The Steel Guitar Forum

I've been messing with PSG for a couple years and I don't think I understand all I know about right hand blocking. I've read about it but I'm not sure I have the hang of it. I'm hoping some of you fellers can enlighten me or better yet suggest a good video instructional.

I just lay my right hand on the strings up around the 24th fret, or in that area, when you pick a note, & want it to ring, you raise your hand just a little, when you lay your hand back down it 'blocks' the note. By hand, I mean the right edge of your palm. Your hand should be curled a little, as if around a small ball. You can practice by not using your bar, just play the open notes & make them ring, then block them. You will get this with a little practice, no, I am wrong here, its gonna take a great deal of practice, but it will be worth every minute of it to your eventual great steel guitar playing. good luck!!

Ernie Pollock http://www.hereintown.net/~shobud75/stock.htm

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Don.. email me... I can help you with your blocking... I will explain it the way it was explained to me many years ago.. not fancy,but it worked great for me... bob

Some good ideas. Here are a few more.

I don't think of it as blocking as much as UNblocking.

The default position is with your hand resting comfortably in playing position with the fleshy outside portion of the hand resting gently on the strings. If you strum across the strings you will hear no notes (just a thud )

To play a note or a chord, lift your hand ONLY ENOUGH TO MAKE THE DESIRED NOTE(s) SOUND and then return to default position. This can be done with very little movement, although some of the fastest palm blockers (Jernigan comes to mind) move quite a bit.

Play with the minimum amount of right hand movement possible

Only cover strings you plan to play with your bar (if you're playing 4,5,8 your bar should NOT be covering the 1,2,3 strings.

Remember that the MUSIC is the thing. Make it sound musical. Nobody else has your hands and only you can figure out what works best for you.

Blocking should become second nature. You will know you are getting 'there' when you no longer think about it when you're playing.

Good luck

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<small>Larry Bell - email: larry@larrybell.org - gigs - Home Page
2003 Fessenden S/D-12 8x8, 1969 Emmons S/D-12 6x6, 1984 Sho-Bud S/D-12 7x6, 1971 Dobro, Standel and Peavey Amps

Don,

I only have one Jeff Newman DVD at this point (sorry to say). But it was a great primer when I started a few year ago. It covered a whole range of important basics. I'm not a great anything blocker (palm or pick), but find both fairly natural. In the Jeff Newman video I have( which is a little old, but excellent), "Pedal Steel Guitar Techniques Part One & Two", he does not go into pick blocking (in fact at the time he sort of made fun of it), but he does cover palm blocking nicely. You might not buy the video just for that, but like I said, he covers a whole range of great basics. There is a Jeff Newman "Right Hand Alpha" video that I'm fairly certain would go into blocking in much more detail. Ask a little more about that one though (I don't have it). So, you might be interested in the fairly comprehensive general in nature Pedal Steel Guitar Techniques or want to find out more about the Alpha video. I'm sure others here can help you also, but you did ask about video instruction and of course Jeff Newman's are highly recommended.

Bob P.

I got most of my right hand technique from Newman as well. They're all really good videos, but his "Right Hand Alpha" is what you're looking for.

Basically, do what these guys have said so far. Make your hand into a shape like you're holding an egg in your palm, with your index finger's knuckle sticking straight up into the air. That's your "default position" and hand's shape. When you play, lift your entire hand just a fraction of an inch off the strings. When you let it back down, don't rock your hand to the right to hit your palm down, just lay it back down on the strings, and you're ready to pick another one. Then open your hand and look for the big crease in your palm that's just below your pinky finger. You want that crease to line up with whatever string you're playing at the time. Coordinate that with your bar by putting the nose of the bar on whichever is the top string you're playing at the time. This will prevent any of the smaller strings sounding out while you're playing.

Hope this helps.

-MG

Don, I believe Ernie's advice is very sound. Here's how it went with me: I did just like Ernie describes (and I think it's in Winnie's book also). Practiced for hours and it didn't feel right, then in a flash it seemed like I had it. I've had it ever since. I don't know if anybody else ever experienced this, but it was like one minute I couldn't block and the next minute I could. Once it hits, you'll say, "oh yeah, that's how it's done."

