The Steel Guitar Forum

This site is massively great. Ditto the people.

Since lap seems to have very few teachers, one can be dependent on self learning via DVD and tapping the wisdom on this board.

I've taken in a lot of great stuff like "pick a tuning and stay in it until you know it inside and out" and "don't just wank away: I chord - run down to 12th fret - run back up up to IV-V and repeat".

So I'm getting a better feel for what "to do."

Now, I'm hoping folks will share "what not to do". Mistakes you made and had to unlearn/relearn, things you would have done different from the start, mistakes you hear or see others steelers make far too often, etc.

Anything goes: posture, tone, strings, bars, vibrato, picks/fingers, technique, theory, bad advice, right beer to drink to improve your playing, etc.

Thanks!

JB

A couple of things off the top of my head:

- Don't slide into every note just because you can
- Don't add vibrato to every note just because you can (I guess this one may be open to discussion based on different musical styles)

and

- Beware of the "nervous chihuahua"! (That's the annoying uncontrolled fast vibrato caused by insecurity, used to cover up poor pitch)

Try not to be too opinionated as to what music is "good" and what is "bad." Been there, done that. That type of filter delays appreciation of a lot of great playing.

DO visit YouTube constantly... I find it's one of the greatest learning tools out there.

Steiner, I work hard to tame my "Chihauhau." I concentrate hard on my intonation and try not to substitute vibrato for accuracy. I've found that just because you squint doesn't mean the clam isn't there.

Best beer to drink for your steel guitar playing is the kind WITHOUT the alchohol. Nothing messes me up quicker than an alchoholic beverage (unless it's 2 alchoholic beverages).

If you're like me, you're going to find a tuning and an approach to the instrument that really speaks to you. Don't fight it. You don't have to do what everybody else is doing. If Sol and Jerry and Don had done what everybody else was doing at the time, I think the steel guitar would have died out by now. Just another flashy fad.

Vibrato and beer ... my favorite subjects ...

Next someone will say ...

Tune your steel ET

I say ... drink a few liters of Ayinger ... and listen to this:

http://www.horseshoemagnets.com/ia12.mp3 *

Then work tirelessly ... until you get to the point ... where you can tolerate your own playing ...


* Courtesy of Cumquat records

Boy, can I relate to that! I've just recently entered that warm and fuzzy black hole. Finally!

Judsen, one thing lot's of young and some old players tend to do in error is cut off notes too soon instead of letting them sound fully, which eliminates their impact, and sounds stupid. Playing each note/s fully and with feel to set up the next is important.

Good topic.

Craig and Steinar both hit the touchstone-- intonation. The ancient Hippocratic Oath for physicians began "First, do no harm". If there was a Steelers Oath, it would have to start: "First, play in tune." Easier said than done!

Random thoughts in random order:

-- Building on Steinar's comment about sliding: have a musical reason for it. Pay attention to the bar's entry point on the string when you slide; sometimes you'll want to start a quarter- tone (half a fret) below the target note, sometimes a semi-tone (one fret) or a full tone (2 frets)etc....of course often you'll just want to nail the note! Your ear will let you know.

--Over time, learn enough basic theory ( I know you've said this was challenging) to understand what "intervals" are. Start with learning how scales are constructed...followed by the basics of chord construction. If you can start "seeing" intervals on the fretboard, vertically as well as across the strings, it will start getting much easier to map out chords and melodies, as well as alternative ways to play them. This has been a lot more useful to me than note-mapping the fretboard (although a lot of other folks swear by it).

--Don't shrink from tackling bar slants. It'll probably take a lot of practice to start getting 'em in tune, but they will start clicking into place. Slants will expand your tuning and your sound.

--Buy Andy Volk's "Lap Steel Guitar". Read it cover to cover. A thoroughly fascinating and really well laid-out book about our instrument and dozens of its greatest players. Also, keep on satisfying your musical curiosity through the SGF's catalog of steel guitar recordings-- a ton of genres, approaches and styles.

--Once or twice a week, record yourself during practice if you can, two minutes at the max unless it's to capture an entire song. Stay calm and objective during playback . Like the rest of practice, it's a platform for improvement and it works.

--Beer? Well, you could set goals, like "I'm gonna practice at least 10 hours every week". At the end of a successful month, congratulate yourself with some Rochefort # 10. Let your playing improve your beer!

Great thread. Good luck.

--Steve

If there was a Steeler's Oath, it would have to start: "First play in tune."

