The Steel Guitar Forum

Curious as to the age of other beginers, I'm 63, had my Carter SD10 about 2 months and ocasionaly fumble my way through something simple, so whats your age, etc, and how are you progressing?? Good Luck

Larry

Hey Larry,

I'm 25 and have been playing for 6 months now. I'm progressing pretty good. I've got together with Don Curtis here in St. Louis, whose an excellent teacher, and my progression has really sped up. I've just joined a country band here in town, and that has also sped things up. I also recommend Band in a Box, just an excellent program. Ward

I was 65 when I started with my Emonns SD-10. I'm satisfied with the progress i'm making. But to really learn you have to play with a group and I can't stay up that late any more. In fact my wife is thinking about not letting me cross the street by myself.

Bob

Started at 47, now I am 48 and still starting. My primary resource has been Scotty's E9th Book with CD published by MelBay. I like the book in that it encourages you to read the notes rather than just rely on the tab, plus provides fundamental music theory. As a break from that I will play tabbed material without thinking too much about the notes. Also have Herby Wallace starting material for the C6 but have been mostly concentrating on the E9.

I'm 19, started when I was 17. I really don't know whether I should call myself a beginner or not today...

/Nicke Widén

At the risk of sounding stupid, what is a band in a box in plain simple terms please. It sounds like something I might need. Thanks
Gere

Lawrence, I'm 49 and have been playing professionally for 25 or 26 years. I still feel like a beginner in some ways- there is always so much to learn and discover, I think that's one of the true joys of our bizarre instrument- something to look forward to learning and growing on for as long as we can hold a bar!

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Stop by the Steel Store at: www.markvanallen.com

Gere,

Band in A Box is a computer program where you can set up a chord progression in any musical style you want. So if I want to practice to the chord progression from say "Crazy Arms", I just plug the chords in, set the style to Country Swing, and away I go. Give it a look at pgmusic.com

It's great to know I'm in such good company, I started Lap Steel last year when I was 60.
For many years I played acoustic guitar but after coming out to St Louis I was totally, totally hooked on Steel and just had to get involved and have not looked back since. Everyone on the forum has been so helpful with basic information and encouragement, thanks to b0b and all.

Well I am almost 60. Getting on to almost 4 months of lerning now. Got a good friend, Pascal Keel, who is a fine steel players coming over tomorrow for steaks and teaching.
Should be very entertaining at least.

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T.C.
Emmons S-10
Zumsteel S-10

I started playing double neck Fender in 1968 at the age of 8. Went to pedal steel in 1973 and have been playing pedals ever since. I'm a Sho-Bud and Emmons Push Pull man. Duane Becker

After playing lap steel and Dobro for a couple of years, I started playing pedal steel about 1974 at the age of 28. I only played a year or so before I quit music altogether and went back to school. About a year ago, at the age of 56, I started playing again. Here on the Forum I consider myself a beginner. I now play with other amateurs in about 3 different bands, 3 different kinds of music. I've tried to tell them I'm just a beginner, but they think because I'm so old I must have been playing for many years.

I'll be 35 in exactly one month. Got my first steel (a Sho-Bud Pro II) when I was in college. So I must have been around 21.

Since then, I've had an MSA classic 12, a Carter Starter, a Sierra Session 12 (that a should have kept) and my current Session 12 (the one that just burned in my house fire 2 weeks ago.)

I could play with a band now but I don't really have any urge to do so. I'd rather play bass in a band. Pedal steel requires too much effort and I wouldn't be able to play AND sing.

I'm a better singer than steel player.
http://16tracks.com/songs/KissAnAngelGoodMorning.mp3

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• Gary Shepherd
• Sierra Session 12
• www.16tracks.com

I'm 32 and just starting out. I bought my first steel in August (Sho-Bud LDG). As for progress, well, I'm using Winnie Winston's book but haven't carved out much practice time yet. So I'm still trying to play the first little song in that book, "Red River Valley," up to the speed of the CD. Almost there. I also have Jeff Newman's Pedal Steel 101 videos, which I'll be starting this week. It's been fun so far.

i'm 47 just had my first real lesson today had my carter starter 5 months

I was 41 when I started steel. Been a musician for over 30 years. I am now 43 and have had a lot of encouragement and "lessons" from several very good Iowa steel players. I still say "I should have" started 20 years ago, but...as they say, "I could have if I only would have..." Never too late to start if you have a true love for the instrument and realize that there are no boundaries.

