Nurturing Regular Practice Sessions

Bill Hankey · From: Pittsfield, MA, USA

Every now and then, the enthusiasm to find new techniques at playing steel will peak. It is at the time of those "highs", we are more apt to "discover" those patented "licks". Once we are enlightened, they make up a treasure chest of learned material. I think it would be wise to reflect on the eagerness, by carefully maintaining priorities, and early recognition of possible diversions. Each time a steel player adds a new "lick" to the "treasure" chest of knowledge, he becomes more adept at opening new achievements. I welcome comments by steel players who fit into the various routine practice session requirements.

Ulric Utsi-Åhlin · From: Sweden

I suspect there´s a discrepancy regarding the number
of licks & tricks we KNOW,and the ones that we can,
comfortably and on the fly,include in our own
playing ; the "Learn One Lick A Day And After A
Couple Of Years You Have 1000 Of Them At Your
Disposal" method doesn´t really work for me...even
though I don´t have a problem executing them tech-
nically,some of them are just not compatible with
my internal vibe and,consequently,will not be
representative of the musical & emotional output
of which I like to be the source.McUtsi

Rick Schacter · From: Portland, Or.

Bill Hankey · From: Pittsfield, MA, USA

Finding the pretty blendings of notes cascading in harmonies by mechanically applied foot and knee pressures is the ultimate in meeting challenges of stringed instruments. The exactness of obtaining perfect pitches is the prerequisite of properly tuned steel guitars. One unforgiving "sour" note could prevent a player from enjoying harmonic changes from major chords to the top notes of minor modifications. There are fewer doubts discussed, that would allow for citing steel guitar "licks" as the second in line of importance, after harmonic blendings of chord changes.

Bill Hankey · From: Pittsfield, MA, USA

Ulric Utsi-
Ahlin,

How can this be? Everywhere you look, steel guitars are emerging as a standard. Oh yes! What of the guitarist, the drummer, the bassist, or however he prefers to be referenced, and the "lowly" unimportant man stationed at M.C. duties, and singing the latest of country hit tunes? Before anyone goes into a tizzy, and defuzes my line of communication, please allow that I became the conjurer of long overdue respect for ALL band members, and break this partiality we're seeing so much of. You may be among those who would carry a ruse that smells badly, perhaps not. I haven't chided with a few musical concepts that would allude to the exclusion of fiddles and guitars, in the recognition department. Many experiences have contributed to forming a lifelong tendency to recognize playing favorites as odoriforous and negative. It shouldn't take forever to decide who's pushing or pulling. If suddenly, you had the power to feature steel guitars as the lead instrument in country bands, what could you do to make changes? No fooling around with issues that may cause injuries. Injuries to pride and such, could negate the impetus of asperants who are struggling to cover the basics to playing the pedal steel guitar. We must find a way to modify the gloat that is circulating throughout the steel playing community. Simply by dialing a country station, will put you in contact with reality. It is no longer about steel guitars as it clearly demonstrates, by presenting a "New Age" of unfamiliar artistries, growing by leaps and bounds, and contributing to the demise of the once popular country music. Libraries of recordings, better known as dust collectors by true country fans, are useful for comparing the changes that have evolved in recent years. Smile

Jack Dougherty · From: Spring Hill, Florida, USA

Bill, this topic has merit. Kudos!

One lick begets another. And so on.

Most of mine were collected because of mistakes I made while trying to find the ones I was looking for.
Not very scientific, but effective.
And for what its worth, a lick you learn from a song may be viable somewhere else. One has to be open minded.
_________________
There is no such thing as too many steels!!
Emmons P/P 8/7 Strings....whatever I have.....Picks..mixed...Bars...one of four..but I like the Bullet Bar
Walker Stereo Steel Amp

TC M1 XL
Peavey Nashville 400. Fox Mod
Various sundries and toys..

Bo Legg · Posted 22 Sep 2009 11:43 am

Bill, some of my personal favorite licks came from clams I made while trying a new lick. Here is an example of part of a long lick that I missed one part of it with this clam and it sounded so unique and grabbed my attention much more than the correct lick. I now overuse it whenever the chord progression goes to a 2m. This is Am in the key of G.

