How Did You Get Started Playing Steel?

Ed Prosser · From: Ohio, USA

Hi Folks, Just wondering how you got started playing Steel Guitar! My way was unique I think. I had a Gretsch Country Gentleman guitar. Bought it new in 1969. Had it 7 months and the neck twisted on it so took back to where I bought it and they called Gretsch. They gave them an address in Chicago where to ship it to be fixed. To make a long story short we ended up sending it to Chicago 3 times and the 3rd time it came back the head stock was splintered beyond repair. I wasn't a happy camper, but when I went to the music store to see the guitar they had a S10 Sho Bud, natural finish with 3 pedals and 2 knees, not a student model, sitting in the front window. Mind you, at the time I didn't know what a pedal steel guitar was. Had never seen one because I played the 50 and 60's music, the old rock and roll and never listened to country. The only song I heard with a steel guitar was Sleep Walk and it was played on a straight steel and guitar. I went into the store, saw my Gretch and ask how much difference in money do you want for the Sho Bud? I had 2 Fender Teles at home so I had guitars to play. She figured around and told me to give her $100.00 and the Gretsch and I could have the steel. Whipped out the check book and I just bought a pedal steel, didn't know how to break it down to get it in case. Good thing it came with instructions. Took it home. My wife had not a clue and ask what I was going to do with it. I said I hope to learn how to play it!!! It had a tuning chart but only the name of the notes the strings were tuned to and the pedals and knees. I used my guitar to tune it in and then tweeked it to sound good. 35 yrs. later I'm still playing pedal steel. I feel I was destined to play steel and have never regreted a day of what happened to me.

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Roger Crawford · From: Griffin, GA USA

I had the pleassure of playing drums with long time friend and excellent steeler Bill Ferguson. One night as we were packing up, I told Bill that if I had it all to do over again, I'd play steel guitar. He told me to get a guitar and go for it. I told him it was too late for an old dog (and drummer to boot!)to learn new tricks, but he assured me that if I got a guitar, he would help me any way he could. He held true to his word, even helped me find that first axe and change it over from Day pedals. Inspiration, teacher, friend...thanks Bill!

Jonathan Cullifer · From: Gallatin, TN

Bill led you a little astray there when he reversed the pedals around.

At any rate, I played piano for 6 years and quit in 1997. My dad said I had to pick another instrument and in a temporary moment of insanity, picked the steel. Started playing in Feb. 1998. I was 10 years old. Been doing it ever since, with a few breaks every now and then.

Jonathan

Kurt Graber · From: Wichita, KS, USA

I was in the NAVY on an Aircraft Carrier and had nothing to do for seven months at a time. I made a music room that nobody knew existed and I bought a steel, made some brass knee levers for it in the machine shop on the carrier. I would order a course and it would show up a month later from Tom Bradshaw. I wish I had the time to practice like I did back then, those were great days. This was 1983-87 on the USS Ranger CV-61.

Larry Bell · From: Englewood, Florida

I don't know . . .
. . . both kids were potty trained
. . . dog was spayed
. . . I was employed . . .

Guess I just figured I needed a little STRESS in my life.

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Larry Bell - email: larry@larrybell.org - gigs - Home Page
2003 Fessenden S/D-12 8x8, 1969 Emmons S-12 6x6, 1971 Dobro, Standel and Peavey Amps

Tommy Roten · From: Trondheim, Norway

My brother and some buddies were playing in a country band, but they needed steelguitar to make it real country. So I was asked, and I guess my reaction was kind of "Steelguitar, what's that? I've never heard of it or seen it, but I'll give it a try!" I was barely 15, had my first gig after a month. Now it's been 5 years.
www.tommy-steel.com

[This message was edited by b0b on 28 July 2004 at 01:22 PM.]

GARYPHILLIPS · From: SOMERSET, OHIO ,PERRY

This friend of mine back 1988,he needed a car to drive his was not running so i had two cars so i let him drive one of my cars it was in the winner time one night coming home from playing he wreck my car.so to get my car fix it was around 500.00 .BUT at the time he had this old black Sho-Bud pro three he was saleing for 500.00 so he had no money.and i been playing around with this old guitar, so I said if you want i will take the steel and i will fix the car.so here i is now playing a D-10 Zum and have new d-10 Desert Rose steel guitar on the way.Thanks Gary

Alan Pagliere · From: Ann Arbor, MI, USA

Not that anyone would care, but my path: in addition to late 60s early 70s music, I had an interest in folk music (Guthrie, Leadbelly, Cisco Houston, etc.). Folk led to bluegrass which led to country which led to steel.

