Good steel for a young beginner?

Joseph Carlson · From: Grass Valley, California, USA

My 8 year old son has expressed an interest in learning pedal steel. Rather than start with him on 10 strings and pedals I thought it would be better to get him a 6 string lap steel and see if he likes it first.

Any tips on what would be a decent starter instrument for not a lot of money?

Also interested in any methods geared towards a young beginner as well as suggested tunings. I'm thinking C6 would be a good choice.

Thanks!
Joe

Robert Allen · From: Tennessee, USA

Perfect age. I started taking lessons when I was 8 years old. Depends on what you mean by "Not a lot of money". My first lap steel was an old Stella brand guitar. The strings were so high I didn't need the raised nut. My dad paid only a couple dollars for it.

Stefan Robertson · From: Hertfordshire, UK

A cheap Chinese make.There are loads online around $100.

An amp get him a cheap practice 5w amp

a bullet bar

MOST important some Headphones.

Decide if you want him to take lessons/you will teach him (harder)

OR

get him a 10 string pedal steel and insist/force lessons upon him as most classical parents do.

OR let him mess around with it and get him some tabs.
_________________
Stefan
Bill Hatcher custom 12 string Lap Steel Guitar
E13#9/F secrets: https://thelapsteelguitarist.wordpress.com

"Give it up for The Lap Steel Guitarist"

Stefan Robertson · From: Hertfordshire, UK

oops of course fingerpicks and a thumbpick. Laughing

Lots of luck to you I am teaching my 3 kids and getting them to focus is hard at that age but usually with an external teacher it is easier.
_________________
Stefan
Bill Hatcher custom 12 string Lap Steel Guitar
E13#9/F secrets: https://thelapsteelguitarist.wordpress.com

"Give it up for The Lap Steel Guitarist"

Chase Brady · From: Ohio, USA

Did you look at the classified ads here? I see Skip Ellis has a couple for $100 each. I don't know him, but personally, I'd put much more faith in a homebuilder that advertises here than I would in an E-Bay seller.

Former Member · Posted 2 Jan 2018 9:06 am

http://www.kekulamele.com/

Joseph Carlson · From: Grass Valley, California, USA

Thanks all for the replies so far. I located a good first instrument in the forum classifieds. We should have it next week some time.

Still looking for a good method to use to get him started.

Would love to find a teacher locally rather than teach him myself, but I doubt there is anyone around here that teaches steel.

Thanks!
Joe

Paul Honeycutt · From: Colorado, USA

I think that one of Andy Volk's C6 books would be a good place to start. Maybe some of the other guys who do video lessons might be good as well. Also, get your kid listening to steel guitar. He needs to get that sound stuck in his head and want to create it himself. If the borderline obsessive desire and passion isn't there he may as well go play baseball with his friend.

My old friend Richard Sinkler who plays pedal steel (and hangs out on the pedal steel part of this site), when he was first starting out, played an acoustic guitar with raised strings and a panhandle for a bar, followed by a two or three neck National console and then a ZB Custom PSG.

I remember going to to a park in the Oakland hills where we drank gin and 7up (don't tell our parents!) and played songs on cheap acoustic guitars and watching his brain smoke figuring out how to play licks that sounded like music. He also used to sit at his steel for hours with a stack of country albums wearing out the grooves figuring out licks and solos.

My point is that it's a process. All along the way he'll be picking up things that will be the foundation of what he becomes as a musician. I wish him the best.

Joseph Carlson · From: Grass Valley, California, USA

The new lap steel showed up today. He seemed pretty stoked. Pretty good bar technique for a beginner!

Brooks Montgomery · From: Idaho, USA

That's awesome. Can't wait to see him in a gig a few years down the trail.
_________________
A banjo, like a pet monkey, seems like a good idea at first.

Jason King · From: Missouri, USA

Best of luck. Stick with it young man!

Skip Ellis · From: Bradenton, Fl USA

I'm proud he's learning on one of mine - makes it all worthwhile. We need a video as soon as possible.
_________________
2013 Brook Torridge, 2014 Martin 000-18, two homebrew Teles, Evans RE200 amp, Quilter 101R head, understanding wife of 45 years. 'Steeless' at the moment but looking......

Mark Eaton · Posted 16 Jan 2018 8:39 pm

Great photo! And he does look pretty stoked.

Finding a lap steel teacher in Nevada County, or for that matter even driving to Sacramento, might be like a needle in a haystack.

But you should get ahold of Pete Grant in Auburn. He might be willing to take on your young man.

Mike Witcher in Oakdale - one of the greatest dobro players on the planet who also plays lap steel - a good candidate, though I think Mike's areas of expertise would be in Open G and Open D.

The question is, what kind of music is he interested in? Does he want to play more rock sounding stuff or does he like country music? So it's going to be about the tuning and the genre.

There's the internet - Troy Breningmyer and his Lessons With Troy has some good beginner videos in different tunings.

https://www.lessonswithtroy.com/

I started in San Jose in the 1960s at age 9 or 10 at a music studio toward the end of the era when one could actually sign up for lap steel lessons, and we began with the classic Hawaiian tuning of Low Bass Open A then moved on to others - it wasn't like there was any choice in the matter.

I would think that starting on lap steel before moving onto the pedals - an E based tuning would be a good option. Going from C6th lap to E9th pedals - kind of a whole different deal. But it all helps.

Nowadays with different teachers you might be more able to "pick your poison."
_________________
Mark

Bill Groner · From: QUAKERTOWN, PA

Rick Barnhart · From: Arizona, USA

Young ones getting interested in steel are always my favorite topics. I only wish I'd started at that age.
_________________
Clinesmith consoles D-8/6 5 pedal, D-8 3 pedal & A25 Frypan, Pettingill Teardrop, & P8 Deluxe.

Forum Index > Steel Without Pedals		Next oldest topic :: Next newest topic

All times are GMT - 8 Hours	Jump to: