Blind Steel Players?

Myk Freedman · Post by **Myk Freedman** » 11 Dec 2013 9:02 am

I've been working a lot on playing while not looking at the fret board. While I've had some progress, I'm wondering if I'll ever be able to really play as well when not looking down as when I can see where I am. Which lead me to wonder, have there ever been any blind steel players?

Jim Cohen · Post by **Jim Cohen** » 11 Dec 2013 9:42 am

Jonathan Candler comes to mind immediately, and he is becoming a pretty hot player.

But also there are sighted steelers who don't need to look at their hands or the guitar. Buddy Emmons and Joe Wright come to mind. I once saw someone (probably Jeff Newman) put a bag over E's head while he was playing on stage at the ISGC, and he didn't miss a lick! Joe can look fully to the side and hold a conversation with someone while playing all over the neck, also without missing a lick.

But all of this brings up the question: why do you ask? Are you losing your eyesight or you just like to have extra capabilities in reserve?

Myk Freedman · Post by **Myk Freedman** » 11 Dec 2013 9:58 am

Thankfully I'm not losing my eye sight!

I play a lot of gigs where I need to read charts. If they are easy, I can look at the chart and then look away and down at the steel. But sometimes I need to keep my eyes glued to the page. So I've been working for a while now to perfect being able to not look down while staying in tune. Depending on how hard the chart is results may vary.

Maybe I should try putting bag over my head

Doug Beaumier · Post by **Doug Beaumier** » 11 Dec 2013 10:02 am

I remember hearing a blind lap steel player at the St. Louis convention in 1981. He sounded awesome!

Ray Montee · Post by **Ray Montee** » 11 Dec 2013 10:14 am

There's a gentleman in the SPOKANE, Washington area that is blind and produced several CD's without the benefit of sight. A really great musician.

For the life of me I can't recall his name at this moment however the last name of "Livingston" keeps jumping into my mind.

Perhaps some of you Spokane, Inland Empire pickers will be able to recall his name?

Bill Mollenhauer · Post by **Bill Mollenhauer** » 11 Dec 2013 10:57 am

There is a blind young lady reso player but I cant remember her name off hand. There are videos on youtube of her playing with a band.

Jack Aldrich · Post by **Jack Aldrich** » 11 Dec 2013 11:02 am

Sol Ho'opi'i went blind and continued to play. I have a picture somewhere of Sol coming on stage with his white cane and his steel under his arm. Also King Benny Nawahi went blind and continued to play. Alan Akaka has me play with my eyes closed to get my bar where it needs to be for good intonation. Blindness shouldn't stop anyone from playing steel, especially if they are sighted but going blind.

David Knutson · Post by **David Knutson** » 11 Dec 2013 12:41 pm

I'm a lead singer in my acoustic swing trio, as well as 6 and 8 string reso player. It is such a challenge to keep good contact with the audience while singing and still be right there comping and ready for fills and such. I think I may start practicing blindfolded.

Ralph Czitrom · Post by **Ralph Czitrom** » 11 Dec 2013 12:52 pm

Ray - I did a Google search, and it seems that Neil Livingston (the now legally blind steeler you referred to) and his brother, Ron, played on the original version of "Hot Rod Lincoln" by Charley Ryan, who wrote the song. Here's a link to a trailer from a documentary in progress about the brothers.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vG6rsu7Y1W8

Glenn Uhler · Post by **Glenn Uhler** » 11 Dec 2013 12:55 pm

Somewhere, back in my memory bank, I remember seeing an article about a partially-sighted student learning the steel. He located his fret position by feeling a set of "Braille-like" markers on the guitar along the front edge of the strings. For example, there was a round marker at the fifth fret, a triangle at the seventh fret, a square at the ninth, and two bumps at the 12th fret. Using a short bar and hanging his index finger over the edge of the strings, he knew what fret he was on. Obvoiusly, he had to learn the grips by feel.

Ray Montee · Post by **Ray Montee** » 11 Dec 2013 2:11 pm

Many thanks to YOU!

My mind had just blanked out.

I appreciate it.