Details at: http://www-personal.umich.edu/~pagliere/subtopics/music/music.html

Mark van Allen · From: Watkinsville, Ga. USA

I've since learned that my introduction to Steel was pretty much impossible... I bought the record "Suite Steel" and was enthralled by Buddy on "Wichita Lineman"... a friend happened by and told me of a Steel for sale just down the street (a fellow he knew and I didn't), I bought it and went to the local music store where they had just gotten Winnie's book in that day, from looking at the book I knew what gauge strings to buy, the guy at the counter asked me why I was buying those "weird strings", when I told him he directed me to a girl I hadn't seen who was starting a country-rock band and offered to hire me, on condition I learn to play as they had a gig that weekend. So it was sink or swim. The impossible part is that this all happened in one afternoon. I didn't know any better so I went with it...

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Stop by the Steel Store at: www.markvanallen.com

Jim Ives · From: Los Angeles, California, USA

In the summer of 1969 I went to a Grateful Dead concert in Colorado Springs. At the time, they were a hardly known band with a small following. The concert was at a riding arena and was about 1 week after Brian Jones from the Rolling Stones had died, so they did a their first set, a country set dedicated to him. Jerry was playing what I believed to be an organ because he was sitting down and there were foot pedals that he operated. But Pig Pen was on keyboard, so to settle my curiosity, after the set I asked Jerry what instrument he was playing, and he told me it was a pedal steel guitar. I was from New York City and had never heard one before, but a few weeks later I heard some real country music on the car radio returning from Santa Fe. I put 2+2 together, and have been an afficianado ever since.

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Mullen D-10
Boss RV3
Fulltone Full-Drive II
Evans FET 500 -or-
Peavey Nashville 1000
Vox wah-wah pedal
My dog sittin' on the floor listening

Jim Eaton · From: Santa Susana, Ca

I made the mistake of sitting down behind the first PSG I ever saw in person and the rest has been a blur!!!!!!!!!!!!
JE:-)>

Brett Day · From: Pickens, SC

I'd been figuring out what instrument I wanted to play and I finally decided to play the steel guitar since my left hand couldn't handle the frets on a guitar and it was because I loved its sound in country music. Brett, Emmons S-10, Morrell lapsteel

Rick Garrett · From: Tyler, Texas

I got started playing steel when I was about 12 years old. I took lessons from my dad (Bobby Garrett) and when he quit the music business for a while I put that little steel down and stopped playing for over 30 years. Just recently picked it back up after all this time and in the fall, God willing, I plan on spending a week with Reece Anderson for a crash course. I hope to work real hard for about a year and learn my way around the fret board again and then get myself a brand new blue darlin like Ricky Davis' only 12 string universal. I've played 6 string acoustic off and on all my life so I've developed a good ear. Hope that'll help me in my quest to become a good picker on steel. Good post!

Rick Garrett

Daryl Stogner · From: San Diego, CA * R.I.P.

I grew up on a western swing bandstand and listened to Jack Ansiel playing his triple neck Fender in the 50's. Then I learned to play mandolin and bass and got to work in a band with Norm Hamlet in the 60's. By then I knew I was playing the wrong instruments.

Finally after all of these years I met Smiley Roberts and figured if Smiley could play the thing, then I could too!

So we both now have ShoBuds, tobacco color, 3d fretboards, 'cept he's skinny and I'm fat, and I don't cuss as much. And some say I'm better looking, I think it's the weight, and I'm younger too!

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Daryl Stogner
My Website: www.dstogner.com

CrowBear Schmitt · From: Ariege, - PairO'knees, - France

way back when, i was learning Musik listening to Bluesmen such as Earl Hooker, Son House, Bukkha White, the Black Ace and Chuck Berry (of course)
i found a Gibson BR6 in a pawn shop fer 50$ and liked playin' w: a steel bar more than w: a slide.
round 1970, i walked into a steel shop in Nashburg and asked'em for some good records.
i copped Buddy' Black lp and wore it out over the years but i had'nt got into psg.
15 years agomy uncle who runs a Musik store in Paris laid a Maverick on me since he could'nt sell it and told me, that i'd make something out of it.
4 years ago, i discovered this Great Forum as well as Bobbe's shop and got myself a Bud D10 Professional.
ever since that day, i've been on my way....
to the Holy Land

