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Topic: Presentation and beginner doubts |
Sergio Pernas Velo
From:
Spain
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Posted 10 Jul 2014 7:47 am |
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Hi all!
I just started on lap steel, with no previous musical experience at all. I just liked the sound in country, and a friend that plays uke introduced me to Jerry Byrd and Hawaiian music, and that's about it...
I got a German EBM six-stringed lap steel, a small Roland Micro Cube GX and a Dunlop tonebar. I also got the Mel Bay book on C6, and the georgeboards.com course, so I think I'm on the right way, I suppose.
Aside from the minor quibbles that I understand will go away with time (the bar weights a ton after twenty minutes, sometimes I apply more or less pressure than needed...) I have a doubt about blocking. When I practice some of the first songs on the DeWitt book (the very first one, even) I cannot get the sound from the cd in the blocking. I feel like I cut the sound abruptly in between notes, palm blocking in this case.
Well, it's more a hello than any other thing, really. Being in Spain, I'm afraid the live teacher thing is out of the question, so these little questions add up.
Anyhow, I really like how it sounds, it looks like I have some interesting decades ahead 
Sergio |
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Paul Honeycutt
From:
Colorado, USA
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Posted 10 Jul 2014 11:21 am
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Welcome!
I've played for a while doing some basic back up and blues licks but in the last year I've gotten serious about it.
Without seeing your hands it's hard to give advice. Just keep working at it and check out video lessons on You Tube. I just posted a thread about the Sierra Steel lessons on their web site. If you can ever get just one lesson with a pro it'll give you lots to work with and help prevent bad habits.
And most of all have fun! You "play" music, you don't "work" music.  |
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Ralph Czitrom
From:
Ringwood, New Jersey
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Posted 10 Jul 2014 12:47 pm
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| Sergio - The beauty of the Internet allows you to find whatever resources you need, and this forum should be on your bookmark list. Here are a few suggestions: 1) the Jerry Byrd "big book" is a great place to start. It has accompanying CD's to help you learn the basics (picking, blocking, tunings, etc.) in an organized way from the master; 2) once you get started, Doug Beaumier's two books (with CD's) are filled with challenging but achievable arrangements of a variety of good songs; and 3) not having a live teacher isn't a problem. I've been taking lessons by Skype from John Ely for two years and can't say enough about it (tip: you can record Skype calls, which is very helpful in reviewing a lesson). Alan Akaka, a great Hawaiian player, also gives lesson via Skype. Steel guitar is a difficult but rewarding instrument. Not for those with attention deficit issues...Good luck. |
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David Matzenik
From:
Cairns, on the Coral Sea
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Posted 10 Jul 2014 1:45 pm
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Sergio, depending on what genre of music you will be playing, blocking may not be nearly as important as Scott makes out. IMHO he bangs on about it though we all wanted to play Nashville Chicken Pickin’. A moderately talented person will develop their own damping methods as necessary.
_________________
Don't go in the water after lunch. You'll get a cramp and drown. - Mother. |
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Andy Henriksen
From:
Michigan, USA
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Posted 11 Jul 2014 4:18 am
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I agree with David. I'm still a newbie- a couple years in (after 15 or so years of under-arm guitar), and find that blocking just sort of comes along after you get more comfortable with other aspects - getting your grips mostly automatic, getting your bar position and pressure, and vibrato fairly automatic. Once that stuff starts to fall into place a bit better, it seems your brain can devote more unconscious energy toward blocking.
Also, there are certain songs or styles or riffs that lend themselves much better to blocking and can be good confidence builders. I tend to do a lot of staccato chords on the upbeat, which gives a sort of reggae vibe to a song, but also seems WAY easier to do pick blocking on. Rapid fire single note runs across multiple strings can be more challenging. So don't worry about those for a while! |
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Brad Bechtel
From:
San Francisco, CA
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Posted 11 Jul 2014 6:21 am
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Welcome, Sergio. Keep practicing and it will get better.
_________________
Brad’s Page of Steel
A web site devoted to acoustic & electric lap steel guitars |
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