The Steel Guitar Forum

So, I will be taking the month of February and not playing anything steel related via TAB.

How would some of you guys structure your playing and practice time if you were trying to move past playing from TABs?

As so many other players, I have found myself a bit stagnant in my progression as of late. I take a piece of TAB, learn it, get it fluid - and like an automated process just keep replaying it. Regretably sometimes falling back into playing that piece instead of learning something new. I don't feel like Im growing with the Steel, and curtainly not embodying the universal tuning to its potential this way.

The easiest thing would be to play the tabs that you know in different keys. Just move everything up 3 frets, for example. Try to be aware of what key you are in.

Do you read music? Just plop something in front of your face and try to play it.

Can you play by ear? Try to pick out the melody of a song you know.

Play 1-4-5 (or 1-6m-2m-5) progressions in every key, starting with “no pedals” 1 chords and then moving on to starting with AB 1 chords.

Try something really weird, like playing your tabs backwards 😎

Also, just have some fun noodling!

Now is time to jump in.
You should have many of the phrases and grips stored in your memory from the tabs. To the next phase, Now to U tube or a CD and try to play some of your tab songs, Not by Seeing the moves, But challenge your ears to follow the music by memory and hearing the song, And playing it.

Once your are comfortable with songs you know. Pick a recorded song you have just heard and try to play it by hearing it.

The next step is get with other musicians or a band band and play whatever songs they play.

Good Luck in the Adventure, Happy Steelin.

Benjamin, I have been playing about a year and a half now and lately I have been picking a song on YouTube and watching different versions and try to somewhat copy what the player is playing. Often times I don’t have the skills to copy but come up with a different/simpler version but works and sounds good and fits my limited skills.

The song I am working on now I can play several different versions from more than one steel player. It is unique and different and it has helped my playing a lot.

Explore different ways to play the tab and get the same notes.

Do you have Band-in-a-Box? It's a great tool to begin thinking in terms of accompanying a chord progression and fretboard awareness rather than playing tab

My opinion obviously - but at some point, it is necessary to be able to just get off the page. Just play the thing. If you have backup tracks, great. Or just play along with a record. Or a cappella. Whatever. No preconceptions about what to play, just wing it for a while and see how it goes.

No kittens will be killed, the earth will not come off its axis.

Back in my more "serious" music days, I was a bassoonist and later a classical guitar player. In both cases, reading off the chart. I was a lousy sight reader, and was in fact a lousy reader in general. I could play and I could read music, but what I always did in practice was to read the music until it was in my head, and then play it by ear.

Playing other instruments, including steel, since that time, I've tried to use tab on occasion but found that I'd always use it just long enough to get it in my head, and then I'd just play it just like I did in my classical music days.

Tab definitely has its place, and it's a tested tough way to learn the basics, but it can become a crutch and hold you back from really learning to play.

Dave

Thanks for all the replys so far, its been helpful.

Today, I cleared the TAB from my music area, and played a few pieces from memory. Nothing too complex.

Then, an excersise of preparation and study. Took my COPEDENT, and wrote out intervals for both the E9th and B6th modes. I have good chord charts for E9th, and over this period I'll append more B6th to them.

Tomorrow, I'll start with some common country and gospel chord progressions, and practice changing keys on the fly, and see how the frist few days go.

Keep the suggestions coming, fellas.

I just throw this in:

Show me any of the Greats who have published TAB and did LEARN from TAB.
NONE I know?

I could "get" written formats as means of conveying or transporting information prior to the availability of video.

Tab has ONE major problem:
While it correctly graphically shows distances ACROSS the strings, it uses to left-to-right axis for TIME. Distance is then replaced by "Fret Numbers", and what the student of TAB LEARNS to do, it to play by fret numbers, and totally overlooks DISTANCE RELATIONSHIPS... repeating patterns (too many trees in front of the forest syndrome), and thus does NOT learn to play freely.

When you hum, sing or whistle (and I expect ANYBODY interested in an instrument like the steel guitar to be sufficiently musically inclined to at least hum or whistle)... NOBOBY seems to need written music or TAB. Actually, most EVERYBODY can do it in ANY key!
IF the steel guitar has ONE advantage over the Piano, besides sliding, it is the ability to modulate from any key into any other key without the player having to concern himself with "black" keys and different grips. WHY then learn a song and attach it to fret NUMBERS? Sure, you can re-calculate all your frets. But folks, all we do is the SAME movements over and over again.
You think COUNTRY is tough? Guess again! Look at Jazz and take this under consideration: a 2, 5, 1 or 6, 2, 5, 1 is often not only played over these Progression positions. a 2, 5, I can very likely happen starting at the III chord in the progression... sure, you could learn to play a 3, 6, 2... like it was something else! but WHY would you. TAB blurs the "evident"... all TAB players do is, buy yet another TAB to learn a new song... and for most, it's just another 1, 4 5 song.

