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Topic: Forumite Survey - New Analysis |
Jim Cohen
From:
Philadelphia, PA
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Posted 24 Oct 2009 4:45 pm |
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Thanks to you all, we ended up with over 500 responses to my little survey. So I have reanalyzed the data for you. In the charts that follow, "N" means the number of people answering that particular question. I'll put in a few observations here and there.
The average age of Forumite-participants is 57 (same as me!)
We have players with a very wide range of experience here, with peaks among the "Newbies" (1 year or less) and the "Oldies" (Over 40 years playing)
Almost everyone who answered the survey owns a pedal steel. About a third also own a lap steel, and about a fifth own a stand-up/nonpedal steel.
We obviously didn't include every steel type available in this next question, and left out some familiar brands. All the ones left out are included in the "Other" category. I think it's interesting that more people own an Emmons than any other single brand. Moreover, there are almost as many Emmons's as all the miscellaneous "Others" put together
Almost 60% are currently playing in bands...
... and half of us sometimes record for other people
Only about a fifth have ever recorded their own CD as a featured artist
11% of us teach regularly...
...but only 7% of us take lessons (so who are the others teaching?? Perhaps non-Forumites...)
Lessons most commonly cost from $30 to $50 per hour
Most (>90% of) Forumite-respondents like listening to and playing country music. Next most popular listening is western swing (though more people enjoy listening than can play it). Same is true for Jazz & Standards, Hawaiian, and Sacred Steel (more enjoy than can play).
About half of us practice 5 hours a week or less. The average is 7.4 hrs/week -- about an hour a day
About 2/3 of us play paying gigs...
...but most are playing 5 or fewer gigs per month.
More than 3/4 of us visit the Forum at least once per day. Half of us visit multiple times per day. (And probably some can't answer the question because they have it on in the background of their computers all day long!)
I hope you found some of this information interesting. Thanks for your help in providing your answers.
Cheers,
Jimbeaux
_________________
www.JimCohen.com
www.RonstadtRevue.com
www.BeatsWalkin.com |
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Bo Borland
From:
South Jersey -
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Posted 24 Oct 2009 5:19 pm
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| I just cannot believe that so few like to listen to and play klezmer pedal steel. It must have something to do with the scale. |
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Rick Campbell
From:
Sneedville, TN, USA
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Posted 24 Oct 2009 5:35 pm
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Jim,
Good job on this. That's interesting information. I have to do similar data analysis on the job, but not with people, just scientific data. So, I appreciate the work involved in developing this project. It probably won't make us play any better, but it might give us an explaination why. 
Last edited by Rick Campbell on 25 Oct 2009 9:54 am; edited 1 time in total |
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Jody Sanders
From:
Magnolia,Texas, R.I.P.
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Posted 24 Oct 2009 9:15 pm
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| Real interesting project. Thanks Jim. Jody. |
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Jeff Hyman
From:
West Virginia, USA
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Posted 24 Oct 2009 9:46 pm
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Jim,
Statistics don't lie. Great job! I was always curious about the average age group of the membership. It sure confirms there is a need for younger players. I fall in the middle too, at 58... which seems to be the peak season. I do wonder, as time goes on, if there will be younger PSG players to fill the gap as the 50+ nears the 60+. Do you have any previous year statistics to do comparisons? |
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Leslie Ehrlich
From:
Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada
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Posted 24 Oct 2009 10:36 pm Re: Forumite Survey - New Analysis
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| Jim Cohen wrote: |
Most (>90% of) Forumite-respondents like ... playing country music.
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I'm not surprised.
_________________
Sho-Bud Pro III + Marshall JMP 2204 half stack = good grind! |
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Walter Stettner
From:
Vienna, Austria
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Posted 25 Oct 2009 12:25 am
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Very interesting!
Thanks, Jim, for all the work and time you dedicated to this project!
Kind Regards, Walter
_________________
www.lloydgreentribute.com |
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Carl Williams
From:
Oklahoma
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Posted 25 Oct 2009 9:13 am Survey Says!
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| My thanks to you as well Jim...I was kinda glad I'm at least playing (Specific Brand-wise anyway), the #2 most owned brand; Sho-Bud Standing by for your next Survey...Thanks again, Carl |
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Edward Meisse
From:
Santa Rosa, California, USA
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Posted 25 Oct 2009 9:30 am
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Fascinating.......
_________________
Amor vincit omnia |
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chris ivey
From:
california (deceased)
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Posted 25 Oct 2009 9:32 am
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| now i'm curious what the others are..since they're a majority. |
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Rick Campbell
From:
Sneedville, TN, USA
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Posted 25 Oct 2009 9:51 am
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Alan Brookes
From:
Brummy living in Southern California
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Posted 25 Oct 2009 10:57 am
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Very interesting statistics, Jim, and, in most cases, the results one would expect. I'm surprised Hawaiian isn't more popular, but I can understand why more people enjoy playing it that listening to it.
One of the problems in any survey like this is definition. For instance, the borderline between "Country" and "Western Swing" is difficult to define, as is the borderline between "Country" and "Blues", and between "Blues" and "Jazz", and, of course, everyone has his own definition of what "Rock" means. |
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Colm Chomicky
From:
Kansas, (Prairie Village)
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Posted 29 Oct 2009 6:46 pm
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| All I know is steel players are special folk. Them highfalutin graphs just cornfuze me. |
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Billy Wilson
From:
El Cerrito, California, USA
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Posted 29 Oct 2009 10:09 pm
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| I notice in the "how long you been playing" category, thers a spike at 10 20 25 and 30. I guess folks round off a bit. I think I did that |
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Jack Stoner
From:
Kansas City, MO
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Posted 30 Oct 2009 2:10 am
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Looks like someone had fun with Excel generating all the charts.
