The Steel Guitar Forum

My first song was What Child is This?

This discussion should help all new players to try easier songs first.

Jason Rivet
Richardson, TX

I was hacking away on stage before I knew any complete songs, but I think one of the first real ones was Greensleeves or Tennessee Waltz.

In my very first lesson with the great Cal Hand...

...he tried to teach me the Tennessee Waltz.

Three cheers for Mansion On The Hill!!!

I think Honkey Tonk Angels

For me it was Harbor Lights on lap steel. I still love that tune.

When I got my first steel it coincided with my first exposure to Emmons' 'Wichita Lineman' ('Suite Steel'). I drove down to my old friend, Gerry Hogan, in Newbury and begged him to show me where it lay on my 3+1 set-up. Note by painstaking note, I wrote it in a sort of shorthand tablature (before I knew that tab existed) and I'm delighted to say that I still have that piece of paper.

I learned nothing from that ordeal, however - learning 'by rote' teaches you nothing.

I was already an experienced guitarist and realized pretty quickly that I needed to learn the steel's fretboard and its musical symmetry. Only then, and by using my intuitive sense of 'intervals', was I able to play anything that came into my head. That, for me, was the real 'open sesame'.

Learn your scales and you can play any tune. I'm glad I came to that realization early.

Sleepwalk

"Steel Guitar Rag".

Bill

"She Thinks I Still Care"

Chere Tout-Tout……😂😂….seriously, I first learned Cajun Music and it was on an 8-string Fender that my uncle loaned me. That’s a 2-chord song. The guitar was tuned in open G.

On E9th about a year later I learned Danny Boy…pretty sure it was a Sho-Bud course with a LP record. The tab had slants in it instead of using the E to F lever. Looking back I’m thankful because I like slants better and my guitar didn’t have that lever. I’d have been pretty discouraged without that course because I didn’t know anybody who played E9th…..nor any knowledge of intervals, scales, etc…. Next was the Neil Flanz Sho-Bud LP course with the intros and endings. When I played that Memphis Vamp on the bandstand I thought I’d made the big time….😂😂😂😂

It has to be "MAKING BELIEVE".

The first thing I learned was Buddy's first solo on "I'll Be All Smiles Tonight" (by ear) off "The Steel Guitar & Dobro Sounds of Shot Jackson & Buddy Emmons". Five and a half years later I still can't play it as smooth as Buddy, but still tryin'....

- Slim

Little Grass Shack, on the Stringmaster E6 tuning.
Red River Valley (Winnie Book) on the Stage One psg

Little Wing. Mar 2021

I learned to play Steel Guitar Rag on my dad's Fender 1000 when I was a kid but learned nothing about PSG. 60 years later I actually bought my own steel and started learning the instrument Feb. of this year. The 1st month I learned chords. When I learned how to make a minor chord (A pedal) I taught my self Little Wing because I already knew the chord progression inside and out. It took about an hour to get the chords right. A month later I found out I could also make minor chords with the B+C pedals I tried that and now I mix 'em up and I'm also using the E-Eb KL. It just keeps getting better with this instrument.

Ed

It was either I Love You Because or Steel Guitar Rag...

Robert

My Bonnie Lies Over The Ocean

Rick

Ramblin Rose on lap steel.

Easy Lovin on pedals

Mansion on the Hill, from the Bruce Bouton DVD.

steel guitar rag

Amazing Grace

Back in 1959 I started taking lessons on a lap steel. My instructor made learn an old Roy Rogers song called "The Man in the Moon is a Cowhand".

I can hardly remember what I had for breakfast this morning. My guess for my first song would be 'Steel guitar Rag'??????

Red River Valley, from Winnie Winston book