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Topic: Advice for a beginner please |
Wade Wilbur
From:
West Virginia, USA
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Posted 30 Aug 2024 10:38 am |
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I'm a long time musician (over 53 years) but new to steel guitars. I tried a pedal steel a while back, but a motorcycle accident left me with almost no mobility in my left ankle and limited mobility in my knee and I became very frustrated so I gave it up. I'm looking at giving lap steel a crack and I'm suffering from information overload. I may have found a Melbert double neck 8 for a very reasonable price so I'm looking at that. I don't have to use both necks, but it might come in handy later on. However, I'd appreciate any advice regarding brand, scale length and tuning. For reference, I'm mostly interested in playing traditional country music like Hank Sr., George Jones, Buck Owens, Ray Price and the like. I currently play it all on guitar, but would like to broaden my horizons.
Thanks for any wisdom you would like to share! |
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Mike Neer
From:
NJ
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Posted 30 Aug 2024 10:59 am
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My advice would be to tune to C6 and E13 if you get a double neck. Both of those tunings offer many possibilities for playing in that style, the C6 for older styles and western swing and E13 with a high G# will make you happy in trying to play pedal steel sounds.
I have spent much time learning to play in the style of Buck, George, Hank, etc. and truthfully there is no shortcut to doing it other than hard work. The first thing I would emphasize doing is spending a year learning all of your scales harmonized in 3rds and 6ths everywhere on the guitar, in every possible string pairing. Seems boring but it’s not. You can learn to be extremely musical with this.
I would also encourage studying recordings very closely and seeing if you can recreate some of the parts, using any of the various techniques available (slanting, bending behind bar, etc.). These will all make you a stronger player. Your musicality is what should take you through the rest.
There is also the possibility of palm benders, etc. if your instrument allows. I even use a Whammy pedal to help get some of those sounds.
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Links to streaming music, websites, YouTube: Links |
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David Matzenik
From:
Cairns, on the Coral Sea
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Posted 30 Aug 2024 12:41 pm
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'Nuff said! 
_________________
Don't go in the water after lunch. You'll get a cramp and drown. - Mother. |
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Bill McCloskey
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Posted 30 Aug 2024 12:51 pm
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My advice: get a dobro. Start there. 6 string. GBDGBD. Nice thing about the dobro is
1. You can play all the music you listed on a dobro.
2. You don't have to invest in amps and speakers or pedal boards and effects and you don't have to haul that stuff around.
3. It is great for open mics and jams: easy to carry and in a jam situation, the dobro ALWAYS gets a solo.
4. play it anywhere, anytime.
5. Lots of great instructional material for dobro, almost none for lap steel and what there is, is very tuning specific. |
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Paul Seager
From:
Augsburg, Germany
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Posted 31 Aug 2024 1:03 am
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I think the point made by above posts is that there are two valid starting points: C6 (lap steel) and open G (dobro). Both tunings are extremely well supported with educational materials whether it be self-learn books / videos / YT or in-person (via online) teachers.
IMO, C6 is where lap steel began to spread into non Hawaiian styles and there isn't a style you mention that cannot be played on C6.
Dobro / Open G is strongly associated with bluegrass and a great deal of educational material has that style in focus but the tuning is limited only by imagination.
Scale length is not really that important. The shorter the scale, so easier certain techniques such as bar slants become but it is just practice!
I agree that you can walk into many open mic or jam sessions with a dobro ... and I've done the same thing with a lap steel on C6
Probably the big difference is minor chords which are easy on C6 and less so on open G. Then again, doing exciting bluegrass G-runs is not quite so easy on C6. It's a learning curve all the same.
Invest a few hours on YT, check out Troy Brenningmeyer and Dobrojoe (to name just 2 of many quality educators) and see what grabs you. Its going to be your hobby, right? So take your time, enjoy it and don't bind yourself to anything specific.
Your preference of a tuning will change as you play more and you'll see that most tunings are never that far from each other
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\paul
Bayern Hawaiians: https://www.youtube.com/@diebayernhawaiians3062
Other stuff: https://www.youtube.com/@paulseager3796/videos |
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Bill Hatcher
From:
Atlanta Ga. USA
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Posted 31 Aug 2024 9:05 am
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were i you....
i would tune one of the necks to...low to high...
