Steel playerâ€™s â€œthatâ€™s it Iâ€™m doneâ€

Stuart Legg · Posted 26 Nov 2014 9:35 am

I am just amazed at the number of folks Iâ€™ve meet who say they used to play Steel Guitar.

The one thing most seem to have in common is no matter what they had accomplished or how far they had progressed on the Steel Guitar they just one day said â€œthatâ€™s it Iâ€™m doneâ€
sell their equipment and quit.

Iâ€™ve read similar incidence here on the Forum and in most instances it never seems to be a matter of something that just dwindles away over a period of time but rather comes to an abrupt end.

Is it just an illusion of happening abruptly because the playerâ€™s are in denial for a long period or is there a trigger â€œthat last strawâ€ that just jumps up and bites you one day?

Brett Day · From: Pickens, SC

I'll never say I'm done with steel guitar because it's my favorite instrument and I'm almost to fifteen years as a steel player. I'll take little breaks every once in awhile, but I can't say I'm done with the steel-it's too beautiful!

Ben Lawson · From: Brooksville Florida

I'm getting to the point when I "pull the plug". Its not going to be abrupt but I hope I quit by choice and not by request.
As much as I would like to hear Buddy Emmons live again, I think he went out "on top". He left us wanting more.

Tom Gorr · From: Three Hills, Alberta

The ones who quit cold turkey are strong...the rest of us feed the addiction... Laughing

Donny Hinson · From: Glen Burnie, Md. U.S.A.

I have nothing but respect and admiration for those who know when "it's time". When things go downhill, and you can no longer do what you once did, it can really spoil the image you've built up over the years to try to continue. It was that way with Porter Wagoner. I was a big fan of his, and followed him avidly from his start. His last year or so on the 'Opry, however, was almost painful to witness.

Jeffery Self · From: Spring City,Tennessee, USA

Amen to that Ben!! Very Happy

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Bill Moran · From: Virginia, USA

You guys can take up banjo ! Embarassed

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Bill

Floyd Lowery · From: Deland, Florida, USA

I retired when I could still play well enough bands wanted me to play. Those 2 lane highways late at night were getting more dangerous for me to drive. Nobody out that time of night but cops and drunks. I was really tired and the money sure was not worth the effort and chance of a wreck.
I can not bring myself to sell my equipment. I may want to go in and sit down and play something. I have not in quite a while, but I never know when the urge may present itself. Very Happy

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Roger Francis · From: kokomo,Indiana, USA

I still love it as much as i did 40 yrs ago, but there has been times ive thought about giving it up but that was as far as it got, i love the chalange of learning the instrument and doing things i could never do before but always wanted to do. So if i quit it will be abrupt and cant physically do it amymore.
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Rittenberry SD10, 2 nashville 112s with telonics speaker, behringer EPQ450 power amp, 705 pups, Telonics FP-100, live steel strings, mogami cords, wet reverb

Richard Alderson · From: Illinois, USA

They can pry my steels from my cold dead hands when my last bullet's gone. Then I'll quit. There is far too much beauty and meaning in this wonderful instrument to ever just walk away from it. The instrument itself with the standard E9th tuning, chromatic strings, and knee levers is one of the great musical innovations of the 20th century in popular music. A new instrument has been born. We are, all of us, - experts and beginners alike - privileged to have seen it come into existence and to be its original and most authentic practitioners. I know that some can walk away from all that, but not me.

Richard
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Derby SD-10 5x6; GFI S-10 5x5; GFI S-10 5x5; Zum D-10 8x7; Zum D-10 9x9; Fender 400; Fender Rumble 200; Nashville 400; Telonics TCA-500.

Howard Steinberg · From: St. Petersburg, Florida , USA

I stopped playing steel for about 19 years when I got involved with a regionally successful R&B band that took pretty much all of the time that I had for music. I would sit down to play occasionally but was discouraged by how terrible I sounded. I resumed playing (and learning) in late 2011. I don't see stopping playing again unless physical issues come up. I think music in general is great for keeping the mind functional and solving the mysteries presented by pedal steel is particularly helpful. I expect to play out as long as someone wants to hire me unless driving to a gig and setting up becomes too much. I'm not worried about going out on top because I can't even see it from where I sit.ðŸ˜²
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Justice Pro Lite (4-5), Justice D-10 (8-5)x2 , Quilter Steelaire, Hilton Pedal, BJ's bar.

Jim Pitman · From: Waterbury Ctr. VT 05677 USA

I'm a little arthritic in the morning lately but it doesn't seem to affect my playing yet. I'm also fortunate that I have this feeling I haven't peeked yet.
One thing I'm certain of - I'll never get board playing the PSG. The instrument is boundless.