CHARTS are not TAB.
BE once did a article series in "The Steel Guitarist" Magazine about his single not C6th concepts. It was called POCKETS. It was on PURPOSE NOT Tab... it was a chart... 2D: across the stings, and along the the neck. You learn THAT, you can play it in any key. Had he circled where the changes (Eg: 2,5, 1's were) you could have taken it apart and re-lay over most any tune (like he DID, he called it "clichés").

Jeff Newman SOLD tab. I asked him why, because I knew that when he was TEACHING he taught "intervalic" (distances, moves)... his answer was "because they ask for it". His videos which are old and "dated" are still VALID and most if not ALL where INTERVALIC. TAB is NOT intervalic.

... and now you can run to the gas station and fuel up your flame throwers while gas is still cheap!... but I am too far away!
To me, defending Tab is like defending smoking and hard drinking... J-D.

Rank amatuer here.
I dont know how to read a tab sheet and play at the same time.
I will reference tab sometimes,if im really stumped and for whatever reason,wanting to play a section note for note like a recording was done.
That is seldom though.

The best advice i was given-" play the thing till your ears take your hands where they're supposed to be".

You mentioned that you have been writing out your own copedent intervallic charts. That’s great! Two interactive apps to consider that do an excellent job of this:

Steel Sidekick by forum member John Sohn is available in the App Store. iOS only.
Guitar Map by forum member Karlis Abolins. For Windows only, I believe. You would have to contact Karlis by PM for how to download.

I have both these apps and can’t recommend them highly enough.

Regarding the benefits or hazards of learning by TAB. I think it’s worthiness has been proven by the test of time. If it is the only method a student uses when learning to play, eventually it will become a limiting factor in musical growth. However, used in conjunction with ear training, standard notation, apps and other visual aids, and playing in a band or with backing tracks, it is another tool in the box.

The fact that BE or Jeff Newman or, name your steel guitar icon of the moment, never relied on TAB is like saying Einstein never relied on a pocket calculator. We can’t all be geniuses.

The licks that you have learned, try to fit the lick or parts of it, into other songs. Although no one has specifically mentioned it, all are alluding to a common goal: Being able to play without having to think about every move! Tab is a tool, but like it was brought out, it can be a crutch when relyed on, too much. Your idea of going without tab is a good one.....move ahead.

Kudos to you for getting off tab -- I think tab is good for beginners to get going and to be able to get some of the sound of the pros, and that is very encouraging to a beginner -- "Hey, I sound like E!". It's just mimicry, and that's how we learn most things. If the pros didn't use tab, I'm not sure that has to apply to little 'ol me -- I'm not a pro and I will do whatever works in my life. There are many tools in my box.

But then the second phase needs to come.

Chick Corea says "Only play what you hear."
(https://www.openculture.com/2020/02/chi ... -1985.html)

The problem that can happen with tab is if your mind is inside the tab page, not in the instrument. I like to think of a writer, sitting in front of his typewriter -- when he is trying to create, I imagine he looks up away from the page and maybe closes his eyes -- then he puts the idea down on the typewriter -- if he did not get his mind up and out of the page, he won't get any good ideas.

First you get the mechanical world proficiency, then you must get your head into the music idea world. This can be hard since we have been down in the technical details for so long, but if you want to be an artist...

One thing I do is hum along to a song to try out licks without the pedal being there. Or play an instrument I know better. You need to find a way to be able to hear things. Salvador Dali used to lie on the couch 'til he was almost asleep, then he would ring a bell to wake up and then write down all the fantastic thoughts he was having.

Once you get the idea, then work out the technical aspects of it. (This is all assuming you have an ear that can be developed -- if you don't, tab is the only way to go.)

Thanks to all for your input so far, its been helpful. I've had some extra time on my hands the last couple of days and making a point to use it as effectively as possible.

Observations over the last two days of playing this way:

-Intervals are making a whole lot more sense to me now that I have things laid out in front of me. Should have done some of this a long time ago.

-There are techniques that I have neglected or never bothered learning. That is a foolish thing for me to have to admit. Worked a bit today just "squeezing" pedals, and working through a 1, 4, 6m, 5 progression. . . It was not my best work. I'll be reviewing my lesson materials again on that subject and needing to dedicate time to that, and basic volume pedal technique as well.