Jack Dougherty · From: Spring Hill, Florida, USA

I told this fellow who was looking for a psg player I would take the job ....the band wasn't formed yet so I had time to buy one and learn how to play it (he did'nt know that at the time) ...Hey there was no body else in the area at that time so .........How hard could it be??? They say God watches over fools and babies....i was full grown by then......AH!!! But what a journey I'm on.
That was some time ago and I've never looked back. I have found no other instrument in the world (IMHO )that offers pleasure and pain at the same time...For me this is some great stuff!!! Every day I sit behind to pick is a new experience for me.....Boys and girls.....It don't get any better!!!

JD

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There is no such thing as too many steels!!

James Pennebaker · From: Mt. Juliet, TN

When I was about 17 or 18 years old, I was completely caught up in the "progressive country" movement that was sweeping Texas in the early '70s. I was already playing fiddle with a couple of local bands in the Ft. Worth/Dallas area at the time. I think the first steel player I ever saw was Herb Steiner with Michael Murphey's band but it could also have been Lucky Oceans with Asleep at the Wheel. I also used to see Bobby Black in those days with Commander Cody and His Lost Planet Airmen. Anyway, I was completely fascinated by the instument but had only seen one from a distance. Finally, one of the bands I was playing in hired a steel man (David McMillan) who played a Fender 400 and for the first time I was able to actually be in a band with a steel player and see one up close. Eventually I bought the Fender 400 from David when he moved up to a Sho Bud LDG. (I eventually bought the Sho Bud from him too). Around 1976 I wound up playing fiddle in the house band at Dewey Groom's Longhorn Ballroom in Dalllas, TX. On the bandstand with me every night were two of the greatest steel players I have yet to see or work with anywhere. Gary Hogue and Junior Knight. They played the instrument like no one I had seen before and they did "twin" parts on stuff that would blow you away. I was getting to stand next to them and watch them up close every night and this got me totally addicted to the instrument. I also realized at this point that I was going to have to move on from my little Fender 400 and get a guitar with 10 strings! I started playing at home along with Don Williams records and I also a few Lloyd Green and Jimmy Day LP's and started trying to teach myself. It would be a while before I had the courage to take my steel out of the house. I would say it would be a year or two before I ever excepted a gig playing steel, but eventually it happened. To this day I only consider myself a "part time" steel player and wouldn't even take my instrument out of the case around players the caliber of Junior Knight and many of the folks I see posting on this forum. I call myself a multi instrumentalist who dabbles with the steel on occasion!

James Pennebaker

[This message was edited by James Pennebaker on 31 July 2004 at 10:12 AM.]

[This message was edited by James Pennebaker on 31 July 2004 at 10:15 AM.]

Mark Metdker · From: North Central Texas, USA

James, I can relate to your story. Dallas is a tough town to play steel in. there are so many good steelers around here. Your story sounds similar to mine. I always like the way the steel sounded, even when I was a kid. I would listen to my Dad's old albums, and the steel would always stick out to me. I learned to play the electric guitar at about age 7. Played mostly rock until I was in my early 20's. Then I got a chance to buy an MSA at a good price. The guy that sole it to me showed me the basics of what the pedals did. I took it home and started learning. I only wish I could have stood on stage and watch David Hogue and Junior Knight play night after night! What an education! That's like starting school in the 12th grade!
I still consider myself a guitar player that knows how to play a little steel. I need to go get lessons.....hmmmm.....Reece Anderson is just down the road.......

Joe Alterio · From: Irvington, Indiana

Double post...sorry!

[This message was edited by Joe Alterio on 31 July 2004 at 07:17 PM.]

Joe Alterio · From: Irvington, Indiana

So far, I like Mark's story the best....really neat!

I got into this instrument by way of The Monkees. I started to learn to play guitar when I was 10, and being a big Monkees fan, I quickly learned their songs on guitar (Steppin' Stone was the first song I ever learned to play). Years passed, and I started to really get into Mike Nesmith's solo work. The combination of Nesmith's songwriting and Red Rhodes' amazing playing was enough to make me drop everything and start learning steel.....but lack of funds prevented me from doing that.

When I was in my early 20s I gave a call to Ed Naylor who was nearby, and he had a rough but mechanically sound Maverick with two pedals and two levers that he sold very cheap....especially considering he threw in a bunch of instruction materials, bar, picks, and a volume pedal!

