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Author Topic:  Are you getting better or worse now ?
Richard Tipple


From:
Ohio, USA
Post  Posted 24 Feb 2017 5:24 pm    
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Junior,,man I have always admired your playing & caught your playing a couple of times with Jeff Woolsey & his band.
Im pushing 67 this July & I can hear some sucking sounds here too Sad
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Dale Rottacker


From:
Walla Walla Washington, USA
Post  Posted 24 Feb 2017 5:44 pm    
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Having never put in the time I needed to, I’ve never become a great player... never developed any speed, probably because I never developed good enough technique to do so... that said, I think in a lot of ways I play better today at almost 61, than I did in my 20-30’s, when I was playing in more group/band settings... I feel as if I play with better emotion and complexity than back then as well... Today I play very little live and the mere thought of it gives me pause, where as when I was younger I never gave it a second thought... Through the magic of todays recording software, I’ve been able to turn out stuff that for me and at least my parents and those who love me Shocked is somewhat acceptable Embarassed ... I may pick a song I want to record and learn it well enough to do so and then forget it... I guess my retention isn’t what it once was either Sad Confused Oh Well
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Dan Robinson


From:
Colorado, USA
Post  Posted 26 Feb 2017 2:40 pm    
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Rick Barnhart wrote:
I don't think speed equals better. Taste and tone are most important to me...


I'm glad you said that. I have no speed-picking talent. I did not dedicate myself to it when I started playing at 21. I'm 64... that ship has sailed.

I stopped playing steel for 20 years, and starting again just a few years ago. Having said that, I'm a better player now that ever before.

Here are the reasons; if not due to my age, they are certainly related to maturity:

1. PATIENCE
2. LESS EGO
3. IT'S ABOUT THE SONG

I have a better connection to the arrangement and what my band-mates are playing.

It's funny... though I'm not trying to impress anyone, I find myself playing things that really make me smile. Win/win.
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Bob Sykes


From:
North Carolina
Post  Posted 1 Mar 2017 4:23 pm     Better and Worst
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My steel playing keeps getting better & better but I have only been at it for about 7 years. Plenty of room for improvement. I WAS good on 6-string, have started that around 50 years ago, playing pro or semi-pro continuously until the steel came along. These days, my gigs consist of mediocre PSG playing with maybe 3-4 shoulder guitar songs in a 3 set night. My musical sensibilities far exceed my PSG playing abilities which can be frustrating. I'll never be "good" but it is fun.
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Edward Rhea

 

From:
Medford Oklahoma, USA
Post  Posted 1 Mar 2017 4:48 pm    
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I think I'm improving...but what do I know, I've got teenagers
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David Mason


From:
Cambridge, MD, USA
Post  Posted 2 Mar 2017 12:35 am    
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When I read this, my first thought was "that's a weird thing to think about when you sit down to play music." But SO many good pickers answered it's obviously prevalent. While my proclamations sound odd even to me, I BORROW some and stick 'em to music stands, the fridge etc. What you tell yourself matters.
Quote:
Music exists to say things that cannot be said otherwise. - Mahavishnu John McLaughlin

The only old people who stay lively change up what they're doing - I do know that McLaughlin above & Jeff Beck & Carlos Santana and MILES DAVIS used to give their record companies fits because they were always warping off into different directions. Not all of them WORK equally well, but - what the hell, you know? Start a polka band.
Quote:
Whatever technique you have on your instrument at any given time is always good enough to say something. If you can't find the thing to say, that's what you've got to work on. - David Torn


Quote:
"Speak UP, I'm friggin' DEAF, OK?" - Ludwig-out Beethoven*


*(ummmm)
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Fred Treece


From:
California, USA
Post  Posted 4 Mar 2017 10:33 am    
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Herb Steiner wrote:
I urge players to acquire, if possible, any recording by Jimmy Day, but especially CD by Bobby Black entitled "The Steel Guitar of Bobby Black." Bobby plays with such beautiful melodicism that I called my old friend to tell him that CD changed my whole approach to playing music. His response, typical of BB, was "oh, man... come on." Wink


I have had the privilege of sharing the stage with Bobby. I told him I was thinking about taking the PSG plunge at a gig a few years ago. The next time we played, he gave me two of his CDs. The time after that, I brought my Stringmaster D8 and asked him to play it, just so I could see that music could be made on the thing. Well duh... His Hawaiian playing is is just as amazing as his trad country.