Bill Hankey · From: Pittsfield, MA, USA

Jack,

Would you be interested in sharing how you first became interested in a particular lick. I recall how difficult trying to "polish" licks became, once the moves and notes were in order. When I first set out to play, licks were gathered slowly, one by one. I've managed to batch out a bunch of tags that are always found to be useful. Do you like triad licks or single note versions? Speed pickers,and "licksters" can come on strong. To be prepared for such overwhelming assaults, enter sound "pretty" chordal arrangements to save face. It would be wise to console yourself quietly when things become confrontational in music halls.

Bill Hankey · From: Pittsfield, MA, USA

Bo Legg,

It's the second string's versatility that captures a spot in E9th patented licks. That second string has made steel guitar "greats" much greater for years. Thanks for the illustrated "lick". I wish a visibly authentic player with established renown would tell the story once again. The absolute truth of the first steel guitarist to experiment with the 2nd string chromatic note would be great to read in print. Another remarkable incident colliding with chance, happened when Lloyd Green introduced the E to F change for the first time in 1968, recording Tammy Wynette's D-i-v-o-r-c-e. Considering when string-pull changes were first introduced, the change advantage remained inactive for over 15 years. To the best of knowledge, this much is true.

Ulric Utsi-Åhlin · From: Sweden

The proud recordings reclining on dusty shelves are,
indeed,the source material for the study of our
instrument,those who know history are free to inter-
pret it and,thereby,multiplying the chances of
inventing something new & exciting ; the aforementioned "clam",leading to a new perspective,
is a worthy candidate for method-of-choice in some
cases.McUtsi

Bill Hankey · From: Pittsfield, MA, USA

Ulric Utsi-
Ahlin,

I fear that there is some sort of conditional hold back going on in the treatment of this subject matter. Reasonable inquiries made to support groups, who for years, would politely move into exchanges without promulgation efforts on my part to share some knowledge. As a result of frequent tauntings from sagely members, even while trying my best to convince them by remaining fixedly on specified subject matters, the great "lick" hush has shown how these declining responses wearies those with the highest credentials. I mean to say, books are no longer judged by their covers, and neither is surface intelligence. The proof of one's ignorance slips through the lips of the speaker. Who cares about unrelated commentary? When I mentioned "Arriving", one individual questioned the fact that I had ever played the steel guitar. I'm trying to exercise a few wake-up calls, requesting the possibility of sharing unfamiliar "licks". If this is carried out to the point of gathering useful information, who knows what will transform as a result?

Bob Simons · From: Kansas City, Mo, USA

Maybe endlessly learning each other's "licks" is why traditional pedal steel has become so predictable and "old hat."
_________________
Zumsteel U12 8-5, MSA M3 U12 9-7, MSA SS 10-string, 1930 National Resonophonic, Telonics Combo, Webb 614e, Fender Steel King, Mesa Boogie T-Verb.

Bill Hankey · From: Pittsfield, MA, USA

Bob,

Tossing your hat in the ring is appreciated. I had mentioned several responses ago that a young man by the name of Jimmy Roule Jr. has a series of "licks" that he up-tempos to incredible speeds. I had mentioned that fooling around, while in his presence, could kindle a response on 10 strings not heard before. To say that he is exceptional, would be the understatement of the day. He goes far beyond musical abilities that are labeled exceptional.

Bob Simons · From: Kansas City, Mo, USA

I'm not impressed with speed alone, (although it is true that everyone would secretly like to rip off those sizzling lines of 16th notes).......if you want a truly humbling "speed" experience watch this video through to the end- The World's Fastest Guitar Player...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BynUZOJc8QI&feature=related

A few weeks ago in St. Louis I listened to Doug Jernigan. He is undoubtedly a great musician, who often plays interesting and tasteful steel guitar. But for the life of me, this time all I could hear was "licks" crammed into whatever musical space was fenced off by the song structure, with little relation to melody, emotion, or any truly musical consideration.

I was much happier listening to delicate and emotional playing from less ambitious technicians.
_________________
Zumsteel U12 8-5, MSA M3 U12 9-7, MSA SS 10-string, 1930 National Resonophonic, Telonics Combo, Webb 614e, Fender Steel King, Mesa Boogie T-Verb.

