The Steel Guitar Forum

Pride, expenditures, hopefulness, and numerous considerations, form a conglomeration of events while striving to master the steel guitar. Nothing becomes more clear to hopefuls, than the realization that the hard work doesn't always produce the desired expectancies. Could I hear from others, how well the quest to reach their goals have triggered similar thoughts?

Bill, I'm still in my infancy when it comes to playing the steel. The things you mentioned have been considerations throughout the process of deciding to pony up the money and get started.

I've spend a large amount of time listening to recordings of some excellent steel players and was thinking what does it take to be that good. Lots of folks say I've got to practice a bunch, and I will.

One of the most moving steel guitar pieces I've ever heard is John Hughey playing with the Time Jumpers doing the song "Sweet Memories". I just sat here, mesmerized at the fluidity, tone, calm (put every good word in here) perfection I heard. During one of those emotional moments, I concluded, even with my limited knowledge, that to be able to move people with the steel guitar, you have to feel what you're trying to project inside yourself before you can make the instrument do the talking.

I may never be that good. Few of us may even be capable of being that good. But, it's an awesome goal, one that I'm willing to invest as much time as it takes. To be able to move people like John does is better than all the speed licks in the world to me.

Don't know if I need a beer or another cup of coffee after this post, but I related your question to my piano and accoustic guitar playing. I could be better if I would have practiced more on the right things. I hope to correct some of those practicing shortcomings as I learn this great instrument. Thanks for the thought provoking thread.

Hello Bill. I have had the pleasure of playing pedal steel guitar as a hobby for about 30 years. I never wanted to be a road performer for one reason and this may sound a little on the stupid side to a lot of people but its the learning that I find all the joy in. Just in the past 4 years I have been able to set here at my pedal steel and really concentrate on a lot of the principles of both the E9th and C6th tunings. A lot of people have told me that I need to get out and perform because I sound good enough but they don't understand how practice pays off. Sure it would be wonderful to get on stage and play as good as Doug Jernigan or John Hughey but those guys reached their goals buy working their hindquarters off to get there. As long as I'm able to set here at my steel and concentrate and acomplish goals then I am one happy camper. John McGlothlin

Boys this post really got me to thinking!!!!!!!!!

My first wife lasted 8YRS.heehhehehehheehee

I started in mid 60s,and played home made lap steels.

Then went to MULTI-CHORDS. wore out lots of records.

Finaly in 1970 i got a fender STRING BREAKER 8 string

I left the farm,and learned to be a machinist in early 70s to build a 10string homemade steel.

It made me a good mach.trade and i build 8 pedal steels,and a lots of steel experiance.

finally in 1972 i bought my first decent steel,a SHO-BUD PROF.

I went thru amps. like butter.

I never became a pro. but sure made a lots of noise,
Played the local bars ect. and really tryed.

It's a rough life,and i look back,and wonder was it really worth it.YES YES

Now i have a EMMONS LEG.2 and LOTS OF AMPS.and sickness has hit and don't hardly play no more.

IF you gonna do it, i sujest to get some help.

lots of good teaching stuff these days.we didn't have all this yrs. ago.

farris

Gary and John,

I'm sure the eternal image of John Hughey is emblazoned in the memoirs of steel guitarists throughout the land. One of the most difficult legacies to accept, is the loss of those who had possessed such artistic abilities as masterful handling of the steel guitar. A newcomer to the study, will be drawn to the instrument by a force that intensifies as each practice session yields secrets one by one. There have been times after making "rewarding" discoveries of the most essential learning processes, that
the realization of a strong bond has begun to form between instrument and student. No amount of dissuasion from immediate obligations, will alter the compulsion to taste the challenges
offered. A steel guitar will always be a great "friend" to turn to, and remain as the biggest musical challenge in a lifetime.

I think some important things have changed which, depending on the age of the player, are relevant here. First, in 1972 when I first took an interest in steel guitar there was a kind of Thoreau sense of isolation no longer in effect today. I called my old friend Tom Bradshaw about finding something to help me and he recommended Newmans first E-9th course, Music To Steel By. When I got the course though it was a nightmare of pedals and difficult hand positions(how to hold ones hand) with no one to assist. The only thing out there were the local music bars which had a live steel player and often these players felt uncomfortable about sharing what they knew. So in that sense you were behind the eightball as far as developing a logical lesson plan.

Contrast that with today, all the great solos have been tabbed, slowed down, and explained to the point where there are two year wonders out there who can play faster than many old timers. It is the 21st century and the "hidden" aspect of steel learning is no longer a part of the equation. However valuable this new paradigm is I harken back to what Lloyd Green said once(my parapharase) "I learned the scale positions and right hand but after that I made it a point to not listen to other steel players," so speaks one of the great stylists of all time.

To bring myself back to the present topic I will say that the evolution of many old time players was as isolated as you can get but it emphasized originality and it produced a kind of stylistic evolution in many players since the technical resources available back then were non existenant. Now I think you have this huge library of tablature courses but it may have been a pyrrhic blessing on those who used them exclusively to find a style. The people who pass thru this "firewalk" of steel guitar instuction with there own voice will have earned it.

