Structuring a practice routine

Jim Williams · From: Meridian, Mississippi, USA - Home of Peavey!

As you all know by now I am a beginner in the pedal steel world. I have however been playing several other instruments for a period of time, and am able to find melodies by ear on the instruments I play, guitar, banjo and mandolin, although I'm mainly a backup player on these at our weekly jam sessions.

I'm currently using mainly Scotty's Mel Bay course and watching a lot of youtube material. I've also downloaded some basic material on chord positions, basic grips, etc. I also have Winnie Winston's book, and "The Nashville Setup" from Sho-Bud.

It also seems to me that practicing scales, particularly harmonized scales is very important to the process of being able to find your own melodies and create your own arrangements in the future. I have accumulated quite a few tabs of these scales to use.

I also am learning some songs from tab, but I don't want to wind up locked in to simply emulating what somebody else has done.

Has anyone ever given thought to what a good study routine might be? In other words where should the priorities lie for a beginner?

This has probably been asked before, but I thought it might be helpful to me and others who are just getting started.
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GFI SM10 3/4, 1937 Gibson EH-150, 2 - Rondo SX Lap Steels and a Guyatone 6 String C6. Peavey 400 and a Roland 40 Amps. Behringer Reverb Pedal.

Jim Kennedy · From: Brentwood California, USA

You are definitely on the right track. I found learning my major and minor scales and major and minor pentatonics very helpful. Joe Wright has a series of free lessons on his web site that were very helpful to me, especially for playing blues and rock on e9. He lays out a variety of basic scale patterns both across and up and down the neck, and explains how to use these patterns. I would also suggest focusing on your right hand technique. Pedal steel is very right hand intensive, and for me it was different enough from guitar and banjo that playing these were not much help. To me it seems that right hand control and precision for blocking is much more intensive than banjo and guitar, requiring much practice to master. Good luck, and stick with it. Progress came slowly for me, but after a couple of years it really started to come together.
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ShoBud Pro 1, 75 Tele, 85 Yamaha SA 2000, Fender Cybertwin,

Jim Williams · From: Meridian, Mississippi, USA - Home of Peavey!

I went to Joe's site, but when I click the free teaching materials link, it gives me a registration page, which appears to be totally blank.
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GFI SM10 3/4, 1937 Gibson EH-150, 2 - Rondo SX Lap Steels and a Guyatone 6 String C6. Peavey 400 and a Roland 40 Amps. Behringer Reverb Pedal.

Jon Guirl · From: Millington TN, USA

Jim, look here - Joe has 12 lessons up on the Sierra site that I am going to devote to learing

http://www.sierrasteels.com/lessons/lessons-index.html

I'm in the same boat, I really need to structure my practice, study, and learning with some kind of logic and discipline instead of just fooling around learning tabs and entertaining myself, like I posted in my other thread. Gonna follow this one too!

Daniel Policarpo · Posted 10 Dec 2013 11:17 am

Jim, as you probably know, there are lots of resources available for free right here. The Tab section is pretty healthy, and people like Greg Cutshaw, Frank Freniere, Dick Sexton, Ricky Davis and many others I have forgotten off the top of my head, lend a lot of nice tabs and tips.

Like you, I've played other instruments, but the last 15 months with pedal steel has been something else. addicting, too. Tab books like Scott's and Winston/Keith are great to start out with, but after a while, learning off tab only gets you so far, and I don't want to be a mimic artist either; I want to know the fretboard; diminish that space from brain to hands.

I have to say I have grown leaps and bounds the last few months working with William Litaker's Steel-In Technique group on youtube. You get tab, band in a box and/or backing tracks to play along too, and some great instruction from a pro, who is also a really great guy. $5 a week for @ 40 minutes of fun instruction and more than enough material to keep you busy for months. I have seriously improved about 500% since September, so I feel I owe it to anybody looking to learn to at least check William out. Look him up, it might be something that will interest you.

http://www.williamlitaker.com/LiveInfo.htmlm/

take care,
Dan

Ray Anderson · From: Jenkins, Kentucky USA

For me, I practiced my pulls and all chord positions ascending and descending while keeping my eyes on the bar and not ( or trying not) to look at my right hand. Same deal with 2 not scales and when I got fair at that , I would do it all over again while not looking at all and let my ear have some training for pitch and placement. Tough? You bet, but is do-able and quite rewarding. Just takes time and determination. You can do it!!!!!!!!!!! Happy Steelin' Mr. Green

Jim Williams · From: Meridian, Mississippi, USA - Home of Peavey!

Thanks...looks like some good tips. I took a look at William's page and that looks like a bargain for sure.
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GFI SM10 3/4, 1937 Gibson EH-150, 2 - Rondo SX Lap Steels and a Guyatone 6 String C6. Peavey 400 and a Roland 40 Amps. Behringer Reverb Pedal.

Dave Campbell · From: Nova Scotia, Canada

i start my routine with harmonized scales over band in a box static chords. this helps me with my tuning, and helps me re-establish a feel on the steel. i'll do the scales in half notes, then quarters, and then in patterns, really focusing on being clean and in tune. i'll focus on d-lever scales, the f lever, then ab pedals, and then some combos.

then i'll move on to some technical stuff, like some of the blocking pages from the winnie winston book. i start slow, then crank it up 10bpm at a time.

i usually have a "big" transcription i'm working on...sort of like the advanced tabs again from the winston book.

generally i'll move on to playing over tracks, trying to apply some of the licks/moves i've been learning (and pretend i'm a good steel player). i use all the jeff newman stuff as my "stock" when doing this, and use the tracks from his course.

after that, i work up a few intros or rides from different tabs here on the forum.

sometimes i'll do a little noodling.

the next day i've forgotten everything, so i do it all again!

Jon Guirl · From: Millington TN, USA

Daniel Policarpo · Posted 10 Dec 2013 7:44 pm

Yeah, I've been going back over the Winston/Keith stuff, too, Jon. I can work the phrasing a lot better this time around, and your right, slowing down and getting up to speed is the better way to go. Of course at first you want to accumulate lots of licks and material, get that muscle memory flowing.

Lloyd Green advised that when learning licks, to learn them in three different positions. That's been invaluable to mapping the fret board.
Harmony scale work up ad down the fretboard, coupled with up and down the strings scale work to start and loosen up. A good hour with William Litaker's material, some work on a tab book and then pickin material from a record; those four things in some combination are pretty much keeping me busy 2-4 hours a day.

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