At any rate, since I finally got a pedal steel, my playing has gone from absolute suck to still sorta suck. With inspiration from those CDs, I intend to get way beyond suck in the very near future.
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Darvin Willhoite


From:
Roxton, Tx. USA
Post  Posted 4 Mar 2017 7:42 pm    
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I'll be 65 in a couple of weeks, and I only play steel out two or three times a year, I play guitar about twice that. I thought my steel playing had pretty much held it's own until I ran across an old cassette tape I had recorded about 15 years ago and forgot about. I was amazed at some of the stuff I did that I didn't remember. I was playing steel in a church band every week back then, two or three services on Sunday morning, Wednesday night, and rehearsal on Thursday night. I pretty much quit playing about 5 years ago, burnout I guess. My steel playing has definitely hit the skids. Guess I'll lean more toward re-building them than playing them.
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Richard Nelson


From:
Drogheda, Louth, Ireland
Post  Posted 5 Mar 2017 9:23 am    
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Yeah Worse
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John De Maille


From:
On a Mountain in Upstate Halcottsville, N.Y.
Post  Posted 5 Mar 2017 6:51 pm    
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I'm holding my own, even though I'm not as fast ( does it really matter? ) as I was and as experimental as I was way back when I was playing up to 5-6 nights a week. But, I think I'm a smoother, more expressionable player now. At 68, I'm doing between 40-50 gigs a year, maybe less. I feel , that, I'm lucky to do so, too. So, I'm not worse, I've just gone in a little different direction.
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b0b


From:
Cloverdale, CA, USA
Post  Posted 5 Mar 2017 8:25 pm    
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I'm getting better. Thinking about ergonomics and getting a guitar that fits my body has helped a lot. I used to play guitars that were too big for me, or had stiff action, or forced me into uncomfortable playing positions. Scaling down to a single neck with short legs (I'm a small person) and moving pedals and levers more towards the center of the guitar made a world of difference to me. At my age, I don't feel like fighting guitars into submission anymore. They need to be a comfortable extension of my legs and feet, and feel right under my hands.

Also, playing a variety of styles of music in several bands keeps the brain sharp. Music is infinite. The more you learn, the better you'll play.
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Ron Shalita


From:
California, USA
Post  Posted 13 Mar 2017 3:02 pm     I think I am better
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I have been at it since 1978, and after years of relying on a pocketful of licks I decided to actually retire from playing out, and do some serious wood shedding.. I learn new stuff everyday, and wonder why? But it feels good so why nor, right?
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Ben Elder

 

From:
La Crescenta, California, USA
Post  Posted 13 Mar 2017 8:41 pm     I used to be amused, but now I'm just disgusted
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I used to be endlessly and rapturously mesmerized by any simplistic I-IV-V loop I'd bash out on the 6-5-4-3 strings of a Maverick. Despite subtle improvement (and instruments far above my proficiency level), I'm now annoyed by and despondent over virtually anything I play. Consequently my playing sessions (it would be a little grandiose to call them practice) are much shorter and infrequent.
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Gordy Rex


From:
Southport, NC
Post  Posted 15 Mar 2017 8:14 am    
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turning 66 this year... the hands and fingers just don't work like they use to, numb, needles and pins ... but my mind is still sharp... If I could execute what I know I would feel great about my playing.. however some nights I want to pack up and go home.... Smile
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Jack Hanson


From:
San Luis Valley, USA
Post  Posted 15 Mar 2017 9:29 am    
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Donny Hinson wrote:
...nowadays, many players seem more interested in changing/modifying their gear than they are in just learning how to use what they already have to play good music.

Man, ain't that the truth. Today, it would seem it's all about how many gadgets you can attach or have dangling from the body and legs of your instrument. And lets not even get started about all the stuff sitting on the floor...
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Bob Gondesen

 

From:
Texas, USA
Post  Posted 23 Mar 2017 11:06 am     Are You Getting Better Or Worse Now ?
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HEY JUNIOR ,MAN , I FEEL FOR YOU , AND FOR THIS TO
HAPPEN TO A GREAT STEEL PLAYER LIKE YOU . DON'T BE
TOO DISCOURAGE , KEEP PICKING .
AT 85 AND PLAYING STEEL NEARLY ALL ME LIFE , I TO
HAVE NUMB FEET '' NEPHROPATHY '' . IT HAS GOTTEN SO
BAD THAT I HAD TO GIVE UP PLAYING C6TH BECAUSE I JUST
COULDN'T FIND THE RIGHT PEDALS TO PUSH , SO NOW I HAVE TO DEPEND PLAYING E9TH WHICH IS STILL TROUBLE FOR ME AS MY FOOT KEEPS SLIDING OFF THE PEDALS. I CONSTANTLY KEEP LOOKING DOWN TO SEE IF MY FOOT IS ON THE RIGHT PEDALS .
I GAVE UP PLAYING GIGS BUT I DO MANAGE TO PLAY IN
CHURCH WHICH IS GOING ON '37 YRS.' I PLAY A SPECIAL
SONG DURING THE OFFERTORY ON SUNDAYS AND WEDNESDAY'S.
SO JUNIOR , HANG IN THERE MY MAN DON'T EVER GIVE UP.
BOB GONDESEN
LA MARQUE , TX
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Bob Carlucci

