I need some help!

Austin Harper · From: Georgia, USA

Well, as the subject says, I need some help. To give some background, I have been fiddling with the pedal steel for around a year now, and have been absolutely loving it. I've been trying to learn primarily by ear and have ran into a lot of stuff I can't pick out.

The things that really escape me are the slower, smoother pedal steel sounds. For example, I've figured out a little bit of Whiskeytowns Excuse Me While I Break My Own Heart and I've managed to learn a good bit of Steve Earles Someday. These seemed to go alright. An example of something that's really throwing me, I learned the intro to the Byrds Hickory Wind, with the help of an excellent tab from this forum. However, I could only find tab for the intro, and the stuff I'm really looking for that I can't seem to get my head(ear?)around is the smooth subtle transitioning and fills in the rest of the song.

So, what I'm looking for are tabs and songs that have sounds like this. The real trouble with this is I'm not that familiar with a lot of pedal steel music. I recently ran across the Jeff Newman Just Jammin' stuff, and while I can't afford it, a lot of that is the sound or parts I'm looking for, like Faded Love or Blue Eyes Crying in the Rain. What would yall suggest I learn(and even just listen to) to better grasp some of this? I would greatly appreciate any and all help Smile

Lane Gray · From: Topeka, KS

If you can learn from youtubes, poke through Mickey's channel at www.youtube.com/singlpilot
You should find plenty to soak up
_________________
2 pedal steels, a lapStrat, and an 8-string Dobro (and 3 ukes)
More amps than guitars, and not many effects

Lane Gray · From: Topeka, KS

One good place to listen would be a handful of Ricky Skaggs early stuff. Bruce Bouton laid down real tasty stuff.
_________________
2 pedal steels, a lapStrat, and an 8-string Dobro (and 3 ukes)
More amps than guitars, and not many effects

David Nugent · From: Gum Spring, Va.

Scotty had a book available on Mel Bay Productions that dealt strictly with playing backup behind a singer. Includes many of those classic licks we all use on occasion. Should be sold (or ordered) at any Guitar Center or local music store. May be others out there as well.

Austin Harper · From: Georgia, USA

Lane, my internet is currently used up for the month so I can only look at video titles until the weekend, but some of this seems like exactly what I'm looking for, thank you! And thank you as well David, that is definitely something I will look into next time I'm at the store!

Lane Gray · From: Topeka, KS

Austin, if you like, and you think it'd be useful, I could do a video where I'd sing a line, drop a fill, explain how and why I played what I did. Sounds like a fun, interesting and useful video. I'm thinking now of Today I Started Loving You Again. Faded Love is a little short on places to drop a fill, I could do Blue Eyes Crying in the Rain...
_________________
2 pedal steels, a lapStrat, and an 8-string Dobro (and 3 ukes)
More amps than guitars, and not many effects

Austin Harper · From: Georgia, USA

That sounds really cool, I'd like that as long as it's not putting you out to do it. I think that would be useful to a lot of people as well!

Lane Gray · From: Topeka, KS

Austin, a poke around my channel shows that I LOVE doing things like that. With my day job, gigging is hard to fit in. And I like sharing the steel. And I'm not good at the Mickey Adams kinda thing.
_________________
2 pedal steels, a lapStrat, and an 8-string Dobro (and 3 ukes)
More amps than guitars, and not many effects

John Bresler · From: Thornton, Colorado

Austin:

Check your email.

Cool

Austin Harper · From: Georgia, USA

That's awesome, Lane. I can't seem to find your channel though, what is it called? I can't wait for my data to reset this weekend so I can check some of this stuff out!

John, I don't seem to have any new emails. Did you send it to my gmail?

John Bresler · From: Thornton, Colorado

Austin:

I sent a message to the email you have in your forum profile. I don't know which email it went to as emails are not listed here on the forum.

You can send me an email to the email in my profile and I believe I can help you out fairly quickly.

Cool

Austin Harper · From: Georgia, USA

Ah, okay, I sent you an email. Thank you!

Lane Gray · From: Topeka, KS

My youtube channel is www.youtube.com/steelguitarlane
_________________
2 pedal steels, a lapStrat, and an 8-string Dobro (and 3 ukes)
More amps than guitars, and not many effects

Austin Harper · From: Georgia, USA

Cool. I will check that out this weekend! Thanks once again for the help.

