have learned from a book. I tried to learn 6-string and bass from a book. Big failure. In my lessons, we started with a book, but got rid of it a few months ago. I am learning much quicker from the tracks and instruction I am given. Just my two-cents.

The Steel Guitar Forum