What do I REALLY need to know?

Jim Williams · From: Meridian, Mississippi, USA - Home of Peavey!

I've been working on learning pedal steel for a few months now, and have several books, videos, etc. I guess my main material to this point has really been the DeWitt Scott / Mel Bay course.

I know and can do some of the following:

I know basic principles like left and right hand techniques (still working on blocking of course)

I know basic chord positions for major chords, and playing in a major key using the AB pedals.

I know the major chord grips.

I know the basic function of the common pedals and levers.

I can play several of the solos in the Mel Bay book fairly well up to the point I'm currently at, as well as a couple of others I've picked up elsewhere.

My goal is to be able to play backup at some local jam sessions and occasionally take a lead. I'm to planning to do this professionally or pick up and move to Nashville anytime soon.

Some of the materials I see get so deep and technical into chord structures, etc. I'm just beginning to wonder just how much of this I can actually remember and how much I will really ever use in my little musical world.

In other words, I've never been asked at a jam session to play a B7sus4 chord, etc.

I guess what I'm asking is am I getting near having enough knowledge to attempt backing a group and not making a complete fool of myself?? Most of the sessions I'm playing at are primarily three or four chorders with an occasional relative minor thrown in.
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GFI SM10 3/4, 1937 Gibson EH-150, 2 - Rondo SX Lap Steels and a Guyatone 6 String C6. Peavey 400 and a Roland 40 Amps. Behringer Reverb Pedal.

Jody Cameron · From: Angleton, TX,, USA

Jim - I say it's time to get out and play music with others. You learn so much by doing that, and the lessons you learn while playing live tend to stay with you; you learn what works and what doesn't and what might with a little more practice. Smile

Dick Wood · From: Springtown Texas, USA

Some other things good to know is,what does this stinkin gig pay, what time do we get off,is there any free food or drinks etc.

Another great piece of advice I recently heard here on the Forum was,shake your head a lot and look angry when it's your turn to play.

As Jody said,seat time is invaluable and will make you think on the fly. Have fun.
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chris ivey · From: california (deceased)

play with others all you can. you just need experience faking it. that's what most of us do.
if anyone starts throwing fancy chord names at me i just say 'whatever'.

Lane Gray · From: Topeka, KS

Jim, practice stopping those solos you've learned after a coupla bars.
"Licks" are just phrase fragments. Play mix&match with segments.
You have what you need to get started.
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Jason Duguay · From: Massachusetts, USA

Join a band, have fun, don't think too much, you'll be fine.

Dave Grafe · From: Hudson River Valley NY

What Jason said, go have fun with folks who like you and you will learn plenty fast enough

Doug Beaumier · From: Northampton, MA

Jeff Newman said that every beginner should join a band the day he buys his steel guitar! A bit of exaggeration, but the point is... you will learn so much faster by working with other musicians.
The short answer to your question... memorize the major and minor chord positions, two or three ways to play each chord, and internalize them so you get to them instantly. Majors, minors, 7ths, and how they are related to each other in each key. That's the kind of stuff you need to know to play at jam sessions. Don't worry about all the extended chords right now. You can learn those later. Just my opinion.
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Larry Jamieson · From: Walton, NY USA

Another thing necessary to play with others is to train your ear to hear the chord changes. An easy and fun way to do this is to put on some recordings
and play along. Older country like Buck and Merle
are good to start with, especially the slow songs.
You can learn patterns on the steel neck that let you locate the three primary chords in any key,
plus the important minor chords likely to occur in that key. The same patterns will work anywhere on
the neck. E-mail me if you want additional
explanation. Have fun.

Curt Trisko · From: St. Paul, Minnesota, USA

Develop good, internal rhythm if you don't already have it. You can't tap your foot while playing steel. Beginners' nervousness and lack of coordination in your hands will drag you off the rhythm. I've been playing two years and I feel like I only recently began to get over this.

Joseph Napolitano · From: New Jersey, USA

I spend a lot of time working on intonation. It's at the top of my list of what I think is important. This part hasn't come easy to me and requires diligence. But if I can't play reasonably in tune with others , not much else that I do will matter.

Jan Viljoen · From: Pretoria, South Africa

Doug Beaumier is my man, I agree fully.
Learn the basics and your are off.

Band in a box is also a good substitute, but playing with others is the best practice. It forces one to think and to play correctly.

Practice, play and have fun with the best instrument that man ever designed.
Just think what a primitive man had to contend with,--- playing on a one string bow and using a gourd to make a sound.

Now we have the best of the technological world with designed and compensated: bridges, amps, strings, bars, picks, the whole tutti.

Enjoy guys!

Cool

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Jim Williams · From: Meridian, Mississippi, USA - Home of Peavey!

Thanks all, I get a lot of practice playing other instruments with groups, but most of the jam sessions here are acoustic only, so I'm normally playing the banjo or mandolin, occasionally bass or dobro. I'm not much of a lead player on anything though, mainly just backing. There are one or two sessions a month that allow electric instruments, and I may get the courage up soon to take a steel (either lap or pedal) to one of those and see what happens. I've never seen anyone throw overripe fruit at one of these, so I guess I'll be ok.
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GFI SM10 3/4, 1937 Gibson EH-150, 2 - Rondo SX Lap Steels and a Guyatone 6 String C6. Peavey 400 and a Roland 40 Amps. Behringer Reverb Pedal.