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Marrs D-10, Webb 6-14E

*<font size="1" color="#8e236b"><p align="center">[This message was edited by Gene Jones on 13 November 2005 at 12:58 PM.]</p></FONT>

As mentioned above, Winnie Winston's "Pedal Steel Guitar" book is another great resource for information about palm blocking. There are 2 excellent palm blocking exercises/songs at the end of the section about blocking. There's something about those 2 exercises that helps a lot.

Bob P.

The thing about the palm blocking exercises in Winnie Winston's book that makes them so effective may be that the examples on the record sound so maddeningly cool! I am in love with that sound and still trying to get it.

I think someone on the Forum a while ago recommended taking your foot off the volume pedal while learning to block.

For a while I tried turning the reverb off and turning the volume WAY up to make sure I was completely killing the notes when I blocked. Tonight I will experiment with "unblocking." Thanks for the tip!
<font size="1" color="#8e236b"><p align="center">[This message was edited by John Lockney on 17 September 2005 at 04:49 PM.]</p></FONT>

For me its been a matter of just play the guitar and the right and left hand blocking just kind of comes along naturally. You'll learn in time what sounds good and learn to achieve that effect with your technique. At least thats the case with my learning so far. Good luck and best of licks!

Rick

All of the above pertains to one method called "palm blocking". There's also "pick blocking" in which you essentially put your pick back down on the string after you've played it, to shut it off. Joe Wright probably has the most extensive training material on this technique, which is also an important one to put in your bag of tricks, since different playing styles and situations demand different blocking techniques.

Don
The technique I came up with and use with my students works like this.
Place a popsicle from the tip of your pinky to the bottom of the pinky, cut the stick off.
Then place the stick between the flats of your ring finger and pinky don't let the stick touch the outside of the pinky then wrap the two finger from the tip of the pinky down with black electrical tape.
Make your hand into the shape like your holding an egg. Then work on three note chords for 10 to 15 mins.This will drive you mad for the first few days, but if one hangs in there this dose work.

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My Website

These are really good suggestions from real pros, Don. Can't comment on what's best, as I've only been playing a couple of months to your two years. But while I found Jeff Newman's material a good foundation, I'm finding Joe Wright's pick blocking to be more useful (for what I like to play). But they're both important. Maybe I find palm blocking harder is all.
Or maybe I'm clumsy.

If you'll email me, I'll send you the video once I'm done with it (just started on it).
He makes it very easy to see, and it's worth passing around.

To become a well-rounded player, you need to use both palm and pick blocking. I'd recommend learning palm first for chords and when you become more proficient at soloing, learn the pick blocking method.

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Marrs D-10, Webb 6-14E

Thank you for all of the good advise. I have a wonderful teacher, Mike Sweeney. He gives the advise of finding the line on the palm just below the pinkie, then practice a lot. I just hope I will ever play even half as good as he does. AWESOME!

Thanks guys I've tried several of your suggestions and they've been quite helpful. I guess I've been on the right track after all. Rick Garrett you and I must be on the same wave length. I played non pedal steel back in the 1950's and took a 40 year hiatus for a naval career and other adventures. I took up the Dobro about six years ago and have been moving up the ladder from lap steel to PSG. Apparently what I've always called muting is right hand blocking. This pick blocking is something new. I've messed with it some today and think I'll add it to my bag of tricks. Thanks again....Don

I must be doing it all wrong, as I curl my third finger up and use that to block.
It works for me, different strokes etc...

Hey Don, your steel playing does resemble my experience. There's a 30 year lay off in the middle of my picking. Took lessons from my dad when I was 12-13 and then one day the lessons stopped. I put that little 10 string Ricky under my bed and forgot about steel after that. Then about two years ago I started on pedals a little. Now I'm back to working on a MSA super slide lap steel and man I'm loving the simplicity of it. Good luck with your ride and keep at it. I gain a little more each day as the Good Lord helps me along.

Rick

<SMALL>the "ah ha" syndrome...i.e., when the answer to the problem is magically revealed</SMALL>

UNblocking.
Larry, you have made it make sense for me.
I just had it backwards.

www.aracnet.com/~lcbehm The Mechanical Advantage video also contains an optional method.

Larry Behm

bruce bouton made a very good instruction tape. i have sent him a few e mails asking him to do some more. it is very good for a beginner and explains many things about tuning, pic blocking etc. he even teaches you how to do a couple songs on the tape. he is a excellent teacher vs some of the other tapes that is out there today. simple cords done easy not any of the half pedal things like that. bruce is a very good player and a excellent teacher. doc

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