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Topic: How Long? |
Bill Duncan
From:
Lenoir, North Carolina, USA
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Posted 10 Jun 2022 4:43 am |
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Almost every time I play somewhere I get asked, "how long does it take to learn to play one of those?" I usually say that it is all a matter of seat time and motivation, not a certain time period.
I have been at this a while and I am still learning. If I had to give a number I would say on average 5 years. Am I off base? |
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Justin Emmert
From:
Greensboro, NC
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Posted 10 Jun 2022 5:19 am
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| 3,000 hours to be ok at it. 10,000 hours to be decent. |
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Jack Stoner
From:
Kansas City, MO
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Posted 10 Jun 2022 6:28 am
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I've been playing pedal steel since Oct 1969 and I still find new things.
But, I don't think you can really put a number to it. Everyone is different.
My wife plays piano and guitar. She wanted to play steel and thought it would be easy. She changed her mind after getting into it.
_________________
GFI Ultra Keyless S-10 with pad (Black of course) TB202 amp, Hilton VP, Steelers Choice sidekick seat
Cakewalk by Bandlab and Studio One V4.6 pro DAWs, MOTU Ultralite MK5 recording interface unit (for sale) |
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Samuel Phillippe
From:
Douglas Michigan, USA
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Posted 10 Jun 2022 6:40 am
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Was told it was an easy instrument to play.......5 months later and I'm still learning where and how to sit for foot placement etc.......funny part is I beleived a guy who never owned one....dumb me, but enjoying the learning process
Sam |
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Doug Beaumier
From:
Northampton, MA
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Gil James
From:
Louisiana, USA
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Posted 10 Jun 2022 7:40 am
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Been playing 6 string guitar for over 50 years,2 years in on steel. Motivation is what's driving me ,enjoyment is what's keeping me in. The one thing I've noticed is it is keeping my brain sharper than its been in years!
Justin, I only need about 8000 more hours! |
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Roger Rettig
From:
Naples, FL
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Posted 10 Jun 2022 8:04 am
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When one first encounters a pedal steel the thing that overwhelms is the notion of both feet, both knees, and both hands. That's how it was with me, anyway.
Oddly, and I suppose it's like driving a car with a shift, those things become second nature. I soon knew what my three pedals and one KL did and it became entrenched.
Touch, tone, volume-pedal technique? Those are very different matters. I got my first steel in '73 or '74 and I'm making progress. That's all I can say with assurance, yet I've earned my living doing it!
I've been at it fifty years and I've successfully scratched the surface.
I will never forget us doing a sound-check one day with Buddy Emmons. He was noodling around and fiddling with amp-settings - like he did - when, suddenly, he exclaimed:
'Look what I've found!'
He played something very clever on the low strings on E9 and seemed very pleased with himself. This was in the late-'80s and he'd long been steel guitar's Master of the Universe, yet even he was making discoveries. That must tell us something.
_________________
Roger Rettig - Emmons D10s, Quilter TT-12, B-bender Teles and old Martins.
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Doug Taylor
From:
Shelbyville, Kentucky, USA
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Posted 10 Jun 2022 8:06 am
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| I have been playing 3 years after 50 years of playing bass. I am nowhere near ready to gig! |
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John De Maille
From:
On a Mountain in Upstate Halcottsville, N.Y.
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Posted 10 Jun 2022 11:16 am
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I would seriously say it depends on your musical capabilities. Someone who has some musical knowledge or an inherent feeling for music could probably play a song within a few days providing they've had some instruction or instructional material. Becoming adept requires determination and practice. As to answering that question of how long, there's no definite answer since we don't know the capabilities of the inquirer, providing that they are the one who wants to play.
And, BTW- we should never stop learning to play this instrument. There is so much to be absorbed in the learning process and so many different approaches to play in different variations. It's a very personal instrument, which, enables us to develope our own style and sound. It's a never ending journey on a road with no end. |
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Roger Rettig
From:
Naples, FL
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Posted 10 Jun 2022 11:22 am
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Absolutely, John - music is an endless quest even without the physicality of producing a note on a steel guitar.
_________________
Roger Rettig - Emmons D10s, Quilter TT-12, B-bender Teles and old Martins.
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Darrell Criswell
From:
Maryland, USA
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Posted 13 Jun 2022 12:45 pm
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| I meet someone at a steel show who was a great vocalist and had played bass and sang in many bands. He said he had always loved steel so he finally bought one. He practiced and tried to learn for about a year. After a year one morning his wife said to him "I think you are getting better at steel, I think I recognized the song you were trying to play". He said he packed up the steel and took it to the music store to sell. |
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Doug Beaumier
From:
Northampton, MA
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Gil James
From:
Louisiana, USA
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Posted 13 Jun 2022 2:13 pm
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| I was almost one of those guitarists Doug. I thought this thing has frets, no problem. Well, I soon found out that not much transfers over like I thought it would. At about the eighth month, thing's finally clicked musically. The physical,muscle memory part came in at about a year. Now, at 2 years I can play with a group at church with an occasional solo gig. It's an endless journey for sure. The one thing that really confounds me, is that I can't sing while I play the steel,like I've done with guitar all my life. My hat's off to anybody that can. |
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Bill Cunningham
From:
Atlanta, Ga. USA
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Posted 14 Jun 2022 6:29 am
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| Roger Rettig wrote: |
When one first encounters a pedal steel the thing that overwhelms is the notion of both feet, both knees, and both hands. That's how it was with me, anyway.
Oddly, and I suppose it's like driving a car with a shift, those things become second nature. I soon knew what my three pedals and one KL did and it became entrenched.
Touch, tone, volume-pedal technique? Those are very different matters. I got my first steel in '73 or '74 and I'm making progress. That's all I can say with assurance, yet I've earned my living doing it!
I've been at it fifty years and I've successfully scratched the surface.
I will never forget us doing a sound-check one day with Buddy Emmons. He was noodling around and fiddling with amp-settings - like he did - when, suddenly, he exclaimed:
'Look what I've found!'
He played something very clever on the low strings on E9 and seemed very pleased with himself. This was in the late-'80s and he'd long been steel guitar's Master of the Universe, yet even he was making discoveries. That must tell us something. |
Similarly, a friend gave me a talk tape of a lesson with Maurice. Maurice showed him a lick and said something to the effect that it had been in his head for years and he had recently found it on the guitar!
_________________
Bill Cunningham
Atlanta, GA |
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Don R Brown
From:
Rochester, New York, USA
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Posted 14 Jun 2022 3:54 pm Re: How Long?
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| Bill Duncan wrote: |
| I get asked, "how long does it take to learn to play one of those?" |
My answer (with a smile) is "I'll let you know when I get there".
_________________
Many play better than I do. Nobody has more fun. |
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