The Steel Guitar Forum

'Looking for some insight and direction here.
Maybe some of you pros or some of you that know some of the heaveyweights can tell us what kind of things the pros do during their practice routine.
(How did they get so good?)
Thanks

I used to be a pro, and I can tell you what I did. I didn't have a wife or a day job, so I was free to spend hours every day practicing.

I learned all the intros, fills and turnarounds I could from my record collection - Price, Owens, Tubb… Maybe not always note for note, but close enough to sound good.

I picked several songs that had pretty fast tempos, and I practiced along with them, starting out with simple licks and always trying to play cleanly, until I could play at that speed.

I practiced finger exercises, like paradiddles, chiming, various chord grips and cross-over picking.

I already knew music theory, but I bought a couple theory books anyway, and learned the necks of my guitar, E9th and C6th - where all the chords and scales were.

I played along with the radio, learning the changes to all the country classics I could, and making note of any steel guitar signature licks.

I tried to copy various steel guitar styles - Mooney, Buddy, Lloyd, Wiggins - and incorporated them into my own playing.

That's my story.

Cal,, that is a great story,,and a true one,,not that I'm a pro,,but I never quit trying to learn more..A man has just gotta put the time in, and it doesn't matter whether or not you become a pro,,you do it becuase you love it.....Carson

In additon to whatever they may have practiced, it seems alot of these guys were playing three sessions a day then gigging all night each and every day for years and years. I dont know when some of them managed to sleep, it sounds like they must have been playing 12 hours a day or more.

I will NEVER have that experience no matter what or how much I practice.

I too, used to practice the greatest INTRO's and turn-arounds.........by as many of the most recognized artists of the day.

I attempted to MATCH the tone, tunings and whatever of each artist, never settling for "almost".....

I attempted to learn ALL of the latest steel guitar instrumentals.........

I learned it correctly and practiced it until I had it exactly right. Anything less, was unacceptable.

Originality

I like the story about Buddy Emmons learning Pat Martino solos, and then discovering that he could play better in minor keys.

Gary it's about the practice routine, of course learning all the stuff mentioned above is all good, but what makes a musician , any musician, to cross over to the next level is the daily practice routine, as we have read here before ,perfect practice. There are countless stories of Buddy practicing the exact same things over and over and over...for hours on end...


If there are one or two things you are struggling with or wish to excel at, practice those exact same things everyday for 30 or 60 days maybe 10 or 15 minutes a day. I guarantee at the end of the 60 days you will be thrilled with the outcome.

The top tier professional musicians, that's what they do, play music, strive for execution on their particular instrument. When they are not earning $$ at a gig or session they are working..at there instrument...that is there job. Scales, modes, multiple keys, searching for the proper positions, smooth execution, REPETITIVE practice routines.

It's very difficult for others ( us ) who also have day jobs, own our own businesses etc to also become musicians at the same level as those we admire, while we are at work they are at work with an instrument, we are at work with a cash register ( pun ) . When we get home our brains are fried...we may pick awhile to relax and even practice but it is not the same...we may even get pretty good..but it is not the same.

A regular playing musician ( weekends) also gets very good at execution but even still that is not bringing them to the same level as the pro's we admire, there is still something missing, this is our second job or favorite past time.

But, we can still have an excellent regular repetitive practice routine which allows us to move forward.

I guess a little self indulgence here, I have been back on guitar the past two years ,I was struggling at first as it had been a few years since playing out on guitar regular and I was not "practiced"..

Here is a typical practice routine before I sit to learn songs... I take phrases or hooks, I play them in the I,IV and V positions in several keys,I take short scales, play them in the I,IV and V positions in several keys,what happens is the fretboard becomes very familiar in all keys , all positions, then the redundancy of the positions becomes very familiar, now leaning toward auto pilot , I do it just about everyday, sometimes twice a day.

The fretboard is opening up big time, when I look at it I see the music.

I did this same sort of routine on Steel for awhile but was not serious enough so I didn't get as far as I should have.

After these exercises then I go to the songs I need to learn or practice or just want to play...

hope this helps...

t

I personally know three "world-class" musicians, and I've read a pile of biographies, auto-and-other. Every single one of the best ones put in a period of at least two years where they were practicing at least 12 hours a day, and it usually happened when they were quite young while the brain is most malleable. Some "practicing" can be/is done without an instrument - concentration and listening are paramount, and transcription (of some sort) is important. There is some research indicating that one year of practicing 16 hours a day is better for you than two years of practicing 8 hours a day.

