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Topic: Talk about a Greenie, but sure would love to play a steel. . |
Lamar Welch
From:
Georgia, USA
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Posted 8 Nov 2008 6:10 pm |
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Piano is first, but a steel is next in line... just bought a CHEAPIE just to see if I'd take time to learn. Also bought a DVD supposed to be basic, but the guy plays a 8 string... Mine is 6 string, question is, what tuning should I start with, I'll try and learn some techniques from the 8 string guy, but where should I go next to learn to play? No teachers in my area (South Atlanta) that anyone knows about. I know the basics of music, play piano by note (not well, but play for church). Just don't want to get started wrong, so some advice would be appreciated.
Thanks
L W |
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Ron Whitfield
From:
Kaaawa, Hawaii, USA
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Posted 8 Nov 2008 6:16 pm Welcome, Lamar!
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Check out my beginner's tutorial on pg. 4 of my web site. It's to help get rookies up and running with the most proper fundementals, quickly, and to avoid bad habits - www.hwnsge.5u.com
Lot's of other help to come by on this forum, and I'm sure they'll chime in.
Have fun! |
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Lamar Welch
From:
Georgia, USA
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Posted 9 Nov 2008 10:10 am DBGDBG -- Tuning. . . good for beginner?
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Looking over websites still doesn't give me a good feel for which tuning to start with. Don't want to make it more difficult than it is. I play NO stringed instrument. Is this DBGDBG with D being lowest, G being highest string a good one to start with?
Also, on another front, many years ago I met a man in Macon, GA (around 1965) that built some BEAUTIFUL, expensive pedal steels for some well-named entertainers. Can't remember his name, does anybody know who he was, and are his steels still around?
Thanks
Lamar |
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Kyle Dosskey
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Posted 10 Nov 2008 2:07 am
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Okay. So there are many different tunings for many different styles of playing, all with a different sound and feel. Since you say you have no experience with guitar or strings, I recommend starting with Open E EBEG#BE (low to high), or Open D which is the same thing just at a lower pitch (DADF#AD). I started with this tuning and have stayed with it four years on. This will give you a major chord straight across so that you can play some songs just moving the bar from I-IV-V as well as let you play some single and multi-string riffs with a nice blues/rock sound. You can even simplify further and just go DADDAD or EBEEBE which will give you a power-chord and some good faux-minor chords. The goal here is just to get you comfortable with playing steel guitar and hence you need to develop right-hand and left-hand technique. Unfortunately, and this is not an insult, but it ain't gonna sound pretty and it ain't gonna feel easy while you "become" a steel guitar player, but stick with it and you could have some solid feel for it within a few months. Good luck.
PS- Here are some sites that I think might help you:
http://www.hawaiiansteel.com/learning/gauges.php
http://www.well.com/user/wellvis/tuning.html
Kelly Joe Phelps plays acoustic lap steel in Open D, buy Roll Away the Stone or Lead Me On and prepare to have your mind blown at the possibilities. Here is a site with some tabs of his songs:
http://pagesperso-orange.fr/riverratjimmy/pages/tunings.htm |
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