Jeff Mead
From:
London, England
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Posted 1 Nov 2015 10:36 am |
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I've been playing lap steel for a good few years but I just played my first gig on pedal steel, having bought one back in April 
I had a lot of fun. I was playing with a band who were doing country rock/outlaw country stuff which, although isn't the sort of stuff I mainly listen to, is great fun to play and the singer has some really good original songs. That's just as well as I'm very much a beginner and I definitely don't have the chops to play in a band doing classic country and honky tonk stuff.
I kept it simple for the most part - I wasn't out to try to impress any other steelies who may have been watching. It was a regular pub and I don't think many of the audience had even seen a steel before and half of them probably thought I was playing some sort of keyboard. Lots of people asked me questions during the break and after the show and I got some really nice (and probably undeserved) compliments.
The band had previously been playing as a trio and, although I didn't get a chance to rehearse with them and met them for the first time at the gig, I did have a set list in advance and had worked on a few of the original songs via online collaboration. I've got to say that having actual songs to work on was a much more productive learning experience than learning odd licks and exercises out of context.
The bottom line is that I got away with it and there were a few clunkers but no really bad train wrecks and I even got paid at the end of the night. The band want me to carry on working with them so I'm really looking forward to pursuing my new musical venture.
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