The Steel Guitar Forum

Hi
This is going to be difficult to explan
Im playing with a other guitar and background music
but when trying to play with the background music with NO GUITAR im not getting very far.
most of the background music is just a drum with 3 beat to a bar on one One of them is Amazing Grace and there are other I tried but not getting very far,
As far as I know there isent anything where I can get the guitar with background in head phones and get the background to start at the same time
Im a nebee, but it holding me back
Paul uk

Hi Paul-
It's unclear to me whether you're playing with a live guitarist plus backing tracks or guitar tracks on one player and the other backing tracks on another player,or whether it's another entirely different setup.Also,are you speaking of home practice or live performance?

Dave
I am playing at home, I know it hard to explain
I had a couple of song in a book and with them came two Cds
one with the player playing and background music..one with the background with no guitar..for me to play, I can play together with the the one with the guitar
but having trouble with the one containing only the background music
Pauluk

The guitar is probably furnishing you with indications of chord changes. You need to train your ear for the changes with the other accompanyments also. You won't always have a lead to go by, you'll be the lead in a lot of instances. Ear training is essential to your playing and knowing the melody is a big help. Listen to the melody and chart it out if you must. It gets easier as you go along, just keep at it.

OK.......try this.Work on the part without any accompaniment.That way you can hear what you are doing and work it around until it sounds right all by itself.Then try it with the rhythm section CD.It may take a few passes,but when you get it working right(and you'll know when it is),you should be able to take on playing with the lead part and actually doubling it,rather than using it as support.

May be a simple timing or phrasing problem. If there are any parts of the tune that prove to be slightly more difficult for you than others, losing the timing at this point can easily occur. Having the steel part in the background could possibly be covering any mistakes that you are making in this area due to the fact that the steeler on the CD is "picking up the slack". As suggested, you might try playing the tune solo for a while with the aid of a metronome to determine if that may be the case.

Get away from your steel, play the backing track, and whistle the melody along to it.

If you have difficulty doing that, then you have timing problems, which are very hard, and sometimes impossible, to eradicate.

If you can succesfully whistle along to the backing track, then it's just a case of more practice playing the steel.

Paul, where are you in UK?Perhaps one of the members of the British steelies might be able to help if one of us stays anywhere near you.There are several steel meetings , Roy Heap has monthly meeting in Bristol area, Donny Johnstone runs monthly meeting in central Scotland, there are also several members who give lessons dotted around the UK .Let us know where you are and we can see if someone can help.In the mean time listen to track with guitar and count to where it starts playing, then play track without guitar count in the same time as before, this will be your starting point to play, if it helps use a timing device of some sort.

Paul are you trying to play his part and your own? My biggest problem with the steel has been figuring out where I fit in. I played rhythm for years solo and in a band no problem. Then played lead, then played both ala SRV and Joe Bonamassa that all worked fine. But I was never comfortable being the instrument of Color? What is that? Things have been a little better since listening to a lot of Peter Drake, he has the less is more pretty dialed in. This less is more is what Reece Anderson was helping me with just before his passing. So look at it this way, you are not alone. I guess the point to start is try not to duplicate the spanish guitar parts and work on intro's fills and accents. I was always amazed how Reece could work is way into spots that I could not even see. I do think ear training is 90% of the battle.
Cheers

Hi
Richard,David.Dave. Ray
I live in Neath near Swansea south wales
I will tray what you suggested
Paul uk