Working out the kinks and time management

Mike Neer · From: NJ

A few months ago, Steinar posted about losing the desire to play the steel guitar. Not long after that, I had some life changing events that have completely altered the course of my daily living: I got a full time job. Time is at a real premium now and it has forced me to reevaluate my time management.

I basically swore off gigging for a good few months and I sort of went into a slight hibernation, only playing my steel for a few minutes here and there. This lasted for a few months until I decided I needed to quit goofing off. I had basically been fooling around with sounds and effects more than I was doing any meaningful playing, and these are the pitfalls that it's really easy to fall into when you are not playing with any real purpose.

I've gotten back to working out some more block chord stuff (I actually had to go back and re-learn the arrangements I'd already done--good thing I'd tabbed and notated them!), started working from my own book, but most of all got the fire and desire back. Doing the interviews with great players has been time-consuming but extremely valuable for me. I think I've created somewhat of a monster there! Right now I'm talking with Jeremy Wakefield and I feel like a beginner all over again.

So, what was my point? I don't know...anyway, I think we all go through the funk at some point(s) and have to figure out ways to be productive within the limitations that we have. I remember when my first child was born--talk about time management! But that's when I learned that it was possible to get more accomplished in shorter blocks of time if I was really focused.

Oh, BTW, I bought one of those Boss Loop Station pedals (RC-2) from a friend and they are fantastic tools for getting your melody, improvisation and chord work together. Sometimes I will just loop a melody and play changes behind it, using different voicings and even reharms; other times I loop some changes and just blow. It's actually a lot of fun!
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HowardR · From: N.Y.C.-Fire Island-Asheville

I hear ya'......I've lost the interest to play, but for other reasons......

I've been toggling back & forth between Long Island & NY and I have periods of a lot of physical work (light construction which I enjoy doing) and a busy social life...so my mind is elsewhere......but I feel that at 61, with not a lot of musical knowledge and with a tin ear, I'm not going to be much of a player.....I'm not interested in playing with a band and my friends don't play.....so I've lost the incentive to learn tunes, progressions, and all the other things that I'll just forget if I don't keep up with it.....

Now, I love to see & hear others play and I enjoy tickling the strings of the instruments that I have......and I have two amazing projects that are well underway with Carroll Benoit that I'm very excited about......I love the instruments more than I do playing......and of course my biggest thrill are The Rick Alexander Non Pedal Sessions......

So, I'm happy just to be a steel guitar supporter......good thing I'm not into athletics.....

Twayn Williams · From: Portland, OR

David Soreff · From: North Las Vegas, NV

Mike,
I know EXACTLY what you are talking about, and I can empathize. But, sometimes, it's just one little thing that will kick you right back into high gear. There are periods where I cannot bear to stop playing and practicing, and then there are times when I sit down to play, and after about five minutes just take off the picks and walk away.
On another note, I'm glad you mentioned the Boss looper and endorse it as you do...I have been thinking about one of those for a long time and this may just be the thing to make me pull the trigger.

Dana Blodgett · From: California, USA

Hey Mike, I read the posts awhile back that Steinar and others posted and can relate. Your point about experimenting with effects and loops is well taken. I've reduced my effects to the PSG to Amp, cord and Guitar, so basically all I use is a li'l reverb. I have played the guitar for at least 49 yrs. and some other instruments for less than that.
I've learned a while ago that instead of beating myself up over not feeling like practicing to just go with it until I do feel like practicing! I feel if I force it, nothing will be accomplished anyway.
In my down time I can search for new material to learn or explore.I remember in the past having a rough period where I didn't feel like practicing and come out of it on the other side just tearin' it up when I did come back to it!
I am not sayin I tear it up on the PSG,I don't-refound enthusiasim is what I mean. I'm speaking generally about whatever instrument I am into at the moment. I am a self taught guitarist and likewise on the steel,basically I played for 16 yrs. got frustrated and quit for 21yrs. now back at again for a good year and a half and feel I am in a "better" place now than when I quit. NEVER quit, not good for the soul! Sometimes we all need a vacation.
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From Los Osos,Ca.
'74 ShoBud 6140 3+4, Martins HD28,D-12-28, D-15,'65 Gibson LG-1, '77 Gibson Les Paul special dbl cut p-90's, Les Paul Special p-100's,Les paul Special Hybrid(maple top) hbkr's,'68 Fender Strat reissue, Fender Squire Jazz bass,Epi mandolin,Epi Wilshire '66 reissue, Kamaka Concert uke, 70's Kamaka Soprano Uke, Fender Super amp, Ampeg ba112 bass amp,60's harmony banjo,'00 Gibson SG Supreme

Rick Aiello · From: Berryville, VA USA

What seems important at any given time ... seems less important at another time.

