Comfort Level

Greg Vincent · Post by **Greg Vincent** » 4 Oct 2004 9:19 am

Hi folks,

I've been hacking away at this PSG gadget for almost 10 years now. I've logged probably 200 shows as a steel player, yet I still don't feel entirely comfortable on the instrument. It still feels like I'm playing a machine.

Granted, I don't practice as much as I should, but I expected to feel more natural with this thing after 10 years of playing. (I certainly aquired a comfort level on 6-string in much less time.)

Is 10 years too short a time to expect to feel at ease playing the PSG?

-GV

Dave Van Allen · Post by **Dave Van Allen** » 4 Oct 2004 9:33 am

It still feels like I am playing a machine.

it is a machine

Granted, I don't practice as much as I should

I don't intend this to be flippant, but I think you answered your own question with that phrase... but practice in a vacuum may not be what's needed-

if you still feel you are "hacking away" even after a decade, maybe a few sessions with an at-ease and proficient teacher would help?[This message was edited by Dave Van Allen on 04 October 2004 at 10:34 AM.]

Rich Weiss · Post by **Rich Weiss** » 4 Oct 2004 1:10 pm

Don't worry, Greg. It all comes together in year 11.

John McGann · Post by **John McGann** » 4 Oct 2004 1:22 pm

I've been told the first 30 years are the hardest...

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Tony Prior · Post by **Tony Prior** » 4 Oct 2004 2:38 pm

only 30 years..!! Great, I was thinking it may be 40 !

Actually you probably know a ton more than you execute on the gigs. Many of us are that way..play safe..do not attempt to go out of the comfort zone...

After speaking with Jerry Brightman this past weekend it has become apparant that I know a whole lot more than I actually execute on the gigs..

well..Friday nights only a few nights away..so look out..I may make a ton of sour note mistakes but heck..I guess if I am gonna get comfortable with the stuff that I can play and never do..no better time to add it to my lick list than this coming Friday..

oh and by the way..seat time is the quick and dirty answer..

Pucketts in North Charlotte..
t

[This message was edited by Tony Prior on 04 October 2004 at 03:39 PM.]

David L. Donald · Post by **David L. Donald** » 4 Oct 2004 3:22 pm

Another instrument with no frets and a hand held device to make the sound is the violin.

They say in all seriousness, at 15 years of intense playing,

You have become a competant beginner,
now time to REALLY learn to play.

The steel actually has one extra physical disconect : either the bars,
or the pics if you use them.

Violin has hands to strings and only bowing to get used to in comparison.
But life begins at 15...

Donny Hinson · Post by **Donny Hinson** » 4 Oct 2004 6:25 pm

Greg, I'd have to hear what you've accomplished so far to judge whether or not your concerns are warranted. Could you post some clips?

Greg Vincent · Post by **Greg Vincent** » 5 Oct 2004 6:31 am

Thanks folks for giving your input on this.

Donny I guess this thread is not so much about the way a player sounds but rather the way a player feels while playing the instrument; I had expected to feel more comfortable with the PSG at this point, but I find it's still a struggle to play. I had hoped I would be enjoying it more by now.

There's still no other instrument I'd rather be struggling with, though!

I suppose I should rephrase the question posed in this thread so it reads like this:

Did YOU feel completely comfortable on the PSG after 10 years of playing?

-GV [This message was edited by Greg Vincent on 05 October 2004 at 07:51 AM.]

Keith Murrow · Post by **Keith Murrow** » 5 Oct 2004 7:25 am

..[This message was edited by Keith Murrow on 26 October 2004 at 03:45 PM.]

Scott Appleton · Post by **Scott Appleton** » 5 Oct 2004 7:54 am

There is a moment if you play guitar and are sitting down to the steel where your mind goes into a re-set mode. At least thats what happens with me. some times that adjustment moment lasts a few songs some times i just klick in. Been play'in guitar and steel for 30 years and this still happens. I find more
practice helps overcome that 'which instrumentam i playing" feeling. Some of the more talented players out there have no problem in these areas. For me playing steel has been a life time struggle and ultimate enjoyment rolled into one.

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Donny Hinson · Post by **Donny Hinson** » 5 Oct 2004 10:34 am

Did YOU feel completely comfortable on the PSG after 10 years of playing?

Well, yes, I did...but that "comfort" was based on what I did, not what I wanted to do, but couldn't. I could play classic country, rock-a-billy, and '50-'60s rock with the best of em'. Though I started out playing pop and Hawaiian stuff, I lost my comfort level there for one reason...I didn't do it often enough. With jazz and classical, I just never spent the time, so I never had any comfort level, and probably never will. I've resigned myself to that fact. Nobody, but nobody, can "do it all". That's not only true in music, but in any profession or hobby. As the old country song says..."Do what you do, do well."

As for your own feelings, I guess you should feel comfortable doing the songs you do. But, doing an average of only 20 shows a year, you're still a long way from what I would call a "seasoned" player. A lot of us players, in our heyday, did 20 shows in a month or two, and many of us did 200 shows a year for many years. So, we played a lot more, and spent a lot more time just doing it. It's called "time with the instrument", and nothing replaces it. Pedal steel is a very complex instrument, and no one's yet "mastered" it. Straight guitar is much simpler, but I don't personally think we've had anyone master that, either. Violin? Yeah, we got "masters" there. Piano? Yup. It's all point-of-view, though, so there's a lot more opinions still out there.

I have the feeling that your's is merely a mental block developed out of concentrating on what you can't do, while not appreciating what you can do. Take solace in the fact that you're already better than a lot of players out there. Share what you know, and just try to learn more. That's what it's all about...at least, for those of us who don't do it for a living.

Oh yeah, a little more practice wouldn't hurt either!