The great ones often don't consider practicing to be work, but even when it does feel that way, they do it it anyway. I've been struck by interviews with Segovia, McLaughlin and others who complained that while they've been on tour, they could "only" practice five or six hours a day - on top of the concerts! Or the self-reports of serious musicians that they only start to get to the good stuff after they've been playing for the first few hours - by that standard, many people never even get warmed up.

You know your own weaknesses better than anyone, and you know what you want to play... Paul Franklin here, and many, many others, have made the point that music should dictate technique, not vice-versa. Even if you're just playing through some scale sequencing or counterpoint exercises, you strive to play it musically.

http://madisonjazz.files.wordpress.com/ ... ebrian.pdf

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hSZ40V0t ... PL&index=0

There's a great story about Pavarotti, who was a judge for an opera competition. He asked one of the contestants whether they took their opera studies 'seriously'. The contestant naturally said 'Oh yes! I must have practiced this aria fifty times!' to which Pavarotti replied, "Fifty times? FIFTY times?! That is not 'serious'! 'Serious' is FIVE HUNDRED TIMES!!"

I also recently heard a quote that amateurs practice something until they get it right, while professionals practice it until they can't get it wrong. Vive la difference!

Very nice topic! Good comments above! I have posted a number of videos (You Tube) lately describing a bit of my approach. However, I can't resist here to make a couple of comments...

Most importantly to me has never been to limit myself to any one source of inspiration. While I have great respect of those who have been riding this bicycle many miles ahead of me I also look at other instruments. Like the comment above about Emmons and Pat Martino, I too look to those sort of sources. Of course, it all really depends on what your musical goals are too. No need in looking at the unconventional use of modal theories when you really enjoy the genius of simple triads moving from fret to fret and mashing two pedals! But I love it all!!!

Look at my post in this section called "Fruit Loop". That video right there is nothing more than me practicing. I call this exploration. Sometimes routines and trying to perfect something needs to be abandoned and you need to enjoy the trip.

Jim Cohen wrote: I also recently heard a quote that amateurs practice something until they get it right, while professionals practice it until they can't get it wrong. Vive la difference!

The only problem with that one is an amateur may be practicing it wrong and even when they think they have it right, it's still wrong ! Kinda like taking lessons from someone who actually doesn't know much more than you, they may execute better at what they do but there technique may be really off.

That's the time when the remote looks pretty good ! Viva La remote !

One of the World Class Musicians I know, bassist Chip Jackson, he went to Berkeley for 4 years ,played his bass non stop for 4 years, before that he studied in public school and private lessons for easily 10 years, became first chair in the State of Ct School Orchestra. Well Chip would come home from Boston now and then and we would get together and listen to Jazz...for him it was like reading a book, with no Instrument he would talk the positions and the chart as the songs played. I remember one time we were drinking a few beers during one of these listening things and I said "dude, you're exhausting me " !

Chip went on to play with Woody Herman, Chuck Mangione, Dr Billy Taylor, Gary Burton , NY City sessions etc. Me, I'm still drinking the Beers !

t

Thanks, for that. Just looking for a bit of insight and direction, G.M.

I haven't heard any mention here of "Pick me up on your way down." ...

I've come to the conclusion over the years that the greatest of the pickers have a natural talent for it, and the rest of us could practise 24 hours a day and never reach their standard.

That's not putting down practice. Practice can make someone with limited talents sound acceptable, and someone with a lot of talent sound great, but it can't make someone with no talent sound like a master.

I agree. Natural ability is God given to great players. I was not blessed at all.
It took me years of practice to achieve my mediocrity.
Great players have a special brain function that is also God given.
I'm always blown away how Gary Carpenter can recall every lick or song he has ever learned.

I haven't heard any mention here of "Pick me up on your way down." .

how does it go barry?

I remember an old Beatles song called "can't buy me love", sort of the same thing with Pedal Steel players. it amazes me the amount of guys who buy the same Amp as Paul Franklin,use the same settings as John Hughey did,have a Herby Wallace model yet can't figure out why they don't sound like them.
I have told my story about Wild Bill West who was playing JUNK at Opryland,had a pair of vice grips for a knee lever,a twin reverb that looked like it seen better days years before,but know what?,He could play the SNOT out of it!.
All your fancy Amps,tuners,racks delays etc and it comes down to T-A-L-E-N-T
I'm a Chet player also, a man got mad at me once over playing Cannonball Rag what he felt was better than himself,I use to practice fingerstyle about 2-3 hours a day,
I told him if he didn't like his level to do something about it by PRACTICING!. Diamond Rio had a song called "The Proof is in the PICKIN"
My favorite line in it,SOME are born to listen SOME are born to PLAY:)

Quote:
I haven't heard any mention here of "Pick me up on your way down." .

how does it go barry?

I'm afraid you'll have to ask the expert on this. You know who he is ....