Would we call it the Ho'opi'icratic oath?

Rimshot! Nice one, Ed. Dang quick as well. ...

Experience talking here .........Don't gloss over proper blocking, picking and bar techniques. You can learn the notes to a gazillion songs but if you don't get your basic technique down in the beginning you've wasted a lot of time. Do have fun. Watch Bobby Ingano play if you can. He has fun playing!!!!!

Another relative beginer here (almost 2 years).

Relax and play with your ears. It's all about intonation and playing in tune.

Less can be more! It is not neccessary to play a millions of fast lick to sound good. All that comes it time. Trying to play a steel at speed I can play my six string drove me nuts.

As mentioned above learning intervals is a big help.

Play to a backing track if possible as part of your practice. I like to use "Band in a Box" (software) from my laptop into anything that make noise for backing tracks. You can set tempo, start slow and work things up to full speed.

Another good tool is "Amazing Slow Downer" Also software that will play CDs or other music files allowing to change speed and maintain pitch and change key while maintaining tempo or all of the above.

Everybody above gives great advice, great thread!

Best,

Rich

I find when someone has learned to play a new song and is having trouble with a certain part of the song, ---often they will play the whole song over & over again repeating the mistake. I think in the process they actually train themselves to make the same mistake again and again.

My advice is if your having trouble playing a certain part of a song, first slow down, and then just work on the one part that's giving you trouble. When you get the part straightened out that's been giving you a hard time,---then you should be able to put the whole song together and play it correctly.

Rich Hlaves wrote: Relax and play with your ears. It's all about intonation and playing in tune.

....play to a backing track if possible as part of your practice.

I'm still a newbie at steel, so I won't add much..but definetly play to backing tracks. Too many times I've worked and worked on a piece untill I THOUGHT I had it sounding good...then tried it against some backup music and found my intonation was more then a 'lil off.

One thing I do for a quick backup to play against is I use a looper (Boss rc20xl Loop Station)and play the chord or bass progression on one of my regular guitars, loop it, then play steel against it. Really handy! Also lets me INSTANTLY record my steel part over the loop (and just as quickly delete it!) and listen back. That loop station is one of the best pieces of practice gear for steel or armpit guitar you can buy. (also has some built in drum/metronome features).
Oh and I keep a decent stereo boombox within arms length of me when practicing, always loaded with backup tracks. Either home made, or downloaded or bought.

Do not think that a bullet bar is more difficult to play with than a Stevens-style bar. I thought so when I started out almost three years ago, but once I was given a bullet bar I found it worked much better for me, and sounded better too. This is of course very subjective - you will for sure try a load of gear along the way to see what suits you!

Fred

And try and get ahold of a glass 'not made anymore' Boyett bullet bar.
A friend gave me one recently and found it surprisingly to be an improvement over the chrome jobbies. Love it!

I've heard that Tribotone bars (engineering plastic) are even better. Everybody who has one raves about it. I've never heard a bad word.

John Burton wrote: armpit guitar

That's brilliant!

Don't be timid. Play with conviction. I used to play really quite so nobody would hear the clinkers. Better to play like you mean it and just let the mistakes go by because one component of tone is your control of dynamics (hard , soft picking).

A a steel playing friend in Hawaii says 'just chance em'. Another mentor in Wyoming told me - "Chris, sometimes you just gotta drop 'trou' and moon the audience" Both these guys were saying just jump in and try stuff!

seldomfed wrote:Don't be timid. Play with conviction. I used to play really quite so nobody would hear the clinkers.

Many years ago I read an interview with a guitarist or steel player who'd landed a job with Emmylou Harris' band. First thing she told him was: "This is a rock'n'roll band. If you're gonna make mistakes, make them loud and clear!"

While everyone has given some good advice here, what I've done is to read everyone's good advice and see which piece of advice would have done me the most good when I was beginning. I think for me personally Danny put his finger on the problem I had. And to pick up on that thought, don't take on anything way over your head. Also on the same theme, if the tune has just one very difficult phrase you can't get, change it to something you can get. There is no rule stating you HAVE to play something exactly like it's written, played, etc. It's never too early to begin to hear and play your own ideas. And lastly, don't be concerned too much with equipment at this stage. You can get too hung up on the tools and not get the barn built. Good luck.

You can get too hung up on the tools and not get the barn built.

I'm writing that one down.

Don't play mechanically. There's no law that says you have to copy the record or CD exactly. You can play Together Again like Tom Brumley, or you can play it like yourself.