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Topic: Really want to play |
Robert Harper
From:
Alabama, USA
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Posted 21 Oct 2013 7:52 pm |
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Hey guys, I enjoy the steel, but I work< ia m old. So when Itry to listen to CDs to lear to play in variably, they dont have any real steel. I dont mean that as it sounds, just fills and backups . If thats not the case, the cds are by guys been playin 100 years playing all their great licks. I have come accross some interestind stuff on the UOUtube, but after a while my ADHD kicks in and become bored playing the same old licks,chords. Then I come here to agravate the pros. So my question. IS there any, or where is the more basic songs, three four chords that might keep the ADHD at bay. Please don't suggest drug therapy. When I was a kid, the cure for ADHD was a paddle, I learned to live with and like myself too much to take drugs for what I consider a natural problem. Besides, my mother never said as I heard one mother say, " I cant stand him when hes not on his ADHD medicine". No comment on that needed, remember and respect the forum rules
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"Oh what a tangled web we weave when we first begin to deceive" Someone Famous |
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Robert Harper
From:
Alabama, USA
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Posted 21 Oct 2013 7:54 pm The Tube
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The tube can overwhelm, sometimes theres too much
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"Oh what a tangled web we weave when we first begin to deceive" Someone Famous |
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David Ziegler
From:
Lancaster, Ohio, USA
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Posted 22 Oct 2013 1:21 am
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| I don't know how much background you have or how much you already know but I would say learn your triads and what your pedals do and play melodies. There are books you can get that will give you some info but my best advancement came when I used tablature. There is plenty of free tablature on this forum and itis a great way to start. I know I could never sit down and listen and then play something. |
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Robert Harper
From:
Alabama, USA
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Posted 22 Oct 2013 4:41 pm Tab
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Yes I have hundreds pages of tab,it has become a crutch.I need to advance beyond tab
_________________
"Oh what a tangled web we weave when we first begin to deceive" Someone Famous |
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Calvin Walley
From:
colorado city colorado, USA
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Posted 22 Oct 2013 7:20 pm
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Jeff Newmans "just play the melody " comes to mind
it can get you thinking about what and how to play a song without tabs
_________________
proud parent of a sailor
Mullen SD-10 /nashville 400
gotta love a Mullen!!!
Guitars that i have owned in order are :
Mullen SD-10,Simmons SD-10,Mullen SD-10,Zum stage one,Carter starter,
Sho-Bud Mavrick |
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Ian Holman
From:
New York, USA
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Posted 23 Oct 2013 2:54 am
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Hey Robert,
If you are able to find someone to take lessons from in your area that is really the best way to learn the psg. I took lessons for just over a year and I know that I improved in ways that I wouldn't have been able to do on my own, (I still have a long way to go.) |
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Carl Kilmer
From:
East Central, Illinois
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Posted 23 Oct 2013 4:08 am
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Because of my bad eyesight I can't read tabs. The way I learn
is using good tracks. If you know most of the chords, you can
always learn pretty quick. If I don't know the melody to a song
I download it from Youtube to learn it and then use the tracks
to figure out how to play it so I'll sound fairly good. Without
tabs, you'll develope your own style, not copy someone else.
There are plenty of free tracks available and protracks for sale.
Mike Archer has good videos and Mike Headrick has some of the
best tracks I've ever heard at a very low price.  ....Carl
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aka "Lucky Kay"--Custom built Rittenberry SD10 3X5, Walker S/S, NV-112, and Hilton Pedal |
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Lynn Fargo
From:
Fort Edward, NY
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Posted 23 Oct 2013 5:46 pm Re: Tab
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| Robert Harper wrote: |
| Yes I have hundreds pages of tab,it has become a crutch.I need to advance beyond tab |
I know exactly what you mean. That's why I've decided to go back to the basics and finally learn theory, but as it is applied to the PSG. Joe Wright has some free lessons over on the Sierra Steels site. I have a theory course by Mike Smith which I found very helpful. I've heard such good things about Mark Van Allen's Theory and the Number System that I finally bought it, but haven't gotten to it yet. Hope some of this helps. Best of luck,
Lynn
Oops, almost forgot - you can buy some tracks on e-bay that are simple and slowed down. I see some country and bluegrass CDs that are often available.
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Sho-Bud Pro II Custom, GFI Ultra SD-10, Fender Pro Amp, Fender Mustang II Amp, Morrell 8-string lap, Epiphone 6-string lap, Galveston reso, etc. |
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Dave Bertoncini
From:
Sun City West, Arizona USA
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Posted 23 Oct 2013 6:10 pm
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I am at the same place as you...don't want to just learn bunch of tab. After about 22 years away from Pedal Steel, I have been working on technique so far.