Kirk

Niklas,
I head your sound clip of OBS.I dont think Id call you a begginer anymore
VERY nice playing!Thank you for posting it!

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Sho-Bud ProII
"there's been an awful murder, down on music row!"

I never had a desire to play steel. I mean I never "tried" to take up steel. I bought a Marlen S-10 (found a real good deal)for my 17 year old son who is really progressing well on tele. We we're just going to store it for a year until he was ready for it. There was a beginner's video tape in the case, so we put it on for kicks and grins, and after watching it for 10 minutes, I says "I can do this!!!" So that Marlen never made it to storage, and I have been on it ever since, until I sold it to get a Marlen D-10. Now I'm taking on the C-6th neck(with Jeff Newman's C-6th Workshop). I have been at it about 10 months time spent, and have played gigs on steel about 5 of those months. I am crowding 49, and am fascinated with steel!! I have never paid attention to steel before, but now I hear steel in all the old songs I played guitar and bass to, and was bored with. Hearing them from a steel players point of view, they are all fresh now!! I am very lucky in that I am in a band where everyone is easy going and puts up with me learning steel. We play a clean family oriented opry. My boy is in this band, too, and he plays lead guitar and sings. I am so lucky to play in a country band with my son, teaching him the country songs, the way country used to be. These are some of my finest family memories in the making. My whole family is there and either playing or listening!!! I play most of the bass, so he can grow better as a musician/singer. He plays bass on the last set so I can play steel. It makes a perfect situation for me to learn steel. He took up fiddle, saying, we need a fiddle player, not another steel player. He will take up steel probably next year. He also says "It's so hard to raise parents these days!!!!" I can't say enough good for this forum and the support to the entry level players like us, and this whole thread!!! Thanx. <FONT SIZE=1 COLOR="#8e236b"><p align=CENTER>[This message was edited by James Morehead on 16 November 2003 at 11:20 AM.]</p></FONT>

Thanks for all the resposes fellows, it's good to know I wasn't the only one that just fell off the "Pumpkin Truck"
Folks on the forum have really been great to help out so many thanks to all of them too
Larry

Larry --

Couldn't resist adding my 2 cents. I was was about six weeks shy of 50 years old when I started playing pedal steel. I'll turn 52 in about three months.

I have two kids at home, which often makes the decision between family time and practice time a tough one. Oh, how I wish I had started during my teens or twenties, when I was single and had the appropriate number of hours available to invest in practicing!

Mac

I started at 19 years of age. That was 24 years ago and it has been a great instrument to play. I am now 43 and still learning how to play this unique instrument.

I was 30 when I started. Still learning, but my curve is getting on the downhill slope!

JW

I was 20 years of age when I started to learn to play steel. I'm now 53 and a fairly accomplished steel guitarist, and play regularly at church funtions and revival meetings, etc. Even have my own studio where I record tracks and cd's for people who want them.....My love for this instrument has not diminished one bit from when I started. It's the greatest, as far as I'm concerned, instrument ever created. For those of you who started later in life and for the younger generation who have started playing the steel guitar, keep it up, because we never want to see this instrument go into extinction. The environment of our world would never be the same........KEEP PLAYING! HAL

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Be Blessed........HAL
'85 Emmons LeGrande D-10, Rack w/Evans, Lexicon MPX100 (2)1501-4 BW's IN PRO Cabs, & a Sound Tech PL500 Power Amp.

Larry,
I have loved the steel since I was a teenager but never took the time to do anything with that love.
I retired in 2000, at age 62, and the steel was the first post retirement activity I started. I have never regreted that move.
I will always be a "beginner" and enjoying it.

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Allen Harry
Zum SD10
Nashville 1000

I started when I was 29, now I'm pushing 32 and trucking along just fine