 

From:
Candor, New York, USA
Post  Posted 24 Mar 2017 8:08 am    
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Stunk then, stink now.. Just a matter of degrees..
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Eric Philippsen


From:
Central Indiana, USA
Post  Posted 24 Mar 2017 9:27 am    
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I am fortunate to be gigging with three bands but, honestly, at 63, I'm not a great player at all. Seriously, I'm just not. My speed picking isn't there and never really was. My memory isn't what it used to be either. Too many tunes to keep up on

What I think keeps me working is that I try to play to the song and make the singer sound good. "Keeping it simple" seems to work a lot. I also really try to pay attention to tone and finding a "tonal niche" to occupy in whatever setting I find myself. In that sense I think I might have gotten better.

Have I gotten worse? Well, I can identify with those who said they've heard old recordings of themselves and wondered "Was that really me?" I've lost some of what I knew from those days. But I'm good with that.
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b0b


From:
Cloverdale, CA, USA
Post  Posted 24 Mar 2017 10:16 am     Don't feel bad, Eric.
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Heck, sometimes I forget what CRS stands for.
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Joachim Kettner


From:
Germany
Post  Posted 24 Mar 2017 10:49 am     Speed picking
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At this point in my life I have no band to play with. When I was still playing a few gigs some years ago, I switched to regular guitar, when speed picking was required. You know on Roll in my sweet baby's arms, Rocky Top...
I kind of felt ashamed that I couldn't pull it of on steel. In an "imaginary" good Country Band, I think it's a must to speed pick.
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Fred Treece


From:
California, USA
Post  Posted 26 Mar 2017 8:55 am     Re: Speed picking
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Joachim Kettner wrote:
At this point in my life I have no band to play with. When I was still playing a few gigs some years ago, I switched to regular guitar, when speed picking was required. You know on Roll in my sweet baby's arms, Rocky Top...
I kind of felt ashamed that I couldn't pull it of on steel. In an "imaginary" good Country Band, I think it's a must to speed pick.

No shame in being able to cover a tune on whatever instrument you can display your best skill level. If you can fake the Albert Lee guitar thing but not the Paul Franklin pedal steel thing on uptempo tunes, then the choice is obvious. If you care that much about how you present yourself as a musician, your steel playing on slower tunes is probably good enough for people (including band mates) to forget about the handful of tunes that got you up off of your chair.
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Joachim Kettner


From:
Germany
Post  Posted 26 Mar 2017 10:56 am    
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Thanks for your friendly advice, Fred!
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Alan Brookes


From:
Brummy living in Southern California
Post  Posted 30 Apr 2017 9:01 am    
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Playing on my own I find myself just repeating the same old riffs over and over. We need input from others in order to keep vigorous.
Also, I play so many different instruments that I'm the proverbial Jack-of-all-trades-master-of-none, so I go out of practice on instruments that I don't put time into. I had a nasty shock recently when I went back to the 12-string guitar and found myself rattling all over the place. If you play with a tone bar too long your hands lose their grip. Embarassed
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Roger Rettig


From:
Naples, FL
Post  Posted 30 Apr 2017 10:47 am    
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I think I'm worse now. When I hear records I played on back in the '80s I think: 'Was that me?? I can't do that now!'

I think I know why. Back then pedal steel was a novel little adjunct to my guitar-playing and I just played notes and phrases that popped into my head. Since I moved here to the US I've become needlessly obsessed with form, posture and a dozen things I never used to ever think about.

When I began to take it seriously I started to slide backwards.
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Tim Windsor


From:
South Australia, Australia
Post  Posted 30 Apr 2017 2:04 pm     The Steel Guitar of Bobby Black
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This album recommended by Herb is available on Spotify
https://open.spotify.com/album/6q6eW0FZA0gQ1lNtM5WHJM
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