David Mason · From: Cambridge, MD, USA

I got to double up on Floyd's comment. I've turned down a lot more playing chances in the past decade (bass, git, steel) than I've taken up, for a wide variety of reasons. One of them being, I wasn't sure I could add something worthwhile, as my chops and health fluctuate interchangeably.

BUT: music is the only thing I've ever known in my life that absolutely makes sense to me. Certainly not human behavior! So music is the only thing I know to do when I need some sense. I'm allergic to television, books have become cookie-cutter interchangeable (at least, very repetitious). Oddly enough, I've known three people who were seriously-educated in higher mathematics - string theory and how-to-plot-a-spaceship-mission stuff - and they all say that's the same way. Too late for me! But you can never run out of ways to harmonize a 1-4-5.

Charlie McDonald · From: out of the blue

John Booth · From: Columbus Ohio, USA

It's easy to quit playing steel.
I've done it several times.
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Jb in Ohio
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GFI S10 Ultra, Telecaster, a Hound Dog, and an Annoyed Wife
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Roger Rettig · From: Naples, FL

I can't afford to stop playing because it's my living.

But - if it were not, and all I did was play here in my room for my own benefit, then I could have quit many times. Just me, my steel and my amp is far too revealing! My lack of touch and finesse appalls me sometimes.

Playing with others makes sense, though, and I find I rise to the occasion.

Just as well - there's no pension-plan! Oh Well

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Roger Rettig: Emmons D10, B-bender Teles and Martins - and, at last, a Gibson Super 400!
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Paul Norman · From: Washington, North Carolina, USA

I quit playing steel one time. The longest 30 minutes I ever seen.

Jack Stoner · From: Kansas City, MO

Well, I haven't got to the point that "I'm done". I just turned 77 (Dec 1 Cool

and I'm still playing in a band (I have 3 gigs next week, Monday evening, NYE and Friday evening).

I tried to slow down about 5 years ago but it didn't work out. When it gets to the point I can't pick up my equipment then I'll seriously consider quitting playing in bands. Or some other reason that I know "its time".

Paul Norman · From: Washington, North Carolina, USA

Jack you don't have to quit when you cannot carry it, people will help you. They love to hear that steel.

Duane Becker · From: Elk,Wa 99009 USA

After playing professionally now for 46 years, I plan to retire from playing out by the time I hit 62 or 63 years of age, I'm 54 now.
I will limit my jobs to my favorite style (old country) and only if the weather permits.
However, after I do retire, I plan to always play here at home not only for enjoyment, but to keep my 'chops up'.
Its taken me years to play as good as I play now, and I think if I just let it go for even one month, I'd lose the ability to play not only speed pickin runs but smooth.
I know alot of steel pickers who actually do quit and go work a day job, never touching the steel again.
I'm doing 4 nights a week for the last 7 years, different styles and even new crap with distortion-have to play that if you want to play out these days.
But its a living, I would never want to work a day job. In fact I've never had a day job, its always been steel guitar playing for a job.

Larry Carlson · From: My Computer

I can only answer this from my own experience on 6 string acoustic.
I played for 20+ years and in the last two years my fretting hand was bothering me more and more.
I had joint pain and I couldn't stretch much any longer. Finally it got so bad I just stopped playing.
I imagine it is the same with a steel player, I doubt if anyone quits all of a sudden.
It is something that progresses over time.

To someone on the outside it probably looked like I just quit all of a sudden when in realty I hung in there
for much longer than I should have. I did not want to stop.
However, the bright side of the story is that is the reason I am now in here babbling away.
My picking fingers are doing just fine and all I have to do now is hang on to the tone bar with the left hand.
Only dropped it twice so far, no dents in my steel but I had a sore toe for a while. Smile

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I have stuff.
I try to make music with it.
Sometimes it works.
Sometimes it doesn't.
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Bill L. Wilson · From: Oklahoma, USA

I've got to much money in this stuff to quit now. When I worked full time, painting, sheetrocking, and carpentry, my hands would go completely numb from severe Carpal Tunnel in both hands. But I played anyway even though the pain was excruciating. A hand surgeon told me, "you are the worst case of Carpal Tunnel, I've ever seen and you need surgery to correct it". So, instead of having surgery, I started taking B-Complex Vitamins everyday,(on the advice of a fiddle player, I was in a recording session with), and wearing wrist braces to sleep in. But the real improvement came when I retired from work, cut back on salt, and quit eating heavy meals early in the day. I no longer take the vitamins, but I do pay the price if I eat a salty meal for lunch on a gig day, the numbness hurts and I can't feel the bar, but it's still not as bad as when I worked 50 or 60hrs a week..........So at 68yrs. old, I just hope I'm needed in Heaven when I get there, so I won't have to stop pickin'.

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