The Steel Guitar Forum

Cleaning out many of my VHS tapes, I found some of Jeff's lesson tapes vintage 80's 90's. As I ran them again it stirred up some emotions which to say the least gave me that hollow feeling in my stomach. His untimely death as I'm sure we all know is and still remains IMHO, a big hole in the steel community.
However, as I listen to the tapes, I couldn't help thinking what great stuff he taught and how it still stands up today.
As steel players, we remember how we got started and who influenced us and who put us on the straight and narrow to good playing. Among the many for me, Jeff is on that list. Someone once said you always dance with the one who brought you. How true for the steel guitar.
So I raise my glass for all the great players past and present and say to all "THANK YOU" for helping me and letting me be a part of this magical journey.

Jack, You are so right. His U12 course sure helped me get started on C6. Larry

Well put Jack.... I attended Jeffran College in 1984 and I still go back through my tapes, notes and video's.

Jack,
I totally agree. A truer friend to the steel community, there will never be. It was Jeff, who, opened my eyes and ears to learning a better way to play the steel. He was, and still is through his courses, the best instructor for the steel. All his logic and innovations still hold credence, today. His death was a tragic loss for everyone. I'll miss him forever.

Ditto, John. I echo every word you said. I attended his college in Feb 1978 And what little I know about the steel I learned from Jeff. He is the best teacher I ever had in any school. Even if it's 30 years ago, most of it sticks to this day.

I think Jeff's "No Speed Limit" course was probably the best instruction I ever bought. His comments and style were like having him right there in the room with you. Also the tape he did on how to program the Profex certainly demystified it for my completely. There will never be another quite like Jeff Newman.

I never took steel guitar seriously at all until about 2001, when I decided to check out a Jeff Newman VHS tape on right hand blocking. Up until that point, I had been chucking my steel (assembled) into the trunk of my car and leaving it out there - even in winter. I never practiced or even bothered to change the strings. I didn't really care about getting better. I just gigged with the thing and that was it. But at the urging of a friend, I checked out Jeff on this video. I mean.....the man was in a pressed suit with spit-shined boots, and deadly serious when talking about his method. It made a pretty big impression on me.

Jeff Newman is probably one of the coolest musicians I have ever encountered, even though my encounter was through the medium of video. I owe a lot of Jeff for getting me to take this machine seriously. In a way, he scared the life out of me. He made me feel like it was a sacrilege to be out there in the bars playing with no regard to the conventions of the instrument. Pretty wild stuff indeed.

To put some perspective on this, in 2001 I was aware of maybe four steel players: Buddy Emmons, John Hughey, Sneaky Pete, and Lloyd Green - the latter two because they played on Burritos and Byrds albums, respectively. Therefore, Jeff was my primary beacon at this time, and i subsequentially learned from much more of his material in the ensuing years. It is the best steel guitar learning resource out there, in my opinion.

So I raise my glass for all the great players past and present . . .

And here's my glass for it, having attended two of Jeff's late-70's workshops here in PHX: a pleasure to have met, talked with, learned from, listened to, then and now, as he did what he loved, and so to remember.

Finally, a post worthy of a reply........Jeff reached out to a lot of people with his great ability to teach the understanding and technique of the pedal steel. He is sorely missed. His legacy lives on with all the people who never would have gotten very far without his courses, seminars and schools. Most of all, his patience.

Sincerely,

Bruce W

Yes! Add my thanks to what will no doubt be a long list. I have many of the VHS/audio/book courses and also attended a Jeffran seminar in Lexington one year.

There are probably very few steel players playing today that Jeff didn't influence. Someone gave me his old "Music To Get C6th By" record a long time ago, when I had been playing only a few months. That helped me learn the basics on C6th. I really miss his playing at the conventions too.

In my file cabnet I have almost everything Jeff recorded for E9th And most of his C6 courses, without Jeffs lessons I would have given up years ago, and would have never Met the wonderfull friends made playing steel guitar. With 2 drawers in my file cabnet with Jeffs lessons I have a lifetime of learning from THE VERY BEST THERE EVER WAS AT TEACHING, I believe the best thing I learned from Jeff was (just play the Melody), when some of the greats we have today when they finish playing a song I ask what was the name of the song. Don't write a new song JUST PLAY THE MELODY.and i will stay with you all the way.


ernie

I am hugely indebted to Jeff, a dear friend and mentor.

