| Author |
Topic: Help with staying focused |
Karen Sarkisian
From:
Boston, MA, USA
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Posted 6 Nov 2015 3:45 pm |
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Hey steel guitar friends. I have been in a real funk lately. not motivated to practice, feeling like its not worth the effort. Maybe its just that the steel guitar honeymoon has finally worn off, and my own personal expectations with the instrument have not been met. I have a hard time doing things in moderation  so if I am not practicing all the time then I just want to give it up. I've played with several bands over the years, but none of them seem to be going anywhere and its got me kind of down. The motivation to keep practicing and improving is starting to fade. I used to practice hours a day, now I'm lucky to practice a few hours a week. I want to stay motivated, wondering if some skype lessons might help. If anyone has some words of advice or could recommend an excellent skype teacher I would really appreciate it. thanks guys....
oh and btw I cant afford another steel so buying new gear is not an option 
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Emmons, Franklin, Mullen |
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Frank James Pracher
From:
Michigan, USA
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Posted 6 Nov 2015 4:15 pm
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When I'm not feeling very inspired, I seek out some new music to enjoy. A new band or a new style of music. Sometimes I just put on the local college radio station and listen to what's going on that's new and different.
I also occasionally give lessons, I find the enthusiasm of the students is often infectious.
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"Don't be mad honey, but I bought another one" |
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Rick Barnhart
From:
Arizona, USA
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Posted 6 Nov 2015 4:16 pm
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John McClung, nice guy, awesome steel player and teacher and does skype. Maybe you could also just sit back and take a breath...
http://www.steelguitarlessons.com
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Clinesmith consoles D-8/6 5 pedal, D-8 3 pedal & A25 Frypan, Pettingill Teardrop, & P8 Deluxe. |
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Billy McCombs
From:
Bakersfield California, USA
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Posted 6 Nov 2015 4:47 pm
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PM sent
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78 Emmons PP,Great tone.82 Emmons SKH #56 |
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Michael Haselman
From:
St. Paul
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Posted 6 Nov 2015 6:05 pm
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I think every serious musician goes through these funks occasionally, I know I have. Sometimes it's best to step away from your instrument, even for weeks at a time. Then when you come back after time off, it will feel so good you'll want to get back into it again with renewed vigor. Seems to go in cycles for me, anyway.
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Mullen RP D10, Peavey NV112, Hilton volume. Hound Dog reso. Piles of other stuff. |
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Donny Hinson
From:
Glen Burnie, Md. U.S.A.
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Posted 6 Nov 2015 6:46 pm
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| Quote: |
| I have been in a real funk lately. not motivated to practice, feeling like its not worth the effort. Maybe its just that the steel guitar honeymoon has finally worn off, and my own personal expectations with the instrument have not been met. I have a hard time doing things in moderation Laughing so if I am not practicing all the time then I just want to give it up. |
We've all been there. At some point in time, you discover "Hey, this is a lot harder than I thought it would be?!" Yeah, no kidding. It's hard, possibly the hardest instrument in the world to really master. But keep in mind you only get out as much as you put in. Do you have other interests and hobbies? What else do you do for fun? It helps to have something else besides pedal steel, but not so much that it ceases to stay important to you. All work and no play...etc., etc.
Like a lot of players, I suspect that you don't get out much to see other steelers, and that you probably have never had one-on-one lessons. Sounds like you need a mentor, someone who will help motivate you, and give you steel lessons, and maybe encourage you based on what you've already accomplished. There's probably a lot you already know that you're not applying or using, and sometimes it's more important to use what you can already do before you try to learn new stuff. Find a real, live teacher, and you'll pick up a lot that you'd never learn by staring at a computer screen! 
| Quote: |
| I've played with several bands over the years, but none of them seem to be going anywhere and its got me kind of down. The motivation to keep practicing and improving is starting to fade. |
Never let someone else define you. Where is it that you expected them to go? Even the best bands play the same stuff over and over, and 98% of them never really "go" anywhere. Join a few more bands, and then a few more after that. Focus on the journey, not the destination.  |
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chris ivey
From:
california (deceased)
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Posted 6 Nov 2015 7:26 pm
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finding fun and inspiring people to play with is important to me. it's also something you can't make happen that easily. you have to get out a bit and circulate...with or without your steel.
you've put alot into this and gotten a long way.
look around a little and see what's going on.
i know i need more of this myself.
you've always seemed to have a good attitude! |
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Ben Edmonds
From:
Greenfield, Massachusetts, USA
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Posted 6 Nov 2015 9:13 pm
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Hey Karen,
You know I had a long hiatus and though it wasn't self imposed as you know- it helped to put things in perspective including my relationship with music. not being able to play for years helped me to relax and actually enjoy music again because I'm not really obsessed with being great, I am just happy to be able to play anything.