Once steel guitar is in your life ... it will always have a place ...

How important it is ... will vary ... as a function of time !!!

Dan Eason · From: Durham, NC, USA

Howard, I am sure that if you were into sports, you would be an superb athletic supporter.

And I like your steel playing also. Very Happy

Bob Stone · From: Gainesville, FL, USA

Hi Mike,

I sincerely appreciate your many contributions to this Forum. You have been so generous is sharing your musical knowledge and recordings. I always enjoy your posts.

Whatever turns your life takes, I wish you all the best.

I am one year into semi-retirement, will turn 67 in October, and am enjoying playing the steel and learning music more than ever. I recently discovered Band in a Box. What a great learning tool. It's a blast!

Warmest regards,

Bob

Mike Neer · From: NJ

I played a guitar gig last night and I mentioned to one of the musicians in attendance that steel guitar has really become my true love, even though I have essentially played guitar my entire life. Funny how that works.
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Mat Rhodes · From: Lexington, KY, USA

I, too, can relate. My issue is that I've decided to broaden the horizons with other instruments like doumbek, djembe, and to'ere. Like anything else, they require a fair amount of time with which to develop proficiency. Time spent with those means time NOT spent on the steel and, in effect, I'm serving more than one master. The upside is that there's a marked improvement in my social life as well as increased cultural awareness. And, married or not, belly dancers are far more entertaining to watch (and play for) than most folks you see at your average watering hole. Just sayin'...

When steel gigs come up, I find that I tend to prepare more for the gigs' repertoire rather than all the other things that I used to enjoy about practicing such as scales, arpeggios, lick vocabulary, chord voicings, etc. The ironic thing I realized after all of those hours of practicing was that I never really used much of it at the gigs. It really served more as background information at best.

Whatever I have to learn to "get by" (like a melody or chord pad) with each song seems to count more. The majority of audience members that I tend to play for don't care about how quickly I can sweep through a diminished arpeggio or speed pick. They only care if the music sounds good and if we're entertaining. So now, I try to prepare for a gig a few days in advance by just brushing up enough on the material to not screw up live. It's a minimalistic approach, but so far it hasn't hurt me too much.

Steve Ahola · From: Concord, California

Sorry to hear that you found a job. Well times are tough and someone needs to shoulder the burden and pay the taxes to support the rest of us... Whoa!

Hopefully if you think positive and put your mind into it you can get laid off and collect unemployment.

George Piburn · From: The Land of Enchantment New Mexico

It is so great to hear everyone's take on their various levels of dedication to Lap Steel.

In my case I follow the motto of my Alma Mater Jeffran College "This is not Part of what we do -- This is All we do".

To really get into the life style Mrs.Boards and MR.Boards are either playing Steel, making Steel Instructional DVD;s, Building Steel Guitars, promoting the Steel guitar, and so on.

As we have entered our Golden Years --- becoming friends with so many of my personal mentors, who are also Full Timers, eg; Herb R, Maurice A, Henry Allen, b0b, to name a few and now to extend that to so many folks from this forum of whom each are dedicated in their own way.

Chuck Lettes and I started the Non-Pedal sessions in Dallas where we met HowardR at the 1st go around, then Rick Alexander was encouraged to join in by Herb and myself, Gerald Ross, got on board, and so many others too. Now it has grown into possibly the greatest yearly gathering of non pedal with the leadership of HowardR and Jeff S, and numerous others including Mike Neer our latest Star.

Full Tilt Dedication to Lap Steel is like Playing For Keeps. All of Us are the now and Future of the Rare Art Form. What ever your level is, Don't Stop - Dig In and Never let it get you down too much.