Farris,

Machinists can prove to be a steel players best friend for many reasons. One of the most common similarities in profiles, is the broad range of knowledge required to manage certain adjustments found in the steel guitar. Certainly, a steel player/machinist would find many options open to himself for a decisive management of the instrument. You mentioned building steel guitars, which immediately sparks an interest in what changes were available in the finished product. The changer mechanism is most interesting, combined with discussions about pedal and knee lever changes. I'm quite certain that any attempt to usher in the beginning stages of newly proposed designs, can be fraught with setbacks. The learning process of correcting miscalculations is progressiveness.

Ambition for whatever reason is the best motivator to excel. The love of musical invention will sustain you through a life that inevitably will have ups and downs in intensity.

Interesting! I have been play about 3 years and have never wanted to become a main stage player. I enjoy the process of learning. I want to learn, develop and create a well played song. In order to do this you must put the time into accomplishing this. Very few people will ever become a great player but we all can play on a reasonable level. I have no desire like (John M.) to play for a living.

I want to enjoy my time and develop my skill to preform music at a moderate level. Anything else is just a bonus.

I wise man once told me anything worth doing is worth doing well. We are all human and have limitations we must strive to rise above these and excel in all we can.

Enjoy the journey.

I wanted to make "steely' noises like the ones i heard on records.
I bought a steel, spent two years learning, and now i can make "steely" noises almost like the ones I heard on records.

SUCCESS ATTAINED!

This is a beautiful sounding instrument. It is very satisfying to both me and my listeners even at the not much more than rudimentary level at which I currently play it. I'll be patient with it. Skill and knowledge will come to me as time goes by. And I will develop my goals in synchronization with my increasing abilities. I'd love to be able to make a living playing the music I love on my favorite instrument. But the situation for the forseeable future is that I will have to work my playing time into the schedule that is dictated by my very necessary day job. That's life. And Que sera.

I Believe "The Cost of Attaining Success" of this very complicated, intimating mechanical stringed instrument lay's within each of us who dare to attempt to Master it...The Pedal Steel Guitar will most definately test your desire and your willingness to move forward toward each individuals goals...we could have chosen a more foregiving instrument, but none the less we all loved the beautiful sounds or noises that comes from listening to the Masters of this beautiful but intriguing instrument...so each who can climb that learning hill, in steps..."Take a breath ever so often", will attain His or Her Success... Just "Keep on Pickin'"

This is a subject I've thought about a lot, though perhaps not in the same terms as Bill originally intended.

To master a musical instrument and reach a point at which one can express one's self through it, takes years and years of dedication and sacrifice. For most of us, this comes at the exclusion of many other activities. Not all of the following examples of sacrifice and other costs apply to me personally but I think we probably all can own up to some of them and surely have friends and colleagues to whom others apply:

Examples:

- Missing your kid's ball game cuz you had to leave for practice or a gig
- Not taking your wife or girlfriend someplace they really wanted to go with you, because you had a gig
- Being sorry you didn't go after all cuz the gig sucked and she met 'that guy' at the party...
- Not reading too many books because you were too busy practicing
- Not learning how to do much of anything else because you were too busy practicing
- Missing a family holiday celebration
- Being too tired Saturday morning to take your kid or your spouse someplace because you had a late gig and came draggin' your butt home at 3am.
- Not being around to help your kid with his/her homework
- Divorce or failed relationships because "I'm a musician; she/he doesn't understand me"
- Alcohol
- Drugs
- Marginal finances, lack of health insurance

There are a lot of potential 'Costs of Attaining Success' in one's quest to master an instrument. And many costs and sacrifices endured by our loved ones because of our choices. Most of us are unwilling to 'do whatever it takes'. Some of us have. I have found myself, from time to time, fervently hoping that the immense pleasure I have received from listening to one of my dear 'heroes' of steel guitar (or other music) hasn't come at too great a cost in their personal life.

How very special to read from the written words of skilled players of the steel guitar. The analogies of real life situations, intermingled with unpredictable changes in a motivated musical study, can set the "stage" for mildly "calamitous" setbacks. Serious musical involvement can be costly, as well as representing the most rewarding achievement, found on life's highway of personal endeavors. Advancing on the steel guitar will require more than sheer determination. One must consider a wide angle of approaches to a new work order, by vesting a deliberate search for the shortest route to accumulated knowledge. To say that a beginner has, "flown the coop" is analogous to accepting the challenges, that will dramatically force a changing of a well programmed lifestyle. The steel guitar brings back memories of written accounts of an intrepid plainsman. He could run for miles nonstop through the prarie. One of his favorite things to do was, tease the Plains Indians until they would try to overtake him in an endurance chase. The analogy based upon intrepidities, clearly suggests that even though the thoughts of maintaining a close bond with those who are near and dear, may become more than a delicate issue, through a misinterpretation of events. I would perceive any such occurances worthy of forethought. The situation presents itself in vague incremental stages, by eluding the keenest observers of human behaviors. The cost of episodes of disfavor becoming the source of uncomplementary attitudinal input, may hinder perspective and determination.