I guess that doesn't help you much but I feel you.
Also, I wouldn't wish my experience on anyone, especially you!! Come out and get a coffee and check out my new toy!
Music isn't everything |
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Bob Hoffnar
From:
Austin, Tx
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Posted 7 Nov 2015 12:13 am
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Pedalsteel can be a real soul crusher if you let the instrument play you. It is so easy to get stuck in its little idiomatic world. I would say do things that open your ears and apply the new things you can hear to the steel.
Check this out:
http://www.tuningvine.com/
I can spend hours just experimenting with that thing. It's like staring into a campfire. Very relaxing and it also makes it so I can hear things inside the notes that I was not aware of before. That is exciting stuff. Like the first time you really hear what the notes are doing when a G7 gets released into a C chord.
Everybody gets bummed out. The trick is to not stop practicing. Maybe stop chasing licks and all that complicated pedalsteel stuff. Maybe dive into one note at a time real real slow.
One time a student was asking me what I was working on so I played the note D for him. Then I played the same note every place I could find it on the neck over and over again until I could get the D notes to sound the same. It can take hours. He asked me why would anybody do that. So I told him that someday I'm going to need to play that D note and I'm going to play the tar out of it !
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Bob |
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Tony Prior
From:
Charlotte NC
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Posted 7 Nov 2015 4:15 am
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Karen, my take, lessons and activity are the way out, so is buying something NEW to fool with and add to your "gear bag". Heck even a new Steel !
If you are not out and around playing regular try seeking some SR homes or events where there is a band or bands playing regular even if they are weekly jams at a center. It's not about money . Its' about our Steel Guitar health.
For the last couple of years I was where you are and perhaps many others. Tired, slow, no progress, gigs were on the 6 string or Bass. Say hello to May 1st, I retired. Somehow, I was invited to play a bi-monthly 2 hr country music show on Steel, I am expected to know the songs for the bi-weekly set list , PLUS 6 songs that a guest will perform, PLUS play TWO Instrumental, good grief. This is a "TIPS" gig and we do ok., the band has been doing this for 3 years, it's very established, I'm just the latest member.
From that gig I have been hired on to play a couple other gigs each month with some of the same band members as well as learning where at least two other JAMS take place on a regular basis . The Jams, well, they feature probably 4 or 5 different singers and we have NO CLUE what they will sing. So right there that will get you out of any funk that may exist.
get out in front of some folks , play with some folks,play a jam where the UNKNOWN is the primary ingredient.
The funk is common...you are not alone but there is a path out... Oh yeh, for me I clocked out of the funk in yet another way..
I changed ALL MY STEEL GEAR. Sold my workhorse 9+8 Carter and a few other things , bought an Emmons PP and somehow also ended up with not one but TWO Sho Buds, a Pro 1 and a Pro III. I don't have time for funk anymore...!
_________________
Emmons L-II , Fender Telecasters, B-Benders , Eastman Mandolin ,
Pro Tools 12 on WIN 7 !
jobless- but not homeless- now retired 9 years
CURRENT MUSIC TRACKS AT > https://tprior2241.wixsite.com/website |
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Karen Sarkisian
From:
Boston, MA, USA
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Posted 7 Nov 2015 5:24 am
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Thanks I really appreciate the responses everyone. I know I will feel better if I just put a little time in every day and stop comparing myself to others who are progressing faster than me.
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Emmons, Franklin, Mullen |
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Tom Quinn
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Posted 7 Nov 2015 12:13 pm
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| chris ivey wrote: |
finding fun and inspiring people to play with is important to me. it's also something you can't make happen that easily. you have to get out a bit and circulate...with or without your steel.
you've put alot into this and gotten a long way.
look around a little and see what's going on.
i know i need more of this myself.
you've always seemed to have a good attitude! |
Listen to chris on this. He has Sacramento locked up, he is the King of the Hill!
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I need an Emmons! |
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Charlie McDonald
From:
out of the blue
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Posted 7 Nov 2015 1:40 pm
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Some sage advice here.
In a post on another thread, one not so different, Fish says:
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| My advice: play for 30 minutes every day and only do it for the fun of it. |
I imagine you're doing something like that, Karen.
It's Winter; things slow down. I'll do well to stay on the Nordic Track when I can't ride the bike.