-This exercise is proving helpful, and I appreciate the Forum for the resource its provided me.[/code]

Benjamin Davidson wrote:Thanks to all for your input so far, its been helpful. I've had some extra time on my hands the last couple of days and making a point to use it as effectively as possible.

Observations over the last two days of playing this way:

-Intervals are making a whole lot more sense to me now that I have things laid out in front of me. Should have done some of this a long time ago.

-There are techniques that I have neglected or never bothered learning. That is a foolish thing for me to have to admit. Worked a bit today just "squeezing" pedals, and working through a 1, 4, 6m, 5 progression. . . It was not my best work. I'll be reviewing my lesson materials again on that subject and needing to dedicate time to that, and basic volume pedal technique as well.

-This exercise is proving helpful, and I appreciate the Forum for the resource its provided me.[/code]

I think it's a great plan. I may set you back for a month or so, but you will quickly reap the rewards of being "free".
I would add this:
I highly recommend two courses:
- Maurice Anderson's "The Missing Link" IF it is still available somewhere. It's a great introduction with exercises on how to play in intervalic relationships.
- Pau Franklin's online course, follows the same principle but goes much farther. It's a seizable investment, but WELL worth it.

youtube is a great source, one of the few things I envy current generations for.
Besides a ton of "entertainment" and garbage, you can learn to fix a dish from a far away culture, how to speak another language and it helped me to fix the wash machine the other week and you can learn about Jazz, Piano, Banjos and.... Steel Guitars.
JUST that it's also a breeding ground for a lot of exposure-ego driven fake-teacher.
IF you find a video about a musical subject you like, and the "teacher" starts could out with "so, I'm here on the 15th fret and string 5 & 6 and then I press the pedals and... blah blah blah"... either that person can't teach, or most likely has no clue about WHAT they do. It's "talking TAB".
So, choose your "sources" carefully... there's a lot of "Fake News" out there (pun humorously yet fully intended)

LISTEN to music, learn to hum even solos. You HAVE to be conscious of what you want to play. Analyze in your head if the following note is higher or lower and so forth. You can do that in the car... or anywhere.



Good luck!... J-D.

I'm from the old school. I play the same way now as I did 40 years ago. Play along with sound tracks. Last few years my favorite place is YouTube. I remember the days of vinyl. Pick up the arm and move it back until I figured it out.

I would have never learned to play banjo had it not been for tabs, and it was quite by accident--my first banjo came (from Sears) with a 45 rpm record and matching tabs, and between the two it all made sense quickly. And I abandoned tabs and listened to records to figure out what was going on.

Without the background I got from the Sears tab/record set (by Dr. Nat Winston), I'd have never figured it out. I went on to play banjo for a living for a short while before I burned out. Definitely worthwhile, but I moved on. Same thing goes for steel.

My dad was a music professor, as well as a stringband player, jazz pianist, Irish accordion player and operatic tenor, also an Air Force Air Traffic Controller at one point or another in his life. He led me down the path I've taken. He did a lot of work studying early music, and when I was learning tablature banjo in High School, he showed me how early lute and other music was originally done in tab before standard notation took hold. I was impressed. It's been around a very long time, before standard charts came about. It's still a valid way to document how to do things. But for me, it's still a point of departure. I think it always was.

Dave

Thanks for the continued comments folks,

J D, I have about just shy of 2 years on Franklin's course, its been helpful. I tend to listen to those without the guitar in front of me, and then I have the tabs pulled up later at the steel. . . I've been focused on re-watching a few lessons this month, then immediately sitting at the guitar and putting it to better memory.

I am looking for more of Maurice's lessons, haven't had too much luck. YouTube can be great for those sometimes, and leave you really distracted and off track if you're not careful.

David, up till a couple of years ago Banjo was my primary instrument, a little easier to pick up on things TAB'ed on the old 5 string.

Benjamin Davidson wrote:Thanks for the continued comments folks,

J D, I have about just shy of 2 years on Franklin's course, its been helpful. I tend to listen to those without the guitar in front of me, and then I have the tabs pulled up later at the steel. . . I've been focused on re-watching a few lessons this month, then immediately sitting at the guitar and putting it to better memory.

I am looking for more of Maurice's lessons, haven't had too much luck. YouTube can be great for those sometimes, and leave you really distracted and off track if you're not careful.

David, up till a couple of years ago Banjo was my primary instrument, a little easier to pick up on things TAB'ed on the old 5 string.

IF you do what you are stating above, you are light years ahead of many who play for years and still need "crutches" for every next step!
Yes, you should be able to "see" the sounds! When you got that down, you can tell BE to "move over"... , well, not quite and no disrespect, but you get the drift.

After I wrote my previous message and mentioned Maurice's "Missing Link" (and I believe he did two more courses expanding on it)... and was dismayed to find that NO-one seemed to have taken up his material to continue to be available.