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

Well, it seems like through your post, that, you have a pretty good handle on what you need to have, to do back up in a band situation. Most, if not all, tunes just use three chords with a relative minor in playing today, especially bluegrass and classic country. In your beginning, you shouldn't need to use more than that. Granted, later on when you gain more prowess, you can learn more chord structure, but, most of the time you'll not need them. I've played for many years, in many bands and hardly ever had to play out of the basic chord box. However, later on, when you start to play tunes where you're doing most of the picking or all the picking and you want to add all the orchestrated sounds, you'll need to know more sophisticated chords. Complex chords add tremendous flavor to any tune and are needed when you are doing all of the melody lines and fills between them. At what time you'll discover that you need to know these is up to your prowess on the steel. Until then, I would try to get together with other musicians and jam with them. It doesn't matter if they're all acoustic and you're plugged in. Just play volume complacent and try to fit in. I'm sure you'll figure it out after a while. None of this is rocket science, it's musical acquired capability.

Johan Jansen · From: Europe

deleted....

Tom Gorr · From: Three Hills, Alberta

I jammed in an acoustic situation on steel recently with brushes on drums, acoustic guitar and doublebass...the one thing I learned was that a 12 or 15 inch speaker no matter how low you turn it still moves way more air than anything else in the room...I think a single 8 inch amp would have been about right. You can buy miniature tube practice amps a out that size. I'd try one if I did that kind of jam regularly.

Jim Williams · From: Meridian, Mississippi, USA - Home of Peavey!

Yeah, problem is that most of the gatherings around here are bluegrass oriented and don't allow electric instruments.
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GFI SM10 3/4, 1937 Gibson EH-150, 2 - Rondo SX Lap Steels and a Guyatone 6 String C6. Peavey 400 and a Roland 40 Amps. Behringer Reverb Pedal.

Scott Duckworth · From: Etowah, TN Western Foothills of the Smokies

I can't recommend this reference enough. You WILL learn the chords and positions you need to play.

http://www.jmlmusic.ca/leitepsg/Pedal%20Steel%20Guitar%20E9%20Fretboard%20Reference%20_DRAFT5.pdf
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Jim Williams · From: Meridian, Mississippi, USA - Home of Peavey!

Thanks Scott, that does look like a very inclusive set of charts. One thing I need to work on is probably some basic licks like what is in the Jeffran Up from the Top series I would think. Most of my playing has been centered around playing solos by myself so far.
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GFI SM10 3/4, 1937 Gibson EH-150, 2 - Rondo SX Lap Steels and a Guyatone 6 String C6. Peavey 400 and a Roland 40 Amps. Behringer Reverb Pedal.

Bryan Staddon · From: Buffalo,New York,

Hi Jim, I was in a similar place as you about ten years back when i first took my steel to a gig maybe a little further along( but not much) I play gigs constantly as a guitar player in a grateful dead band and i also do most of the singing.We occasionally do special shows of other artists we love and we had a neil Young one coming up. well i love Neil and I really love Ben Keiths steel playing it is just so darn spooky and soulful. Anyway I work and work and i get close on some stuff and find stuff to play on others im feeling pretty goood, ya know, learned how to do some 7th chords, and neil loves minor chords, Like you say I aint never gonna work in nashville,maybe some plumbing, but as Jeff Beck says studio janitors in Nashville are better than him and thats pretty scary.Anyway we start the gig and im playin guitar and singing, and then i move to the steel. Sit down, fire it up and play the intro and 2 seconds later i realize the band is waiting for me to start singing! oh no! I never even tried to sing while playin steel, I still gotta stare at the thing, hell i'm still looking at my feet sometimes.Well Disaster ensues and the other guys think im spacin out but the crowd doesnt seem to notice and we get through it. I stop singing and get through the rest of the steel songs then back to the guitar, This leads to 2 more years at home Mickey adams becomes my guru, though he dont know it, and im back on stage with the steel with no vocal microphone in my area.
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Tim Whitlock · From: Colorado, USA

Instead of going to jams, find a singer/guitarist or two that you like and start getting together regularly. That way you can agree on what material you want to work on. Once you have a list of songs you can start experimenting with them and refining your steel parts and maybe even think about performing them.

Seems to me this would be more practical and productive than going to jams, where the songs are all willy nilly, you have to wait your turn, bogarts, etc. Never been to a jam myself, but that's how I picture them. Am I wrong?

chris ivey · From: california (deceased)

many moose lodge type places up here have occassional sunday jams. normally a semi funky country band is just playing all day and different singers will get up from time to time. i can just set up near the stage and play along as much as i'm comfortable with . generally there is no structure to this and it's a great way to practice.

Jerome Hawkes · From: Fayetteville, North Carolina, USA

jim, here is what helped me once i had a grip on the instrument - either get some backing tracks (they are all over the place, for sale, etc) or better, get Band In A Box and find the song files (there are thousands out there for free or build your own).

this, IMO, at an early stage is better than joining a band - eventually you will - but you would be surprised at the steelers here on the forum who just enjoy playing with backing tracks they have vs dealing with a crappy band/ dragging all your equip somewhere.
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John Peay · From: Cumming, Georgia USA

Mickey Adams · From: Bandera Texas

The absolutely most important thing you can ever learn....Is the value of silence...aka: Its not WHAT you play...Its WHERE...and second...WHEN...my 2cents
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