Bill – this is an interesting topic. I have only been involved in one other endeavor in my life that is as humbling as an attempt to master the pedal steel guitar and that was motorcycle road racing, which I still love and follow but at 56 it seems clear to me that it’s a young man’s game. I am content to remain on the sidelines for the remainder of my life. At some point in time you realized how much you have taken on and come to grips with that the best way you can. As I write this I realize that chess and Texas hold-em also fall into the category of “healthy” obsessions that one can never truly “master”. I think that what they all have in common is the level of commitment they require and the intensely personal nature of the journey. I find myself in a more or less constant state of self evaluation concerning my success and failures, the nature of my weakness and strength, and the ongoing struggle to find the answers within myself as well as through whatever information and learning resources there are available. With regard to this topic I think that this is the true value of this forum – not only the information and learning opportunities it affords but the opportunity to share the journey with others on a similar path.

WOW,this is really hitting home with me!!!!!

My Daughter is 46yrs and she holds so much against me.
She says,as always your music has come first.

She resents everthing i ever bought, amps,guitars,ect.

yes,we were poor folks,i worked so hard,trying to do as a father should.

BILL, your right a machinist is so good to have with
a STEEL. If i didn't like the feel of a pedal ect.
i would change it!!!!!!!!!!

many times it requires building some new parts ect.

Trouble was in the old days was getting supplies.
I have machined end plates out of 4X4 alum. stock.ect.

With a BRIDGEPORT MILL thats a lots of work.
One mistake,and all is scrap.then getting the legs
straight ect. will drive a person insane!!!!!!!

This is a great topic guys. WHAT i would have gave
to had C&C machines in those days. Mine was all hand
cranking ect.
farris

Farris,

Thanks for the friendly exchanges that hint of some of the obstacles that we may have encountered in earlier times. It sounds as though we both miss having little children running about the house. If we squander our youthful years by making some bad choices, let it help to strengthen our resolve to make the necessary changes that will offer the most benefits. Most artistic peerages are fully aware of how quickly time passes, and the greatest efforts to retain all that we've learned, is literally impossible to achieve.

Jimbeaux hits the nail on the head.

Jim Phelps,

I haven't kept up on who's making the world go 'round in more recent times. That is not to say that I missed out on Jimbeaux's performances in Western Massachusetts a few years ago. His stage presence tenacity, and playing abilities will knock the socks off anyone with less than the most advanced playing skills. One of my best memories occurred when Buzz Evans stood nonchalantly behind Jimbeaux; playing rhythm and lead guitar. It would prove most difficult to excel that twosome arrangement of showmanship. No one picked up on some of the suggestions made in responses on this "chat" line. Getting swept away by a wave of disinterested forum participants, is distasteful. On the other hand, my appreciation for those who have written so many informative replies; alerts me to the fact, that forum readers are in fact, very selective. Since becoming a member of the forum, many threads have kept me busy for one or two hours a day, poring over the new entries. It has been a great experience in learning to communicate with others.

Jim Cohen,
Many of my musician friends have families and children. They are often able to give there children more actual time than the average day job quality time father.

plus there is always this:

Not taking your wife or girlfriend someplace they really wanted to go with you, because you had a gig
- Being sorry you didn't go after all cuz the gig sucked and she met 'that guy' at the party...

which actually goes like this:

Not taking your wife or girlfriend someplace they really wanted to go with you, because you had a work meeting
- Being sorry you didn't go after all cuz you got downsized and she met a musician at the party...

LOL. Yes, all also true, Bob. I certainly didn't mean to imply that my observations applied to all musicians. Just that there are a lot of sacrifices along the way and each of us knows which ones we have, and haven't, made.

Gort, baringa!

This is a good thread. I've been playing the steel guitar for over thirty years, and some of those years have been more productive than others. Like many others have mentioned, I've given up time to pursue the steel, time that I could have devoted to some other interests. However, one of the perks of playing an instrument is that it is a stress-buster. As an ex-high school teacher, the steel was a welcomed refuge from a long day in the trenches. Practicing was a way to rejuvenate me and to use a different part of my brain. I was also able to connect with many of my students since we all love music so much. Having a passion for an instrument like the steel guitar has really been a blessing in my life.
Chuck

I began playing at 22 while still on the road playing guitar. Id sit in my hotel room with my Sho-Bud Professional until daylight, with no other instruction other than a Mel Bay book. The instrument just moves me that much. Ive gone through periods in my life where the steel had to come in 4th, in order to have success in other areas of my life. But when the dust settles, it draws me back like an old friend every time. Success in the music business comes in many forms. For me, its simple. Its the smile on the other band members face when you pull something unexpected. Or the one you get from the dance floor when someone just focuses on what youre playing. That alone makes all the hours of practice and determination worthwhile.