I found that having played guitar for over 10 years got me "halfway there", as all the major chords with no pedals were the same as a barred E chord on guitar (3rd fret = G, 10th fret = D, etc.). Plus, I had proficiency with fingerpicking. Now I just had...errr...have....to learn technique!

Not only is this a great instrument, but the fellowship of the community and the envy of other local musicians makes this a very enjoyable hobby/part-time profession....I love every minute of it!

Joe

Dan Tyack · From: Olympia, WA USA

In the summer between junior and senior years of high school I passed through Nashville picked up a couple of records, one of which was the Emmons Black album. When I got back home to Palo Alto, CA I spent about a week straight listening to that albumn, thinking that I would never be able to play like that. I had been playing dobro for a few months and was doing pretty well on it, but was intimidated by the steel. During that senior year I started listening to Bobby Black with Commander Cody and watching Hal Rugg on the Wilburn Bros. Finally when I graduated in January (a semester early) I said I've got to have one of those things. So I got a job in a pharmaciutical research lab helping to analyze the blood of baboons with radiactive IUDs. By the July before college I had enough saved to buy a d-10 ZB guitar (wish I still had that puppy). So when I went off to college I found myself spending about 8 hours a day practicing steel. Since at that time the University of California, Berkeley didn't offer a music degree specializing in pedal steel performance, I decided to quit school after the second quarter, finding a part time job driving a school bus, and practicing about 10 hours a day. I was lucky enough in those country rock days to get a full time road job playing steel about 2 months after I quit school. So I spent the next couple of years on the road in small towns, practicing about 5 hours a day, then playing 6 hours a night (6-7 days a week). The off day was spent looking for a jam session, of course. Of course I had no social life (I was a steel player after all) but it was conducive to learning to play.

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www.tyack.com

Jonathan Mitguard · From: San Rafael, California, USA

Once I decided to learn an instrument I started with a guitar but soon a Fender Lap steel that my brother brought home called to me. It was different from what everyone else was playing so I dove in. I also thought, hey this might be easy, since I didn't have to do all that tricky left hand chord stuff. Well, as you all know my progression on up to the Pedal Steel has me playing one of the most chanllenging instruments there is. When I first saw a PSG I pushed a pedal and saw it raise and lower strings at the same time I thought "oh my god what have I gotten into". But, I was hooked and even though the PSG is a ball and Chain it is my ball and chain. Twenty eight years later there is still so much to learn.

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Charles Turpin · From: Mexico, Missouri, USA

At the time i went to pedal steel guitar. had played my fender telecaster since i was 10 years old. I was in a area at the time when people 15 and 16 years old was realy into music. The new Merle Haggard and Buck Owens sounds where realy hitting the dance halls in our area in the 60s and 70s.I had travels about a year or so with the Buster Doss which was the ghost writer for Cross the Brazos at Waco for Billy Walker.
Glen Morgan who was a friend that we played music and traded guitar licks for years got to going to St Louis and sneaking into the clubs down there where you had to be 21 to get in. We met a lot of friends like Gary Willis and Chet Rice who where taking there ephiphone guitars and doing some out rageous Imitating guitar licks of steel guitars. We went to trading licks with these people, they are still friends today. Gary at the time was playing with Nick Nixon the same Nick that wrote the song Teddy bear. After about three years of looking at what these players where doing one day i picked up a Guitar player magazine and there was an add in there about pedal steel and the way it was tuned.When i looked at the E9th tuning i kind of analyzed what i was doing on the guitar wasn't no where near what the steel guitar was doing. So i took a few months and tryed to correct my self to play steel licks on the guitar. But the reaches where no where near in the finger board to play at the speed you want. So one day my wife told me if i ever changed instruments what would i like to play. I just told her the hardest instrument i can find. I got laid off where i was working and she new i was totaly frustrated at what i was trying to do. So i went up to the music shop up town where i live it was called Crazy music. They had just got some steel guitars in. But not knowing what i was buying or nothing i bought a bar and a fender lap steel. I took it home and played it about 3 hours comparing the necks and i called the owner of the shop up town and he told me he had something i would want rather than that lap steel. So out of the blind not even knowing what i was doing i bought a Sho Bud Maverick with three pedals and One knee lever. Where i was laid off the man that sold me the steel threw in Paul franklins beginging course.Then thanks to learning about Scottys in st louis I learned to progress up through the pedals and knee levers. And now play the full set up.

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