NP steel as first stringed instrument at age 58?

Jim Rossen · From: Iowa, USA

Non pedal steel is my first stringed instrument and only instrument other than blues harmonica. Progress is slow despite an excellent teacher and at least 8 hours of practice per week for about 1.5 years. I am somewhat discouraged. Anyone have experience with this sort of endeavor?
Jim

Stephen Cowell · From: Round Rock, Texas, USA

I've only been playing steel for about 2 years... but I played guitar for 45 years before that... and 30 years ago I threw away the pick and started learning to finger pick/mute. Played lots of trombone in high school, another slidey instrument, good for the ear.

You don't say how much harmonica you've blown in your life... or whether you have much of an ear. You've picked a hard instrument to learn... most of us started out on six-string spanish guitar. The guitar gives you chord shapes that carry over to the steel, plus left-right hand coordination etc.

So don't get discouraged... just realize that you've got a lot to learn, and got a late start. Don't spend all your time on tab, or learning songs... spend some time just jamming on the thing... get your hands used to it, and train your ear to pick out melodies you can copy with it. Above all make it fun... so you'll do it more... so it'll be more fun. And just remember... and be thankful... at least you didn't try to learn *pedal* steel!
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David Matzenik · From: Cairns, on the Coral Sea

Eight hours a week for a year and half is a commendable effort and shows some commitment, but great results cannot be expected in that time frame unless you are a child prodigy. So being discouraged is perhaps a matter of over-expectation. For rest of us, we have to put in about ten years before we start to make significant progress. That is true of any instrument on which a musician intends to take the lead solo before percussionists and the rhythm section. We are not strumming â€œKumbaya My Lord.â€

You have to know what you want to do with the instrument and you need to be realistic. We must have technical goals but donâ€™t think starting at age 58 you are going to end up playing like Jerry Byrd. If you accept these facts you will have a lot more fun.

Focus on one tuning until the patterns on the fretboard appear before you at a glance. Practice interval recognition while working on your intonation. When learning your favourite tune, always know where you are in the chord progression and why. Do not rely entirely on muscle-memory or your ear. If you do, you will turn around one day and ask â€œHow does that go again?â€
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George Rout · From: St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada

Hello Jim, that's an interesting question. I have experience but it's from the other side of the lap steel....I teach it. I have students that are here and gone happy after 5 or 6 months, they get the hang of it very quickly. On the other hand I have students that seem to make a career of it but enjoy the continuous learning thing. No teacher can make you play, you can be only exposed to the requirements.

Students come with various musical skill levels, and, like everything, thee is a right and wrong way to play. Even as a long time player myself, until I started to teach it, I didn't realize all the facits there are to make it work. The physical mechanics of picking, using the bar, the relationships of chords and strings. I'm talking only non-pedal here, I don't think I have the mental capacity to tackle PSG. And of course, I teach only in the A Major tuning, the simple 1930's style. You know, "learn to play steel in 7 days"?? !!!!

It depends upon what folks consider "learning to play" is. If you play the harp by ear, that means to me that you have an ear for music. Learning becomes easier if you can.

That brings up another point. If you're learning the rudiments of music as you learn the lap steel, that could be a lifetime of learning.

You have probably learned more than you realize over a year and a half with the practising you've done. Make sure you stay focused on what your goal is. Good luck. There's a tremendous amount of enjoyment awaiting you.

Geo
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"I play in the A Major tuning. It's fun to learn and so easy to play. It's as old as the hills....like me"

Jay Fagerlie · From: Lotus, California, USA

Hey Jim,
It's all about seat time-
10,000 hours will get you 'expert' status, providing that those 10K hours are spent wisely and in the right direction.

See what happens if you up the hours per week you practice.

One thing I can tell you for sure- once you pass a certain number of hours (it's different for everybody) you will hit the place where the 'fun' starts and the 'work' eases up a bit, that's when you will really start making leaps and bounds in your playing, no matter what age you are.

I have seen it in so many just starting out on different instruments, they are just short of the 'fun' starting and never make it there Sad

Keep at it- you'll get there!