Today I received Jeff Newman "Just Play The Melody" and it seems like a very good place to start, at least if you want to learn to play melody to most any tune. Also will help with improvising. |
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Donny Hinson
From:
Glen Burnie, Md. U.S.A.
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Posted 24 Oct 2013 2:11 pm Re: Tab
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| Robert Harper wrote: |
| Yes I have hundreds pages of tab,it has become a crutch.I need to advance beyond tab |
Sore spot with me...IMHO, tab (if it's used at all) should only be used for difficult intros/rides or complex melodies. Using tab for simple stuff is what causes trouble. What happens is - you get lazy, you don't memorize the grips and chord positions. And before you know it, a decade of playing has gone by and you still can't play anything without tab.  |
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Lane Gray
From:
Topeka, KS
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Posted 25 Oct 2013 2:32 pm
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Play along with the radio, or internet radio. Preferably something without steel on it.
Find the harmony part to the signature line from Clapton's "Wonderful Tonight." It's easy to find, but tricky to play with soul.
Find, if such is your bent, a steel part to Motown classics.
Steelradio.com played a tune from Reece last night ("Forget" was in the title, ironically I cannot recall the rest), in which it sounds like he drew heavily on lines from the B3 greats.
Listen to Jimmy or Jack McGriff, swipe some of those licks.
_________________
2 pedal steels, a lapStrat, and an 8-string Dobro (and 3 ukes)
More amps than guitars, and not many effects |
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Bill McKillop
From:
Glasgow, Scotland
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Posted 25 Oct 2013 2:48 pm
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Hi Robert,
I just want to address your ADHD. You mentioned that you don't like to take medication for it but there are some great medicines out now that really help it. Having worked as a teacher of young people with ADHD I would never have wanted to "paddle them." I know they - like you- couldn't help themselves and paddling was the last thing they needed. I'm sure that was done more in ignorance than anything. I'm sure that if you spoke to your GP and discussed a way to help you find a medication that might suit you, you'd have more patience to listen to the tracks and have more patience with yourself in trying to learn them.
Best wishes to you and I hope that you get your problems sorted out.
Bill |
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Lane Gray
From:
Topeka, KS
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Posted 25 Oct 2013 4:53 pm
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As one with a former diagnosis, current tendencies and occasionally irritating behavior, I think it's a shame to medicalize and "treat" people who're half a bubble off plumb. Teachers like to medicalize ADD because kids are much more compliant once the personality gets chemically suppressed.
The best treatment for ADD is an obsessive interest. I learned to buckle down once I started learning to play music.
_________________
2 pedal steels, a lapStrat, and an 8-string Dobro (and 3 ukes)
More amps than guitars, and not many effects |
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Ken Campbell
From:
Ferndale, Montana
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Posted 25 Oct 2013 5:52 pm
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| Lane Gray wrote: |
The best treatment for ADD is an obsessive interest. I learned to buckle down once I started learning to play music. |
This is the only reason I can function semi adequately in society at all. |
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Gene Jones
From:
Oklahoma City, OK USA, (deceased)
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Posted 26 Oct 2013 8:45 am
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@@@
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"FROM THEN TIL' NOW"
Last edited by Gene Jones on 30 Oct 2013 6:54 am; edited 2 times in total |
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Donny Hinson
From:
Glen Burnie, Md. U.S.A.
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Posted 28 Oct 2013 7:45 am
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| I guess also, if you have 200 pieces of tab, and want to progress beyond tab, a good question to ask is..."Can you play most of those 200 songs without the tab?" Unfortunately, extemporaneous playing does require a modicum of memory skills, and without those skills, it would be hard to make practical suggestions. |
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Lane Gray
From:
Topeka, KS
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Posted 28 Oct 2013 9:25 am
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| Donny Hinson wrote: |
| I guess also, if you have 200 pieces of tab, and want to progress beyond tab, a good question to ask is..."Can you play most of those 200 songs without the tab?" Unfortunately, extemporaneous playing does require a modicum of memory skills, and without those skills, it would be hard to make practical suggestions. |
A modicum? Hmmm, Donny understates stuff again, I think.
Here was my progression:
1: Tab (and rote instruction, learning solos note for note from a damn good teacher)
2: Mentally breaking down the solos from 1 into licks, along with the obvious licks from the stuff on the radio; stringing those licks into solos and fills.
3: Learning to "sing" the solos to myself, and playing what the voices in my head are singing. Sometimes the voices know my licks.
Steps 1 and 2 were VERY memory dependent. 3 might be less so, but I'm not conscious of my playing process (I've said before "I dunno, I think the notes and they come out of the speakers")
But yeah, tablature should only be invoked en masse at the early learning stages, to lean on it later does the player a disservice.