Has anyone taken up the mantle of developing the U12 after his passing? I started with U12 as a result of his instruction and he was the only practical source I found for insight into this setup.

I took 7 seminars from Jeff and also have his "Up from the Top" set and a few others including his C6th video. I think he was the best and got many of us to play better than we ever thought we could.
I use many of his methods today when I teach my steel students.
He is missed by all of us.
Thanks Jack for starting this thread.
Don

Watching and hearing TC Furlong play with Jump in the Saddle got me interested in the instrument.

When I finally got my first steel and didn't know what to do Jeff Newman got me started. And he's been teaching me ever since. Just last weekend I had his videos playing while I worked out in the shop all day. Same great stuff and I learn something new every time I watch or listen to him. Every single time.

He was....and still is.... a great teacher. I miss him.

Shortly after I started playing I went to Jeff's first Advanced/Teachers "college" class in Hermitage. I wasn't sure if it wouldn't be too advanced for me, but it was the only class I could attend. After asking me some questions on the phone, he assured me it would be a good fit, and it turned out to be the smartest thing I could have done.
My times at his school and other great times I spent with Jeff and Fran will remain some of my most cherished memories of the steel life.
One of the things I so deeply admired about Jeff was his ability to cut through some complicated aspects of theory and expression to teach in a direct, down-to-earth manner that nearly anyone could absorb and use, and always with such good humor.
His teaching style approached true genius, to me.

Well heck yeah, I'll raise my glass to Jeff..again..I do it quite often.

There have been many nice comments here such as genius, great teacher, true friend, mentor, cool musician, beacon, innovator, the list of descriptives could go on and on. There is only one way to get those kinds of accolades and that is to earn them. Jeff & Fran certainly did that and to me the cool thing is that they had fun and made a good living doing it. Can you ask for more out of life?

I was always thrilled when Jeff would come to Kansas City to put on a seminar and then play at Bill Jobe's famous "Y'all Come" jam session picnics, in fact attending one of those jams was what made me decide that I just had to get one of these things and try to learn to play. Twenty five years later here I am having made a whole bunch of fine friends in the steel guitar community and even building the darn things, thanks to Jeff (and Bruce Zumsteg of course!). Inspiring???? Uh, yeah, I guess he was, and still is. There was no way to go to a Jeff Newman seminar and come away without the desire to play better, and if you tried and paid attention at all you WOULD play better! The video lessons are the same way.

I'm gonna raise another glass right now! There will never be another and we are certainly the better for having known him, and Fran too.

Doug, very well put. I wholeheartedly agree.

Everyone is so right about Jeff.
I tape recorded all the seminars I attended (over 50 hours) an even now and then I take one out and listen to them.
Each time I do I learn something that I missed while at the seminar and it is so nice just to hear his voice again.
Don

Even though I am no longer one of the pedal steel community (tend to hang around the non-pedal side more) I had to get my comments in about Jeff Newman.

Having attended one of his road seminars back in the 70's inspired me to take "mail order lessons" from him, his basic E9 method. I still have the lesson books and the vinyl LP backing tracks for those lessons stashed away someplace.
Jeff's lasting gift to me was to teach me to listen and to play for the song, and that has served me well in subsequent years, whether on guitar or steel. They say you can't teach good taste but he sure came close.
I don't think I ever took any instruction, on any instrument, that was as clear and meaningful as his. When I found out about his accidental passing years ago I was devastated. He was a fine human being first, a great steel player and teacher second.

Jeff and I were neighbors and friends in Texas City. We both got jobs at a small music store in Texas City mopping floors in exchange for free lap steel music lessons. Jeff was about 14 and I was 13. Even then I can tell you Jeff had that special smooth sound. He had much more feeling in his playing than anyone else. He was a true friend and I miss him as well.

I too Miss Jeffs Playing and Booth in St.Louis, I attened 2 of his week long classes, in Hermitage , one in 1977 and one in 1979, He has contributed more to teaching than anyone and his info is priceless,

I went to Jeff's advanced class in 1982 and have to say it was the most inspiring 2 weeks of my life .. and the impact it had on my playing has shaped my whole musical career.

I really loved his whacky sense of humour as well - something we both had in common

It is a real treat to catch up with Fran when I go to the Dallas show - they were a class double act.