Hope this adds to the discussion.
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Brian Hunter · From: Indianapolis

James Williamson · From: California & Hawaii

Hey Mike,

Well, I completely understand what you're experiencing. I walked away from music entirely for 30 some odd years before coming back to it happily these days.

As others have already said, you can pick it back up whenever you like as it will be with you throughout your life.

I hope for your sake you don't take as long as I did, but you gotta do what ya gotta do...I have alot of confidence that you'll make the right decisions.

Best,

james

Hiro Keitora · From: New York, New York

Anything that inspires you, that's a good thing---

It is hard to justify shlepping $6,000 guitar with $2,000 amp and speaker with another $1,000 worth of effects to gigs for $100/night. Paying Taxi cab $40 from/to the gig from home, that leaves me $60...

I'm glad that I have to wake up every morning at 6:30 for my "real job", well, without it, I certainly couldn't afford $6,000 guitar and etc...

But nonetheless, "drive" and "motivation" can come and go like stray cats to your back yard. We can't help it, but shouldn't take it too personally and seriously... Confused

At the moment, I'm hanging low, and I'm happy that way. Maybe when the weather gets nicer, I may feel like playing again, but I sure don't feel like shlepping anything in "dog days" of August---
Embarassed

Steinar Gregertsen · From: Arendal, Norway, R.I.P.

In the end - for me - it's always been about the music, not the instrument. When I got real passionate about lap steel, sometime around '03, I had reached a point as guitarist where I was sick and tired of hearing myself playing the same cliches over and over. The lap steel, with its beautiful singing voice, opened up a whole new set of doors and I fell completely in love with it.

So, some seven years later, I found myself in a similar situation only this time I played the cliches on lap steel, and decided to "get real" on the instrument and not just play "horizontal bottleneck slide" (which is how I 'heard' my playing when I felt really bad about it...). Well, something happened there which has been covered before, so I won't go into that again..

But - I'm trying to get to the point here Wink

- I have many legs to stand on musically; various guitars, lap steel/weissenborn, fretless bass, synth and drum programming (not doing much of that anymore), composing/arranging, studio production, teaching, and I even have a C-flute lying around somewhere.

All of this is connected, and what I learn in one field will influence the rest of what I do. I've hardly touched a lap steel or weiss in 5 months or so, I'm happy playing my Strats and one big reason for that is that the years of focusing on the lap steel as my main instrument has made me a much better guitarist!

So, if you've got the music in you there's no reason to panic if/when you temporarily lose interest in an instrument. It's all about the music. You'll still learn and evolve as a musician, all you need to do is spend some time getting the motor skills back together when/if you want to blow the dust of an instrument you haven't touched in a while, and you'll find that you play it differently - and quite possibly better - and find new inspiration..

Oh, btw, recently I have started looking at my lap steels and especially the weissenborn with a new interest. Might string her up for dobro-G one of these days and see what happens... Cool

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David Matzenik · From: Cairns, on the Coral Sea

I find that when I put an instrument aside for a while, (not too long, of course)I tend to come back stronger, with a broader perspective and better ears.
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Hiro Keitora · From: New York, New York

yup, leave of absence can be good sometimes. Smile

We all know, in deep inside, what we care and what we love. Very Happy

Mike Neer · From: NJ

The little time I spent away from physically playing the instrument for any great length of time has not hurt me too much. I do a lot of mental practicing, even when I don't mean to, and I find that I can come up with some interesting takes on things.

I would say that today I'm a bit closer to my goals than I was a few months ago, only because in some ways I feel as if I've been liberated to some degree. Things are working out nicely--I've even been composing, which is one of my priorities.

Thanks for your support and comments.
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Hiro Keitora · From: New York, New York

I can't remember when was the last time I touched my '29 Style-1 Tricone...( probably at the dobro workshop in old HowardR's building a few years ago Sad

)and '37 Rick A-22...
My '70 Emmons P/P is in the case, and Zum Hybrid also in the case...

Perhaps this weekend, I'll fool around with them once again. Mr. Green

HowardR · From: N.Y.C.-Fire Island-Asheville

"old HowardR's building"

Hey!.....I'm not THAT old........ Laughing

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