The Steel Guitar Forum

How does a person rate ability? what constitutes an AVERAGE PLAYER?
Things to consider;
1. Sight reads TAB
2. sight reads notes
3. knows 50 songs by memory
4. play back up in a band
5. can speed pick
6. can get a tone like Jerry Byrd

You get the idea, I would like to hear some opinions from you players.

Too many variables to have a rating system. This is an art form and subsequently it's the eye (or in this case...."ear") of the beholder that gives it value or status. But, what or who I dig may not be of any interest to you and vise versa.
I know lots of educated cats who can't play well at all (that's truth...not opinion).

I guess it depends where you live, and who/what is around you.
Myself, I'm the best steel player on Lorne Street.
Well, Lorne Street South, anyway.
-John

7. Has the coolest gear.

Musical skills, technical skills, ability to create, ability to copy, versatility of styles (slow/fast, country/swing/pop/rock/jazz, chord/single note), improvisational skill, consistency, live performance ability, recording ability, tone, E9 vs. C6 etc.etc.etc.

Okay guys, when is a beginner not a beginner?

Richard First I would like say When it come to playing the Steel you will never stop learning. The instrument is a creative instrument. I've been at it for over 50 years and im still learning. I personally feel you have to learn to play with your Spirit {with Love and Feeling}all the other stuff will come in time.To this day I have a love affair with my steel.And i try to sit at it and learn something new usually every day. Stay with it. Bob Allen.

'Big hair and cool clothes'

I rate players by height.

All that other stuff is FLUFF.
Who cares how well someone reads music or tab or what they eat for breakfast?

Many have said it. I'll say it again:
Either you can play or you can't.

Anything beyond that is a pi$$ing contest, in my opinion.

LTB

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<small>Larry Bell - email: larry@larrybell.org - gigs - Home Page
1969 Emmons S-12 6x6, 1971 Emmons D-10 9x9, 1971 Dobro

I agree with John Steele. How good you are depends on the standard of excellence of the area you play. When I was a young man living In Iowa I was the best around that area. That don't mean by any means I was a great picker. When we moved to the Des Moines area I was't nowhere near the best...but my style of playing dobro (picking twin strings) on a Strat was differant and I still had people that liked my style of playing the best.
As someone else said, It's In the ear of the beholder.

Bob Carlson

Well said Larry.. Nuff said.

For most of us, it would probably be more appropriate to say: "In the ear of the beer-holder?"

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My best,
Ernie

The Official Buddy Emmons Website
www.buddyemmons.com

Well, IMHO, it's just like baseball. Nobody can do it all! There are dozens of skills that players should have, and fortunately...not a single player has them all. We each have skills in certain areas, and that will have to do.

Oh yes, and any player who thinks he HAS got all the skills...he's lacking one of the more important ones...humility.