The Steel Guitar Forum

O.K. After spending almost a year in the woodshed trying to learn the E9 pedal steel and dabbling in C6 lap steel, I decided to answer an add for a band. I'm now faced with a gig in 4 weeks where I have to learn to play 25 songs (country/rock). I obviously can't memorize the steel parts from all of these tunes (maybe just some key intros or riffs) but being an inexperienced player I'm afraid of playing the same 4-5 stock licks for 20+ tunes. Any tips or suggestions would greatly be appreciated. Am I in way over my head or what??

Just do it.

Jason,,Just go for it and don't worry about it!!

Jump in and see how big of a splash ya can make.

I'm assuming this band has heard you play, [audition maybe]? So if they invited you to play they must have liked what they heard!

Have fun, and be

Larry


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"Fessy" S/D 12, 8/6 Hilton Pedal, Sessions 400 Ltd. Home Grown E/F Rack
"ROCKIN COUNTRY"

That's 4 more lick's than my 1st gig! LOL
JE:-)>

play the melody as much as you can.

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My web site

My big issues, when I was in your shoes, were:

- Timing accuracy
- Picking accuracy.

They're interrelated, of course. Spend some quality time with a metronome or beat box. Practice your grips and licks, steadily increasing the beats as you become more accurate with patterns and progressions. This helped me immensely when I started out in a band. At some of the first gigs, when it came time to do a solo I wasn't oiled up enough with my timing to keep up and play accurately.

All those standard licks you've learned will sound great if they're picked accurately and played in time.

I am used to rock/punk gigs on a regular 6 string. We play ten songs and the set lasts forty five minutes max. I havent been to many (ok, havent been to any) country shows.
25 songs seems like ALOT and a LONG set. Is this normal for a country band to have to play so many songs? thats like a what, three hour set? how do you hold an audience's attention for three hours (unless you are on a cruise boat and they cannot escape)?

Is this average for a country band? no wonder you country guys get paid so much for your gigs, you are really workin all night!

Jason, all these replies are right. You will surprised of what you know when you have the gun to your head. You're doing the right thing by practicing. That does make a difference when you're on stage. Your grip is more positive. Even the pros practice their right hand cross over technique etc continously from what I read on the personal articles published.

Just try and stay relaxed and remember to keep blocking!

Oh yeah...one more thing...don't forget your tuner.

Cheers!
Mark

Jason
If you can do it in the woodshed you can do it on stage Just don't look at the crowd and Go for it

Don't worry (or even THINK) about playing licks. Play through the chords for the songs. That's the first thing you need to learn anyway. All the licks in the world are no good if you don't know the chord progression of the songs you're playing.

If the chord is G, play 8,6,5 at the 3rd fret and slide up to the 10th pressing the A and B pedals. Just EASY STUFF.

Realize that most bands hire a steel player primarily for THE SOUND, not for the hot licks. Keep it simple until you have your feet on the ground.

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<small>Larry Bell - email: larry@larrybell.org - gigs - Home Page
My CD's: 'I've Got Friends in COLD Places' - 'Pedal Steel Guitar'
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
<font size="1" color="#8e236b"><p align="center">[This message was edited by Larry Bell on 29 June 2006 at 09:16 AM.]</p></FONT>

Jason,just relax and do it,Your are very lucky to have a live band to play with.You will learn more in one weekend playing live,than six months in your living room.The most importent thing to think about is playing in TUNE,the rest will come to you.

What Larry Bell said.Play the chord scales and keep tight intonation.Play the licks where you have confidence.And ALWAYS remember,every one in the room is wishing "they could do what your doing".I faked my way through 60 yrs of making people believe that I knew what I was doing..Have fun..PJ

Use rhe restroom before the set starts.

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My web site

How many licks did Pete Drake know?

Earnest, Pete only needed 2 licks. LOL

Larry's right. When I sit in with a band, I tell them I'm there to make steel guitar sounds. If I know the song, I'll play the signature licks from the song. If not, I resort to making steel guitar sounds. Play the chords, maybe bend a few notes into a chord change, and stay out of the way of the guys that know the song. As long as you concentrate on playing in tune, you'll be surprised at the compliments you will receive on your playing.

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Lee, from South Texas
Down On The Rio Grande

Mullen U-12, Excel 8-string Frypan, Evans FET-500, Fender Steel King

I'm not too far away from my first gig on steel either, so here my 82 cents...My steel teacher was big on putting me into situations where I could fall on my A--, and it made a huge difference in my development. I was in over my head so many times thanks to him saying "I can't make that gig, why don't you give Gabriel a call" to people all over town that, now, I can show up at a gig cold and make at least something happen. It won't alway (perhaps ever) be great, but it will add to the music. The first gig I ever did on steel was with my teacher's band, he was out of town and had me sub. I was terrified. I didn't know the tunes, they never rehearse,they're the best C&W band in town, etc. I just showed up and hoped for the best. It was a 2 hour gig that I was, technically speaking, woefully unprepared for, but I got through it relatively well, and, I swear, 2 hours felt like about 10 minutes. You'll be fine You'll learn a lot (maybe more than you hoped for, but hey), and it will be a blast. Just use your ears, don't overplay, and you'll feel great when it's over.People love the sound of the steel, and usualy you can do no wrong. I've had the worst night of my life and people still come up and say how great it sounded. Step on the A pedal, and watch the panties fly off, well maybe not... Don't let this make you complacent, but just know playing steel alone gives you a pretty nice pad.

