how many grew up on pedal steel guitar the hard way

Marty Holmes · From: Magnolia ,TX USA

How many are self taught on pedal steel guitar and what made you want to play one

Eric Philippsen · From: Central Florida USA

I was self-taught at first because there were no teachers around at all. It was Winnie Winston's book and "drop the needle" on the record for a long time.

What made me want to play one? I was playing 6-string in a country band and one night a steel player sat in. I stood right next to him on stage. I was astounded at what I heard. At the first break I pointed to his Sho-Bud and said, "I gotta git me one o' dos'."

Another influence was TC Furlong when he was with Jump-In-The-Saddle. A touring band, they used to play at the larger clubs in upper Indiana. Believe this, TC would take solos that brought the crowds to their feet in a frenzy. People from all walks of life and musicians from all backgrounds packed those clubs to see them and the western swing they played.

Bill L. Wilson · From: Oklahoma, USA

I did take a few lessons on Lap, when I was little. But other than the salesman showing me the I, IV, and V on my 1st pedal steel, and a fantastic player named Jerry Hall, showing me his very fast pickin' technique, I am totally self taught. And I'm still trying to measure up to Jerry, HE was and still is THE player I strive to be. R. I. P. JERRY, I'm always greatfull SIR!

Richard Sinkler · From: aka: Rusty Strings -- Missoula, Montana

Really not much instructional stuff available when I started (1971). Spent a lot of time just figuring out stuff and watching players on TV on the country shows like Wilburn Bros., etc... When I turned 21, I hit every club I could that had a steel player and got info from them.
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Douglas Schuch · From: Valencia, Philippines

I am "self" taught, but with the advantage of the modern era - Mickey Adams and many others Youtube videos, Herb Steiner and others instructional tab books, etc. I am coming up on two years of playing soon.

Living in the Philippines, I've had two other steelers pass through and play a little on my steel, but I've never even played another steel but the ones I've owned.

I've been fortunate to have the free time to really focus on the instrument the past couple of years. That will soon end, as my "sabbatical" is almost over, but I will be moving to yet another island where there are, to my knowledge, no other steelers.

This forum has been a huge help - I can ask questions, share ideas, and even put my foot in my mouth without too much flack!

Doug
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Brett Day · From: Pickens, SC

I only took one lesson, but learned a lot of songs on my own. I've pretty much taught myself to play songs by listening to steel parts on records, then playing along with the song to see if I could play the steel parts. What made me want to play steel guitar was that I love how it looks and sounds in country music. I remember being a nine year old kid at a country music show called the Carolina Opry in Myrtle Beach, SC, sitting where? in front of the steel guitar. The steel guitarist was a man named Myron Smith and his wife Janet played bass guitar. Anyway, by the time I was seventeen years old, I'd decided after a few years of playing keyboards by ear with one hand, I wanted to play a stringed instrument used in country music, so that's when I thought about the steel guitar. And also because I couldn't handle the frets on guitar because of cerebral palsy in my left hand. I feel that every day, there's always a new song I want to learn on steel guitar. I started in 1999-13 years ago when I was eighteen. Now here it is-2013, I'm 31, almost 32, and still loving to play the steel guitar

Thiel Hatt · From: Utah, USA

I was intrigued by the beautiful sounds of Hawaii calls on the radio and had to learn to play that instrument. That was back in 1949. I was able to find a teacher who taught me to read music on the lap steel. From there I learned to use different tunings and eventually moved into the pedal steel guitar arena. I had the good fortune to meet Buddy Charlton while he was on tour in Utah and he showed me the current E9th tuning. There was very little instructional material available in those years for the evolving steel guitar. Also instructors were very rare, but I managed to find a few. Most of my knowledge had to be dug up on my own. Naturally, my earliest influence was Jerry Byrd and then Jimmy Day and Buddy Emmons. Now I have lots of heroes to choose from.

Daniel Policarpo · Posted 24 Aug 2013 3:56 am

After a year of playing and learning the pedal steel on my own (with a lot of help from this forum)I decided to finally start taking lessons via William Litaker's weekly Live video sessions. I learned how to play six string electric lead guitar and the trumpet on my own, and with the steel I thought I'd try a different approach. With the available resources on the net, if a novice player has access to a computer and the internet, I don't see how anybody would not want to take advantage of the available information. Your just so thirsty for that knowledge initially. I spend a lot of time going through the old pages.

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

I did it pretty much on my own. I started in 1976, when I was playing guitar for a living with a family to support. Country music was becoming very popular in the Boston, MA area and there were a lot of gigs to be had. I figured that if I added steel to my repertoire there would be more gigs for me to do. I didn't much care for country music although I enjoyed western swing and Buck Owens. Part of all of this was becoming familiar with the genre and playing country guitar.

It took me about 2 years, on my own, to get to the point where I could play steel at a tolerable level. I used a 3 volume course that think was written by Fred Layman. It was very basic and made for fast learning. I followed that with the Winnie Winston book.

In the early 80's I attended seminars through PSGA, in New York. These were taught by Jeff Newman, Buddy Emmons and Paul Franklin. Jeff spent 5 minutes with me, tearing my technique (or lack there of) to shreds. While disheartening, it was the most productive 5 minutes that I spent learning to play steel.

