The Steel Guitar Forum

I've just watched Dwight Yoakam at Dalhalla, Rättvik, Sweden, in a great show, and his steel player also played guitar, mandolin, banjo, keyboard and accordion. I wonder if he's payed six times the ordinary fee.
The mix was country - bass and drums weren't main instruments - so it was quite a rewarding show to listen to. Unfortunately an increasingly pouring rain forced many listeners away before the show ended.

I admire anyone who is talented enough to play more than one instrument. Donny Herron of BR5-49 fits this catagory. He can play Guitar, Steel Guitar, Acoustic Guitar, Banjo, Dobro, Fiddle, Mandolin, Pedal Steel Guitar, Cello, and Lap Steel Guitar and plays them all very well.

I think most of us here play at least one or 2 other instruments. I also play guitar, bass, and mandolin.

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Warning: I have a telecaster and I'm not afraid to use it.
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My web site

Charlie McCoy played more than 6 instruments on his Czech tour a year back.

Petr
http://www.luma-electronic.cz/lp/elpe.htm

I heard Wayne Newton can play a number of different instruments well but that he can only play a couple of songs on each one, he made alot of dough doing that with his act.

I too admire those who can play several instruments - as a matter fact I admire anyone who can play just one instrument really good. I've messed around on guitar and steel for decades but have never been able to master any of them. Some say you have to focus totally on just one instrument to get really good at it, but some extreme talents like Charlie McCoy and a few others seemes to contradict that.
Anyhow, playing music is so much fun that even us mediocre amateur pickers can enjoy it nearly as much as the really good pickers. We often get lots of appreciation from audiences despite our limited skills. Maybe the talk about survival of the fittest ain't valid in music, LOL!

I just saw Dwight on Thursday night. Super show. Go see the boys if they come to your town! West Coast country at its finest and grittiest. The player in question is Josh Grange, from Hollywood, California. He played mandolin, pedal steel ( very cool West Coast style!!), keyboards, banjo, electric guitar, background vocals and percussion during the show. A very talented guy and a super nice fella - and, I'm proud to say, now a friend of mine. Josh is a member here, just recently joined. He probably doesn't have a lot of time to check in that often, but if you're reading, Josh......hope ya got home before the sun came up Friday morning.

Plus Josh just joined the "Cable Club", buying a Fender 800 from Mike Headrick for a new Dwight album! So not only is he a fine player and a nice guy - he has a nice level of mental illness like the rest of us Fender nuts...

Yes, Jim, he was telling me all about his new prized possession. He loves the 800 - and he got the Mooney licks to go right along with it.

On my last CD, I played all the instruments, did all the vocals, and engineered it myself. Guitar, Lead Guitar, Steel Guitar, Fiddles, Mandolin, Banjo, Upright Bass, Electric Bass, Piano, Dobro, Drum Machine. You can hear samples on my web sight (link below) I plan to do another maybe this winter and it will be all country with lots of fiddles and steel.

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Emmons Lashley Legrande D-10 8/4,Nashville 400, Profex II, Bunches of fiddles, guitars, etc....

racmusic.tripod.com

Forum member James Pennebaker... Not only plays several instruments, he plays them all well.

I've Been playing Trumpet and Flugelhorn for 32+ years now. Bass Guitar almost as long, but only occasionally. I started playing lap steel 3 years ago and have now moved onto Pedal Steel. Needless to say that extra "free time" very rarely exsists. (My wife says that it keeps me out of trouble!)

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Sho-Bud LDG, Gretsch Syncromatic Lap Steel, Bach Stradivarious 37 Trumpet, Getzen Flugelhorn, Fender Precision Bass (pre-CBS)

Rick - you certainly qualify as a true multi-instrumentalist. Great recordings!

PS. Judging by the pictures on your homepage, you obviously also have a wonderfully twisted sense of humor. And good taste in cars!

