The Steel Guitar Forum

I am just learning lap steel guitar after playing guitar for many years. I was at a buddies house and couldn't just "strum along" as he played. Is there a way to learn to play along with somebody when you know he is playing chords and singing.

David,
You are into a part of steel guitar that, I guess the best way to put it, there is no way to teach it.You just have to get involved in playing and learn as you go.
I don't normally play with other prople. Most of my steel guitar work is done at home playing along with recordings and play along CD's.
I got started when I bought a play along CD that Herb Remington released back in November of 2009.Thre are twenty songs on the CD with two tracks for each song. The first track is Herb playing the song with the soundtrack behind him. The next track is the backup only and then it's your turn to play the lead.I learned the lead parts pretty quick and could play along with the background. Then I started working on the "comping" or playing along with Herb's lead. First, I drew up chord charts of each song and listined to the song and followed along with the chord diagram just so I could hear the chord changes coming. At first all I did was what I think is called "padding" or just playing a full chord as each change occurs, being careful to play a low voiced chord, so I don't get in the way of the lead. You can also play chords in the small spaces between the melody. A good starting trick is to slide into the chords from a fret below it. You hear it done all the time in Country & Western Swing music.
Afte a while you can fill in those empty spots with quick two , three, of 4 note "fills". This takes a bit of practice and the only way I know is to get someone else to play lead for you.This is a really nice playing technique and I like playing those parts better than just playing solos. If you get good at it and learn to stay out of the way of the lead player, you will really be appreciated by the other band members.
I hope this will help you get sarted, but an old guitar teacher told me yeras ago" This is the kind of thing that just can't be taught".

David, make your steel the lead/er instead of support for the guitar, be the boss of the song, and start with short simple tunes to learn communication. You kick the song off with an intro lead and your friend follows accordingly. Once you're rolling then do the fills/comping if you wish as you share the respective parts until it's time to solo. As you reach the coda be prepared to wrap it up with a flourish. And remember what Jerry Byrd said, "It doesn't matter how badly you played the song, end it really good and that's all they'll remember".
In the years of steel's hey days, the steel was in command of everything. Don't relegate your playing to just backup, that's your friend's role. Be The Man!

its called the "chord pad" - the steel is not a rhythm instrument, its a lead/supporting instrument. what you do is try to hit the chord tones in a pad under the rhythm. the other is to "lead" (NOT PLAY LEAD) - but lead the song progression along, the way a bass player would - in other words, you "set-up" the next chord in the progression using tension and release.

now, you could play the old A maj tuning that was like the bass/strum, but that is a lost art these days and seldom heard. that was the style 20's-40's.

this is a good video demonstration of a GREAT player doing what you are asking about
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dIP5tiH0 ... re=related

David,
Here is one of my You Tubes where I do both, play the melody, then provide embelisments while another Instrument takes the lead. You won't find it written anywhere, but as Jerome says, if you know where the singer is going, you can lead him into things and provide links tastefully.

http://www.youtube.com/user/kerrsteel?f ... b4FZCjKjOc

Learn how to play Sleepwalk
You have the lead
You friend plays C Am F G
and a Bb

There are lots of Sleepwalk demos here

and some Tab

Just ask, someone has a good copy
I like C6

Now go break some strings

Those Wayne Tanner youtube videos will make some good tutorials for me as I do exactly what David is trying to do.
There is also a guy online who has some very good tutorials , and shows specifically how to play licks over chords in a song, step by step, along with the track. Trouble is, it is in open G, and dobro/blues style.
I haven't found anything like it for lap steel.

David, what part of this little state are you in?

Backup can be taught. It is that no on wants to teach it.

All you have to do is learn the steel part to one C&W song from beginning to end and it will start falling in place.

Another thing to try is to start your steel line beginning on the last beat of each vocal line and be sure to stop just about the time the vocal starts again. Answering back the vocal always works.

I really don't play a lot of steel but those things will get you started playing backup on any instrument.

If you play good backup, you'll get invited to play more often.

I really love the helpfulness of all the folks on this site. By the way I am from Dallas, TX. I would love to find a lap steel teacher locally.

David

I have been playing the guitar for over 40 years and play lead. I mainly play at home for my enjoyment. I have been learning how to play the lap steel and have made my own 8 string. I use a casio keyboard and a computer . I use a free recording program named Kristal.Try to learn to play songs that you know and like to play. Here is a recording of me playing release me on the keyboard , lapsteel and also the guitar using Kristal. It's not very professional but I having fun playing How do I upload a mp3 on this forum?[/img][/url]

James Quillian wrote:Backup can be taught. It is that no on wants to teach it.

All you have to do is learn the steel part to one C&W song from beginning to end and it will start falling in place.

Another thing to try is to start your steel line beginning on the last beat of each vocal line and be sure to stop just about the time the vocal starts again. Answering back the vocal always works.

I really don't play a lot of steel but those things will get you started playing backup on any instrument.

If you play good backup, you'll get invited to play more often.

beleive inthis post its so true!!
also regarding the lead guitar and other lead instruments in your band
once you learn to do this! you will have what they call a first class band!!!!!

In an earlier post, Herb Remington's Fun tabs course was mentioned. I heartily recommend. There are a lot of good resources right here at the site, but I found his to be the most beginner friendly.
By the time you get halfway through, you will be playing songs you hear on the radio, using the harmonized scales he uses.

Using the A6 tuning he recommends (C#,E,F#,A,C#,E low to high)gives you the major triads on the top three strings, the related minor chords three frets forward on strings 2,3, and 4, and the 7th chords using either a two note representation or 3 note variation fairly easily accessible.
Check out the "Chord House" Guitar Advanced page to get a visual of the grips you will be using.

I would say, absent any instruction, start by plucking the appropriate chord where indicated, more than once, if appropriate, and then, when you feel comfortable, begin arpeggiating the chords over the course of the measure, or whatever duration the chord is to be played.
When things begin to slow down for you, you can begin to use more than just the notes in the indicated chord, as a matter of fact, about any note in the scale of the chord to be played.(though some only in passing)
That is what will determine the flavor of what you add to the mix.

Please be advised I pretty much don't know what the hell I am talking about.

This was a similar thread from a couple of weeks ago which I thought had some good information:

http://bb.steelguitarforum.com/viewtopic.php?t=220364

Amen