Looking To Play Again ...

[Jim Lindsey (Louisiana)]

I've been away from steel for almost ten years ... this past Sept 2009 I dug it out and started playing again. Aside from knocking the rust off my fingers, I'm dealing with the issue of radial and ulnar nerve damage that I suffered in my arms due to an accident while I wasn't playing. The nerve damage, of course, affects the physical dexterity of my hands.

It's probably a tall order to fill, but my chops are back up enough for medium tempo to ballad tunes. I'll admit I've got a ways to go before my hands are rehabilitated enough for the quicker and fast picking tunes. My hands are slowly continuing to improve and the fast picking will come in time as my hands continue to get better.

What I'm hoping to find is a group (or groups) that are working and need a steel player for, primarily at the moment, ballads and medium tempo songs and, on the quicker and fast tunes, do not mind the steel staying out of the way with simpler backup chords (lets the lead player really have fun on those).

I know that finding a band who only needs a steel primarily for medium tempo and ballad tunes (and not the fast stuff) is a pretty tall order to fill, but if anyone knows of such a band in the Dallas/Ft Worth area needing a steel player in my situation, can you please point me in their direction, or point them to me?

The regular job hunting is not going well so far and I really need to start gigging as much as possible to help stay afloat.

The nerve damage in my hands mainly affects my dexterity for speed picking. The ballad stuff is pretty unaffected and here are a couple of YouTube videos of my current playing technique and sound as it is at the moment:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rc3V5RcDKjc

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=30C-Ip-sAjc

Any help in finding a group to play with would be most graciously appreciated. Thanks most sincerely.

[mtulbert]

Jim

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Mark