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´75 Emmons p/p D10 8+4, ca '72 AWH Custom D10 8+3, Hybrid Zum coming soon, Peavey Nashville 1000

My admiration for multi-guys is accented by the problem I encounter too often--sitting at the steel on the stand playing stuff that I actually hear in my head as being much more right on another instrument. I try to pull these things off on the steel even though I know they would sound much better on the instrument my brain intended them for. Unfortunately my time & attention span limitations don't allow for what it would take to go from instrumental hack on any of these other instruments---fiddle, accordian, guitar, mandolin--to performing picker. Steel guitar owns any time and energy I can come up with and lord knows I can't skimp on whatever time I can give it.

That's what I found impressive about Josh - he played each instrument with ease and expertise. Some guys are just musical, and the rest of us are just jealous.

I don't know about the ease and expertise part, but I can put away my fair share of vodka tonics!
Just ask Chris. He was buying 'em.
We're in Sydney now on the last stretch of what has been a year and a half long tour. We end in Hawaii in 2 weeks, so that doesn't suck...
I remember it was pouring rain in Sweden, and the crowd was dressed in yellow, red, green and blue rain slicks. It was a wild sight from the stage.
Listening right now to Emmons playing Together Again ( w/ Shot? ) looking over the Sydney Harbor as the sun goes down slow.
Time for a beer! Anyone want to join me?

Hi, I am playing a few instruments, cant say I play them all very good, but I play in one band; pedalsteel, lapsteel, dobro, irish bouzouki, mandolin, autoharp, tenor banjo and tin whistle. I see myself as a cheater in some ways, I sometimes feel I rely more on quantaty than quality.
I try to approach each instrument as what it is, not to take shortcuts and "fake" tunings and so on.
But I do really like it too, I feel very free in band situations where I can play what fits instead of trying to make something that dont fit-fit"! (if you understand what I mean)
If you go to my webpage: www.baroy.no you can hear soundclips and take a look at my instruments. I you visit the page, feel free to sign the guestybook:-)


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Tor Arve Baroy, Norway
www.baroy.no

Joshua, I hope you guys are playin' "I'd Avoid Me Too". That's one of my all time favorites...

Ray, I'm gonna tell him you said to play that one.

I play pedal steel and marimba. Sometimes i use a marimba mallot on the steel for a cool percussive effect. Can't use finger picks on the marimba, though.

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I got one of Rick Campbell's CDs at the last Saluda show and it is great. He is one talented individual. I especially like his fiddle playing. Certainly made an old duffer like me sound a lot better than I was. Rick I hope to see you at Saluda again Nov.12

Bill,

I plan to be at Saluda for Saturday night and part of the day Sunday. I have to leave for Jamaica on Monday at 5:45AM. I probably won't get any sleep Sunday night, but I'll sleep on the plane.

Thanks for the kind words! With players like yourself and the Saluda band, and songs like The Other Woman, who could screw that up? Look forward to seeing you there!

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Emmons Lashley Legrande D-10 8/4, Peavey Nashville 400, Peavey Nashville 112, Peavey Bandit, Baggs Fiddle Bridge, Peavey Profex II, Several Fiddles, Martin Guitars, Eastman Mandolin, Johnson Dobro, Rich and Taylor Banjo, Yamaha Keyboard, Upright Bass, Stratocaster, Yamaha Bass, Korg Tuners.

racmusic.tripod.com

Josh,

Caught the Dwight show last sunner and it was awesome, love your style on the Sho-Bud.

cheers,
Drew

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<font size=1>Drew Howard - website - Red guitars sound better!</font>

I've always been a jack of all trades kind of guy starting with sports in high school and it moved into music. Guitar, bass, pedal steel, banjo.

Problem I realize is that even though I'm proficient at all of them, i'm not steller at any. I'm best on guitar, but there are so many great guitar players everywhere, it doesn't really matter.

I personally feel for many of us multi-instrumentalists it is what we do because when we hit those plateaus on an instrument, it is easier to become proficient on a different instrument than to master the one you already know.

So, I actually would probably rather be great at one instrument than being average on 4. I appreciate anyone who can play one instrument very well. Therefore guys like JP who play many very well really impress me.

I didn't realise there were people out there who weren't multi-instrumentalists. Most of my musical friends play whatever is put in front of them. You could take most talented groups and shuffle the instruments, and they could still play.