Tony Lombardo · From: Alabama, USA

Jim, I play guitar and tenor banjo in trad. jazz bands around town, and I work pretty regularly. With that said, I must say that I can do very little on my lap steel. I'm trying to learn to play 8-string steel in A6 tuning, and my progress is slow at best. As you know, this stuff is tough! I have a decent musical knowledge so I know where I want to go on the instrument. For me, the tough part is getting there. It's the blocking, the intonation, the slants, and all of the rest of those techniques indigenous to the steel that make learn the instrument so hard.

Don't get discouraged. We'll get there.

Tony L.

George Rout · From: St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada

Jim you are exactly right. I was going to say the following in my initial, but I didn't want to write an epistle!!!!!

I tell all my students, that it's like plateaus. You work hard and learning whatever, and one day out of the blue you find that certain parts are now easy. Believe me, all the students say "You're right George, I'm in another plateau now". One of the best approaches is being repetitive. Playing the challengeing part(s) over and over to get it down, so when you come to playing it within the music, you see it as a picture and not a buch of notes or numbers (if you using TAB).

Obviously, the more you stick at it, the better it will come. It's you who can do it, not the guitar!!!!!!!

Good luck.

Geo
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http://georgerout.com

"I play in the A Major tuning. It's fun to learn and so easy to play. It's as old as the hills....like me"

John Limbach · From: Billings, Montana, USA

Jim:

I know the feeling well. I took it up at age 67 with no musical background (or talent that I can discern). When I get discouraged, I always try to remember that when I was learning to fly I thought I'd never figure out how to land. Managed that OK, but I'm still not too sure about this steel thing...............though I do persevere. It is fun.

Ron Whitfield · From: Kaaawa, Hawaii, USA

8 hrs. a week is not much hands on study time, but it's about what I put into it once my lessons stopped. I think we make it harder than it really is.

You don't mention what particular hurdles you're facing, Jim, where is the problem/s?
Where are you in regards to your lessons, have you been able to at least play a simple tune with feeling, or is it a more complicated situation?

Jim Rossen · From: Iowa, USA

Thanks for the encouragement and helpful advice!
I play blues harmonica well and have an ear for intonation given the note bending on harmonica (see YouTube link). My goal is to play a couple of western swing songs per set with my band.
Individual note picking and bar-ing is toughest for me.
I will stick with it, but it would be helpful to know of just ONE person who started as I have and got good enough to play out.

Jim

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8M8kPlX7ICI&noredirect=1

Ron Whitfield · From: Kaaawa, Hawaii, USA

John Mulligan · From: Ontario, Canada

Coming into lap steel with no guitar experience is a disadvantage. Of course you're discouraged, that's just park of the peaks and valleys of learning this thing. It's good that you're discouraged because now you can improve. Don't worry, you'll get discouraged again. I came to lap steel after about 10 years of bottleneck blues and I found that the physical skills I had from playing slide were very helpful. Lap steel isn't so easy to learn, but it depends what you're trying to do. When I get discouraged I get out the steel I keep in open E tuning, same as my bottleneck guitar, and just work on my blues playing. When I get refreshed from that I go back to learning slightly more complex stuff on my E6-tuned steel (think Don Helms backing Hank Williams) and try to get to be a better player. Don't worry, you'll be alright. It's ok to be discouraged but it doesn't mean you have to quit. Just learn a real simple song you can play.It's fun!

Andy Foster · From: Vermont, USA

well Jim, I started playing steel 8 years ago at age 52. I'd never played an instrument before. The first couple of years of trying to figure out technique and theory were pretty discouraging. My initial goal was only to play one clean note that made me smile. It took a while. After about the third year I gathered enough courage to start playing with some friends. I found a different teacher and things started to fall into place. We put a band together and are about done with our first record. I'm having a blast. I just try to keep it sweet and simple.
Andy

Tony Glassman · From: The Great Northwest

What tuning are you playing?

Jim Rossen · From: Iowa, USA

Andy- Great to hear there is at least one!
Tuning is Lo Bfl C E G A C E G Hi

Jim

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