It's so much better today. We have the forum, you tube, more teachers, dvd's, etc. I would never advise anyone to take the path that I took.
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john buffington · From: Owasso OK - USA

Completely self-taught, with the aid of 33RPM's a worn out turntable and loads of patience! Earliest influences were Sonny Curtis, Buddy Charlton, Buddy Emmons, Jimmy Day, Lloyd Green, Dickie Overby. They still have my ear today.
JB

Jani Peter Sandvik · From: Kolppi Finland

Living up here in the scandinavian woods had tought me to survive. So im guilty on self learning. it was hard but i came trough it, thanks to this finnish ostrobothnic nature of mine (wich is called "SISU")
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Dave Grafe · From: Hudson River Valley NY

1) With the exception of looking over the shoulders of a few capable players, it's been all on my own until stumbling across this forum, where a great many holes in my understanding have been ably filled by others with different paths.

2) Hearing Buddy Emmons play "Rainbows All Over your Blues" on John Sebastian's fist album. At the time I was living in a cabin up in the mountains with no electricity, playing six- and twelve-string guitars and hawaiian-style slide guitar. I heard that song while visiting friends, and realized there was a way to do what I wanted to do without bar slants only way more better. The trade-off was I had to have electricity in my life, and after some serious ethical and spiritual reflection I was headed back to town within a few days...

Barry Blackwood · Posted 24 Aug 2013 8:24 am

In the beginning, self taught using the turntable method. No other help around in Michigan's upper peninsula circa late '50's..

Brett Lanier · From: Madison, TN

Well, since you ask, here's how it went. I heard Buddy's Steel Guitar Jazz album, immediately traded my Les Paul guitar for a Fender 1000 and started right up. I played "in the dark" for a year or two. Hooked up seven pedals to the A6 (factory back neck) of the 1000 and experimented quite a bit with the tuning and copedent as I kept hearing new things I wanted to play - adding a high string, taking it away, etc... That tuning was really cool, and I wish I still had some of my copedent charts. It was basically an inverse, eight string E9 tuning with the A&B pedal (which worked in reverse) on one pedal. I remember one of my favorite changes being pulling the A string (our 6th string equivalent) up to A#.

Though he never gave me a real lesson, I owe a ton to Jerry Fessenden. He helped me get into a ten string guitar (and later a D10), lent me his car when mine was broke, would run down to my gigs and do emergency repairs, and just let me hang around a lot and learn through osmosis. Also, Jim Milewski was very generous in the same way. Jerry came down to watch me play last night. We talked about Buddy Emmons. Not much changes...

Tony Glassman · From: The Great Northwest

I was fortunate to live in Oakland CA, so I initially took a few lessons w/ Lucky-O ["Asleep at the Wheel"] and a bunch from Greg Lasser [a great player and excellent teacher]. He also turned me on to steel mechanics.

After that, it was all self learning by stealing licks off albums at 16 RPM. [Mooney, Emmons, Lloyd Green Brumley et al.]

Eventually, I learned C6th by copping stuff from the Carl Smith 20th Anniversary album w/ Jim Murphy and Chalker. It was painstakingly slow, but a great education.

Alan Brookes · From: Brummy living in Southern California

I started on a home-made lap steel about 1963, and couldn't afford a pedal steel until about eight years ago. I've always loved steel, and I wanted to play like what I heard on my Hank Williams records as a kid. For years I played in open E tuning, till eventually I realised that C6 was better for the kind of music I was playing. I've never had a lesson. Maybe if I had I would be a better guitarist. Embarassed

Sam White R.I.P. · From: Coventry, RI 02816

I have been and still learning mostly on my own. I have been playing for going on 16 years and I'm still trying to play the best I can.I may not be a good steel player but I just keep trying and I seem to be a lot better than i was 10 years ago. I took a few lessons from a friend in R.I. and another in R.I. but I don't think i l;earned that much.I thank them for trying to help me.I have a problem hearing the cord changes.I have got better but not where I would like to be. I now have hearing Aids and they are a great help thanks to the VA.I started the RISGA the NESGA and i started the Greeneville TN. Steel Guitar Jams and I ran 6 Steel Guitar Jam in North Carolina.I had a phone call the other day and the Man wanted me to play in a band at a church and I told him i would love to but I have a health issue with my heart and i will not be able to lug the steel and Amp. he offered to help but my Wife said no I want you around so I will have to wait untilI get my heart to run better.
Sam White
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Smiley Roberts · From: Hendersonville,Tn. 37075

"...........the hard way"???

I didn't realize there was an EASY way!!! Shocked

Alan Brookes · From: Brummy living in Southern California

Jack Stoner · From: Kansas City, MO

I never had any formal lessons. The old single volume Sho-Bud instruction manual and Neil Flanz's Sho-Bud lick LP were what I used to start out on pedal steel.

Mike Perlowin · From: Los Angeles CA

I had to walk 20 miles in the snow, no easy feat living Southern California where it's summer all the time. Laughing

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Dale Rottacker · From: Walla Walla Washington, USA

I guess the hard way...back in the early 70's there wasn't out there available, but look who I'm talking too right...you all know that...I grew up in Eastern Washington, not exactly your bastion for all things Steel Guitar, so I learned by the "hunt n peck" method, still hunt'n and peck'n, with more holes in my learning then a wheel of swiss cheese... Laughing

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Harry Teachman · From: South Dartmouth,Massachusetts, USA

.....and barefoot too, right, Mike? Winking

Harry Teachman · From: South Dartmouth,Massachusetts, USA

oops, double post......... Oh Well

John De Maille · From: On a Mountain in Upstate Halcottsville, N.Y.

I'm pretty much self taught. I did participate in Jeff Newman's seminars, sponsored by the PSGA, which, helped me tremendously in the beginning. But, most of my knowledge is by the school of hard knocks and licks. Playing as much as I did through the 70's and 80's really helped me to hone my craft on the steel. I burned the candle at both ends and heated up the middle, back then. There's no substitute for getting out and playing. The experience and knowledge is immeasurable as far as I'm concerned. It gets the juices flowing and exercises the gray matter.

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