Bill Hankey · From: Pittsfield, MA, USA

Bob,

Thank you for the link to the fastest guitarist on record. Also, my gratitude for the display of sportsmanship. I enjoyed your response, it makes a great deal of sense. Isn't it amazing how music soothes and reassures our greatest concerns, as we make our way through life? I had mentioned in so many words, that we've merely scratched the surface of what the future holds musically. I've always felt that the ability to perform instrumentally, or vocalizing is inexplicable. Modern communications, such as televiewing artistic innovations, supports each of those words.

Bill Hankey · From: Pittsfield, MA, USA

I'll be opting for a larger printing of the award soon. I hope this removes any doubts that the steel guitar has captured my interest, and has provided me with a steadfast will to learn its many facets.

Bill Hankey · From: Pittsfield, MA, USA

Wayne Franco · From: silverdale, WA. USA

I have never heard Doug play better than what he played through out the show. The jazz room was incredable. The tribute to Tom Brumley was the same. I thought he "spanked" everyone there all weekend. I thought his emotion and taste was as good as I've ever heard. He didn't play orange blossom special. Although his "signature" song. He played lots of things I haven't heard before. Anyone step right up if you think you can beat him. This year he was outstanding period.

Now, back to on topic. Bill as has been said so many times in this forum there isn't any right way to practice. I like copying something that I think sounds cool as much as anybody especially on the E-9 neck. I especially like to copy some lick or position then figure out why it works and use it in my every day playing. Organizing yourself musically by having some kind of a method that you can consistently expand your musical goals is not the common practice of a lot of players on any instrument. Steel almost demands it if your goal is to achieve real musical freedom in only one lifetime. The pedal steel is just to complicated not to have a plan. It has been said (the late Jeff Newman being one of them) All the great players already know what they are going to do before they do it. Big difference between that and throwing your fingers at some predetermined lick not having a clear idea if it will fit or not. For me that is the motivating factor to practice. Musical freedom. From a listeners standpoint I like to hear what a person has to say through their application of grey matter than listening to someone throwing their fingers at the strings lick after lick. On that note Personally, I really enjoy getting up early in the morning head clear,rested and practice musical stuff.
It is too bad its so hard to get into specifics here. I don't see much of it these days. For the people who are really into this it would be very helpful and motivating to share those ideas. Bob Hoffner from NY use to do it quite a bit and I always enjoyed his helpful ideas. It keeps me motivated.I know we're sitting on top of a diamond mine. BTW, a good teacher or getting together with someone else who is equally motivated will help.

Bill Hankey · From: Pittsfield, MA, USA

W Franco,

I'm willing to stick my neck out, and go all the way with Jimmy Roule on the speed issue. I've watched Florida's pride and joy lay into the steel like there is no tomorrow. Doug's exemplary favorites includes; "Black Mountain Rag", and The "Orange Blossom Special", usually played just a bit uptempo. I have a copy of Jimmy playing O.B.S. at The National Music Foundation, when they were located in Lenox, MA. - It's nothing short of incredible.

Bill Hankey · From: Pittsfield, MA, USA

Hopefully, I'll hit on a debatable thread soon. A few more days of this hush up will rouse a consternation that I can live without. I'm satisfied that there is very little to prove in this business that will "net" huge benefits one way or the other. The conflicting outlooks of hesitant players does not sway me a silly iota. There are solutions to many problems that occur among musicians with undetermined hat sizes. The rewards of "arriving" at the steel guitar is the most bountiful realization since I became hopeful in my music room years ago. Today, the simplification of playing along with recordings is much more than I thought would be possible at the start. By backtracking the lifestyles of past steel players, there are many great moments in their past lives. To be truthful, I'm not impressed with what should have been far more receptive general audiences. Their icy responses (in many situations) were caused by irresponsible parties dropping the ball, and consequently showing a lack of promoting the pedal steel guitar in all departments. Edging out promotional efforts is fairly common. One can easily observe inflated egos that have departed from the true country music scene. Stop, look, and listen, are all that is required to open the doors to these changes. Truthfully, I DO NOT like what is happening to traditional country music.

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