How to Practice?

[Waldo Israel]

Since I am a new student of the instrument can you give some imput as to what instruction material to use to practice. I have a teacher who is excellent and very patient and I will continue with these lessons. I have been supplementing his lessons with Joe Wright's "Wright and Left Hand " DVD. ThIs DVD seems very instructive and is enjoyable to work on. Looking forward , and for variation, should I continue with Wright's next DVDs or try the Jeff Newman material. If Newman, which titles are good for beginners? Are there any simple songs for a beginner that does not use the pedals and knee levers- need something to play for my wife and friends when they ask me what I have to show for all the time spent practicing.

[Brian Kurlychek]

You are gonna get a wide array of responses. I can tell you what I am currently doing for a practice regiment, but I don't think I am qualified to tell you how to practice.

Here's what I do.

I start off by warming up with Joe Wrights secret of the Wright/Left Hand and follow Joe along for 30 minutes. I find I improve every day by doing this.

Next I practice Scales for about 10 Minutes.

Then I play Steve Benzian's version of Cocunut Grove. You can find his stuff on Youtube under Sbenzian. I try to improve it a little each day and even add parts to it, and experiment with different phrasing of the song.

Then I work on something new. Right now it is Jody Cameron's C6th Voicings dvd.

Then I read the forum for a while, and search for new Youtube videos, or anything new I can learn about pedal steel.

That is what I am doing and I definitely see improvement.

Some easy songs to play are the ones Mr. Benzian has on youtube and he even has tab for them on his site. Also if you get Doug Beaumier's book of 60 songs, his are very easy to play for your family.

I think you have to work on the basics every day, and over time you will get better. The Joe Wright is definitely a great learning tool, and you could continue that way or go with the Newman stuff next. I think it is good to get many different perspectives from players and their different teaching styles.

Some other more experienced players may have other advice and thats good. It is beneficial to take in what they have to say.

[Doc Rickles]

First of all I am not an experienced player.Brian had some great stuff to say.
I have all the helps to play that you mentioned plus BUDDY'S BOBBE'S, HUGHY'S,
HERBIE'S, RUSS'S, DOUG'S, JEFF"S AND MORE and none work if I don't use them and be faithful to practice.They are like diet pills they only work if you take them and don't eat. They all help if you take time to pratice and be faithful to that.And oh yeah.Take everything you learn and and be yourself with it. That's how they got good enough to give lessons.
If its in your blood you'll make it.And every now and then I play something I even like.
Blessings
Doc

[Ron !]

Waldo,

when practicing your steel guitar picking you will most certainly do this with one thought in the back of your head.
To become just as good as the big players.We all do.....trust me on that.

All the courses out there are within reach....for you and many many other players.Courses that teach you how to block, bar slants, pedal work, knee lever use...etc etc.
What these courses do not teach you is that you have to add a little bit of yourself to your playing.Call it finesse if you will.

That little finesse will make you stand out from the others.Sometimes it can be a good thing to stop with these courses for a while and try to tackle the problems that you have by yourself.
That is what makes a great steel player.

Remember that the real big players were not able to rely on computer, dvd, vhs courses.What you hear is what they discovered themselves.
Now ask yourself this 1 question.

"Can I not do that too?"

Sure you can.....where there is a will there is a way.
Never give up.Keep doing what you are doing.Be self confident and show us what you can.

Ron

[Robert Harper]

I suggest that you play along with music. You can record your instructor or by cd that has the music you are practicing. I truly regret not doing this. At the time, CDs were in style and it was difficult to rewind the tape to a certain point. Also, the tape was alway either slow or fast and therefor not intune to the guitar. The last excuse I have is, I have come to the conclusion that I was an undiagnosed ADHD. In those day, at least, in the south, ADHD was unknown and the cure came from a switch, paddle, strap or belt. Hard as Mama tried, she never cured me.

[Don Brown, Sr.]

Waldo,

Too many try to start off too fast and get into areas well above (too advanced) their understanding.

You should start out with the VERY BASIC first, and move up from there.

I like starting people out ASAP, with getting them playing ONE song. One SIMPLE song, so they can both see and hear that they REALLY CAN play a song. That gives them the Wow! I actually played a song and my mom, wife, girlfriend, (whatever) really knew what the song was. That builds confidence! And makes them want to move on up.

My suggestion is to take an old standard such as "Red River Valley" Don't laugh! That song can be played to sound as sweet as honey, as a very, very easy basic song, and then slowly add to it, to put in more and more flavor (Pedals Knees, etc.) as you progress.

Get your teacher to tab out a very basic version of it. Try that approach, and you'll soon be smiling..

Don

[Brett Day]

I suggest that you play along with music. You can record your instructor or by cd that has the music you are practicing. I truly regret not doing this. At the time, CDs were in style and it was difficult to rewind the tape to a certain point. Also, the tape was alway either slow or fast and therefor not intune to the guitar. The last excuse I have is, I have come to the conclusion that I was an undiagnosed ADHD. In those day, at least, in the south, ADHD was unknown and the cure came from a switch, paddle, strap or belt. Hard as Mama tried, she never cured me.

Robert, that's the best way to do it. I started out by playin' along with cds and another good way to practice steel parts is to first listen to the steel part by itself, then when you're behind the steel play along with the song and see if you can do the steel parts, but if you can't, don't worry about it cause you can come up with your own steel parts, that's how I do it.

Brett

[Gary Rue]

All the above is great advice.I make sure I identify what I am learning in terms of the intervals used and how they relate to the cord progression. I also like to make up my own right hand exercises to go from one string group to another and play the exercises thru the cycle of 4ths or 5ths. Mix up the rythums and have fun doing it. Its amazing how many ways you can play 3 notes in a string group and create patterns then transfer the pattern to the next grouping. Find a way to rehearse that you enjoy and look forward to.