Jack Aldrich · From: Washington, USA

I believe that instruction books cannot replace individual instruction for left hand movement. I played pedal steel for years before I started on Hawaiian steel. Alan Akaka (via Skype) worked with me the entire summer of 2012 on my left hand so that my sound became smooth, no lifting the bar and controlled moving between frets. It was not easy, but I finally got it, including the Jerry Byrd "pa-tah". My pedal steel playing has improved, too, with coordination between my left hand and my feet. If you watch the great ones, you'll notice the smoothness, too.
_________________
Jack Aldrich
Carter & ShoBud D10's
D8 & T8 Stringmaster
Rickenbacher B6
3 Resonator guitars
Asher Alan Akaka Special SN 6
Canopus D8

Kevin Raymer · From: Chalybeate, Kentucky, USA

As a learner myself, I will second what Jack said, and add right hadn technique is also critical.

I started taking lessons a few months ago and my teacher completely changed my right hand technique and my grip on the bar.

I think it made mp improvment quicker, and perhaps kept me from many hours of frustration.

I had the Bruce Bouton DVD and he described the right hand position pretty well.
I just couldn't translate it into action.
There is no substitute for sitting in front of a good teacher.

Mike Sweeney out of Nashville is who I've been working with.

Mike offers lessons via Skype in a "distance learning" mode.

If interested: You can contact him via the forum messaging PM or EM.
Or if you'll message or email me I'll share his phone number.

Either way.. Good luck, this instrument is truly a beast....

Smile

_________________
Kevin Raymer
Zum / Knaggs / Breedlove
Fractal Audio

Austin Harper · From: Georgia, USA

For the time being, I think I am going to continue what I've been doing. I'm primarily a guitar player, I started playing steel because I joined a band to be the 'utility' guy, and a couple songs(the two I mentioned in the first post, actually) called for steel, and we had one sitting around. As the set list has grown, so has the number of pedal steel songs and I'm finding that half a chop doesn't quite cut it Smile

However, I will definitely keep what yall have said in mind. I agree that a book can't replace someone sitting in front of you, and smooth is definitely something I'm looking for. Thank you both for the advice!

Lane Gray · From: Topeka, KS

I'll try to help with approaches and thinking.
Building a vocabulary of licks et c. is largely just a matter of time in the seat.
_________________
2 pedal steels, a lapStrat, and an 8-string Dobro (and 3 ukes)
More amps than guitars, and not many effects

Austin Harper · From: Georgia, USA

I greatly appreciate it!

Lane Gray · From: Topeka, KS

I just uploaded one I shot yesterday, I'm going to bed and youtube says it's" processing"
I can't share a URL yet, but it should be on my channel within the hour. Watch my channel at www.youtube.com/steelguitarlane and it'll be up soon.
I wish I could do these things as smooth and cool as Mickey Adams, but I don't work that way: if I try rehearsing it, each take is miles different, I don't get more polished, I just sidetrack myself each time.
_________________
2 pedal steels, a lapStrat, and an 8-string Dobro (and 3 ukes)
More amps than guitars, and not many effects

Lane Gray · From: Topeka, KS

Youtube finally got it done:
http://youtu.be/bLmRycbOHiU
Jeez, Mickey makes these look easy.
_________________
2 pedal steels, a lapStrat, and an 8-string Dobro (and 3 ukes)
More amps than guitars, and not many effects

John Peay · From: Cumming, Georgia USA

Lane Gray · From: Topeka, KS

John, it's not the singing, it's the way the thought process works in me, and the different nature of the subject material.
Mickey says he'll rehearse his videos several times til he gets the flow down with nary a mistake. He's also showing how to play a piece he could play several times the same way.
When I back up a song, only some fills will be the same every time ("He Stopped Loving Her Today", I go to the C6th neck and play that Phil Baugh lick after "He Said I'll love you til I die". That's just perfect.), but most of them are completely extemporaneous (on-the-spot), and flow off my head. So I make up/choose a line on the spot, and then have to figure out how best to explain it, while the camera rolls. And I'm slightly ADD, I may not even REMEMBER what I played 5 seconds ago.

EDITed to say: thank you/you're welcome. I enjoy doing these, but I enjoy more the knowledge that I'm helping and not just wasting an afternoon.
_________________
2 pedal steels, a lapStrat, and an 8-string Dobro (and 3 ukes)
More amps than guitars, and not many effects

John Peay · From: Cumming, Georgia USA

Lane Gray · From: Topeka, KS

If you already KNOW the song, you know where it is and where it's going next.
There are three types of fills that work well, and two of them are easy-ish to generate.
1) a simple phrase that serves to transition from the last line to the next
2) something that acts almost like an "amen corner" comment on the last line, drawing from and reinforcing the content of the last line
3) something else that fits. That can be a quote from another song, a wholly out of thin air passage, who knows. As long as it fits.
_________________
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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