I did get a Dano phaser from a fo'bro; a little something new for my collection, when I want to sound Sneaky.
Maybe not everybody or anybody is 'progressing' any faster than you. Time to ignore the White Rabbit; you'll do fine.
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Those that say don't know; those that know don't say.--Buddy Emmons |
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Karen Sarkisian
From:
Boston, MA, USA
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Posted 7 Nov 2015 5:16 pm
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thanks so much everybody. 
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Emmons, Franklin, Mullen |
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Mike Neer
From:
NJ
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Posted 7 Nov 2015 5:33 pm
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Karen, fall in love with music again, listen to every instrument, analyze why everything fits together so beautifully. Then, do whatever you can to try to define who you want to be as a musician. You don't have to be what you think everyone expects you to be.
A few months ago, for the first time that I can recall in my life, I lost my passion for music. But it was just temporary. Music has always been such a major part of my life, daily. Sometimes it just gets too heavy.
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Links to streaming music, websites, YouTube: Links |
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Dom Franco
From:
Beaverton, OR, 97007
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Posted 8 Nov 2015 12:56 am
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Karen, let me offer a suggestion that may help you.
It really cheered me up and opened a lot of doors for me.
A few years ago I was frustrated with finding other musicians to play with. So I started making simple background tracks using a drum machine, Guitar and bass (and even some canned Casio keyboard arrangements)
When I had 10 songs ready, I volunteered to play at a senior center, and they loved it. Each week I added a new song, and the positive reaction did wonders for my attitude. The old folks really appreciate music. Even the memory challenged sing along!
Gradually the Senior residences began to book me for paying gigs, and now I make some good money at it.
The bottom line for me is: "who am I playing for anyway?" If it's only for me, I get bored. I love performing, and making people smile. Then I am energized by their applause.
Music is meant to be heard by others, even if it's not perfect...
Just my opinion.
Dom
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https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCYG9cvwCPKuXpGofziPNieA/feed?activity_view=3 |
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Mike Terry
From:
Galesburg Il
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Posted 8 Nov 2015 6:25 am
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| Karen, just saw your post this morning & i really hear what your sayin. I just reached the 5 year mark of playing steel & i'm starting to really get discouraged. I re-agravated my back condition at my last gig & i'm seriously wondering if steel guitar should be my main focus. For me it's hard to practice if my gigging on steel has to stop. Hang in there ! |
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Carl Mesrobian
From:
Salem, Massachusetts, USA
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Posted 9 Nov 2015 10:18 am
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Karen - I'll be sitting at my computer and then think of something and go and try to play it on the PSG, just a 5 minute sit many times a day. Keeps me interested and not overwhelmed. I had a guitar teacher who once said even 15 minutes a day makes an amazing improvement in one's playing. He further went on to tell me I didn't need lessons. I think what I'm trying to get at is that you can learn at your own pace..and it has to be fun.. and you have enough knowledge to build technique on. My brother lived near a very accomplished pianist in an apartment building in Brookline, MA and said "She'll just play one note, many different ways "
If it's not fun, why do it, and add to the negativities in life ?? Work on tone, work on feel - the stuff that counts, just my 2 cents..
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--carl
"The better it gets, the fewer of us know it." Ray Brown |
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Tom Gorr
From:
Three Hills, Alberta
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Posted 9 Nov 2015 12:02 pm
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There are few things in life that give a deep significant sense of enduring satisfaction. There are very few things in life that have enduring value.
You are likely at a point in your playing experience where you are good enough. ... not to mean that is the end of line. ... but just that having worked your way to some level of acceptable proficiency... your subconscious now has the luxury to give priorities a chance to shift around. The feeling that somehow we have changed is unnerving. One more lick... one more song. ... those are no longer foundational pursuits but are rather more like quick fixes.
You cannot expect any more than to enjoy the challenge of the process and be proud of that singular moment when your hard work comes together. The day you know your parts with absolute proficiency is the day you will be greeted by audience members as a full professional.... and on reflection. .. you will have been bored out of your mind the whole time you were playing. ..haha.
what is more enduring than the music we play? The wisdom we gather about ourselves and others around us. It is in part a spiritual journey of finding who we are and where or values lay.
The next step is finding that one percent of people that you click with personally and musically. .. where there is mutual respect and humility...a shared sense of purpose and shared values. |
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Carl Mesrobian
From:
Salem, Massachusetts, USA
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Posted 9 Nov 2015 12:15 pm
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I think it's important to feel that one can learn more and play better - if you're bored with your playing, find something that seems impossible to play, and learn it until you're so good at it that you're bored with IT, and move on to the next. I look at it as a continuum. Today , for example, I just tried stuff on E9 without pedals or knees..