Eddie Cunningham · Post by **Eddie Cunningham** » 11 Dec 2013 6:11 pm

In the great action movie "Road House" with Patrick Swayze there was a band featuring blind guitar player Jeff Healey who played a Fender ?? on his lap !! Not a steel but a very impressive and well known & successful lead player !! olde geeze AKA Eddie "C"

Andy Volk · Post by **Andy Volk** » 11 Dec 2013 6:19 pm

Herb Remington taught a blind student by putting nails on the side of the instrument at the fret locations.

Clyde Mattocks · Post by **Clyde Mattocks** » 11 Dec 2013 7:49 pm

Our own forumite Tom Kaufman from Denton, Md. is blind and an excellent player. He plays steel, lead guitar and fiddle with a band called the Jones Boys.

Mike Neer · Post by **Mike Neer** » 11 Dec 2013 8:04 pm

Roy Lanham said one of the best steel players he ever heard was a blind man named Billy Galloway, who played a single neck steel and sounded like George Barnes. They played jazz together, and Billy would play bass lines while Roy soloed.

Myk Freedman · Post by **Myk Freedman** » 11 Dec 2013 8:04 pm

Wow, thanks for all the info on people out there playing steel without the aid of their eyes. Pretty inspiring hearing there are so many people doing something that just this morning I was wondering if it was even possible. This is really making me rethink what I've thought of as "limitations" of the instrument!

Alan Brookes · Post by **Alan Brookes** » 12 Dec 2013 11:03 am

I don't see that being blind is detrimental to playing steel. Every steel player is playing blind on a darkened stage. The violin doesn't even have frets or fret markers. The musicians are looking at the music in front of them, and at the conductor. They're not looking at their fingerboards.
I was taught to touch-type as a child, and, as a working accountant for 45 years, I've been using an adding machine for as long as I can remember. I can rattle numbers into the machine faster than you can read them out, and I seldom make errors, but ask me where the number 4 is on the keyboard and I have to think about it. Likewise, when I'm typing I'm reading what I'm copying; I'm not looking at the keyboard; but ask me where the letter K is on the keyboard and I have to think about it.
Everyone realises that you can play guitar, mandolin, banjo, just as easy with your eyes closed, because the frets keep you in tune, so they assume that you need to be looking at the fingerboard in order to ensure that your tone bar is in an accurate position when playing steel, but that's just not the case. We get the notes in tune because our hands remember where the notes are. If you whistle a tune and then ask me to play it without looking at the fingerboard I will do so, without having to think of where the notes are. It's instinct. You just remember where the notes are and do it without thinking. I don't know how. It just happens.
Of course there are successful blind steel guitarists. You don't need to use your eyes to play steel, any more than you do to play the 'cello or the trombone. Have you ever seen a trombone with position markers on the slide? $:\$

Myk Freedman · Post by **Myk Freedman** » 12 Dec 2013 11:48 am

Hi Alan, I think playing without looking on steel is different than on other instruments because the muscle memory and tactile experience is not the same. On guitar, cello, violin, etc. the left hand is in a position and takes in a lot of information from being in physical contact with the neck. On steel you're holding a bar and sliding across strings but not holding anything of the instrument. A comparable example might be how it's fairly easy typing on a keyboard or typewriter without making mistakes, while typing on a smartphone screen where the letters are only represented visually it's much more difficult. I'm sure blind smartphone texting could be mastered too but it wouldn't be the same as learning to touch type. But the important thing is, it can be done!

Tom Snook · Post by **Tom Snook** » 12 Dec 2013 1:22 pm

Did you notice,they mention a 3 neck 22 1/2 in.scale Fender,then show a 26 in. Fender guitar.

Steve Lafferty · Post by **Steve Lafferty** » 20 Oct 2014 4:36 pm

Is there anyone here who knows Neil Livingson?

I use to play music with Neil many years ago and have lost touch with him and I think about Neil alot. He was such a great guy and great musician. He was without a doubt one of the best pedal steel players I ever worked with or heard play.

Neil had a sight problem. He had tunnel vision extremely bad but he never let it get in the way of his music. He installed a small lamp on the front of his E9th neck that helped him see when on dark stages or clubs.

I have often wondered about Neil and how he is doing? I hope this finds him in good health and I hope he still has his great wit about him today.

If someone knows anything about Neil I would love to hear how he is. I would love to talk to Neil again. What a prince of a man.