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2 pedal steels, a lapStrat, and an 8-string Dobro (and 3 ukes)
More amps than guitars, and not many effects |
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Joachim Kettner
From:
Germany
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Posted 28 Oct 2013 12:04 pm
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| Lane Gray wrote: |
Find, if such is your bent, a steel part to Motown classics.
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I'm gonna try comping along to this one, now:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5k0GDQrK2jo
_________________
Fender Kingman, Sierra Crown D-10, Evans Amplifier, Soup Cube. |
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Zeke Cory
From:
Hinsdale, New York USA
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Posted 30 Oct 2013 4:14 am Tab is not only for learning a specific song ...
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| We use tab regularily to learn a specific songs, but ... it also teaches "neck theory" (for lack of a better term) in that is also shows various positions relative to a certain key. If the tab shows you to use Pedal A and the F lever three frets up from the open position in that particular tabbed song, this position is also relative to that key in any song. The same is true on C6th. Learning songs from tab can show you different pedal combinations at other than the normal fret locations as well as licks and such. Starting out, I was only aware of the open position and the pedaled position. Using tab opened my eyes to many other useable neck positions that I may have been very slow to find on my own, had I not read a bit deeper into the tab itself. There is much more there than meets the eye. I realize I have swayed from the main thread issue, just stressing that tab is a valuable tool for more than just learning one song. Now back to our regularily scheduled programming. Best Regards. |
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chris ivey
From:
california (deceased)
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Posted 30 Oct 2013 7:24 am
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| right, what zeke just said has been very important to me. over the years i've looked at tab to get an idea of how someone did a certain lick. i don't think i've ever learned a whole song by tab, but i've filed away hundreds of usable licks which become tools of knowledge. |
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Joseph Barcus
From:
Volga West Virginia
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Posted 30 Oct 2013 2:43 pm
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a good steel player or shall I say a good instrument player wont be playing all the time id say take the time to learn where all the chord locations are if theres four beats in G dont sit on one G for what they call padding when you hear no voice play something on that spot youre on mix them up use the G at the 10th fret then maybe 3rd fret then may 6th fret if you happen to be sitting on the 7th fret and know you are getting ready for a C release that a pedal leave that raise knee in and play something there things will come for you and it will be your style your pick of location for a fill and so on. well theres my 3 cents worth lol
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https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCvuH7H8BajODaL_wy3_HSJQ |
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Niels Andrews
From:
Salinas, California, USA
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Posted 2 Nov 2013 8:54 pm
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Lynn, is doing the right thing, learning music theory. I am sure you can buy a machine that plays tab, and that is what it sounds like a machine playing tab. Is that the sound you are looking for? I don't think you can unlock the treasure chest playing tab from memory.
What Lane suggests is a lot of fun, pick any melody and enjoy. I am really having a great time doing just that, take any song and figure out the melody line and go for it.
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Die with Memories. Not Dreams.
Good Stuff like Zum S-12, Wolfe Resoport
MSA SS-12, Telonics Combo. |
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Daryl Thisdelle
From:
New Brunswick, Canada
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Posted 3 Nov 2013 4:26 am Adhd
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Hi Robert, I too have ADHD and it can stop me right in my tracks.I found having a teacher who was made fully aware of my condition, he taught me with that in mind. I know the terrible feeling of having it all slip away and now can not even figure what to do next. It's one of the worst feeling to have to feel. So my teacher started me off teaching me just a few notes at a time. I know he felt guilty taking my money with maybe a 1/4 to 1/2 of a lesson to what others would do. For me I did not care. It was all about me learning this beautiful instrument, like most even if it was one note at a time. Over time I have slowly learned more in each lesson. For me it is not how much I have learned it is how well do I play what I have learned. If I can learn how to play a scale and make it sound as smooth as butter, I won.!!!! I am now also reading the Pedal Steel Guitar Book by Winnie Winston and Bill Keith and have added that to my learnings. Over time all at my speed I am controlling how much I learn and at the same time keeping my ADHD at bay. It's like not looking at your bar hand, you got it under control. Oh I do not take drugs for my condition. At 61 I am high on life, and the PSG... That's my story am I am picking to it ... lolol
Daryl
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Williams 700 Keyless SD 12 String Universal Lacguer Body Wood Neck Alumitone Pick Up GD Walker Stereo Steel Amp Preamp Combo With 2x15 inch JBL Speakers In Tuned Cabinets, Hilton Digital Sustain Pedal, Telonics Volume Pedal. Steel Seat With Back Rest And Swivel And Adjustable Legs. George L Cables. BJS Bar. Nookies Thumb Pick National Finger Picks. Jagwires Petterson Strobo Plus HD Tuner |
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