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--carl
"The better it gets, the fewer of us know it." Ray Brown |
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Dick Hitchcock
From:
Wayne, Nebraska
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Posted 9 Nov 2015 3:13 pm
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Karen.....I was with Fred at the Justice booth in Dallas...You sat down and played one of Fred's guitars, and seemed to really like it.....I went from a Sho Bud to a Justice, and I want to play more now than I ever did before...I'm 75 and having the time of my life right now....Just saying...By the way, it was nice to meet you in Dallas!!
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Justice Pro Lite 4x5.... NV112.... Steel seat. |
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Chris Templeton
From:
The Green Mountain State
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Posted 9 Nov 2015 7:44 pm Re: Help with staying focused
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It's very tough to "go anywhere" these days and tough for local bands to find work and decent pay.
Without decent pay and gigs, the incentive to practice can be lost.
I now have a somewhat related issue where I was ready to record on a digital home system and instead of recording, I have had to spend hours and hours dealing with format and compatibility issues., which has taken away a lot of my incentive to record.
So, I guess not having expectations about where a group or one can go might be helpful to realize that there is always joy in making music, whether with a group or by oneself.
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Excel 3/4 Pedal With An 8 String Hawaiian Neck, Sierra Tapper (10 string with a raised fretboard to fret with fingers), Single neck Fessenden 3/5
"The Tapper" : https://christophertempleton.bandcamp.com/album/the-tapper
Soundcloud Playlist: https://soundcloud.com/bluespruce8: |
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Bill L. Wilson
From:
Oklahoma, USA
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Posted 10 Nov 2015 1:03 am Sometimes You Hit a Brick Wall.
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| Karen, I think anybody whose ever played any instrument has wanted to quit, pack it up, and put it in the closet at one time or another. I know I have. Some nights, I feel like I'm Paul Franklin, but reality sets in, and I just play like I play, and have fun doing it. Almost getting killed in a truck crash 10yrs. ago, changed my steel guitar future and my life. With some of my insurance money, I bought a 10yr. old Emmons LeGrande II, 8+5, D-10. I've had MSA's, ZB, Sho-Bud, and a Push-Pull S-10, but that LeGrande has inspired me more than any guitar I've ever owned. Fortunately, I play in a decent country rock band and swap off on lead guitar along with my steel. We ain't ever gonna be rich, big time, big name, or big money, but we stay busy every weekend. Finding an artist to work with who has that certain thing producers are looking for, is a rare find, and I gave up on that several yrs. ago. Try your best to learn new to you material, but don't give up on what you've already learned, stay at it. I started pedal steel in Jan. 1974, and I ain't ever gonna be a top notch player, but now that I'm retired, I'm havin' more fun now and pickin' more than I ever have. |
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Charlie McDonald
From:
out of the blue
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Posted 10 Nov 2015 4:44 am
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| Chris Templeton wrote: |
| I now have a somewhat related issue where I was ready to record on a digital home system and instead of recording, I have had to spend hours and hours dealing with format and compatibility issues., which has taken away a lot of my incentive to record. |
Where I'm at with that.
Some of my free time goes instead to re-developing my copdedant with the thought of how it enables my musical ideas.
Good therapy; includes music.
I like the way you look at the depth of the plateau, Tom.
Clear thinking on a less than simple issue. |
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Karen Sarkisian
From:
Boston, MA, USA
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Posted 10 Nov 2015 9:42 am
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thanks everybody. some good thoughtful advice here which is just what I was looking for. I need to re-assess what it is that I want to do musically. I think I had the secret hope that learning steel guitar could somehow get me out of my go nowhere day job. I have worked harder at music than anything else in my life. I started out as a country blues guitarist, when that didnt get me anywhere out I became a songwriter, and in fact won some awards for songs I wrote while at Berklee College. Then I got bored and studied Jazz guitar. that got me nowhere so I started playing bass. bored with that I turned to pedal steel. I love pedal steel most, and had high hopes for myself, especially because I took to it so quickly and progressed very fast. But I'm now feeling discouraged and doubtful that music will be anything more than a hobby for me. I feel like I have let myself down. this has nothing to do with my love for music, its just me giving up the dream. I need to re-assess my goals and move forward. Let go of some of the expectations I guess. I really appreciate everyone's feedback. I love the steel guitar forum and the community I have met. the pedal steel guitar really has changed my life and given me so much. I Hope this makes sense. Thanks everyone. Really 
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Emmons, Franklin, Mullen |
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