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Topic: Step 2: Learning to Play It |
Tom Franke
From:
Arizona, USA
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Posted 7 May 2010 6:22 pm |
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Well, I now have a nice 8 string lap steel, amp, and bar. I'm trying to navigate through the information on different tunings to figure out which one to start with. Is there a "standard" tuning that I should learn first?
A somewhat related question is what instructional books and dvd's would be best to get me started. I looked through the ones offered through the forum, but will the ones for 6 string be any use? Are there particular ones you like for 8 string? |
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Paul Bostic
From:
Grants Pass, Oregon, USA
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Posted 7 May 2010 9:08 pm
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Hey Tom,
I am a beginner also! I believe you just drop the two base strings off your 8 string to play 6 string tabs. I bought Rob Haines C6th tuning, 8string beginners DVD through Elderly Instruments. I found it very useful.
_________________
60's & 70's country rock is my favorite, Martin & Taylor acoustic, Fender & Washburn electric, Rickenbacher BD 8 lap steel, violin. |
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Matthew Dawson
From:
Portland Oregon, USA
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Posted 7 May 2010 10:07 pm
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| Simply put, Jerry Byrd's instruction is is the best. I got a lot of really good stuff out of Stacey Phillips' "Art Of Hawaiian Steel Guitar Books." |
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Bill McCloskey
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Posted 8 May 2010 5:11 am
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| They type of music you want to play might influence your choice of tunings. What genre are you most interested in? |
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Roman Sonnleitner
From:
Vienna, Austria
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Posted 8 May 2010 6:59 am
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| Paul Bostic wrote: |
Hey Tom,
I am a beginner also! I believe you just drop the two base strings off your 8 string to play 6 string tabs. I bought Rob Haines C6th tuning, 8string beginners DVD through Elderly Instruments. I found it very useful. |
+1 - for an absolute beginner, that's the best DVD out there! |
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Bill Creller
From:
Saginaw, Michigan, USA (deceased)
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Posted 8 May 2010 7:28 am
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Save yourself some time and use a bit more modern tuning, as opposed to A major for instance. That's the long way around. C6th has to be the best all around tuning to learn on. From there, tunings for certain types of music will follow.
One thing though, jumping around on different tunings will use up the time you need to get a handle on one tuning. It's "like knowing a little of each, master of none" type thing. Stick with one until you know your way around.
And have fun learning  |
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Tom Franke
From:
Arizona, USA
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Posted 8 May 2010 8:40 am
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Bill C--Your comment is in line with my thinking. I may eventually want to use different tunings, but I think I should learn one pretty well before trying to learning multiple ones.
Bill M--I'm interested in playing classic country, hawaiian, and western swing. That seems pretty varied to me. I probably am most familiar with classic country/folk/bluegrass in terms of my other guitar playing so maybe I will start in that vein for my initial efforts.
Paul, Roman, and Matthew, thanks for the references to the instructional materials. I feel really lucky we can get such good instruction through technology. I can only imagine earlier steel players like Stacy Phillips figuring out how to play with no resources like we have. |
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Bill McCloskey
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Posted 8 May 2010 9:17 am
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| I can only imagine earlier steel players like Stacy Phillips figuring out how to play with no resources like we have. |
Which is probably the reason Stacy sounds like he does: like no other steel player on the face of the planet. There is something to be said for figuring it out on your own. |
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Bill McCloskey
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Posted 8 May 2010 9:18 am
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| If you want to play Hawaiian, country and western swing, C6th is probably a good choice, although you may find a6 closer to your liking if you are used to a dobro sound. |
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Guy Cundell
From:
More idle ramblings from South Australia
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Posted 8 May 2010 1:39 pm
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| A DVD is definitely handy. Cindy Cashdollar's is also good but might I suggest in the "working it out yourself stakes" that Doug Beamier's 25 tune C6 songbook would be a great way to start. It would give you a grounding to a range of keys and techniques, not incredibly difficult tunes with play along disc. A great resource to open up the instrument for you. |
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Stephen Abruzzo
From:
Philly, PA
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Posted 8 May 2010 5:38 pm
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| GeorgeBoards has a beginner's 2-DVD set in C6 too. You can check out some of his clips on YouTube. Great, solid instruction. |
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