The Missing Link had an intervalic chart system with overlays... it was brilliant.
It "cracked the nut" for me, but sadly, most even back then, were more interested in getting their next "fix" of tabbed out "licks". But those who did The Missing Link all acclaimed it and I think only few would have gone back to TAB after it.

A key thing is also to release oneself from the urge of not only learn from the Greats but to want to SOUND like them. We move ourselves in a musical world of individualists. We are not meant to be orchestra violinists playing in "unison" along with 20 others... so the best way to "imitate" our heroes is to become individualists like the too.
Don't just listen to steel guitars, listen to Sax players, Piano players, Guitarist (just NEVER to Banjo Players, they are "impure" and never Kosher und thus not worthy! Ha! )

... J-D.

J D Sauser wrote:After I wrote my previous message and mentioned Maurice's "Missing Link" (and I believe he did two more courses expanding on it)... and was dismayed to find that NO-one seemed to have taken up his material to continue to be available..J-D.

I am not sure on that particular course, but Jim Palenscar has some the material for sale that was once available through M. Anderson.

Scroll down on this link to see Maurice Anderson stuff. It looks like its just "smart tab" series, but Jim may know of the lesson mentioned above if you call or email him.

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/ ... =321428521




J

James Sission wrote:

J D Sauser wrote:After I wrote my previous message and mentioned Maurice's "Missing Link" (and I believe he did two more courses expanding on it)... and was dismayed to find that NO-one seemed to have taken up his material to continue to be available..J-D.

I am not sure on that particular course, but Jim Palenscar has some the material for sale that was once available through M. Anderson.

Scroll down on this link to see Maurice Anderson stuff. It looks like its just "smart tab" series, but Jim may know of the lesson mentioned above if you call or email him.

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/ ... =321428521




J

Cool. That helps, but Smart-Tab was an "application" which derived from "The Missing Link".

I'll ask Jim. I think that material was time-less because it was not about licks and songs which can be "dated", but rather a mind set that is universal (not the "tuning").

Thanks!... J-D.

J D Sauser wrote:

James Sission wrote:

J D Sauser wrote:After I wrote my previous message and mentioned Maurice's "Missing Link" (and I believe he did two more courses expanding on it)... and was dismayed to find that NO-one seemed to have taken up his material to continue to be available..J-D.

I am not sure on that particular course, but Jim Palenscar has some the material for sale that was once available through M. Anderson.

Scroll down on this link to see Maurice Anderson stuff. It looks like its just "smart tab" series, but Jim may know of the lesson mentioned above if you call or email him.

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/ ... =321428521




J

Cool. That helps, but Smart-Tab was an "application" which derived from "The Missing Link".

I'll ask Jim. I think that material was time-less because it was not about licks and songs which can be "dated", but rather a mind set that is universal (not the "tuning").

Thanks!... J-D.

I think what you are describing is likely a parallel to Paul Franklin's courses on intervals and the ones he does on permutations. Those are really designed to educate the student on how to get around the fret board and create his own musical ideologies and styles.

K.

James Sission wrote:

J D Sauser wrote:

James Sission wrote:

J D Sauser wrote:After I wrote my previous message and mentioned Maurice's "Missing Link" (and I believe he did two more courses expanding on it)... and was dismayed to find that NO-one seemed to have taken up his material to continue to be available..J-D.

I am not sure on that particular course, but Jim Palenscar has some the material for sale that was once available through M. Anderson.

Scroll down on this link to see Maurice Anderson stuff. It looks like its just "smart tab" series, but Jim may know of the lesson mentioned above if you call or email him.

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/ ... =321428521




J

Cool. That helps, but Smart-Tab was an "application" which derived from "The Missing Link".

I'll ask Jim. I think that material was time-less because it was not about licks and songs which can be "dated", but rather a mind set that is universal (not the "tuning").

Thanks!... J-D.

I think what you are describing is likely a parallel to Paul Franklin's courses on intervals and the ones he does on permutations. Those are really designed to educate the student on how to get around the fret board and create his own musical ideologies and styles.

K.

Yes. Evidently VIDEO was an "option" only back then. Yet, Maurice's Courses worked on the CONCEPT in depth and then provided a few tunes to apply it on and then go on "fly alone". I think that most which feel attracted by PF's course, would benefit more and easier from it after having acquired Maurice's courses on the subject.

... J-D.

I think tab is just another tool or can help speed up learning a phrase,solo or whatever. Too much dependence on them kinda stunts your ears.
It is relaxing and beneficial to just play a lick,phrase or song the way you want to. my 2cents