Good Luck. Take the gig.

Gabriel

Try to get a set list ahead of time, and work out the charts for some of them wierd tunes that ask for minors...

Some great advice here, I particularly agree with Larry. A few things to keep in mind:
No one else will be focusing on your playing like you will- when you hear hesitation or holes from not knowing "every lick", they're probably hearing "tasteful laying out"!
Even simple smooth chord fills and slides are what people often think of as appropriate steel playing.
The other members and audience are pulling for you to have fun and do well, not waiting for you to crash and burn!

That being said, it is possible to learn 25 songs (well enough to play the gig) in a short time- we really set ourselves up for success with what we believe we can do, and what we push ourselves to accomplish. The best example of that is the many singers you'll see with a music stand they have to refer to, even on songs they've sung 100 times... and the other singers who never miss a word without a stand. Self programming.
One of the greatest assets to quickly learning songs like this is familiarity with the "Nashville" number system. You can chart out just the high points of the new tunes, and a small sheet of paper can hold everything you need.
When playing with bands for the first time, I'll listen to their CD or songlist, make some quick notes, and transfer them to the set list- "this one has the 6minor in the chorus, this one has the b7 in the verses", etc.
If you haven't approached music through looking at the number system, give it a try-it really makes this learn-a-bunch-or-songs thing easier!
Go get 'em...

Do your best to have fun ! I was playing my first steady gig after 3 months of owning a steel. I just found my first charts I made for the gigs. One had the name of the song and a big letter G on it with the number 3 next to it. That meant that the main chord was a G and that if I counted up 3 frets I was likely play a few right notes. The next song had a C and the number 8 and so on. I just wanted to play in the worst way and I did ! I owned the PA so they didn't fire me and I practiced constantly so I got better. Fats Kaplan played with us when he had time and all his hot shot buddies would come by the gigs. You should have heard me solo. Musicians would be cracking up at the bar. My note choice and phrasing could best be described and enthusiasticly random. I would get comments like you really have alot of nerve and hang in there. But I really wanted to play the beast and I was having fun.

It takes about 1,000 gigs to get it together and you gotta start someplace.

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Bob
upcoming gigs
My Website



<font size="1" color="#8e236b"><p align="center">[This message was edited by Bob Hoffnar on 29 June 2006 at 10:47 AM.]</p></FONT>

jason,

your notlone on this. i just got back into playing with a band that plays classic country no pratice time so i just jump in and play as long a got the right key. mosty
fills . listin to band. you will do find.
these guy's on forum arer right on listen too them
and have fun

my biggest mistake starting out early was learning the parts and not learning the instrument. Go with Larry's suggestion. Learn the chord changes in every song. Know how to play each chord in three different positions so you can slide around. If there is a signature lick, learn it, otherwise, stick to the chords. Once you KNOW the chords to these songs, work some improvisation licks off of the chords. Nothing fancy. Do some simple harmonized scale stuff starting in those chord positions. When playing a chord with the AB pedal down, you can do some cool 7th lick stuff 2 frets under with the B pedal and left inside knee and on and off with the A pedal. Just stuff like that. Nothing hard, but can give you just enough to put some life into your steel playing. I wish I would have done that from the beginning instead of memorizing for this song go to 5th fret and do this pattern, etc... and not really learn anything other than memorization. I think memorization is good when you do it in a way that you learn a cool lick from a CD and then learn how to apply it by figuring out what chord it is being played over and then find that chord variation in that area the lick is being played. Then you can memorize the lick and have it in your arsenal that anytime you are playing a chord voicing that is an AB pedal down chord, at that fret you can do such and such. Then YOU will start to create variations off that lick and etc...

But it all starts with learning the different chord positions and going from there.

I think 'less is more' is appropriate in this situation:

1) Don't step on the vocals.

2) Keep it simple.

3) Lay out. A lot.

4) Try to relax and have fun. That's one of the reasons why you play music, right?

<SMALL>I'm afraid of playing the same 4-5 stock licks for 20+ tunes.</SMALL>

Happens all the time, Jason, go for it and have fun, it'll make you a better player!

Drew

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<font size=1>Drew Howard - website - Fessenden, Derby and Fender guitars, 70's Fender Twin, etc.</font>