[Robert Harper]

I like Red River Valley, On Top of Old Smokey also, Love Me Tender

[Tamara James]

I'm really not one to be giving advice, so this is just a note about where I am in my learning process. I've only been learning for just under 2 years, but I have found that I wish I had taken the time to understand the notes I was playing. I know where the major cords are in 4 postions, but I have no clue as to the notes I am playing. I can guess because I know cords are tones 1,3,5 of the scale. I also know that the minor flats the 3d tone. But I don't truly KNOW which string at which fret would I flat if my C pedal suddenly stopped working. My suggestion to all new players would be to take the time to learn the fretboard open. Learn what notes you are playing, and what inversion of the cord you are playing. This should include the slants for "suggesting" a cord when you can't get the full cord and then go to those wonderful knee levers we all love so much.

What ever you learn for a demo, start without pedals and levers. I have found a simple song is good. One YOU like. (You won't mind practicing it if you really like it.) Build it on one string, then add the harmony string, then cords in places that sound right to you. End it with a full cord if you can, that just seems to please the listener's ear. I have learned Lil Liza Jane on almost every instrument I have ever touched, because I know how it should sound and I like the beat of the song.

just my 2 cents.

[Robert Harper]

You are right Brett Attempt to copy the greats, but be willing to strike out on your own. I try to keep in mind that the Grets were great, because they weren't the other guy Experiment, stretch and as has been noted learn the fret board. It will take a lifetime, but what else do you have to do. It will keep you outa trouble and at home

[Roger Francis]

Although all sugestions above are good, i would learn the fretboard as soon as possible, meaning your scales and chords and at the same time you are learning your pedals and knee levers. I think Tamara gave good advice here.
When i first started playing i thought scales were boring and spent very little time practicing them, then found out later it slowed the learning process down a lot by not practicing them.
MPO, when practicing scales your killing 3 birds with one stone, finger exercise,learning you fret board, and your knee levers and pedals will start to become second nature.

[Ron !]

I have 3 students here that I am trying to teach how to play the steel guitar.I also have had people in the past asking me for advice and I give them all the same advice.
Play with your heart.Learn scales and most of all......learn how to block.
Start simple and if you cannot get the things done that you have set out to do for that particular day then don't force it.It is best to walk away for a while and try again later.
Most people go wrong when they force themselves into bad habits.

Like mentioned do I have students.Listen to the next tune that I recorded a couple of weeks ago and this is played by someone that has been playing for 1.5 year now.
Not bad if I might add.
He is playing a S10 with 3x4.

He'll Have To Go

If you have your mind set you can accomplish anything.Don't forget that.

[chris ivey]

tamara..you are right, i suppose, to know which notes/inversions you are playing. i've been playing 38 years now and still don't know...i've always wondered if it would have helped me progress faster.

i also thought taking it more seriously would have been better, but i was so busy playing. i think now, with so much on the internet, it only depends on how hard you want to work on it!

[Tamara James]

I guess I should add that some are born with a gift of music. They may never know the name of a note or the key that it is played in. It is a great blessing to have. You can play a phrase and they can play it right back to you. Amazing. The rest of us have to work at it. Some folks don't need to study it, they are born with it. Me? I gotta study it. My only gift is enthusiasm for music.

Nothing is better than a good teacher. Now, that, I do have. I am blessed.

[Waldo Israel]

Thank you all for your helpfulness and time. It was a big help.

[Ben Jones]

my biggest regret is not joining a band sooner.
live band is the best instruction and practice IMHO and you cant start too soon. Day one, join a band.
They will be grateful to have steely sounds no matter your skill level.

[Wayne Wallett]

First of all don't just sit down and play what you already know, it's easy to fall into this habit. Before you sit behind the steel get yourself in the mental state (I am going to learn at least one new thing during this practice), maybe something simple but something you have not tried before. Can be a new song on CD you never tried. Secondly I try to teach newbies to learn the scales vertically and horizonally. Try playing a simple song only using one fret but utilizing all the knee/floor pedals to get the notes you need. This would be the vertical across the neck. Take a pair of strings 4+8, 3+4, 5+6 etc and start at the lower end of the neck say the 3rd fret (G) and using only those two strings work you way up and down the neck (horizonally) using pedals/levers to find the scales. Then take a different pair and do the same. It will definately make you learn the positions on your guitar (playing in the pockets) means not just playing the typical positions but those in between the 1 - 4 chords, the 5 - 1 pockets. It takes some practice but you will train you ear to hear different positions to get sounds you won't get on the typical 1 - 4- 5 positions. Find scales to do walk-up, walk-downs between 1-4, 5-1 etc chords. Hope this helps and isn't too wordy.
Good Luck,
Wayne

[Tony Prior]

all good advice above..

a few add-ons

Whatever you decide to practice,do it everyday, don't start and then move on to something else before you have completed the routine.

Repetition

When you sit down to play there should be two segments, one is to know what it is you are practicing/studying and to do it, the second part is the wide open fun part. The reward for part one is part two.

Repetition/Discipline

Practice is very difficult, it's like studying for a test, you have got to be in the right frame of mind and have no distractions. Don't set your practice sights real high, if you have a few things you are studying, keep the practice time in short segments, but do it often.

15 min/day of focused practice is better than 2 hours of jumping from one thing to another.


Repetition

If you practice the exact same thing everyday , 5 min a day for 30 days, I will guarantee excellent results at the end of the 30 days for that routine.It may not be perfect but it will be leagues better than it was at the beginning.

This has been said many times ,

Practice does not make perfect...

Proper practice can make perfect...

Quality practice requires discipline, without discipline there will be no quality practice.

and,
play slow, you can't play fast if you can't play slow

tp