good records for learnin`by listening ?

Norbert Dengler · From: germany

i`m the type of guy that`s not really handy in reading tabulatures and my musical theorie knowledge is pretty limited.
i know of course i have to spend some time with that kind of things anyhow but i seem to learn somehow easier by listening and trying.
so i want to ask you guys for some recommendable records with basic nice played E 9 stuff that`s
not completely unpayable for a beginner.
it doesn`t have to be the big names just anybody who
made a tasteful record.
i do like the classic ballads and two step stuff a lot.
for me it can`t be "country" enough....

Steve Norman · From: Seattle Washington, USA

Ray Price,,Ray Price,,,and more Ray Price
_________________
GFI D10, Fender Steel King, Hilton Vpedal,BoBro, National D dobro, Marrs RGS

Ben Jones · From: Seattle, Washington, USA

well many of the instructional dvds dont include tablature...same with Mickey Adams youtube videos.
You could listen and then try and play what they are playin with the added advantage of having them SHOW you what they are playin.

if you just wanna put on a record and try and cop a few licks maybe Sweetheart of the Rodeo? Beginning to Hundred years from Now is a classic intro, etc.
Mooney licks seem kinda intuitive also...maybe some Waylon?

I dont learn well that way on the psg, tho i did on regular guitar. psg just has too many possible chord voicings and possible ways to get the same note with different pulls at different positions on the neck...too much of a guessing game for me unlike a guitar where I can hear it and visualize in my head exactly what they are doing and where on the neck with a great deal of certainty.

Jeff Garden · From: Center Sandwich, New Hampshire, USA

Norbert,
Something that may make things a little easier for you if you want to play by ear off a recording is to get some sort of recorder that can slow passages down into manageable sections. (I'm not a computer person but I think there's computer programs that can do it). I have a "Slo-Mo" Digital Recorder that can process 90 seconds of material at a time and break the sections up as small as you'd like (sometimes I'll try to figure out only 4 or 5 notes or 1 particular chord at a time). It also can slow things way down without changing pitch. That way I can pick out something I want to learn off a CD and "beat it to death" until I can figure it out. Steve's Ray Price recommendation is great - classic country steel and many slower ballad type fills to learn rather than trying to copy some blazing Paul Franklin passage.
Playing by ear is how I started out (with a 6 string guitar background) and then I later backed into the whole tab/theory thing which helped out my ability to play by ear tremendously. Once you get some theory groundrules and see how some familiar passages were played when you can check the tab, you'll start recognizing them in songs you haven't studied before. Bottom line, it's all good stuff to know...playing by ear, tab, theory, etc. but if what you want is to play by ear for right now, I think some sort of slow down recorder might help.
Ben's absolutely right about how difficult it can be to copy exactly on a pedal steel what you hear on a recording - there's lots of places to play the same note all over the neck although over time you'll hear some classic pedal "squeezes" or knee levers that most probably were played in one particular position.

robert kramer · From: Nashville TN

An excellent introduction to Pedal Steel Guitar is Ray Price's "Touch My Heart" album. It's available from Amazon.com for $11.82 (used) It is bundled with Price's "Burning Memories" LP so Amazon lists it as "Burning Memories/Touch My Heart."

On "Touch My Heart" all the songs taken at medium tempo and are easy to play along with. Buddy Emmons (steel), Grady Martin(gut string)and Tommy Jackson (fiddle)are the absolute masters of playing simple, in the pocket, lines that compliment Price's vocals perfectly.

Norbert Dengler · From: germany

thanks guys, yes i do have a tascam guitar trainer that changes speed and shifts keys.
i`ve learned all the more advanced stuff on telecaster by using it.
right now i`m workin`on the great steel stuff on "dwight sings buck".
right now i`m having a few sections of: "Excuse me i think i`ve got a heartache "decoded.

i love practicing though it can be hard sometimes...

Nathan Golub · From: Durham, NC

I'll second the Ray Price and the Sweethearts recommendations. Also, Paycheck stuff is great. Dwight's "Tomorrow's Sounds Today" has some very tasteful PSG licks that aren't too hard to figure out and can be used in a bunch of ways.

Earnest Bovine · From: Los Angeles CA USA

Jimmy Day's "Steel and Strings" album is pretty easy to figure out. Jimmy is very musical, and gets the most out of a very simple setup.

Norbert Dengler · From: germany

thanks earnest, i have the album and already picked out some of "wild side of life and " i love you because"

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