Thank you so much,
Steve Lafferty

Steve Lafferty · Post by **Steve Lafferty** » 21 Oct 2014 11:42 am

Alan Brookes wrote:I don't see that being blind is detrimental to playing steel. Every steel player is playing blind on a darkened stage. The violin doesn't even have frets or fret markers. The musicians are looking at the music in front of them, and at the conductor. They're not looking at their fingerboards.
I was taught to touch-type as a child, and, as a working accountant for 45 years, I've been using an adding machine for as long as I can remember. I can rattle numbers into the machine faster than you can read them out, and I seldom make errors, but ask me where the number 4 is on the keyboard and I have to think about it. Likewise, when I'm typing I'm reading what I'm copying; I'm not looking at the keyboard; but ask me where the letter K is on the keyboard and I have to think about it.

Everyone realises that you can play guitar, mandolin, banjo, just as easy with your eyes closed, because the frets keep you in tune, so they assume that you need to be looking at the fingerboard in order to ensure that your tone bar is in an accurate position when playing steel, but that's just not the case. We get the notes in tune because our hands remember where the notes are. If you whistle a tune and then ask me to play it without looking at the fingerboard I will do so, without having to think of where the notes are. It's instinct. You just remember where the notes are and do it without thinking. I don't know how. It just happens.
Of course there are successful blind steel guitarists. You don't need to use your eyes to play steel, any more than you do to play the 'cello or the trombone. Have you ever seen a trombone with position markers on the slide? $:\$

Have you personally tried to play steel guitar without the use of your eyes??? Not as simple as it sounds.
I understand that you think it might be easy because of how you said "people type or people use a regular guitar or people use other instruments without seeing. But, with a steel guitar, you need to be almost exactly over that PAINTED fret line which represents the fret, but with a regular guitar neck you only have to be between the frets. I have worked with some fine steel guitarists in my life and if you are off that painted fret even a 1/16th of an inch it makes a difference. I worked with one of the finest PSG players in the world by the name of Neil Livingston and he had blindness but it was Tunnel Vision so he could see but only like looking through a gun barrel that was only open about 3 inches in good light. So, he installed a small lamp on the front of his double neck and it gave him enough light to see his neck in that 3 inch circle well enough to play. But I have never never seen in my 35 years of playing for a living a TOTALLY blind PSG player. Im not saying there isnt any but I have played from coast to coast in LA, New York, Nashville, and all across this great country and I never saw or heard of a Totally Blind steel player. If there is one they would have to be extremely advanced. Again, not saying there isn't one but it would be extremely difficult I would think. Just my opinion.

Bill Mollenhauer · Post by **Bill Mollenhauer** » 21 Oct 2014 4:51 pm

http://www.youtube.com/user/emilysbluegrass/feed

I would think a dobro is pretty close to a steel and Emily seems to be able to play it without seeing the frets or anything else.

Steve Lafferty · Post by **Steve Lafferty** » 21 Oct 2014 7:31 pm

That is good. I like to see that. I like that video a lot. But, ;like i said you gotta be really great at it. thanks for sharing that video.

Steve Lafferty · Post by **Steve Lafferty** » 23 Oct 2014 3:40 pm

That is all well and good. But, try putting on a blindfold and see how good ya sound. Dobro is one thing but pedal steel is another. I would think.

Jana Lockaby · Post by **Jana Lockaby** » 24 Oct 2014 5:47 am

For the record, playing without sight is possible, even though I was told it was not. I do it. sometimes I do it well, sometimes not. No, Iâ€™m not great, and no one will, probably, ever pay me to do it. It doesnâ€™t matter to me. Iâ€™m still out playing, mostly dobro, but a little psg and lap steel, when I'm feeling brave, at least 4 times a week, and sometimes more. As a, totally, blind person, I figure I have about a 50/50 shot at getting the intonation just right, at any given time; just like any sighted person. It just takes lots, and lots, of practice. Just like it does for any sighted person. Is it harder for me? Iâ€™ve got no clue, never played with sight. Do I think it would be easier if I could see? Yes.
Iâ€™m not the only blind player. Emily does a great job on dobro. Jonathan is incredible, and there are a number of others I could name. Where there is a will, there is a way. There are a number of reasons you donâ€™t see them out playing in public. In my experience, as a blind person, sometimes, the biggest obstacle I face, are people, who can see. Just saying, not directing this at anyone. If you are blind, and want to play, you can do it.

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