Judging by the ones that I see at Steel Shows, it's obvious the interest in steel is mostly those in the "older" age groups. |
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Jim Cohen
From:
Philadelphia, PA
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Posted 30 Oct 2009 4:26 am
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| Billy Wilson wrote: |
| I notice in the "how long you been playing" category, thers a spike at 10 20 25 and 30. I guess folks round off a bit. I think I did that |
Billy, actually those are the endpoints of each category, rather than roundoffs. So where there's a bar at "25" it really means "21-25" years, etc.
_________________
www.JimCohen.com
www.RonstadtRevue.com
www.BeatsWalkin.com |
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Bob Simons
From:
Kansas City, Mo, USA
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Posted 30 Oct 2009 7:21 am
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Is it a surprise that the Steel Guitar Forum members average 57 years old and play only country music? I've long maintained that this forum should be called the "Olde Tyme Country Steel Guitar Club." (I'm 63!)
While I enjoy much of that music- there's a whole other world of existing and potential steel guitar music out there, which for the most part is ignored, criticized, and anything but supported with vigor- as it should be! I think of a steel guitar like a piano. The fact that you can play Bach on it doesn't mean you have to, and that it is good for nothing else.
One of my traditional steel playing friends whose playing I respect, called a gig I played the other night "Steel Unfriendly" because there were songs like "Knock on Wood" "Very Superstitious" and "Bring It On Home To Me." Well, I think there's nothing unfriendly about it! Maybe it doesn't call for a John Hughey or Buddy Emmons (although they'd be great at anything...). Maybe the music is asking for something else, like Greg Allman but on a steel, or Robert Randolph, or something new. Maybe it doesn't use ALL the possible pedals, chords, and slurpy steel guitar licks on every single ride. All I can tell you is I had a blast and so did the audience apparantly...
There are many insights to be gleaned from these statistics...
Thank you for indulging my end-of-the-week rant....
_________________
Zumsteel U12 8-5, MSA M3 U12 9-7, MSA SS 10-string, 1930 National Resonophonic, Telonics Combo, Webb 614e, Fender Steel King, Mesa Boogie T-Verb. |
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Ben Jones
From:
Seattle, Washington, USA
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Posted 30 Oct 2009 8:38 am
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| Bob Simons wrote: |
Is it a surprise that the Steel Guitar Forum members average 57 years old and play only country music? I've long maintained that this forum should be called the "Olde Tyme Country Steel Guitar Club." (I'm 63!)
While I enjoy much of that music- there's a whole other world of existing and potential steel guitar music out there, which for the most part is ignored, criticized, and anything but supported with vigor- as it should be! I think of a steel guitar like a piano. The fact that you can play Bach on it doesn't mean you have to, and that it is good for nothing else.
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People like what they like, its not reasonable to expect them to vigorously support music they dont like just because its played on an instrument they like or play. Im a lifelong guitarist with no interst in classical guitar, i dont criticize it, but i dont go to the rock guitar forums and bemoan the dirth of classical guitar support.
Tho the median age here is older than my own and the focus is on a music that I enjoy but is not my main thrust, Ive found that when I DO discuss other styles of music, there are usually at minimum a handful of VERY knowledgeable and enthusiastic supporters to share their knowledge and thoughts with me on the subject. Also , I really enjoy getting a perspective that is not just an echo of my own.
I think the forum has a focus but is also diverse and accepting of things outside that focus for the most part. sure theres the occasional closed mindedness, but on the whole ...pretty good.
I dont see us as stuffy old country dudes.
I see a young (at heart) vibrant and diverse group with some serious history and VAST knowledge about a wide range of subjects. respect! |
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Dick Wood
From:
Springtown Texas, USA
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Posted 30 Oct 2009 9:28 am
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I had pretty much come up with the same conclusions,I just couldn't back them up with any facts or figures.
_________________
Cops aren't paid much so I steel at night. |
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Bob Hickish
From:
Port Ludlow, Washington, USA, R.I.P.
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Posted 31 Oct 2009 8:02 am
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Jim
If you ever run this survey again , maybe ask the question
on them that teach -- on average - how many students do you have / had .
That might give a clue into the future of SG .
Hick |
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Jim Cohen
From:
Philadelphia, PA
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Posted 31 Oct 2009 8:07 am
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That's a great suggestion, Bob. I know that, at least in my case, it would be hard to answer that question, as I have students who pop in and out when they're ready for another lesson. Sometimes they come every week or two, but others take a few lessons, then go away for months and them might pop back up again (or not). I wouldn't know how to count how many students I "have". (But I could probably estimate how many new ones I have started over the past year; that would work)
_________________
www.JimCohen.com
www.RonstadtRevue.com
www.BeatsWalkin.com |
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Dan Tyack
From:
Olympia, WA USA
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Posted 31 Oct 2009 12:16 pm
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Hey Jim,
You forgot two important questions:
What percentage of hair do you have left?
How big is your spare tire?
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Les Anderson
From:
The Great White North
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Posted 31 Oct 2009 12:38 pm
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| chris ivey wrote: |
| now i'm curious what the others are..since they're a majority. |
I have an ""other""; D8 Guya (Guyatone) as well as my Remington D10.
I learned on the Guya and bought the Remington because I can almost duplicate the tone of a pedal steel with it. The Remington is also much better toned for country music. Hank Williams and Eddy Arnold sets get the Guya.
(regardless of the remarks about my Guya on this board, I don't plan on sending it to the recycling depot) |
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