D E A D G B E G#. the G and G# can be the same diameter string as they are only 1/2 step apart.
this will now let you immediately play some of the things you already know on your guitar and you will have a major and a minor chord. this will let you quickly get your right and left hands working rather than hunting and pecking on a tuning you do not know. also, with only tweaking a couple of strings, you can play other guitaristic tunings.
the other neck....you will need to listen to some C6 players and other tunings to see what you like the sound of. |
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Jack Hanson
From:
San Luis Valley, USA
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Posted 31 Aug 2024 9:41 am
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My advice would be to invest in a quality domestic instrument from a reputable manufacturer in lieu of purchasing an inexpensive Asian import that will often need modification(s) to make it playable, which can make it almost as expensive in the long run.
The D-8 Melbert would be excellent. A vintage entry-level 6-string manufactured by Valco or Magnatone -- both of which were marketed under several different brand names -- can be had at a reasonable cost, as can many others. And they're far more likely to hold their value than a cheap import.
The Gibson BR-9 -- produced between 1947 and 1959 -- is plentiful, sounds and plays good, and you will likely recoup your investment if you later decide to upgrade. The newer Asian imports are the Beanie Babies of the lap steel universe, and new ones will depreciate instantly. |
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Daniel Baston
From:
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
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Posted 31 Aug 2024 10:45 am
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You are going to get a lot of different tuning recommendations. And that's good, because you will probably want to experiment. FWIW, here is my suggestion. If you look at most tunings, the 1st string (the thinnest string) is usually either E or G#/G.
If you end up with two necks, you could string one up with E6 or E13 with a high G# and A6 or C6 on the other neck. So you end up with one neck with a high G# and one with a high E. With those two string sets, you can try nearly every common non-pedal steel tuning. Some combinations might yield a loose or tight string, but if you're messing around who cares? If you want to commit to one of those tunings, you can put on the proper gauges.
Also, since you mentioned Hank and early Ray Price, are you hearing Don Helms in your head? If so, you might enjoy E6. Just a thought. Ultimately, enjoy experimenting, it's fun! |
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Wade Wilbur
From:
West Virginia, USA
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Posted 31 Aug 2024 12:15 pm
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| Thanks so much to everyone for their input. The Melbert is from a shop I've purchased from before so I know it will be well set up and ready to go. At this point I really have no interest in Bluegrass, so it sounds like C6 and E13 would be the way to go, although if I wind up going down a rabbit hole I can always change it. Lots of good suggestions, I appreciate everyone taking the time to help me out. |
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Bill McCloskey
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Daniel Baston
From:
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
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Posted 31 Aug 2024 1:46 pm
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| Cool! Keep us posted |
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J Fletcher
From:
London,Ont,Canada
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Posted 2 Sep 2024 8:31 am
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| Well , have you considered an S10 pedal steel, tuned to E9 , with 3 pedals , and 2 levers ,on the right leg ? Tons of instructional material. Enough to keep you busy for a long time. Jerry |
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Wade Wilbur
From:
West Virginia, USA
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Posted 2 Sep 2024 10:30 am
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| J Fletcher wrote: |
| Well , have you considered an S10 pedal steel, tuned to E9 , with 3 pedals , and 2 levers ,on the right leg ? Tons of instructional material. Enough to keep you busy for a long time. Jerry |
As I said in my original post, my foot has very little movement. I didn't realize how much mobility you needed in your foot or I would never have purchased it. I had a very nice pedal steel, the frustration of not being able to work the pedals led me to get rid of it. |
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Tom Keller
From:
Greeneville, TN, USA
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Bill McCloskey
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Posted 2 Sep 2024 11:03 am
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| Quote: |
| As I said in my original post, my foot has very little movement. I didn't realize how much mobility you needed in your foot or I would never have purchased it. I had a very nice pedal steel, the frustration of not being able to work the pedals led me to get rid of it. |
I am disabled and have very deformed feet. My right foot is completely fused. But I did find that I was able to handle the pedals and even rocking the pedals without issue. Even easier now that I switched to D13. So don't count out pedals until you've had a chance to sit down to one. I wish I had started on pedals 20 years ago instead of when I turned 68.
I have played Dobro, lap steel for over 20 years. I started playing pedals 2 years ago. I started playing D13 one month ago (I'm 70). If I knew then what I know now, I would have started on D13 20 years before Johnny Cox invented it. As it is, I've finally found my tuning, my instrument, my setup that I will play for the rest of my life and never reach the end.
It is a journey. Have fun. |
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