The Steel Guitar Forum

I remember when I started steel in mid 70s, I knew no one who had one or played one. It was tough. I finally discovered Jeff Newman, God bless him.

I am on occasion asked for advice and I always say, seat time, know what you want to hear, seat time, do not pump the volume pedal, seat time, do NOT be afraid of strings 1, 2, and 9. They don't explode on contact. You will be surprised at how useful they become. Seat time and know the song or lick you want to play. If it is not in your head, it will not come out your fingers.I sing it to myself as I play. Last, but not least, seat time.

One last bit of advice. It took me a long time and great disappointment to finally realize, there is only one Buddy Emmons and I ain't him.

This certainly is not all, but it is how I worked. I do not want pedal steel to go away. Banjos maybe!

Bill, I second everything you said. But I will add that it's also important to play with other (read: varied) players. You really need the exposure to other styles of playing, as well as other styles of music and musicians. Doing straight trading of 4-6-8 with tracks is one thing, but playing with players who don't always follow the rules precisely is part of playing in anything but real pro circles.

Donny Hinson wrote:Bill, I second everything you said. But I will add that it's also important to play with other (read: varied) players. You really need the exposure to other styles of playing, as well as other styles of music and musicians. Doing straight trading of 4-6-8 with tracks is one thing, but playing with players who don't always follow the rules precisely is part of playing in anything but real pro circles.

You right Donny. You reminded me of what Jeff Newman said at the first seminar I went to of his.

"Get in a band" he also said " nothing teaches you to play faster than being prodded by a band"

It's also important to listen to various players and their styles to explore different sounds of the steel-listening to various players can be very inspiring and rewarding! Another thing is to come up with your own style of playing

Well said, Bill!
One thing I tell all my students is to try to sound as much like your steel idols as you can. Aim for similar tone, intonation accuracy, and overall "feel." Eventually we all find ways to play in our own style, but mimicking a real pro is an excellent start.

And always ask: What if? Don't be afraid to try new things.

Bill Duncan wrote:I remember when I started steel in mid 70s, I knew no one who had one or played one. It was tough. I finally discovered Jeff Newman, God bless him.

I am on occasion asked for advice and I always say, seat time, know what you want to hear, seat time, do not pump the volume pedal, seat time, do NOT be afraid of strings 1, 2, and 9. They don't explode on contact. You will be surprised at how useful they become. Seat time and know the song or lick you want to play. If it is not in your head, it will not come out your fingers.I sing it to myself as I play. Last, but not least, seat time.

One last bit of advice. It took me a long time and great disappointment to finally realize, there is only one Buddy Emmons and I ain't him.

This certainly is not all, but it is how I worked. I do not want pedal steel to go away. Banjos maybe!

Spot on.

Mitch

Great advice, and I can't disagree with any of it.

BUT - depending on location, it's not always easy to GET that seat time, and dang near impossible to get in a band. Around here there is just not much demand for steel. There are 45-year players who are not playing much at all. Jamming isn't much better - some of the younger guys who work all week are trying to catch up on house and family on weekends, some others can do the DJ thing for some side income, and some of the long-time musicians are saying "I've played in bands for so many decades I just don't care to do it any more". And lack of live playing can lead to a lack of motivation.

It's a chicken-or-the-egg scenario - getting good enough to be in demand takes experience, but you're not in demand unless you HAVE the experience. I've heard SO many stories of "30 years ago, if you could say the words 'pedal steel', you were playing 7 nights a week". Those days are gone, without a doubt.